Jerryd Bayless' offseason workout

[bluefrog]

from Slam

Great read. A bit long though. I just posted some high lights

I was surprised when Trail Blazer assistant GM Tom Penn phoned me around the New Year. I’m surprised when anyone in basketball calls anymore, because I’m a writer and English professor now, and have been for years.

Portland’s big plans went further than Bayless—only four teams would finish with better records in ’08-09. By the end of December, though, management and coaches were concerned about their youngest rookie. Bayless’ season wasn’t quite going as expected, especially after his sensational summer league showing. Stuck behind point guard Steve Blake, as well as the young Spaniard Sergio Rodriguez, Bayless’ playing time was sporadic. On top of that, when he did play, he wasn’t shooting the ball as well as expected—shooting was the last thing anyone thought Bayless would struggle with. (He would finish his rookie season averaging 4.3 ppg on 37 percent shooting in about 12 minutes per game.) Still, many experts continued to predict greatness for him.

Penn said they needed me to teach Bayless my elaborate, extensive and, OK, tedious dribbling routine. The Blazers wanted to take advantage of the lull in playing time that Bayless was experiencing by loading him up with basketball homework. “Can you be ready to go with him in 10 days?” Penn asked.

The Blazers called again after they were eliminated from the Playoffs. We set another date, this time in Bayless’ hometown of Phoenix. But Bayless canceled: a family picnic fell on one of our scheduled days. Two weeks later, another holdup: he’d tweaked a hamstring and was worried the drills would make it worse.

I was worried, too. Worried that the movie had gotten Bayless wrong. Here was a kid—yes, a kid—with everything. Perhaps he didn’t really want to be bending his back in the brutal Phoenix heat. Maybe he’d rather relax at a Scottsdale resort with a piña colada—assuming he could borrow an ID that claimed he was 21.

I didn’t say anything while Bayless was trying the drill. Not “Had enough?” or “Let’s move on,” or “We’re staying here until you learn this.” I wanted to see how he’d respond to this little failure.

Bayless kept at it without complaint or excuse. Each time he came a little closer, moving in for the kill. Sweat was pouring off his face. He set his jaw and took a deep breath.

I thought about the intense spotlight that has been on Bayless since he was a high school freshman. And about the jury still being out on him. Would he have the patience and determination to keep climbing as his road got steeper? The Blazers traded Sergio Rodriguez, but soon picked up Andre Miller. Would Bayless stick to the grind, or let up?

I have no idea what the Blazers have in store for this kid. He got a big fat DNP last night. I hope he finds a way into the rotation.

 

[Mediocre Man]

This is why when Nate says "The players will decide who plays" it makes him look like an assclown.

Miller and Bayless both destroyed Blake in the preseason, yet Blake plays more than Miller, and Bayless gets a DNPCD

 

[BBert]

I have no idea what the Blazers have in store for this kid. He got a big fat DNP last night. I hope he finds a way into the rotation.

There is a way. Patience and hard work. Bayless does not need to be in the rotation until he's better than the guys who are. Right now he's not. The good news for Bayless if he is to remain a Blazer is that Miller is no spring chicken and Blake has peaked at a level Bayless should be able to surpase. With patience and hard work. Now, if he's going to be a SG, that's a little tougher because pretty much all our guards and some of our small forwards can play the position.

 

[maxiep]

This is why when Nate says "The players will decide who plays" it makes him look like an assclown.

Miller and Bayless both destroyed Blake in the preseason, yet Blake plays more than Miller, and Bayless gets a DNPCD

The bigger picture isn't who plays the best, but in this case who plays the best with Brandon. Andre and Jerryd are smart enough to figure that out evenutally.

 

[blue32]

You know what pisses me off, is that, there is no way in hell Brooks is better than Bayless, yet, because he has tons of playing time, he puts up great numbers with his speed and driving.

Bayless can do what A. Brooks does and I know, he'd defend Brooks better than Blake.

Everytime Blake got torched last night by Brooks, he either scored, got an assist, or caused a foul on our big men. Also, we did see Miller defend him a bit better, "bit".

 

[Minstrel]

Great article, thanks. It's extremely encouraging to know that Bayless has drive and determination. Often, the difference between the high-caliber prospects who succeed and the ones who bust is which ones pour themselves into developing their talent. That's the place where I've come to believe that "intangibles" that scouts look for are key. Prospects with great talent but little desire or work ethic are generally disappointing. A killer attitude isn't a guarantee of success, but it's a guarantee that the player will maximize what he has. Bayless seems to have a lot of positive basketball attributes, so if he can maximize them, I think Portland will have a very valuable player.

 

[Mediocre Man]

The bigger picture isn't who plays the best, but in this case who plays the best with Brandon. Andre and Jerryd are smart enough to figure that out evenutally.

Has either had a chance to see if they work well with Brandon? Neither one has been given any sort of oportunity to gel with Roy IMO