Aha, plus the shots he has hit are clutch! Peja playing so well, I forgot he still had some talent. Not to mention, he's a smart ball player. This group on the floor is exciting to watch, I'd like to see DeMar instead of Linas though.
I think traveling has gone up 15% this year or something. Also, why are we not going to the rim anymore? Raps gotta use what was successful in the first half.
22 rebounds, a win and I'm happy! What a great game for the entire team, really well earned. Even with Philly crawling back, we still made the shots that matter and kept distance. Bayless & Peja both did way more than I thought, along with Calderon looking like a legitimate starting PG. Winning streak baby! 3 games...lets keep it going!
I wasn't able to catch the game last night, but it sounds like Bayless did well* in his first game as a Raptor. Good for him. The kid has talent and works hard. He just needs to be in the right situation to develop, and this might be it. In Portland, he was buried behind other players on a deep 50+ win team and didn't fit well with the coach's style. After NOH's fast start, they suddenly switched into a "win now" mode and were no longer willing to devote the PT needed to develop young players. They may end up regretting that, as I don't think they are as good as their early record indicated. They also used their most valuable trading chip, Peja's HUGE expiring contract, on Jarrett Jack. I can't help but think they could have gotten a MUCH better player if they would have held onto Peja's until closer to the trading deadline when multiple teams would be bidding for his expiring contract. With Toronto rebuilding with youth, it may just be a perfect fit for Bayless. Due to his tweener status (SG game in a PG body), he may never be a quality NBA starter at either position, but at the very least, he should be able to give you some instant offense off the bench for many years - a modern version of Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson. I could see him being a viable 6th Man of the Year contender in a year or two if he's given the green light to score at will with the second unit. * Single game stats can be pretty hilarious sometimes due to the small sample size. In his one game as a Raptor, Bayless has a PER of 31.0, a TS% of 0.825, an ORtg of 152 a WS/48 of 0.397, is averaging 31.2 PTS/36 and shooting 1.000 from 3-point range. With a much larger sample size, he had a PER of 14.3 last season in Portland, which is very solid for a 21-year old second year player. For comparison, DeRozan, this season as a 21-year old second year player has a PER of 11.2. And last season in a comparable number of minutes, Weems had a PER of 12.9 as a 23-year old second year player. Weems has made a significant jump in PER this season (which is not at all unusual for a third year player) to 15.9. Perhaps with an expanded role in Toronto, Bayless will also enjoy a similar increase in productivity. If he does, this trade was a steal for you guys. BNM
