I've been out of town all weekend and just watched our last two games back to back. Bayless lost his backup slot to Sergio again. How on earth, with all his competitive fire, did he let that happen? He has looked so passive out there. He never looks to attack the basket. What happened to that guy we saw in New Jersey who got into the paint at will and either scored or went to the free throw line?
He didnt loose it. Nate is just doing the "show me what you got in 2-3 games" then I'm going to the other guy to do the same. instead of doing the 5-10 minutes a game for each thing. I think its better this way , they get more time, and more time all at once.
Scouting reports also have something to do with Bayless driving to the hoop. He is still doing it all the time. Whoever we are playing has figured a way to block his shot every time now.
A few games ago Bayless checked in for like a minute or two and Nate yanked him for Sergio. Didn't see what it was that he did wrong but from the short leash Nate saw something he didn't like.
The facts are that neither one of them has done anything to win playing time, at this point it is almost an excercise of futility as to which one is on the court. Both players are tentative and uptight while on the court, not relaxed.
One thing that has to be said for Nate is that he makes his players earn time. I often say to myself "If he just showed a little confidence in them they'd play better," but one thing I've come to realize is that when you do that, you create a player that is susceptible to losing confidence again. By the way Nate runs the ship, players know that they are earning the minutes that they get, and I think in the long run it creates better players. I actually think that is one of the reasons that Oden will blossom next year and the year after. While he's probably being handed a bit (a starting role) because of his draft status, I think that Nate will instill in him his role and when he gets comfortable with it, he'll excel.
Neither Sergio or Bayless have earned one second of playing time of late. Nate is trying to find the lesser of two evils, nothing more. As to what happened to Bayless, he hasn't learned how to protect the ball with his body when attacking the rim. He also hasn't developed a 5 to 10 foot floater shot he can bust out if the rim is well protected. If he develops those two things, he will be fine. If not, I hear Europe pays pretty well.
It's tough having two backup PGs who can't make a wide-open 15-foot jump shot. And right now, Sergio has a better grasp of the offense and that's pushed Jerryd aside for the time being. But I'm a little surprised Jerryd's jumper isn't falling at all.
He's playing poorly. He seems to be having trouble adjusting to the PG position. He's trying to pull back a bit and be the passer. I'd like to see him pass, but continue to drive hard to the basket and put pressure on the defense.
The word is clearly out on Bayless - pack the middle and force him to take a jumper. When he has tried driving lately he's run into a crowd and goodness knows he's not going to get a call in the lane at this point in his career.
That's what I find so baffling. He was a great shooter in college, and had no trouble hitting a pull up J or hitting the open three. I don't know what the underlying issue is with Bayless' confidence in his shot, but that has been the biggest surprise (and disappointment) for me regarding his play. I'm very curious to see if he's able to bounce back over the summer and come in with a different level of play.
Once the paint gets packed anticipating a mindless rush to the hoop, why the heck doesn't J-Rex pass the ball back out? He's so Damonesque with that move it just makes me wanna scream...
you'd think he'd have found a few by now, but that doesn't seem to be his game right now. i agree nik, he was a decent to good shooter at UA and summer league but that jumper is broke right now.
Teams are sagging off of him and daring him to shoot from the outside - it's not secret. When he does try to drive to the basket it's like the preverbial "Bull in a China Shop" because there is nowhere to go. You can't really get by your defender if he's giving you space. It's not like he's facing double or triple teams and guys are open all over the place however. He's just got to knock down some jumpers to keep the defense honest. Otherwise, it will be more of the same. Someone needs to tell him to stop jumping so early also. He keeps getting caught up in the air and throwing the ball all over the place. NO MORE JUMP PASSES. It's not that Sergio did anything to get his minutes back - Bayless just didn't play well at all. I love the emotion he plays with, but Dude has got to learn to stay in control out there.
At the beginning of the season, I had high hopes for Bayless. I honestly thought that by his 3rd season he would be our starting PG. As others have pointed out, he seems to have left his jump-shot in the desert. His playmaking instincts are also less than I expected. On the plus side, I like his hustle on defense, and his willingness to attack the rack on offense. That isn't enough, however, to make him an NBA starter. His future may depend on what happens with Rudy. He could still emerge as a very good 3rd guard....but will it be as a Blazer?
