New Bayless Believer!

[Rastapopoulos]

Wow. Well that was good! I am prepared to retract some of my previous rash condemnation. I still think he's not a natural point guard, but he certainly has seemed to be a good teammate over this season - great on the bench even when he's never playing - and he was a great sparkplug tonight. (My favorite part: when it looked like Iverson had intercepted the long pass forward, but Bayless just took it back and dunked it.) Be interesting to see how much play he gets against Golden State, against whom he could probably have a field day.

 

[ABM]

I still think he's not a natural point guard, but he certainly has seemed to be a good teammate over this season.

Good point. And, it may not be a case of him having to be a "natural point guard" as much as it is a case of him making the team better. And, at this point, who's to argue with that??

 

[Mediocre Man]

You know I have been a huge Bayless supporter the entire year, but I have never mentioned his chearleading. That is a great point. He is always first off the bench to bump, or high five, or just when someone does something great.

And again I will say that Bayless doesn't need to be a pure PG. He needs to be exactly what he is. A guy that can get to tht erim at will, have the ability to pass to an open man, and D up on people without having to switch on every play. The one thing he could work on, and I think it's experience more than anything, is finishing.

I love that he gets in people's faces. Last night he was fould and yelled right in Brown's face (I think it was Brown) I loved it. Even Joel smirked at it. Brown gave him a little shove and Bayless just walked through it.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Well, it's just one game, but he did very positive things overall. Considering his limited playing time he's bouncing right along.

 

[ABM]

More On Bayless

....Entertaining and memorable describes the second-most entertaining portion of the game. That would be the Jerryd Bayless show.

Prior to the season, Blazer fans were in love with Bayless. He can get into the paint seemingly at will, has the defensive tenacity of a bulldog, and a driving, forceful personality.

Then, however, the season started and he could not penetrate the guard rotation of Steve Blake, Brandon Roy, Sergio Rodriguez, and Rudy Fernandez.

When Roy went out with injury, he started getting his chance. It has not been a smashing success. He has struggled offensively, including shooting one for 14 in his last three games.

In this game his line was little better. He dialed up six shots and hit just two.

But what a game he played en route to a career-high eight points. In a key second-half sequence, he was everywhere. He was stealing the ball on defense, passing to LaMarcus Aldridge for dunks on the fast break, and providing his signature moment of the year so far.

A steal defensively saw him leak out. A long pass was stolen by Iverson. Somehow Bayless stole it right back, and in one smooth move went up for a two-hand dunk that electrified the crowd.
During that section of the game, lasting about five or six minutes, he provided the spark that took Portland from a seemingly insurmountable deficit into the most slender of one point leads.

 

[alex42083]

It was nice to see Jerryd just playing ball, and not being nervous out there. You can tell he was a lot more comfortable on the floor. And we got to see a bit of what Bayless will bring.. much-needed hard-nosed defense, and the ability to drive to the hoop and not be afraid.

 

[BatumKaboom]

We are not trading him. Nate is molding him. Jerryds #1 priority (according to Jerryd) is defense. That is good.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Sometimes I think Nate needs to let players play. JerryD isn't a Nate type of player on offense. He attacks at will and doesn't wait for his teammates or the opponents. Hopefully Nate doesn't try and take that away. If his teammates have a problem with it they need to keep up like Aldridge did.

 

[ABM]

JerryD isn't a Nate type of player on offense. He attacks at will.

Conversely, he plays good, steady defense. Therefore, in that light, he should be "rewarded" with some more freedoms on the offensive side of the ball.

 

[Kaydow]

You know I have been a huge Bayless supporter the entire year, but I have never mentioned his chearleading. That is a great point. He is always first off the bench to bump, or high five, or just when someone does something great.

And again I will say that Bayless doesn't need to be a pure PG. He needs to be exactly what he is. A guy that can get to tht erim at will, have the ability to pass to an open man, and D up on people without having to switch on every play. The one thing he could work on, and I think it's experience more than anything, is finishing.

I love that he gets in people's faces. Last night he was fould and yelled right in Brown's face (I think it was Brown) I loved it. Even Joel smirked at it. Brown gave him a little shove and Bayless just walked through it.

I thought that was McDyess? I remember thinking that JB kind of got bailed out, he's playing with a lot of emotion right now (probably an understatement) which I love. On that play, he just flew into McDyess and had NO shot - he could have easily taken a charge or forced Bayless to throw up an impossible shot. It worked out last night. I think when the game slows down for him, he'll be more under control - at times he looks like a bull in a china shop right now. I think he got tired of playing afraid of making a mistake and just said to himself that he's going to go balls out. Sometimes I think he decides BEFOREHAND that he's going to the basket no matter what, rather than taking what the defense gives you. His defense . . . the refs let him play last night. There was one play where he got called (2nd quarter?) about 35 ft from the basket guarding Stuckey that was ticky tack. But for the most part, they let his him (and his physical defense) play last night. Maybe it was the benefit of playing at home. But he was ALL UP ON Stuckey. It was awesome. You just can't play that kind of defense for 35 minutes/game, but you can for 12-15 which JB will be lucky to see when Roy comes back.

I saw a post game interview with Bayless where he said that he finally felt a rythm and some confidence last night, and that he thinks he can play a lot better now. I think that he's going to get better and better, but I still see a lot of up/down JB moments in the future. Still, we finally saw the glimpse last night of what could be. It's still a work in progress, but there's hope. Truthfully, he hasn't looked very good before last night - at least offensively. I'm excited to see what happens on this road trip.

