Blake vs Bayless

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THE HCP

THE HCP

NorthEastPortland'sFinest
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Now I was cool with Nate planning on having Steve be our starter. He is a "Nate" kinda guy. Now I assumed Bayless, after about 2 months might start challenging Blake for minutes, not necessarily his starting position. Now with Steve pulling his hamstring today in practice, I think it speeds this process up. Depending on the severity of his injury, Steve might not play as much in the preseason as planned. Thus, Bayless will get more minutes and get a better chance to get comfortable on the court faster. Rookies will have their peeks and valleys during their first season, we all know that. But from what I saw in Vegas, this kid is special. He will make Nate play him! What happens when Bayless shows that he can really play?
 
I think this is Bayless big chance to prove he can be the PG along side Roy. Depending on how long Blake is out though. Has anybody heard how bad Blake's hamstring was hurt?
 
HispanicCausinPanic said:
Now I was cool with Nate planning on having Steve be our starter. He is a "Nate" kinda guy. Now I assumed Bayless, after about 2 months might start challenging Blake for minutes, not necessarily his starting position. Now with Steve pulling his hamstring today in practice, I think it speeds this process up. Depending on the severity of his injury, Steve might not play as much in the preseason as planned. Thus, Bayless will get more minutes and get a better chance to get comfortable on the court faster. Rookies will have their peeks and valleys during their first season, we all know that. But from what I saw in Vegas, this kid is special. He will make Nate play him! What happens when Bayless shows that he can really play?
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Bayless needs to show he can do more than beat guys off of the dribble. That works in Summer League, but it won't work consistently in the NBA unless his teammates clear the lane for him. More important from the PG position for the Blazers is the ability to not turn the ball over and to hit some open jump shots, and preferably from 3PT land.

Bayless may be a Chris Paul or Deron Williams type talent, he seems to have that sort of offensive game potential, but on this team, his role won't be even close to what Paul is expected to do in New Orleans or what Williams is expected to do in Salt Lake City. And rare is the team that has a scoring and assisting PG lead them to a title.
 
For those of us on the wrong side of the Rocky Mountains, how did Blake hurt himself and how bad is it?
 
He got beat up for wearing a Nuggets jersey!
 
maxiep said:
For those of us on the wrong side of the Rocky Mountains, how did Blake hurt himself and how bad is it?
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I believe Quick said Blake hurt his self trying to make an aggressive move towards the basket. Blake will sit out at least two preseason games. Because of the injury Sergio is the starting point.
 
eyeDK said:
I believe Quick said Blake hurt his self trying to make an aggressive move towards the basket. Blake will sit out at least two preseason games. Because of the injury Sergio is the starting point.
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Wow. I'm surprised about this. In another thread I was talking up Sergio, but that's because I do think it's best if the Blazers keep him involved ... but not as a starter!

Sergio and Roy cannot coexist together. They both require the ball on offense. I'm surprised that Bayless isn't stepping in. He would fit better next to Roy. I suppose they're giving Sergio the chance due to seniority. I hope Serg can prove me wrong.
 
eyeDK said:
I believe Quick said Blake hurt his self trying to make an aggressive move towards the basket. Blake will sit out at least two preseason games. Because of the injury Sergio is the starting point.
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I don't know where you got that info brother. It sounds like today at practice when they were runnin', Bayless was on the 1st team with BRoy, LA, Marty, and Greg. Sounds like Nate is liking what he is seeing from JB.
 
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i hope blake comes back soon. there is nothing wrong with having a good steady starting pg, and an explosive rookie off the bench.
 
Crimson the Cat said:
Sergio and Roy cannot coexist together. They both require the ball on offense. I'm surprised that Bayless isn't stepping in. He would fit better next to Roy. I suppose they're giving Sergio the chance due to seniority. I hope Serg can prove me wrong.
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cannot is a little stronger then I'd state it, but you're on the right track. Both are at their best creating and the 24 second clock can get pretty quick if you have more then one guy who likes to dribble.

If Portland didn't already have so much other more promising young backcourt talent, I'd think he could fit well with the 2nd unit backing up Roy as the lead ball-handler/creator. But with Rudy and Bayless now on board, Blake's days as a starter (& probably a Blazer) are numbered... at best he makes it through this year (& I'm a fan of his). One of the new guys will be the new starter w/Brandon, and the other will probably be the main backup because each should be able to play effectively with either guy. While they haven't played a minute of NBA hoops yet, I'm certain that (given health) the two new guards are both going to command minutes which leaves only potential scraps for Sergio.

Here's guessing both SR and SB are gone next year and Kaponen is vying for those scraps.

STOMP
 
STOMP said:
Here's guessing both SR and SB are gone next year and Kaponen is vying for those scraps.

