Bayless is also the most LIKE Nate on the team. Think about it....the same facial expressions! Remember how much Nate loved Antonio Daniels?
I watched Bayless in summer league and yes he can shoot just fine. I think he is adjusting to the fact he has to get his shot off quicker. He isn't like Telfair or Sergio... he can shoot. I don't get why people say he isn't a natural point. He has played point his whole life except for the few games in college they had an injury and the BU PG was playing so well. His passing looks fine to me. (And I did watch every college game he played... he wouldn't pass up open team mates) He does look to dish after penetrating... much like Roy. Yes... he can score too, but that doesn't mean he can't be a PG. As long as he is an efficient scorer... not just jacking up shots to get his points like say AI did... I don't mind him scoring.
I have seen almost every game Bayless played in college and SL and he is a great shooter. Bayless also shot fantastic in his workouts for a few of the teams before the draft. Don't worry about his shooting and will be really good if given consistent PT.
he was the SG in college, except for when Nick Wise went down with an injury. For the season he averaged 4 assists a game, not exactly the natural PG. Having said all that, he looked great last night and could be just what this team needs. I was hopeful at first and watching him play the last couple games i was skeptical he could help this team this season. I think blake is gone at the end of the year and hopefully he can settle into the first unit, afterall that's who he has practiced with all season long. I can't understand Nate's rationale in playing him with the second unit then. Last night, according to Quick, Rudy would start but Bayless would get in quickly and then Rudy would play with the second unit, didn't seem to happen that way. I would like to caution all the over hyped posters on here though, he is still a rookie and will likely disappear for a couple games now, but that's ok, that is what rooks do. Look at Batum, he had a great game against LA then last night wasn't much of a factor. Or all the great looks Rudy and GO have given us only to go MIA for a couple games.
Due to injury. He was slated to be the team's point guard, but they had no depth at shooting guard and slid him over.
Not to nit pick because I agree with your post. But 4 assist a game in college isn't bad. The numbers are seldom very high. 6-7 assits often lead the Pac 10. Aaron Brooks for example was 4th in the Pac 10 his senior year and he only averaged 4 assists per game. Now some will argue that he was not a true PG either, but none the less the Ducks scored a lot of points that year and AB had the ball in his hands for most of the time. I guess my point is that stat does not mean much IMO.
Yet Derrick Rose only got 4.7apg. Bayless got 4 and he had to play off guard plenty after the injuries. You are right that he isn't a pure PG like a Jason Kidd though. But honestly, I think the NBA is changing now. Your PG needs to be able to score and break down defenses and get in the paint.
that is frieghtning. i hope he has truckloads more talent than JJ. still waiting for him to stop jumping when he passes, classic JJ move.
It was great seeing the kid jump all over people on defense, and running with speed down the court no other Blazer really demonstrates an ability/interest in doing. I know a lot of rookies are too worried about making mistakes in their limited PT to do anything spectacular if they find they are not going to be on the first squad, but it seems he finally got over that and just played, like Ike last week. He has officially earned a new nickname, Tenacious B. for his refusal to give up on both ends of the court. Yes he did appear to get tired, but if he can come out with that energy for a few minutes per half and excite the team I am happy with that roll for now. Does anyone remember that game last year where McRoberts got called up from D-League and scored his first couple buckets back to back at the end of the game, and the team was going nuts, as well as the crowd? It felt like that. Tenacious B. I say
Where does the nickname "B-Rex" come from? I've seen people use it, but I must have missed the reasoning behind it.
Well, if his arms are that short, you wouldn't know it by how high he can get for such a short guy. He stole that pass and leaped flat-footed as soon as he got control of the ball and threw it down like it was nothing. His passing isn't terrible. He's got rookie in the gears. He doesn't have to be Chris Paul. A lot of teams with a star shooting guard tend to have a role player type of point guard whose job is not necessarily to run the offense (Kobe, Wade, Jordan). Roy's not on the same level as those guys, but Bayless could potentially be better than their sidekicks (Fisher, Jason Williams, Paxson/Harper).
