Assists are a very different animal than shooting - a good pass does not become an assist until someone else converts it. Remember that Bayless had much better teammates to pass to to finish - Davidson was Curry and nobody around him. Look at their assist% to get a better idea of how they set their team-mates. As small-guards - they both were in the mid-20, as a PG - Curry's ast% has gone up to 41% - which is very good. I have no idea if Curry is a better distributor than JB, for the record - I just do not like the total assists stuff to determine how well they do as passers.
The spacing will be the same. Defenders are not going to leave Bayless to double team or to sag into the lane. They're going to sag a step or two off him in order to be tougher to beat off the dribble. That's still going leave the paint and lane wide open. Through his career, college and NBA, Blake has brought the ball up and set up the offense. He's not a great distributor...if he were, he'd be a good/great point guard. There is such a thing as a mediocre classical point guard. Blake does the things that point guards have been expected to do since the position came into vogue, until this year. This year, with Roy ascendant, the team had Blake bring the ball up, give the ball to Roy and then wait at the three-point line. It was effective because Roy is such an amazing talent, but it's not the way Blake has played through his career.
Maybe in a YMCA league but not in the NBA. The difference isn't on corner jumpers which are far in anyways, the difference is that teams will pay attention to Curry as he runs off screens or around the perimeter like they do with Rudy. With Bayless they literally do not care at all. They'll guard him if he has the ball, but if he doesn't and he's on the perimeter they don't. Watch the games man, the NBA is played at a fast speed, and stuff like that matters. This is a very common totally faulty thought. When has Blake started/been effective/looked good in his whole career? When he played next to Juan Dixon in college (who did all the ball handling and scoring), Brandon Roy (who did al the ball handling and scoring), and Allen Iverson (who did all the ball handling and scoring). Steve Blake SUCKS. Ask Milwaukee how good he was at running their offense.
As usual, all you have is rants rather than actual insight. I do watch the games and you're entirely wrong. The idea that defenses do not guard Bayless on the perimeter is absurd, unless you think last year was the only year of basketball Bayless has ever played. He hasn't. That's why he's not a good player. That's different from what style of guard he is.
I have mentioned in that past how I feel that Curry seems to play at a slower pace...similar to Roy. It's not that it's slower, but it's more deliberate, and I think that Curry could become a decent player. I think that he could be a good shooter, although I do worry a bit about his quickness (or lack of) and think he'll be an inferior defender to Bayless. Since I saw Curry in the tournament, I've grown to like him less as a prospect, but he still reminds me of a miniature Roy (again, not from driving, etc., but from his poise and composure). If we do trade up and get Curry, figure that between him and Bayless the PG situation will be sorted out. In that case I expect us to push to sign Hedo since he can handle the ball so well and create mismatches from the SF position.
Ok, but wouldn't 10X the passer be more like 40.0 to 4.0? I think a lot of you forget a player on Arizona's roster named Nick Wise as well. Bayless prinarily played SG in college because of him. So taking SG numbers he is clearly a better passer than Curry was as a SG.
Bayless was asked to play SG for a lot of the year and score due to the injuries Arizona suffered. Bayless played with a PG his year at Arizona. Nic Wise is good. Can we call it even because he was playing against better competition as well? Curry is cool, but I don't think we need him. I think he is pretty similar to Rudy actually. I also think that Bayless will be a fine shooter in this league, good enough for what we need, but his physical attributes and mindset give us more of what we need which is a tough nose guard who gets to the rim. Also defense is very important, I have a feeling Curry wouldn't do so well defensively, and may have some trouble getting his shot off. I also doubt he would get any playing time unless there were only 2 PGs on the roster (or at least PT similar to Bayless' rookie year). But if we don't give up a lot and move up to the mid-teens and snatch Curry (if he is higher than that then he isn't worth it imo) I'd be game because I trust KP. If he wants to aggressively go after Curry, then he must see something in him, which is a good sign. But i'd rather have Bayless or Sessions any day.
I'm all for getting Sessions as our PG going forward, and Freeland as backup PF, with perhaps drafting another banger. So basically, I have no expectations from this draft. Anything really positive would be a complete shock. iWatas
Curry will be nothing more than a designated shooter. He cannot create for himself or others, except for him shooting threes.
Curry's game reminds me of Mike Bibby. Bayless's is more Steve Francis. I see them as very different. Curry is pretty slow, it looks like, but has a pretty good no-step vertical. Curry's shooting would work well next to Roy, but his defense would likely be a step down from Blake's, and that's NOT good. On the other hand, he can penetrate better than Blake and is probably a better passer (partly as a result). Supposedly Doctors have said he might have some more growing to do (he has big feet for his height). I don't think he has "bust written all over him" - he's not the Adam Morrison of guards - but if Steve Blake getting blown by made your blood boil, he wouldn't help.
Hmmm. Last year, from what i recall hearing, they brought in Bayless for a secret workout before the draft. I think if KP truly had his eyes on someone, and needed to trade up, he wouldn't be taking them out to dinner. But, who knows.
Curry reaches for the salt. KP casually reaches for it at the same time. Their fingers touch, their eyes meet, the sound of "Strangers in the Night" swells in the background...... OK - I am even creeping myself out!
