Well basically we have been going for a year now, with Nate not figuring it out. My question is, how far along would Bayless had been if he had just been thrown into the fire? There is no chance of this happening with Nate being coach. He is just too frackin stubborn.
Why aren't we throwing Pendergraph into the fire (taking him off the DL)..? Why not throw every rookie into the fire every year?
Pendergraph is hurt. How are we supposed to throw him into the fire with a hurt hip? Seeing as we have no backup C right now, I imagine if he is healthy in January, he will get thrown into the fire quickly.
Bayless was projected top 5 before we got him after the slide. Like OJ Mayo Territory. Do you not agree that there is a difference between a top tier talent players potential, and a guy who is drafted at 33?
There's no use arguing with Blake's BFF. McMillan finally sees the light and plays the winning hand and some fans will just not see the reasons behind it.
If your going to keep Miller, then I agree that Blake should be traded. Even though Blake & Miller actually play well together, the "Roy" situation would still create confusion and uncertainty. The best scenario is to try and get Orlando to trade Bass for Blake plus whatever.
You know I don't see it that way. Blakes contract is in it's final year. I really don't see what the problem is with telling a player of Blakes caliber and contract amount to sit down. Most of Blakes career he has been a bench boy. He won't make waves if he is sat down now.
I understand your POV, but I still think Nate and Roy will not let that happen. Also, I believe Blake does want to play. It would be silly to think he would be satisfied with sitting on the bench, when he has started every year in college and the last 4 years in the NBA. By trading him, you avoid the conflict. You can easily pick-up a 3rd-tier PG to ride the pine anytime.
Bayless play did not warrant playing time last year. Playoff teams need to do all they can to win games. If that means playing rookies like Batum who outplay their teammates then fine, but sacrificing wins to give a young player experience is not a strategy I want my team to follow. Bayless has had some solid stretches this year, if he can just stay in the rotation with a productive 10mpg he'll have a successful season. He has a long way to develop into an average starting PG in this league, there is no rush to force him into a role he has not yet earned.
In a weird way, the Blazers current situation ends up looking a lot like a rebuilding year; in such situations young guys almost always get a ton of burn -- the pressure to get a high seed in the playoffs is off, you want extended looks at your young guys, you want your young guys to get as much development time as possible and you find out who is a player and how is not. Fit and surrounding the "core" with the proper role-players takes a backseat to just putting guys out there and seeing who sticks and who can perform. I'm starting to get ... not excited ... but intrigued to see what guys like Cunningham and Pendergraph bring to the table with real PT and when Nic returns healthy, it'll be interesting to see if he's capable of becoming a consistent performer at the offensive end instead of just an outlet player. If nothing else I think we're going to have some answers on a few of these players with "potential."
Hello, Bayless IMO has clearly "earned" some of Blakes minutes backing up Miller who should be starting, Blake has been awful this year shooting 37% and just being overall lousy. Bayless shooting 51% and getting to the line and playing with a lot better control and deserving minutes - you watching the games?
Except for one problem. Batum didn't out play his team mates, he got into the lineup due to injury. The only reason he started is because Outlaw isn't comfortable as a starter. Byron Scott was fired recently from New Orleans in part because he wouldn't play the younger players. Now the younger players are playing, and New Orleans is playing better. The big fallacy is, that Veterans make your team better. I see highly talented young players step in and play better than veterans all the time. Sometimes it takes them a few game to get clicking, but once they do, their confidence goes up and they are good to go. The facts are, there is something to be said for players who can just flat out "ball".
