http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8155678/sources-memphis-grizzlies-jerryd-bayless-agree-deal Given the options, I like this deal, depending on how much we spent on him. Obviously, we needed someone who could shoot well, and Bayless is a shooter. I also see intriguing lineups that we could throw out there with him and Tony Wroten, Jr. off the bench in the backcourt. With Wroten, Jr.'s size, hopefully he can allow Bayless to defend the point guard position. Sure, Bayless has his shortcomings, but I honestly see him as an improvement over O.J. Mayo. While Mayo has a higher Q-Score, his selfishness could overtake the Grizzlies' offense. I feel more comfortable with Bayless given being the ball in the situations Mayo was last season.
Hopefully he does. Like last season, Tony Allen is probably going to get the bulk of the minutes at the 2, and Conley will get the bulk at the 1. I know he's a "combo" guard, but Bayless seems to be the only legitimate backup at the 2. The team is very deep at the 1, but coach Hollins seemed very reluctant to play guys like Pargo and Selby last season, so I'm not sure if much will change on that front this season. It really depends on how Wroten steps in and performs, and I think that he could work really well alongside Bayless, being able to switch off defensively. I wonder if that had anything to do with his signing. What do you remember from his time in Portland?
Bayless has changed a little since his time in Portland. The guy is a warrior, isn't afraid of anyone and is a gym rat. He can drive to the hoop and draw fouls with ease and last year he was finally able to hit outside shots at an extremely well rate. He's so-so on defense, but it's not for lack of trying. The guy just has T-Rex arms so he doesn't have a lot of length to disrupt passing lanes. Sometimes he goes into Allen Iverson mode and doesn't see his teammates, that's really my only gripe with him. He had a really good PER last year, and I hope he does well in Memphis.
Playing alongside Wroten, hopefully his defensive shortcomings are overshadowed by Wroten's size and length. He will also likely log minute alongside Tony Allen who's one of the best defenders in the league, so I'm not really concerned about that aspect of his game. As far as him going into AI-mode, that's what frustrated me with O.J. Mayo, but I feel like Mayo was probably less equipped to be ball dominant. He couldn't handle the ball, he was an average shooter at best, and while you'd assume he would be athletic, he was also an average athlete as well. I'm all for a player continuing to take shots if they're feeling it, but Mayo would do that so often that it just became a disruption. He'd see one shot go in and then completely f*ck up the Grizzlies' offensive flow for the next 5-10 minutes, jacking up ill-advised shots until Hollins had to put TA back in. I just never felt like he understood how to play team basketball. The Grizzlies only relid on O.J. because they lacked an offensive spark off the bench. Hopefully Jerryd Bayless can finally fill that void and then some. Does Bayless have a better understanding of how to play within an offense though, or is he as disruptive as Mayo? (Either way, even if he was just as selfish, I'd prefer someone who can both shoot the ball and penetrate to what Mayo was offering in the same situations.)