STOMP
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I'm inclined to agree with you, but if Steve has a solid year as a starter and doesn't chafe at the idea of becoming a backup (assuming Bayless is worthy of taking over the starting spot), then I can't imagine the team passing on his very cheap team option -- they're going to need and want a steady veteran like Blake in the coming years. Sergio on the other hand, I can see almost no way for him to stick with the team, but if he blows up this year anything is possible.

This is probably the year when we see the wheat separated from the chafe -- who sticks and who moves on.
 
Nikolokolus said:
I'm inclined to agree with you, but if Steve has a solid year as a starter and doesn't chafe at the idea of becoming a backup (assuming Bayless is worthy of taking over the starting spot), then I can't imagine the team passing on his very cheap team option
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You can't foresee a possibility where Portland wants to shed salary to be able to facilitate a FA signing? Or if SB has a good season, you couldn't imagine him being traded maybe in a larger S&T? Howzabout a scenario where they let him walk so he could get into a situation where he could get the minutes/contract he might desire? Obviously his next contract is somewhat tied to his performance...or his $$$ goes millions down if he drops from starter to 4th wheel in the backcourt rotation. Again, I like him as a player but don't expect him back next year if (as expected) better players pass him in Portland. I don't like Rudy or Roy regularly at the 3 (too small) and see their minutes coming from the backcourt. Along with Bayless, I project all three guys being worthy of at least 25 minutes per next year and that doesn't leave much.

btw... I like the chances of Rudy starting with Roy this year more then Bayless.

STOMP
 
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STOMP said:
Can you imagine a scenario where Portland wants to shed salary to be able to facilitate a FA signing? Or if SB has a good season, you couldn't imagine him being traded? I could also see a scenario where they let him walk so he could get into a situation where he could get the minutes/contract he might desire. Again, I like him as a player but I don't expect him back next year.

btw... I like the chances of Rudy starting with Roy this year more then Bayless.

STOMP
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So do I!

g
 
I think early in the season Bayless will be our primary backup PG. Next year he'll be our starting PG. I've always liked Blake but never viewed him as a starter. IMHO, he's a backup PG on a good team.
 
STOMP said:
Can you imagine a scenario where Portland wants to shed salary to be able to facilitate a FA signing? Or if SB has a good season, you couldn't imagine him being traded? I could also see a scenario where they let him walk so he could get into a situation where he could get the minutes/contract he might desire. Again, I like him as a player but I don't expect him back next year.

btw... I like the chances of Rudy starting with Roy this year more then Bayless.

STOMP
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I probably overstated Blake's situation; I'm sure there are several scenarios where Blake is gone at the conclusion of next season, but there are a lot of variables that have to be resolved between now and next April (May-June?) for that to happen A) does Bayless show he can be more than a 6'3" Damon clone (with defense), B) does Sergio emerge as a legitimate and reliable starter or backup, and C) are there any free agent targets out there that warrant waiving Steve?

Steve has a few things going for him: he's cheap (4 million a year for a steady point guard is a steal), he's reliable and possesses the kind of game teams with championship aspirations crave. I can think of about 3 or 4 other players that get waived to create cap-room before Blake is let go. In any case, I think it's great that KP has so many options, and it should be a very interesting year.
 
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Nikolokolus said:
I probably overstated Blake's situation; I'm sure there are several scenarios where Blake is gone at the conclusion of next season, but there are a lot of variables that have to be resolved between now and next April (May-June?) for that to happen A) does Bayless show he can be more than a 6'3" Damon clone (with defense), B) does Sergio emerge as a legitimate and reliable starter or backup, and C) are there any free agent targets out there that warrant waiving Steve?

Steve has a few things going for him: he's cheap (4 million a year for a reliable is point guard is a steal), he's reliable and possesses the kind of game teams with championship aspirations crave. I can think of about 3 or 4 other players that get waived to create cap-room before Blake is let go. In any case, I think it's great that KP has so many options, and it should be a very interesting year.
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I agree with all that but am nonetheless making my read of the tea leaves for fun. Just searching for any morsel of hoops to brood over while waiting for the first viewings of this upcoming monster of a team.

STOMP
 
I think that the most likely player to be traded out of the guards is certainly Sergio. But I am not so sure that the team would be looking to trade Blake, even if Bayless/Rudy excel. Sure, it's a possibility, but I see few scenarios where it would come to pass. Blake is a very steady player who is going to be on a pretty cheap contract next year. If Bayless or Rudy overtake Blake for the starting spot, the second unit is still going to need a steady hand who can direct players like Outlaw, Rudy (or Bayless depending on who is a starter).

I also just don't see too many players that the Blazers would target next season where we would need that extra 4mil if it meant sacrificing Blake. The Blazers will be below the cap by a decent amount if Miles goes back on the books, and by a huge amount if Miles stays injured. We shall see, but I think that Blake will be a Blazer next year, but that could be his last.
 
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