OT: Reggie's Mailbag: Topic Portland's PG

[hasoos]

So I emailed Reggie Millers mailbag to ask him what type of a PG that the Blazers need to team with Brandon Roy to be the most effective. Here is what he sent back:

Need a point guard like Mo Williams
Reggie

There is only one PG that fits that mold on the Blazers right now. I also noticed he didn't bring up Andre Miller. Discuss.

 

[SodaPopinski]

I think what Reggie is saying is that currently -- with the way we play -- you need a point guard who can spread the floor, since Brandon is currently the penetrating playmaker.

Essentially, if we went with an Andre Miller, we'd need to completely go away from the way we play and turn Brandon into more of an off-the-ball kind of guard. More post-ups for Brandon. More running him off of screens. That type of thing.

The reason Mo Williams works so well in Cleveland is because Lebron is their primary playmaker, so Mo spaces the floor well and hits open threes, keeping the middle of the lane open for Lebron to do his thing and get to the rim. And I think Reggie sees that we have a similar situation where our primary playmaker is not our PG, at least not when Brandon is on the floor.

To me, this whole point guard discussion this offseason comes down to one key decision. Do we want to continue to have Brandon be our primary creator off the dribble, or do we want to change the offense to play Brandon off the ball more? If it's the former, we need our point guard to shoot close to 40% from three to keep the defenses from helping off to collapse on Brandon. If it's the latter, we could go after a guy like Andre Miller.

BTW ... why did you mark this thread OT?

-Pop

 

[hasoos]

Oh I don't necessarily consider Reggies mailbag Blazer territory. No big whoop I guess.

 

[Wheels]

So Mike Bibby?

 

[Crimson the Cat]

Ramon Sessions baby!

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I think what Reggie is saying is that currently -- with the way we play -- you need a point guard who can spread the floor, since Brandon is currently the penetrating playmaker.

Essentially, if we went with an Andre Miller, we'd need to completely go away from the way we play and turn Brandon into more of an off-the-ball kind of guard. More post-ups for Brandon. More running him off of screens. That type of thing.

The reason Mo Williams works so well in Cleveland is because Lebron is their primary playmaker, so Mo spaces the floor well and hits open threes, keeping the middle of the lane open for Lebron to do his thing and get to the rim. And I think Reggie sees that we have a similar situation where our primary playmaker is not our PG, at least not when Brandon is on the floor.

To me, this whole point guard discussion this offseason comes down to one key decision. Do we want to continue to have Brandon be our primary creator off the dribble, or do we want to change the offense to play Brandon off the ball more? If it's the former, we need our point guard to shoot close to 40% from three to keep the defenses from helping off to collapse on Brandon. If it's the latter, we could go after a guy like Andre Miller.

BTW ... why did you mark this thread OT?

-Pop

A very well written assessment of our current situation.

 

[Wheels]

Ramon Sessions baby!

I like what I've heard about Sessions.. but doesnt he have an outside shot like Millers? I could be wrong, I just thought I have heard that somewhere.

 

[mook]

To me, this whole point guard discussion this offseason comes down to one key decision. Do we want to continue to have Brandon be our primary creator off the dribble, or do we want to change the offense to play Brandon off the ball more? If it's the former, we need our point guard to shoot close to 40% from three to keep the defenses from helping off to collapse on Brandon. If it's the latter, we could go after a guy like Andre Miller.

Great point. He's always been the playmaker because we just don't have anyone else to do it. (Well, Sergio, but the price on the defensive end is too high.)

I'd prefer seeing Roy play a more traditional SG role. He does everything well, so I have no doubt he can be effective at it. If you just use him for posting, slashing and spot up shooting, maybe he'll have the energy to improve on the defensive end. Besides, the Blazers seem to just stand around and watch Roy at times, and I think a quality traditional PG could cut down on that a lot.

