of course Rush was the guy that Bird wanted... Portland could have used the #13 on other prospects. My choice pre-draft was Anthony Randolph who is clocking in with a 16.5 PER and is the youngest player in the league. STOMP
Well, let's look at the other rookies on this team: Batum - One of two small forwards on this team. He would either be starting or playing the backup role. Rudy - One of two shooting guards on this team. He would either be starting or playing the backup. Oden - One of two centers on this team. He would either be starting or playing the backup. Bayless - One of three point guards on this team, currently not playing. I would also like to point out that Nate has always been especially hard on point guards.
That's true. It does depend on whom Pritchard would have selected if he had kept the pick, which we'll never know. I like Randolph, too. I think Bayless is a big talent, though, and at a bigger need position. So, for now, I prefer having Bayless to anyone else Portland could have had at that slot.
I just don't see Jerryd ever being a better player than Steve Blake is right now, and most certainly not as a PG. IMO, he's behind Brandon, Rudy, Steve and even Martell for PT in the SG spot, with another PG coming next draft and of course Petteri who is already a better PG also. If his agent isn't lobbying hard for an off-seasn trade, he's not much of an agent.
Maybe it was another attempt by KP to throw the team under the bus. Or maybe KP has the ability to think long term. He understands the importance of continually grooming young players. (Either here or over seas) There are just so many minutes to go around. There is nothing wrong with drafting a kid with huge upside and being patient. The last 5 guys on the bench are not going to play much anyways. He had nothing to lose, and as others have said JJ was not going to be happy here backing up Blake.
Plus this playoff team is already playing 3 rookies substantial and consistent minutes. Bayless should pay dividends in upcoming seasons. Jack would have possibly been a better option than Sergio, but with Rudy available late in games, I'm not sure Jack would have been needed. The one thing he does very well is get to the basket and draw fouls, but Roy already does that and Outlaw can also create his own offense at will.
The Blazers said they wanted to make Outlaw a SF this year. I wonder how much we'd have to suffer through watching Channing Frye, if Webster did not get hurt. To start the season, Webster would be starting at SF with Frye and Outlaw coming off the bench. We may not have even known how good Batum is.
Things really worked out well, all things considered. I don't think there was a single person on this board who was high on Batum after the summer league.
I was still high on Batum. He clearly played very poorly, but I'd been on the Batum bandwagon at least a year before he was drafted. He was touted as a potentially top-5 pick...I long wing player with good skills and very high basketball IQ. After summer league I did think he was quite a project though, and he has done better during the season. But I was still high on him. Higher on Bayless, but still holding out that drafting Batum late in the first-round was a steal that would pay off.
Its not safe to say anything. He is a rookie with two veterans in front of him. I am sick and tired of people like you bitching about Bayless playing time. Grow up.
you have to account for the fact that JJ is putting up these numbers while mainly playing the off-guard spot. he's not asked to handle the ball nearly as much as he was here and that is because he isn't a good PG. i hope JB turns out to be much better than JJ but right now their games seem to match.
Well I've been tough on Bayless since summer league (wondering from the start if he could transistion to an NBA PG) . . . but I'm not writing him off as a NBA PG yet. I don't know if Bayless can make the jump to NBA PG, but I think he has a shot. I try to read as many articles as I can and I believe both Roy and Nate are still very big on Bayless. He isn't playing now becuase it is crunch time where every game counts, and after 3 years, Sergio understands the offensive and defensive schemes of the Blazers much better than Bayless. So it makes sense at this time of the year to play Sergio over Bayless . . . but this summer I would guess that it will be Sergio traded, not Bayless. For Sergio . . . he worked this summer to make his outside less of a liability . . . to turn the corner in the NBA he has to make his outside shot a weapon, and then he would have shot at NBA PG (he has the ball handling skills and court vision)
not all of us put much weight on summer league results Nate... it's 1 on 1 ball and no one has ever thought that was his game. Like Balancedman I'd been hoping he'd be a Blazer long before he became one. It was a surprise to me that he was so effective right off as I guessed he could use a year to learn the NBA game and work on his body, but I've always held more hopes for him then one trick pony Martell. STOMP
