We need Blake back bad. Sure Bayless has filled in nicely off the bench, but by no means is he ready to contribute to this team as a point guard. His job is to attack the rim and pressure other teams point guards. I've given up on Sergio being any kind of answer on this team at PG. How many times do I have to watch him get burnt by his man off the dribble for any easy hoop, commit himself in the air only to try and make a pass thats not there, or commit silly fouls for being overly aggresive with his man at the top of the key only to get burnt because he's defending tight. His jumper is a ugly, horrible rotation, even when wide open its like he's just shooting it up there blindfolded. Package him with Channing and get a decent veteran point guard who is steady and doesn't try to do too much and knows what its like to win. An Anthony Carter or Anthony Johnson type. 1 assist out of your starting point guard in a game by a player who is no threat to score is awful. Thats my vent
No thanks to Miller. A classic case of too little, too late. Blake returning will help a lot, but then the backup PG spot becomes a problem. I've been a long-time Sergio fan, but maybe it's time to make a decision and move on
I think Bayless will be just fine as a 15 to 20 minute backup for the time being, and I think Andre Miller would be just keen: veteran, crafty, knows how to run an offense as well as getting dribble penetration and has a decent mid range jumper (not so hot from deep though). There's literally no risk trading Raef or a combo of other players since Andre expires at the end of the season and presumably he'd be cool with re-upping for a couple of years at around the MLE. He would definitely not be a long term answer, but he'd be a great "bridge" player while Jerryd matures into the role of a starter.
Damn ... that's a definite "maybe" ... but I don't think we've seen the best Greg has to offer by any stretch (is he guaranteed to get there? That I can't say).
No. The impact Oden is going to have on the defensive end alone in the next couple years is going to be extremely valuable. He's not a dumb kid, he'll learn how to not pick up silly fouls. Thats his biggest demise so far this year over anything else.
It would be nice to have a point guard who would call his own plays and execute them though. Just like how Dallas just handed the playmaking reigns to Jason Kidd and now they are playing better.
Of course he can, but once Blake returns Bayless is likely going to return to his spot as bench warmer in the rotation. Nate uses a specific guard rotation and he's not going to change it. Blake is going to get his minutes and then either Sergio or Bayless is going to have to sit and not play. That is a problem.
That's not true. Nate has constantly changed his guard rotation ever since he got here, and will continue to do so. And it's working fine. Also, Nate said the other day that both Sergio and Jerryd have played well enough that he will have to find them both PT when Blake returns. We have a great record and our guards are showing improvement on a regular basis. They are not being outplayed by anyone to any great extent, and it has never been much of a factor in our losses. If you want to blame losses on someone it's got to be the bigs, and they will grow and toughen up as well. Bake it!
Doesn't Blake already fill that role quite well? And isn't Blake a better long term solution at backup than Miller?
Umm ... no. Blake's game bears almost no resemblance to Andre Miller's. And that's not meant to be a knock on Blake who has been having a very solid season (a career year for him), but he's still almost exclusively a perimeter oriented player who does not get into the lane and does not break down defenses. As for the team's long run backup role, Miller has a couple of good years left in him, and it's not impossible to pick up players should the need arise to replace him.
Well, at least we've learned Sergio is no starting PG caliber. One assist tonight in 21 minutes? The guy is just a career-long backup. A nice backup, but he needs to be in the right system.