 

[HailBlazers]

Need a point guard like Mo Williams
Reggie

BAYLESS. I got faith in this kid, with that work ethic he could become the next Mo. Jarred vacationed all season long on the bench I can only imagine how hard he's gonna train this summer, then watch out! He is the future. If the Blazers keep him, mark my word.

 

[Wheels]

imagine the inexperience next year at PG if we had Sessions AND Bayless as our starter and Backup.. but imagine the potential.

 

[SodaPopinski]

I'd prefer seeing Roy play a more traditional SG role. He does everything well, so I have no doubt he can be effective at it. If you just use him for posting, slashing and spot up shooting, maybe he'll have the energy to improve on the defensive end. Besides, the Blazers seem to just stand around and watch Roy at times, and I think a quality traditional PG could cut down on that a lot.

I could get on board with that. I still don't want to take away all of Brandon's opportunities to drive the ball, and I think we could have a lineup with him and Rudy in the backcourt and Martell at the 3 to keep the floor spread.

And like you said, maybe we get better player movement off the ball since there would be less of an inclination to watch Brandon iso his man.

I just think there has to be a fundamental change in how we play before we decide to go after a more traditional ball-dominant point guard as opposed to the spread-the-floor point guard.

-Pop

 

[STOMP]

I like what I've heard about Sessions.. but doesnt he have an outside shot like Millers? I could be wrong, I just thought I have heard that somewhere.

like maybe nba.com? Dude shot 18% from 3's last year. If KP wants to surround Roy with outside shooters, neither Sessions or Miller is the right guy.

I didn't watch any Bucks games last year outside of the one's vs Portland. Sessions pretty much sucked in those two games and obviously had other brighter moments. He's got decent size (6'2 barefoot) and has the reputation as a smart pass first PG. Thats all I got on him... or,

STOMP

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I'd prefer seeing Roy play a more traditional SG role. He does everything well, so I have no doubt he can be effective at it. If you just use him for posting, slashing and spot up shooting, maybe he'll have the energy to improve on the defensive end. Besides, the Blazers seem to just stand around and watch Roy at times, and I think a quality traditional PG could cut down on that a lot.

Agreed absolutely. Plus it just drives me mad the way Brandon always ALWAYS just jogs it up the floor. It's like he CAN'T just sprint all out with the ball. The few minutes of him and Chris Paul together on the floor in the All-Star game got me jonesing for more of the same.

 

[Da_O]

I've always believed that you can never have enough good outside shooters. But after the playoff series it's obvious we need another player that can break opposing teams down off the dribble. I don't care if it's a new wing or PG.

I like Miller because he can do those things. He's durable, and could tutor Bayless. We need another player that can take pressure off of Roy and attack the rim and get to the FT line.

Hinrich comes to mind if you're going the other way.

 

[andalusian]

like maybe nba.com? Dude shot 18% from 3's last year. If KP wants to surround Roy with outside shooters, neither Sessions or Miller is the right guy.

He did shoot a much better the 3P last year (42.9%) - so who knows what happened this year. Maybe it is the change in coaching or god knows what - I certainly did not see enough Bucks games to figure it out.

For the record - I do not think Miller ever shot the 3P ball at .300 rate even - so maybe there is hope for Sessions.

The interesting thing about Sessions is that despite his awful 3P ball this year - his TS% actually went up.

 

[Wheels]

He did shoot a much better the 3P last year (42.9%) - so who knows what happened this year. Maybe it is the change in coaching or god knows what - I certainly did not see enough Bucks games to figure it out.
For the record - I do not think Miller ever shot the 3P ball at .300 rate even - so maybe there is hope for Sessions.

Thats the worst part about it.. none of us have seen enough of him to make a good guess.. its all #'s and heresay... I feel like such a casual fan right now.. and I DONT like it lol.

 

[STOMP]

He did shoot a much better the 3P last year (42.9%) - so who knows what happened this year. Maybe it is the change in coaching or god knows what - I certainly did not see enough Bucks games to figure it out.

