Nate- change your avatar. It's gross, offensive, classless, etc. Cmon, put up a picture of Steve Blake. You'd be the first person to do it.
Jerryd is our future. For a guy that's only 20 years old, is coming off just one year of college and trying to adapt his game at one of the hardest positions in basketball while getting inconsistent minutes and doesn't know when he'll play, I'm not too worried about his struggles. While I'm a little surprised his jumper hasn't fallen too much this season, he's shown the potential of being able to change the pace of a game. And it's good to know that the guy lives and breaths basketball, and wants to work at it and try to be the best he can be. If it ends up he didn't work out, then it wouldn't be for lack of him trying. I believe in Bayless.
I should probably give my take since I'm being jumped on about Bayless. I think the PG position in the NBA is the hardest position to play. Bayless is young, has shown an ability to shoot (although yet to be seen if that shooting style will suceed in the NBA), has developed some this season in driving and dishing off and has the desire to do whatever it takes to make it. Does that mean he will make it? No. But you can't give up on him now and Nate/KP likes players who can play mulitple positions. I hope the Blazers number one priority is to get a seasoned PG this summer and let Blake and Bayless back up Roy and seasoned PG.
I have horribly mixed emotions over Bayless. I was overjoyed to land him last summer, and was convinced that he would be our starting PG by his third season - maybe even his second. I am no longer so confident. Bayless left his outside shot somewhere in the desert. He rarely plays like a true PG. Despite his hustle on defense, Nate won't play him consistent minutes...and that speaks volumes. While I am not all that impressed with Rudy, he seems to have seized the backup SG role - so the question becomes how long the team is willing to wait on Bayless learning the PG role. It pains me to say it, but Bayless may be in the same boat as Jarret Jack. He may be a good player who just does not fit here, and it might be better for everyone if he was traded.
I think Bayless is a tremendous talent. I think if he had ended up with a team committed to starting him from day 1 and he was given the confidence that any mistake wouldn't mean bench time, he'd be having a season akin to Russell Westbrook. I understand why Portland can't give him that sort of leash, considering the stiff competition they're in. That said, I don't think Rodriguez gives us much, so I'd rather just give Bayless the second-string PG minutes and be done with it. No more jerking him and Rodriguez around. Maybe Bayless will continue to struggle anyway but even then, he wouldn't be giving less that Sergio, IMO. It's a low-risk/high-reward venture.
The reason he's struggling is because we're forcing him to do what he isn't used to doing. His strength is driving to the basket, and he hasn't been doing that for some reason, possibly because of coaching not wanting him to? I thought the trade was silly to begin with. We traded Jack, a decent scoring point guard for another scoring point guard with a bit higher ceiling? Meh. I'd rather have had Jack and Rush. Bayless isn't going to be the pure point guard we need, so I don't see why we're trying to force him to. Play to his strengths instead of trying to make him the next Chris Paul/DWill because he's obviously not that kind of player.
him and three million for Ricky Rubio (who wants to enter and play overseas for 1 or 2 more years)...No team super high can afford that kind of a risk with their fans (not having him over for a year or more)...But bayless can provide scoring and a lot of owner's would like that three million. Bring over Koponen and Freeland Let Blake walk, sign Andre Miller for a 2 year 7 million per and another vet (Des Mason?) Miller/Rodriguez/Koponen Roy/Fernandez Webster/Batum/Mason Aldridge/Outlaw/Freeland Oden/Pryzbilla
or Bayless/Blake for Steve Nash (which most suns fans think is a good deal at this point, it saves them 7 million and nets them young talent)...not quite sure if we'll be under the cap enough to do it at this point, but who knows then package our picks and grab Stephen Curry (he's falling and won't have great combine numbers) Nash/Sergio/Koponen Roy/Fernandez/Curry Webster/Batum Aldridge/Outlaw/Freeland Oden/Pryzbilla Nash would have a team around him that played some D for once! And Webster/Aldridge/Oden are more than good enough finishers to make him effective still.
nice job @ss. It is hypothetical, and if Rubio wants to stay over another year in this economy I could see quite a few owners around 5, 6, 7 pick deciding to trade Rubio for Bayless and three million. Teams still know Bayless has potential.
With all due respect there isn't a chance in hell a team would trade Rubio unless what they were getting back was an established star at a position of need. Rubio's only chance of becoming a Blazer happens if the team somehow blunders their way out of the playoffs and 'luck' into a top pick in the lottery. It's that simple.
I don't see any reason to rush him. Whether it's because Nate doesn't believe in him or because he's simply not good enough, he's not in the rotation at the moment. And that's fine. He's a very young guy and he's a rookie. As long as he keeps working things will turn out just fine. I voted for "next year" (the first option). Ed O.
The "In Your Face" dunk in the last 2.30 seconds? left in the fourth quarter against the suns was awesome. Its too bad he wasn't put in at the 5 min mark when we were still up by 15 points.
Bayless is not going to get much playing time for the rest of the year so maybe next year will be his year. I would have like to see him get some more playing time this year but now I hope he takes the pain on being on the bench and works his ass off during the summer to get the back up PG spot. If he does not get playing time next season though I see him asking to be traded. He deserved more time this season from what I saw but I'm not the coach.
