Blake to return to practice

[The Professional Fan]

Great news, I think. I believe he's missed more than we think. On another note, I'd really like to hear how Rudy's ankle is doing.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/10/blazers_point_guard_returns_to.html#preview

 

[Natebishop3]

I can't wait to see Frye and Blake back in action.

 

[AgentDrazenPetrovic]

Blakey 4 life!

 

[Nikolokolus]

Good read and good news ... this week with no games couldn't have come at a better time for Steve -- gives him a good amount of time to get into the flow and hopefully reestablish his connection with Greg.

 

[MARIS61]

It will be nice to have a backup for Sergio.

 

[SheedSoNasty]

I'm surprised at how effective a PG like Blake can really be. He's going to do a great job with the rest of the young guys on our starting squad. He may not be the most exciting of players, but he'll get the job done and he has a knack for improving year after year.

This is definitely good news.

 

[THE HCP]

Let the Playing Time Debate #1 begin. Blake vs Serg vs Bayless

 

[Reep]

Let the Playing Time Debate #1 begin. Blake vs Serg vs Bayless

Unless something changes (from the games I watched) there isn't much to debate.

1) Blake will start and likely play in parallel with Oden because the other two can't figure out how to get Oden the ball.

2) Sergio can run the team (aside from #1), Bayless tries, but pounds the ball and can't see it. Sergio is the backup.

3) Bayless will not get major PG minutes without Roy or Rudy by his side until he can make quicker decisions in running the team. Until then he is a backup SG.

 

[alex42083]

This is great! And couldn't come at a better time with a full week of practices for the guys.

Blake, Frye and Rudy will be back, which means less of Diogu at PF, Sergio can come off the bench, and Rudy can just get back to being Rudy.
With the exception for Martell, this team should be back to full strength by the season opener. It'll be nice to see. I think Blake will make a big difference stabilizing the starting unit and getting the ball to the big guys down low.

 

[THE HCP]

What about PT for Bayless. Some people had him pegged as our starter before camp started!

 

[BlazersBlood]

Good news for Blazers. Blake is well-suited for the half court offense that McMillan really wants.

I think Sergio is better suited for the second unit anyways. I was upset last year when Jack was getting all the 2nd unit PT, but with Sergio's outside shot improving, along with his great chemistry with Rudy, he'll flourish with the second unit as they may push the ball more. With Oden, Roy, & Aldridge, McMillan will keep the pace of the game slow to allow us to establish game tempo and a low-post game. That doesn't fit with Sergio's strengths.

 

[Nikolokolus]

What about PT for Bayless. Some people had him pegged as our starter before camp started!

Two observations.

1) (and the most important consideration IMO) Sergio looks much, much better ... I think the general consensus was that Sergio was going to be doing nothing but picking pine splinters out of his ass,

2) I think most people thought Jerryd would probably thrive in a role where he could play alongside Roy or Blake (perhaps Rudy?) as the off-guard offensively and guard the point on defense, injuries to Blake and Rudy, and Roy being held out of games and limited in his minutes, puts that plan out the window.

Bayless will probably be fine in the long run, but it's fairly obvious to most observers that he's got a ways to go before he can be handed the reins to the offense, especially if he's expected to set other people up ... it'd be especially nice if he could find a certain 7', first overall pick, on the low block much quicker (same goes for Sergio).

 

[andalusian]

What about PT for Bayless. Some people had him pegged as our starter before camp started!

I still think that in the long run Bayless will win the starting PG spot. He is still a rookie and not ready - but it will come. When Sergio was upset - it made his game worse - I suspect that the opposite will happen to Bayless when he is upset that his minutes are down. He will work his ass-off and will get there - he has the tools that Sergio never had - above average athletic ability and a defensive pest mind-set. He is also a better shooter than Sergio - his problem is adjusting to be a play-maker next to other good players - but he will make that adjustment - it is just a question of time and experience.

The interesting question, long term, imho - is if Sergio has done enough to be the team's long-term backup PG or if Blake will continue to be a Blazer when Bayless is ready to start (probably a year or two in the future).

 

[BlazersBlood]

Two observations.

1) (and the most important consideration IMO) Sergio looks much, much better ... I think the general consensus was that Sergio was going to be doing nothing but picking pine splinters out of his ass,

2) I think most people thought Jerryd would probably thrive in a role where he could play alongside Roy or Blake (perhaps Rudy?) as the off-guard offensively and guard the point on defense, injuries to Blake and Rudy, and Roy being held out of games and limited in his minutes, puts that plan out the window.