For the record - I do not think Miller ever shot the 3P ball at .300 rate even - so maybe there is hope for Sessions.

The interesting thing about Sessions is that despite his awful 3P ball this year - his TS% actually went up.

Jason Kidd's 3 point ball has been going in much better of late so maybe there is hope for both Sessions and Miller.

I would point out with Sessions that his better shooting 3 point % year in 2007-8 was in only 17 appearances, and was based on a grand total of 7 shots (he made 3).

STOMP

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Steve Blake is kind of like a Mo Williams . . . maybe he is available.

I agree with mook, I would like to see the burden come off of Roy unitl mid fourth quarter. But with Webster, Rudy, Batum and Blake . . . I see the Blazers being temepted with playing Roy as the PG or the player who has the ball in his hands most of the time while creating for Webster, Rudy, Batum and Blake.

 

[mook]

Jason Kidd's 3 point ball has been going in much better of late so maybe there is hope for both Sessions and Miller.

After so many years of him whiffing threes, it's such a weird sight this year to see him taking them with confidence.

If he'd had that range earlier in his career he'd probably be right there in the conversation with Stockton and Magic.

Still, he's probably a top 10 all time point guard, which ain't all that bad.

 

[Minstrel]

If he'd had that range earlier in his career he'd probably be right there in the conversation with Stockton and Magic.

No love for Oscar Robertson?

I think Magic and Robertson are the two best candidates for greatest point guard ever. But Chris Paul may be in that conversation by the end of his career.

 

[RR7]

He had the range, it was much more about the style of shots he was taking. Now, he is able to take a lot more set jumpers, which are always easier to knock down. With a good post threat in Dirk, he will get kick outs for open looks. Prior, he played primarily with wing players, Jackson and Mashburn, Jefferson and Carter. He would chuck from the perimiter, and on breaks.
Part of the reason I would like him a lot here. In our system, his shot wouldn't crumble back down to low .300s. Well, most likely wouldn't.

 

[hasoos]

BAYLESS. I got faith in this kid, with that work ethic he could become the next Mo. Jarred vacationed all season long on the bench I can only imagine how hard he's gonna train this summer, then watch out! He is the future. If the Blazers keep him, mark my word.

You know I thought about this, and decided to go sniffing around. Here is the link to Mo Williams statistics. Pay close attention to his rookie year in Utah.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/maurice_williams/career_stats.html

Now let's look at Bayless

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jerryd_bayless/career_stats.html

Flat out scary to me how similar they are.

Maybe if Jerryd goes into the gymn this summer, shoots 1000 jumpers from 18' out a day to fill out that part of the game, and gets his assist up to 5 per game (Not really that many IMO), he can be our version of Mo Williams.

 

[andalusian]

I would point out with Sessions that his better shooting 3 point % year in 2007-8 was in only 17 appearances, and was based on a grand total of 7 shots (he made 3).

In his last College year he had a .380 from 3 on 50 attempts. Granted - the college 3 is closer than the NBA 3 - but still - he does not seem like a hopeless shooter.

 

[hasoos]

Steve Blake is kind of like a Mo Williams . . . maybe he is available.

I agree with mook, I would like to see the burden come off of Roy unitl mid fourth quarter. But with Webster, Rudy, Batum and Blake . . . I see the Blazers being temepted with playing Roy as the PG or the player who has the ball in his hands most of the time while creating for Webster, Rudy, Batum and Blake.

Like a Mo Williams that can't finish or penetrate the paint.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Thats the worst part about it.. none of us have seen enough of him to make a good guess.. its all #'s and heresay... I feel like such a casual fan right now.. and I DONT like it lol.

*raises hand*

I've watched him a good handful of games this season. He caught my attention when he completely blew up at the end of his rookie year -- I knew Ramon would be a restricted free agent and wondered if he might be a good fit with the Blazers so I made it a point to watch about 15 Bucks games this year.

