Totally agree; Rudy can get hot still. Even hitting one three has a halo effect on the defense that helps us out. And you can't wear Bayless out by starting him.
Yep. Rudy can't play or shoot any worse, and we still won the game. No need to change a thing, except for perhaps sitting Howard for Cunningham in the first half, and letting Juwan play Kick Ass in the second half.
Rudy's offense looks bad but his defense is worse. I say start Martell, work Dante into the lineup where you can and continue to give Bayless big minutes if he can keep it up.
Man, I just have zero confidence in Rudy anymore. The guy just seems unmotivated. Totally different player since last season.
Absolutely agree. And not because Rudy sucked tonight, but because that's the best way to make PHX pay for switching Nash off Miller.
I think you leave Bayless on the bench to give it a spark. God knows how terrible bench shooting becomes with Rudy sulking there.
Posted this on the game thread, but I'll add something to it. I'd like to see the team start Bayless in Game 2 with Miller. I agree with Barkley on one thing: Nash couldn't handle Miller, so they had to switch him off Miller. So have Bayless play the lion's share of minutes and let Nash chase Bayless him around all game. Nash isn't going to be able to keep Bayless in front of him and trying will sap some of his energy. Fernandez just doesn't have any one tool that he can rely on. In some sense, he's a broken-play superstar...when things are chaotic and the defense isn't set, he has space to shoot, pass and get to the rim. He can do it all. But against set, halfcourt defenses, there's nothing he can do except shoot when open and hope he's hot. Bayless currently doesn't have a diverse game, but he can often get into the paint and score or draw fouls. One weapon is better than no weapons. And attacking the hoop is something you can't ever have too much of in playoff games, where referees seem to disproportionately reward "being aggressive." I see people saying that it's best to leave Rudy as starter so that Bayless provides something off the bench. To tell the truth, I don't really care who "starts." It's a designation that really is only about respect. What I care about is who gets more minutes. For the reasons given above, I really hope Bayless plays "starter minutes" regardless of who actually starts the game.
When Bayless came into the game in the first half we were up 4 points, and when he left we were down 5 points. We could easily get that Bayless if we started him. No. Let him come off the bench, and if he has it going he gets more minutes and if he doesn't he sits and someone else gets the minutes. Rudy has 10 times more game than Bayless at this point of their careers. Rudy does a million different things that help a team win. You don't see those things on TV, but you do in person at the games. Rudy's been a bit passive lately, but you keep starting him. He's way too experienced and talented to not be starting for Roy. Even if Roy was here, he should still be getting 26 minutes per game. Rudy has a lot of dynamics to his game. And, this is coming from someone who thinks Bayless is his favorite player, and has been since the second he was drafted by Pritchard. This year is Bayless' learning moments in the playoffs with occasional bits of contributions, but just as many, if not more, moments of poor play, like he had in the first half of the game. Nate will play the right guys at the right time. He doesn't have anyone on the team that he can erroneously give minutes to because he overvalues a style of play that they have, like he did with both Blake and Outlaw. He has the right combination of players for him to work with. When we get to the end of the 2nd Round and the 3rd Round and Roy comes back, Nate will be able to do an even better job with the players he has. He won't have to stay longer with someone he doesn't think has it going a particular night.
"THIS" Webster might match up really well against Richardson, and it might make Phoenix guard Webster with Richardson, leaving Miller on Nash. Phoenix didn't want Nash on Miller - make 'em do something they don't want to. You also end up with Bayless giving you some spark off the bench. Rudy has to show up and play like it's playoff time. Or watch from the end of the bench.
Bayless seemed to play pretty darn well when he was starting for Roy earlier in the year. Why do some of you think we should stick with Rudy?
I don't think there's a reason to mess with the starting lineup, because our starters dominated theirs all game. If there's a place where we need a more dynamic scorer, it's in the second unit. Continue hiding Rudy in the starting lineup.
Yeah, if we start Bayless then we basically have no scoring off the bench. Besides, it simplifies the PG position--you always have either Miller or Bayless out there. I would like to see Bayless get more minutes, though. The real key right now is the absence of Lopez. Without him, the Suns have a really soft underbelly--just the kind of team Bayless loves playing against. He can hammer his body in there, and the worst that happens is a Suns player gambles on taking a charge. Bayless is so quick that more often than not you can't get in position to take that charge.
At the same time, the game was pretty much a 5 point swing either way, for the whole game but the beginning. I don't think it had anything to do with one particular player. I just think it was one of the swings of the game. There were several times in the game where PHX tried to gain control, and that just happened to coincide with one of their pushes.
I think it had more to do with Batum leaving the game than Bayless entering it. I realize +/- isn't much use in individual games, but I'll use it anyway. Batum was by far the highest last night (+15), which pretty much jives with what my eyes were telling me. When he was in there, Phoenix had a much harder time running their offense, and he was spreading the floor on the other end. When he came out, things suddenly got a lot easier for the Suns.
Exactly. Look at the "good times" we had with Bayless earlier this year. When Bayless was playing well, it was when he was teamed with Miller in the starting lineup. Rudy was no where to be found, because he was hurt back then. There was a key part of the 4th quarter when Doug Collins said "There is a part of the game where the coach doesn't go with his best lineup in the playoffs. He follows his gut and goes with who he thinks are his toughest guys. That speaks volumes for Jerryd Bayless being out on the floor."
