Bayless thrilled that his long wait is finally over

Maybe I didn't use enough smilies for you?

Yes, I am, but it seems the over-protective Bayless coddlers took me seriously.

C'mon, don't you guys think the drama is getting a bit much?

He's a rookie in a crowded lineup who had some terrible games at first and couldn't hit a bucket until last week, and everyone's acting like he was exiled for 20 years in Siberia.

Rookie had a predictable rough start, has had one good game, and it's like the Blazers were conspiring to force him into a medical retirement or something.

Oops! Did I say something wrong again?

 

Thanks for reminding me barfo.

Classic oldie.

[video=youtube;VudCzSHh6gw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VudCzSHh6gw[/video]

 

my first thought is that it would be strange to be angry after that houston game with the way we won it on roys long 3pointer as time expired. but the kid wants to play, and hopefully he deserves to, god knows we could use it right now.

 

With his work ethic, the sky is the limit for him. I could see him easily being a top 5 rookie in the class.
The only other guard I would take over him right now is Rose and who knows 2-3 years down the road how each progresses.
Its great to have guys like he and LaMarcus who are always working on their game and striving to get better.

 

Rose Westbrook Mayo Augustine and Gordon have all flashed considerable promise... I think it's probably Westbrook who is enjoying the best year thus far though. I'm happy Portland has Bayless, but I'd also be happy with any of these guys except for DJ who I think would be a poor fit with Roy.

STOMP

 

Extremely strange for a teammatewho puts the team ahead of personal glory.

Maybe he's a Houston fan?

 

You are so full of Sh*t! Way to backpedal there.

 

Your sarcsam meter is malfunctioning again. Try to keep up.

 

Of course, all those guys have seen a lot more PT than Bayless. And, they were all off the board by #9. So, not available to the Blazers. Of the five you mention, based on what I've seen so far, I'd still take Rose, Mayo and Westbrook over Bayless, but based on playing style and team needs, I'd take Bayless over Augustin and Gordon.

The thing that impresses me the most about Bayless is his ability to get into the paint, draw fouls and get to the FT line. That is an extremely valuable skill in close games - especially in the play-offs. And, it removes the dependency on perimter shooting. Ironically, I thought Greg Oden would be the Blazer rookie to remove that dependency (and I think he still will). The problem with jump shooting teams is shooters go cold, and if you don't have other ways to score, you're going to lose games when your outside shots aren't falling. With Bayless and Roy both being able to draw fouls and get to the line, it will help the team win games when the outside shots aren't going in.

I know the dataset is limited, but here's the FTA/36 for the top six guards from the 2008 draft:

Rose - 3.2
Mayo - 3.2
Westbrook - 5.7
Gordon - 3.7
Augustin - 4.4
Bayless - 7.6

And while that's not quite Dwyane Wade territory, it would put Bayless in the top 6 in the league in FTA - if he gets starter's minutes and continues to get to the line at the same rate. Bayless' current 7.6 FTA/36 matches Kobe's career FTA/36 and actually exceeds his current 7.3 FTA/36.

Given the limited minutes, it's impossible to project if Bayless will continue to get to the line at the same rate, but thus far it's pretty impressive for a rookie who doesn't get the "superstar" calls.

BNM

 

Wasn't it Sergio who was complaining he wasn't playing earlier this year and all last year? Sergio went MUCH more public with it than Bayless, yet he gets a pass? Even if the team plays well and he isn't playing, he requests to be traded or for playing time. Isn't that putting himself ahead of teh team? Even if he is behind BETTER PLAYERS that are better for the team? Isn't that worse than what Bayless did?

Bayless said he was frustrated because he felt it was something that he was doing that was keeping him off the court.

Talk about double standards.

And I agree w/ the people who would take Westbrook and Rose over Bayless right now. Those 2 are special. Mayo is better also, but IDK if i'd take him with this team. He seems very similar to Roy and seems to really want shots.

 

Oh, but that was different. He only went public with his unhappiness because he's being discriminated against by a racist coach

 

How is that different from Bayless?

Bayless = Roy - court-vision - passing skill - size. And so far - FG% but I honestly think he'll improve there eventually.

 

Westbrook would be amazing here, but I am satisfied with Bayless.
I do think DJ and OJ would be porous fits here, same with Eric Gordon who has a scoring mentality like Bayless but lacks even less point guard skills.

 

The only guards I wanted ahead of Bayless on draft day were Rose and Mayo. I still feel that way. Westbrook's play has been impressive, but after seeing Bayless finally get minutes, I feel pretty certain he'd be putting up big numbers as a starter who only had to split shots with Durant.

 

Yes, hence the - (minus sign).