Bayless will probably be fine in the long run, but it's fairly obvious to most observers that he's got a ways to go before he can be handed the reins to offense, especially if he's expected to set other people up ... it'd be especially nice if he could find a certain 7', first overall pick, on the low block much quicker (same goes for Sergio).

I agree. I don't think Bayless' role was ever to run the team when he was on the floor. He needs more time to polish that part of his game. But from day 1, he's going to be able to penetrate and score or go to the free-throw line. He'll be guarding the other teams PG, but he'll be deferring the ball to Roy/Rudy/Blake anytime he's on the floor, IMO.

 

[BlazerFanForLife]

I think it will take Bayless around 30 games to finally get close to getting enough PT to even be mentioned for the starting position, hes going to have to learn how to distribute the ball better or Roy/Rudy/Blake are going to have to be injured for him to play. Everyone knows the kid can score and defend but right now we need a PG who can run a basketball team and that is Blake and somewhat Sergio. I think its kinda early for Rudy updates about his ankle but I remember hearing that they expect him back after the Sacramento game.

 

[PapaG]

Neither Sergio nor Bayless have shown any ability to consistently feed Oden the ball in a position where he is an offensive asset.

Blake can do this, Blake doesn't turn the ball over, Blake is the starter.

Period.

 

[PapaG]

I still think that in the long run Bayless will win the starting PG spot. He is still a rookie and not ready - but it will come. When Sergio was upset - it made his game worse - I suspect that the opposite will happen to Bayless when he is upset that his minutes are down. He will work his ass-off and will get there - he has the tools that Sergio never had - above average athletic ability and a defensive pest mind-set. He is also a better shooter than Sergio - his problem is adjusting to be a play-maker next to other good players - but he will make that adjustment - it is just a question of time and experience.

The interesting question, long term, imho - is if Sergio has done enough to be the team's long-term backup PG or if Blake will continue to be a Blazer when Bayless is ready to start (probably a year or two in the future).

In a few pre-season games, no, Sergio hasn't proven anything in the long-term.

After 25 games this season, we'll have our answer, and I'm guessing Sergio will get a good 15-20 minutes/per to make his case.

 

[THE HCP]

I wonder how Bayless will react to not getting any run? From what I hear, the guy is a warrior. Wants to be out on the court mixing it up. I know the guy is a rookie, I hope he can handle it sitting on the bench. He'll have to.

 

[BrianFromWA]

KP has said that Jerryd's biggest issue is going to be learning to play with other great players. I'm not sure I've seen enough progress in that to show me he has his mind right to get it wrapped around that (like I did last year when they told Martell to be a defensive stopper, and you started to see change, albeit small, right away).

 

[mook]

Neither Sergio nor Bayless have shown any ability to consistently feed Oden the ball in a position where he is an offensive asset.

Blake can do this, Blake doesn't turn the ball over, Blake is the starter.

Sergio and Bayless are tabasco sauce. On some nights, you need that, but some nights you're trying to make a meat-and-potatoes dish, and the tabasco is just too much.

Blake is your basic ketchup point guard. He won't win a lot of games for you, but he won't lose them either. Ketchup goes with practically everything.

I don't think Blake is in any danger of losing his job any time soon to Sergio or Bayless. He just fits in too well.

Fernandez is another matter. Blake may be ketchup, but Rudy is an entire freakin' spice rack. If Rudy and Roy can find a rhythm to work together as a 1/2 back court, and Batum becomes our solution at SF, Blake really doesn't have a role anymore.

 

[Nikolokolus]

KP has said that Jerryd's biggest issue is going to be learning to play with other great players. I'm not sure I've seen enough progress in that to show me he has his mind right to get it wrapped around that (like I did last year when they told Martell to be a defensive stopper, and you started to see change, albeit small, right away).

Let's be fair. Training camp has been under way for just about a week, you can't make a determination (positive or negative) about a rookie player with that small of a sample size ... granted you can see trends possibly emerging, or be slightly encouraged (in the case of Batum for instance) or discouraged, but we can't presume to know what Jerryd is thinking.

Here's what we know about Jerryd. He's able to apply pressure the full length of the court on defense, he can get into the lane almost at will, he's intense, he's got great athleticism and a phenomenal frame for a point guard, and like almost all rookies he's struggling out of the gate -- especially rookie point guards.

