Yeah that's for sure. I'm going to give Bayless until the end of the season to see his true value but if he keeps playing the way he is, I'd like to trade him in the off-season.
He's got to find a mid-range game. Teams have scouted him and know he's either driving to the hoop (so they lurk on the weakside and cap him) or they crowd him so he can't take his long range pull up jumper or shoot the three ball from the corner. This is all part of the adaptation process, and if the team were in a more "normal" state, he'd probably be limited in his minutes -- sometimes just being out there for 35+ and sucking ass is more of confidence killer than a matter of "just playing through it." I hope he can figure it out.
You never know what you're going to get from JB from night to night these days, but don't be surprised to see him play well tomorrow against Memphis - they don't have a lot of shot blockers. Nik is right - Bayless needs to show the league a new wrinkle. Right now he shoots jumpers, or he B-Lines for the rim (and almost always to his right) He needs a floater in the lane, or something to keep the defense honest. He's got to be getting tired of seeing half of his drives end up in the 4th row.
Didn't want to start a new thread so an offshoot to Bayless is me wondering if Mills is really necessary right now? Bayless is finally getting the minutes needed to develop and just as he can feel comfortable with making some mistakes or having drives blocked (knowing he isn't coming out) . . . now he looks over his shoulder and sees Mills itching to get some time. On top of that, it sends a strange message to Bayless . . , you are the future PG on this team, just stay patient and you will get you're chance . . . unless of course Mills comes in and shows that he is the future PG of the Blazers. With Blake due back soon and Rudy at the end of the month . . . I just didn't see the point of bringing up Mills for a couple of games. I'm afraid it is just going end up mentally screwing with Bayless.
I think the point of bringing him up was we have 3 healthy guards in Roy, Miller and Bayless. And one healthy SF. So So it's 144 minutes between 4 players. With a back to back yesterday and today. As it is, Miller, Roy and Martell each played 40 minutes. I don't think an extra 5 for any of them would have been necessary, so it doesn't hurt anything throwing Mills out there. I think once Blake is back, Mills will be sent right back down. But what if in the first quarter tonight, Miller sprains his ankle? Bayless and Roy are playing the full 48 minutes. At least with one extra insurance guard, you can buy them a few minutes of rest.
Remember that Bayless's best game as a pro came when he was playing "as" Brandon Roy (and then Roy came back the next game and got over 40 just to prove he was the real one). Has Bayless ever had a good offensive game while he was also trying to be a PG? Can we rest Roy for a while (before Rudy comes back), play Bayless solely at SG, pump up his stats, and trade him quick?
All I know is that we're way too early on in Bayless' career to know exactly where he best fits. He's 21. His shooting will improve. Players that shoot as well as he did in college generally do. His shooting is already improved from last season. His decision making will improve as he develops a more polished offensive game. It's going to take time. Once Steve and Rudy come back Bayless isn't going to get much playing time, so I'd just like to see him used as often as we can in the next week to 10 days.
I like the first part (play JB at SG and rest B-Roy - especially if Roy's hammy is really that sore) But "pump up his stats and trade him quick"? Maybe that works in fantasy leagues, but I doubt GM's around the league are going to sell the farm if Bayless drops a couple of 20-25 point games. I think the kid will figure it out. When you combine his desire/motivation and athletic ability with the fact that he's a smart kid - he'll get better and show more consistency. I'm thinking that he may have a big game tonight vs Memphis who have no shot blockers other than Thabeet, who hardly plays (especially against small ball teams like us) They will want to pound Gasol & Z-Bo, so Bayless should be able to get to the basket. He only played 23 minutes last night, so he should have fresh legs.
Relax folks. It is the difference between being scouted and not being scouted. Bayless now has to grow again because teams are scouting him and trying to take away the most productive parts of his game, which is getting to the hoop. He has to get to where he hits the jumper to get the respect needed to get his game to where it needs to be, which is in the paint. Brandon Jennings hasn't come close to 55 since he scored that many. The reason why? Because he is now scouted.
Don't you know? The all-knowing pre-immenent Trail Blazers expert Charles Barkley thinks Bayless proved (in one game) that he should have been our Point Guard all along.