 

[Shooter]

(My favorite part: when it looked like Iverson had intercepted the long pass forward, but Bayless just took it back and dunked it.)

That was a fantastic play. I was sure Iverson had it, and then the next thing I knew Bayless was soaring for a dunk. Phenomenal. Bayless really WANTED IT last night.

 

[hasoos]

Sometimes I think Nate needs to let players play. JerryD isn't a Nate type of player on offense. He attacks at will and doesn't wait for his teammates or the opponents. Hopefully Nate doesn't try and take that away. If his teammates have a problem with it they need to keep up like Aldridge did.

I don't agree with you. During summer league after Bayless had one of his many MVP games, they asked Nate about the subject that comes up on the boards here from time to time, which is how Bayless is a shoot first pass later guy. Nate just responded with "I'm never going to tell that kid to quit shooting." He looked at the reporter like they were insane, kind of chuckling.

I also don't agree with you on the style of player that is a Nate player. Nate wants agressive players on the floor. I really doubt that Nate would prefer the guys on the team who are doing nothing but jacking up 3's to a guy attacking the rim. Ever.

 

[Blaze01]

The one thing he could work on, and I think it's experience more than anything, is finishing.

Yeah this is his one strugggling point right now....he has not been able to figure out how to finish at the rim in the NBA to avoid getting his shot blocked.....but he did a good job drawing some fouls (not always a given to occur however)...and was tenacious on defense....

I'd like to see a little more consistency from his jumper as well...b\c if he is going to be a better than average NBA player he will definitely need a solid jumper to make defender's respect and open up the lanes for himself.....

BTW, I thought he has had some nice passes in the few games he has been in...some poor onese too...but more importantly, I think the "vision" is there for Bayless, he just needs time to figure it all out....

 

[ABM]

BTW, I thought he has had some nice passes in the few games he has been in...some poor onese too...but more importantly, I think the "vision" is there for Bayless, he just needs time to figure it all out....

Yep. I think the days of Jerryd Playless are behind us.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I don't agree with you. During summer league after Bayless had one of his many MVP games, they asked Nate about the subject that comes up on the boards here from time to time, which is how Bayless is a shoot first pass later guy. Nate just responded with "I'm never going to tell that kid to quit shooting." He looked at the reporter like they were insane, kind of chuckling.

I also don't agree with you on the style of player that is a Nate player. Nate wants agressive players on the floor. I really doubt that Nate would prefer the guys on the team who are doing nothing but jacking up 3's to a guy attacking the rim. Ever.

Yet Blake, Sergio, Rudy and Travis all see significant time over him, and the Blazers as a team rank 8th in 3 pointers attempted 25% of their shopt attempts and rank near the bottom in points in the paint and rank at the bottom in and 1's.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I also don't agree with you on the style of player that is a Nate player. Nate wants agressive players on the floor. I really doubt that Nate would prefer the guys on the team who are doing nothing but jacking up 3's to a guy attacking the rim. Ever.

Steve Blake gets 31mpg on a team that is "evaluating" this year. Travis gets 28. Whether someone thinks that Blake and Travis should be getting it is moot: Nate disproves the last point every day with his rotation.

 

[hasoos]

Yet Blake, Sergio, Rudy and Travis all see significant time over him, and the Blazers as a team rank 8th in 3 pointers attempted 25% of their shopt attempts and rank near the bottom in points in the paint and rank at the bottom in and 1's.

The question was is he a Nate type of player. Not how much playing time he is currently receiving. You are talking about how much playing time he is currently receiving. Everybody knows he is not receiving playing time right now because he is making a transition from SG to point, and he is a rookie in a guard unit stacked with experienced players. That has nothing to do if he is a Nate type of player. It has to do with how well he is playing at the moment, and how comfortable Nate is with putting him in. Two different things.

 

[Mediocre Man]

This is what you said

Nate wants agressive players on the floor. I really doubt that Nate would prefer the guys on the team who are doing nothing but jacking up 3's to a guy attacking the rim. Ever.

I was just pointing out that that might not actually be the case. If he would prefer JerryD, then he should play JerryD, but it looks like he prefers guys who jack up 3's

 

[Tortimer]

Bayless is probably the most Nate type of any of the Blazers IMO. I think next year he will be the starting PG and even later this year will be getting plenety of PT.

 

[MIXUM]

bayless did a nice job.

however...he cant shoot which is a problem. again..2-6 is disturbing. hes shooting 23% on season

 

[Pinwheel1]

Bayless is probably the most Nate type of any of the Blazers IMO. I think next year he will be the starting PG and even later this year will be getting plenety of PT.

Bayless is also the most LIKE Nate on the team. Think about it....the same facial expressions!

Remember how much Nate loved Antonio Daniels?

 

[Paxil]

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.

 

[Tortimer]

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.

 

[bigbailes]

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.

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.

 

[mook]

Bayless reminds me more and more of Jarret Jack.

Only with talent.

 

[Minstrel]

he was the SG in college

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.

 

[Pinwheel1]

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.

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.

 

[MrJayremmie]

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.

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.

 

[bigbailes]

Bayless reminds me more and more of Jarret Jack.

Only with talent.

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.

 

[LOTBfan]

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