 

[BlazerWookee]

It's Blake's job to lose.

I doubt he'll lose it. He's an almost ideal starter alongside Roy, and I can't wait to see whether he and Rudy can develop any chemistry.

 

[THE HCP]

I look at Blake as more of a bottle of Miracle Whip!

 

[BrianFromWA]

Let's be fair. Training camp has been under way for just about a week, you can't make a determination (positive or negative) about a rookie player with that small of a sample size ... granted you can see trends possibly emerging, or be slightly encouraged (in the case of Batum for instance) or discouraged, but we can't presume to know what Jerryd is thinking.

Here's what we know about Jerryd. He's able to apply pressure the full length of the court on defense, he can get into the lane almost at will, he's intense, he's got great athleticism and a phenomenal frame for a point guard, and like almost all rookies he's struggling out of the gate -- especially rookie point guards.

Decent point, and I'm trying to be fair. But I'm going off of his body of work at Arizona, his summer league performance, FanFest and 2 games I saw (and reports from the other two); and I'm looking at "trends". I'm NOT saying that he can't ever grow into any particular capability, whether it's 3pt shooting, passing, defense, etc.

What I am trying to say is that Nate and KP have things that they've been trying to get into Jerryd's head, trying to get him to work integrated into the team system. I realize at Arizona maybe he was told to carry the team on his back, and perhaps also in summer league. But I know that October 4th KP said he and Nate had already been working with Jerryd to get him to realize there were other great players on the team, and I haven't seen any change in his game so far to "slightly encourage" me that he's starting to get it. It's not like there are up and downs (which I agree...I'd expect that to be happening)...there are just downs. And my point was that Bayless was anointed to be the future starter at PG based specifically on his ability to work in the team concept and feed our 3 all-star-esque players. I have seen nothing yet (in an admittedly small sample size) to show me he's learning, which is why I think his minutes won't grow very much yet.

 

[andalusian]

Fernandez is another matter. Blake may be ketchup, but Rudy is an entire freakin' spice rack. If Rudy and Roy can find a rhythm to work together as a 1/2 back court, and Batum becomes our solution at SF, Blake really doesn't have a role anymore.

What you say is right on the money as far as offense - but I still wonder if Roy and Rudy playing the 1 and 2 positions can really be effective on defense. If they can - this will be a magnificent combo - maybe the best back-court combo in the league in a couple of years - and the team will be a defensive monster - but if they can not do it on defense - we will only see this line-up occasionally and will still need someone that can really hang with the fast points of the league.

 

[ebott]

All this better suited for blah blah blah talk is utter BS. The simple truth right now is that Blake > Sergio > Bayless. Anybody that says different is trying to make themselves feel better about the player they like.

 

[GrandpaBlaze]

If Rudy and Roy can find a rhythm to work together as a 1/2 back court, and Batum becomes our solution at SF, Blake really doesn't have a role anymore.

I disagree. Blake may not have a role as a starter in such a case, but I view Blake as the ideal backup PG. Solid, dependable, runs the team well, doesn't make a lot of mistakes (which would be a great steadying influence on a second squad).

I'd think I'd rather keep Blake around for backup PG as compared to Bayless or Sergio.

Gramps...

 

[Minstrel]

I disagree. Blake may not have a role as a starter in such a case, but I view Blake as the ideal backup PG. Solid, dependable, runs the team well, doesn't make a lot of mistakes (which would be a great steadying influence on a second squad).

I agree, Blake would make a nice backup point guard, just as Przybilla makes a nice backup center. They're not great players, but they make excellent options off the bench to provide steady, expected contributions.

If both Bayless and Rodriguez blossom, that'll be a nice dilemma. But having Blake means the Blazers can deal one of them, at a premium, with confidence.

 

[The Professional Fan]

All this better suited for blah blah blah talk is utter BS. The simple truth right now is that Blake > Sergio > Bayless. Anybody that says different is trying to make themselves feel better about the player they like.

Totally agree.

 

[MARIS61]

Neither Sergio nor Bayless have shown any ability to consistently feed Oden the ball in a position where he is an offensive asset.

Blake can do this, Blake doesn't turn the ball over, Blake is the starter.

Period.

Blake has never shown any ability to consistently feed Oden the ball in a position where he is an offensive asset either, so I am astounded that you make this assertion.