If I heard right, that was the implication from Wheels' show today. Part II of the equation was, it lends to make Bayless somewhat expendable. I wonder how many PG minutes the Blazers might expect from Rudy? Conversely, if the Blazers acquire a cat such as Miller, I suppose it renders this discussion moot.
What if both Blake and Bayless are moved? Let's pretend for a minute that Blake is moved to Philly for Miller, and then Bayless and Outlaw are moved for a SF upgrade. For kicks and giggles let's use Gerald Wallace. Then sign a scrub like Brevin Knight Miller/Fernandez/Knight Roy/Fernandez/Webster Wallace/Batum/Webster Aldridge/Cunningham/Pendergraph Oden/Przybilla/Pendergraph Just sorta thinking out loud.
If Rudy could somehow be able to guard PG's and also dribble and dish in traffic I would be ecstatic to have him as our 6 foot 7 point guard. I just can't see that happening. I think Rudy at PG is fool's gold and will melt on contact with reality. Tony Parker would light us up for 60 with Rudy at PG. Blake would probably be the better defender! Miller made sense when we thought Bayless was the long term answer at PG or if you prefer as Roy's backcourt mate combo-guard. I just don't see that as being the case after Summer League and the season. I used to be a Bayless supporter but I expected him to absolutely destroy the summer league much like he did in that first half. I thought if he had what it took to be an NBA PG it would be clear in SL. I now feel that I was wrong and that Bayless is best used as trade fodder. I think we have to make a real run at either Conley or Sessions or Rubio if that's even possible.
Not that Nate would likely consider this but if you start batum/roy/rudy you have 1 weak link on D. As long as the other team isn't stacked 1-3 you put rudy on the scrub, batum on the main threat and brandon on the secondary threat. I'm unsure though optimistic about extended minutes with this lineup but for short periods I think roy/rudy can dual-combo guard enough to get the ball handling/distribution handled between the two of them as well as putting our current best two guards on the floor. Anyway it's sounded more to me like rudy/bayless will be sharing duties as point guard in the second unit. I'm thinking bayless will bring the ball up and rudy will run the offense the higher % of the time. between the two of them I see the possibility of a decent backcourt. Bayless drive-dishes, rudy does the entry passes and play calls, bayless ballhandles and handles the opponents quick points (when he's not in foul trouble) and rudy spot up shoots to keep the D from cheating in.
That's not a bad idea other then Brandon having to bring the ball up the court. Also who is Rudy going to get it in to on the second unit? Oden or LMA are still in the game in this scenario?
Last year, Aldridge typically played the first 12-14 minutes a game, and Roy would be the one to sub back in for him.
I know this will sound like the rantings of a deranged mind, but...... If the team needs a PG, why focus on trying to turn SGs into PGs? Why not go out and get a FRAKIN' PG! Yeesh!
I don't think that is the point. (No pun intended) They know they need two real PG's. What they are looking at is getting more minutes for Rudy in the back court with Brandon instead of one of them at the SF position. Trying to go big for 10-14 minutes instead of going small.
Case in point, and what would Rudy light up Parker for? Why is it that we only look at the advantage Parker would have in speed over Rudy, but not the height/reach/jumping advantages that Rudy has? I think Rudy is a savvy enough player to funnel a PG to the double team. Maybe Rudy sags off of Parker a bit and forces/dares him to shoot over him rather than driving. Maybe Rudy abuses Parker on offense and Parker picks up fouls in bunches. Point being, Rudy has advantages in a match up with Parker as well.
Then why didn't Nate try Rudy vs. Brooks in the Houston series? I mean if it was to our advantage (no point doing it if its a wash or a net loss) why didn't we try that strategy with elimination on the line?
It would seem to make the most sense Rudy played point on the second unit with Bayless as SG. Rudy seems to be most effective with the ball in his hands, and Bayless hasn't established that he is a good distributor.
? So, Rudy Will Be Playing Some Point? since we have multiple definitions about what playing the point means, I'm sure some will think so. Some think it means bringing the ball up, some think it means initiating the offense, others that the player guards the other team's shortest player. I think he's Portland's 2nd best guard and would like to see him paired in the backcourt with Portland's best guard more often next season. I don't see why they couldn't do at least an adequate job fulfilling those skills I listed. STOMP
I'm skeptical about a Rudy/Roy pairing. Defense would be my first concern. Second, just from watching the games, it didn't seem that Rudy was utilized very well when in the game with Roy. He was working very hard off the ball to get open but didn't seem to get the ball that often. Maybe that was because he didn't seem to shoot as well when in that lineup. That's just my impression. I don't know if there is any way to see his shooting percentage with and without a pairing with Roy.
Rudy is as adequate a defender against PGs as Blake. And the under-utilization of Rudy occurred with Roy as PG. The ball would be in Rudy's hands in this scenario. I've been calling for a Rudy/Roy/Batum/Aldridge/Oden lineup since March.
It seems that would be worth a try, looking at 82games.com, I see that whenever Roy and Rudy were paired up that either Blake or Rodriguez was in there.
But I still think the optimal pairing is Rudy and Bayless on the 2nd unit. And then some additional minutes for Rudy with either Roy and Blake or without Blake. If we do sign Andre Miller, then would have to reconsider the whole thing.
Rudy did the best job of guarding Brooks in the playoffs with the limited minutes he got. He's not that slow and his length makes up for it.
I really like the idea of solid three-man backcourt - Miller, Roy, and Fernandez. I'm really not interested in seeing Blake play in place of Fernandez. Let's move Blake and give Bayless any spot minutes at the one. The key is that Rudy needs to play more, not less.
My recollection of Rudy at the point was he would try to drive, but couldn't get by NBA defenders so if he couldn't find someone he would end up taking an off-balance shot. He should be able to develop the skills, but it may take some time. He certainly has better court vision than Blake or Bayless. And it is probably easier to develop a better handle than to develop court vision.
