Sergio is terrible. Not terrible like Outlaw where he's just maddeningly inconsistent and should be a much much better player. Terrible as in, why he is on an NBA team? He can't defend. He can't shoot. And while it's not really expected, he's not a good rebounder like a Jason Kidd is or anything. His only solid attribute is passing. Yet he's a ball-dominating guard who 3-4 times a game dribbles and dribbles and dribbles until there's less than 7 seconds left before passing it off for a rushed shot. Bayless is, as a rookie with only about 20 games played, already a better player for us.
Because a chronic foot injury is really going to help Webster's explosiveness? He was already a one-dimensional player before he suffered a fracture. I'm not getting my hopes up for him suddenly learning to slash at this point in his career.
Yeah, but the problem is that I think it's part of Rudy's game. Part of what makes him Rudy. If you start instilling doubt in a players mind, they might not react naturally and therefor lose some of their instincts. I'm not saying get crazy or anything, but I love watching Rudy when he's having fun.
Since when is Webster's injury a chronic problem? He has a stress fracture or it broke or something... and then had a setback when he tried to return. Does Tom Brady have a chronic knee problem because his rehab has been hit by setbacks?
So now his foot injury has become chronic? I also have never shared your opinion that Webster is a one-dimensional player, so I guess that's where we must forever disagree.
Unnecessary hate on Sergio, imo. He is doing fine for a backup PG that gets 10mpg. He has earned his time through the years... we should give him at the least through the all-star break and after that see who gives us the best chance to win and go with them.
It's hard for me to hate Sergio, as he is pretty much warming the bench at this point. That said, Bayless should be ready to take his minutes SOON. That will make us a better team, as the second unit lacks defense (outside of whoever is playing center). Bayless has been a very solid defender of opposing 1s. Sergio is likely our worst defender, as he plays the 'euro' guard version of defense- gambling to get steals too much of the time. Any time there is a switch, SR seems to get lost. I have been encouraged that Sergio has begun to drive the ball much more in the last few games, but he won't be an effective player until he can shoot ~42% from 2. If he magically became an effective defender, that might change. I know Bayless is shooting terribly, but it is a tiny sample size; we have had some time to look at Sergio. He is shooting below his already-weak career avg of 38% this year. If Bayless has Sergio's stats on offense in a year or two, I will be disappointed, but he will still be a better player than Rodriguez due to his D. Besides, throwing dicey/flashy passes is cute and all, but winning and playing fundamental BBall is far more important to me.
In years to come, it will seem silly that Sergio ever played in front of Bayless. He is retarding Bayless's growth.
I really do think that Sergio was a better player his rookie year than he is now, and even the stats seem to prove it. Why? Because teams have now figured out Sergio isn't a real threat from outside (unlike Blake), meaning defenders can sag off of him and narrow his passing lanes and driving opportunities. A 35% FG shooter and <30% from 3 pt range is lucky to still get any minutes at all, let alone averaging over 14/game. A veteran back-up PG should be at or near the top of KP's deadline wish list.
Because Nate stopped playing them together. Mostly it's Roy or Bayless out there with Sergio lately, which takes the ball out of Sergio's hands half the time and prevents his fastbreaks from getting started. Probably why Rudy has had a rocky month also. Roy tends to ignore him when he's wide open for a 3. So does Steve. Several posters have commented on it. Part of it is just Nate trying to get Bayless some PT, part of it has been injuries. The Spanish Armada is still the most effective guard duo in the league, and virtually unstoppable. Here's a good read on the magic of the Spanish Armada: http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/12/rodriguez_fernandez_tight_as_t.html
Funny you should mention retardation. Now Sergio is the excuse for Bayless not transforming himself into a PG? I'm pretty sure Bayless himself would call BS on your assertion.
We have one. His name is Steve. I guess you think Bayless should get no minutes at all since he currently shoots 28%. FG% increases and decreases with the amount of PT provided, regardless of skill. It's all about getting into a rhythm. Drop Roy to 10 minutes a game for awhile and watch him go in the tank also.
Interesting theory. Care to back it up with some facts? The one, and only season, Telfair played for Nate, he had by far his best NBA season. His PER that year was 13.0, which for a 20-year old PG looks very promising. So, promising, in fact, that it convinced Danny Ainge there wouldn't be a better player available at the 7th spot in the 2006 NBA draft. So, exactly how did Nate cause Telfair to take a step back? Before Nate: PER = 9.7 With Nate: PER = 13.0 After Nate: PER = 8.6 PER = 10.4 PER = 9.6 It seems to me that Telfair thrived under Nate's guidance compared to how he's done elsewhere. I also don't think it's just coincidence that the three years Steve Blake has played for Nate are the three best of his career. BNM
That's true, but that's only because Bayless is going to be an exceptional fit next to Brandon. It says nothing about Sergio. Sergio's game has holes, but he also has skills that cannot be taught. I've been heartened to see his improved jumper (although he's struggling recently) and his effort on defense. We need to remember how young these guys are. Sergio will improve. I only hope it's on the Blazers.
Awesome post, Boobs! There's been a few times that I've questioned to myself Nate's ability to develop pg's... mostly due to the lack of development of Sergio. I never asked in this forum though. Kinda glad I didn't... or I'd be laying over there bleeding with Natebishop, trying to pull my post out of my ass.
His first season was a tale of two halves. The first half, under cheeks, Telfair sat on the bench quite a bit behind Stoudamire and Van Exel. The second half, under Pritchard, he was the starter and his play improved. If there was a way to look at his PER from the second half of 2005, after March 2nd when Cheeks was fired, that would be interesting. March 5th, 2005 - Telfair 18 pts 8-15 shooting, 7 assists, 3 steals March 17th, 2005 - Telfair 16 pts 8-16 shooting, 6 assists March 19th, 2005 - Telfair 16 pts 6-15 shooting, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals March 28th, 2005 - Telfair 17 pts 7-13 shooting, 6 assists, 3 steals April 1st, 2005 - Telfair 18 pts 8-12 shooting, 8 assists, 1 steal April 2nd, 2005 - Telfair 16 pts 5-15 shooting, 10 assists, 1 steal These are obviously just a small sampling, and he was inconsistent that year, but the guy showed promise. I just never felt that Telfair built on what he did at the end of 2005, worse I felt his passing took a step back and I blamed McMillain at the time. At the very least, I don't believe his play improved under McMillain, as your numbers showed. I think his first year was just adversely affected by a lack of playing time for the first half of the season.
chron·ic adj. 1. Of long duration; continuing: Webster's offensive game is the spot up 3-pointer. It's as one-dimensional as it gets in the NBA due to his lack of handle to create his own shot.
I don't understand, you claim that Webster got most of his points off dunks (he did) and alley-oops in the preseason game against the Kings, but here you say he's just a spot-up three point shooter. Which is it?