My inexpert observations:
-Good court vision, similar to Sergio, but not as fancy of a passer
-Pretty good first step and has the ability to get into the lane (this is backed up by his very good draw foul rate of 15.7%).
-Can hit a midrange jumper off the dribble out to about 15 feet, also likes runners and tear drops off of drives, but was very poor as a 3 point shooter and his shooting motion is a little off -- on the plus side, he seemed to recognize that he shouldn't be taking a lot of threes and attempted only 34 all year). Definitely looks to drive and dish or drive and finish first. (not surprisingly he took 44% of his shots at or near the hoop).
-Mediocre (at best) defender, not quite as matador as Sergio, but didn't seem to show a real good feel for anything other than man defense and got rubbed off quite a few picks (probably the reason Skiles only played him 25ish minutes?)

All in all, I think he'd be a great upside acquisition and because of the Gilbert Arenas provision in the CBA the max contract he could get would be about 50 million for 5 years with the first year being at the MLE, with escalating raises thereafter.

If KP can get him I think he could be a really nice fit. The defense definitely needs work, but he at least possesses the other tools necessary to be a starting NBA point guard (drive the lane, find the open man, generate his own offense when needed.)

Here's the advanced numbers for people that care: http://www.82games.com/0809/08MIL3.HTM
Here's his gamelog for this season (hint: he got better when Ridnour went down with injury and his minutes increased): http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/gamelog?playerId=3231

 

[hasoos]

Thanks for the links Nik!

 

[Wheels]

*raises hand*

I've watched him a good handful of games this season. He caught my attention when he completely blew up at the end of his rookie year -- I knew Ramon would be a restricted free agent and wondered if he might be a good fit with the Blazers so I made it a point to watch about 15 Bucks games this year.

My inexpert observations:
-Good court vision, similar to Sergio, but not as fancy of a passer
-Pretty good first step and has the ability to get into the lane (this is backed up by his very good draw foul rate of 15.7%).
-Can hit a midrange jumper off the dribble out to about 15 feet, also likes runners and tear drops off of drives, but was very poor as a 3 point shooter and his shooting motion is a little off -- on the plus side, he seemed to recognize that he shouldn't be taking a lot of threes and attempted only 34 all year). Definitely looks to drive and dish or drive and finish first. (not surprisingly he took 44% of his shots at or near the hoop).
-Mediocre (at best) defender, not quite as matador as Sergio, but didn't seem to show a real good feel for anything other than man defense and got rubbed off quite a few picks (probably the reason Skiles only played him 25ish minutes?)

All in all, I think he'd be a great upside acquisition and because of the Gilbert Arenas provision in the CBA the max contract he could get would be about 50 million for 5 years with the first year being at the MLE, with escalating raises thereafter.

If KP can get him I think he could be a really nice fit. The defense definitely needs work, but he at least possesses the other tools necessary to be a starting NBA point guard (drive the lane, find the open man, generate his own offense when needed.)

Here's the advanced numbers for people that care: http://www.82games.com/0809/08MIL3.HTM
Here's his gamelog for this season (hint: he got better when Ridnour went down with injury and his minutes increased): http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/gamelog?playerId=3231

nice thanks for all that.

 

[HailBlazers]

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/maurice_williams/career_stats.html
Now let's look at Bayless
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jerryd_bayless/career_stats.html

Flat out scary to me how similar they are.

Maybe if Jerryd goes into the gymn this summer, shoots 1000 jumpers from 18' out a day to fill out that part of the game, and gets his assist up to 5 per game (Not really that many IMO), he can be our version of Mo Williams.

Exactly. KP has already sniffed this out long ago. BAKE IT.

 

[RudyFor3]

The thing is, we could have gotten Mo Williams for hella cheap last year. Instead of getting a PG after the fact because he is good, why not take a flyer on a PG that in one or two years will be good if not great?

 

[illmatic99]

Instead of getting a PG after the fact because he is good, why not take a flyer on a PG that in one or two years will be good if not great?

Mike Conley Jr. fits the bill.