Quick Discusses Sergio vs. Bayless....

[ABM]

From Quick's Piece

PHILADELPHIA -- The day started with Sergio Rodriguez being traded to New York for Nate Robinson.
It ended with Rodriguez and Jerryd Bayless up for discussion as the Trail Blazers' starting point guard tonight at New Jersey.

As it turned out, the Rodriguez-for-Robinson "deal" was nothing but a hoax, conjured up by talk radio that is too lazy to pick up a phone and determine what is real and what is not.

The discussion for Thursday night's starter, however, is all too real for the Blazers, who lost Steve Blake with a separated shoulder during the first half of Wednesday's 100-79 loss to Philadelphia. Much like Blake didn't see coming the pick that jolted his right shoulder out of place, not many Blazers saw Wednesday's debacle coming. But reality is here, and it's staring coach Nate McMillan in the face...........................


..................................One thing appears clear: Pritchard wants to wait out the season before making a pivotal move, and I would consider trading Rodriguez a pivotal move.

"I'm not a big proponent of in-season trades," Pritchard said. "Plus, I want some consistency in our franchise. I want this group to grow together. And I lean more to giving guys opportunities to show what they can do."

Starting tonight at New Jersey, the show is on.

Rodriguez says he is ready.

"When I got here, I come to fight and live my dream," he said. "The NBA changes a lot, guys go out, guys come in. I don't know what is happening (with Bayless' emergence), but I know I am ready. I think I'm a better player than I was last year, and than I was last week. But if it's not enough (his shoulders shrug). ... You know?"

Bayless, too, says he is ready.

"My opportunity is here," he said. "This is my chance, and hopefully I take advantage of it. Steve has done a great job for this team all year, and I just want to be that person to fill in and help this team until he comes back. Hopefully I will do that."

And hopefully, the Blazers make a decision, one way or the other.

 

[SpanishFly]

From Quick's Piece

Given how bad they both played last night lets hope both of them improve. it's hard for me to believe they can play worse. My biggest concern is their outside shooting, both are shooting very poorly for the season. I had thought Bayless was a better shooter than he has shown "so far", hopefully with more play he will settle in and improve his percentages. Last night they were laying off both guards and letting them have the outside shot - a strategy we will see a lot of unless they can start hitting some shots.
If not may KP will have a change of heart regarding "in-season" trades, Felton or Hinrich anyone?

 

[Natebishop3]

I'm hoping KP isn't 100% sold on this "no in-season trades" idea, because I would be very disappointed if we passed up something good just because he doesn't like to mess with chemistry.

I'm not sold on cap space this summer, especially now with Miles' 10th game inevitable, so I think we should move RLEC and get it over with. Please. Stop the insanity.

 

[BatumKaboom]

Let Bayless start! We need to let him play.

 

[Natebishop3]

Let Bayless start! We need to let him play.

I'm willing to bet he does.

 

[STOMP]

Quick calling out any other media for laziness and reporting BS rumors as fact...

hey Jason, how is Blazer coach Iavaroni working out? Have you bothered to learn the basics of the salary cap yet?

STOMP

 

[blue32]

Seriously? You guys think that they are just going to give up on Sergio? I don't know; I really hope that Sergio just gets his chance, so we can all just find out for fact one way or another... specially for the team. There's nothing worse than just keeping that guy on a string; shit or get off the pot with him, right here, right now.

 

[Natebishop3]

Quick calling out any other media for laziness and reporting BS rumors as fact...

hey Jason, how is Blazer coach Iavaroni working out? Have you bothered to learn the basics of the salary cap yet?

STOMP

Didn't Quick report a trade with Dallas too?

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I think Sergio will start. Despite Bayless and his "toughness" (not as tough as he portrays, but he has some guts), we need someone right now to run the offense. That's not Bayless. See his stat line last night? 25 min, 1-11, 0 assists. I don't care if he is a rookie, that was terrible. And it's not like he was up against an all-star. He's a long ways away from being an NBA player. Probably 2-3 years.

That said, Sergio wasn't a whole lot better, but at least we know he can play.

Also, I don't buy stuff like, "let's start Bayless and hope in 2-4 years he learns to play". To me, let him learn to play at the NBA level at practice, the d-league, bit reserve minutes... and then throw him in. It's better for the "TEAM".

 

[Natebishop3]

I think Sergio will start. Despite Bayless and his "toughness" (not as tough as he portrays, but he has some guts), we need someone right now to run the offense. That's not Bayless. See his stat line last night? 25 min, 1-11, 0 assists. I don't care if he is a rookie, that was terrible. And it's not like he was up against an all-star. He's a long ways away from being an NBA player. Probably 2-3 years.

That said, Sergio wasn't a whole lot better, but at least we know he can play.

Also, I don't buy stuff like, "let's start Bayless and hope in 2-4 years he learns to play". To me, let him learn to play at the NBA level at practice, the d-league, bit reserve minutes... and then throw him in. It's better for the "TEAM".

If we had a true point guard running this team, we would see a huge improvement in the offense. Someone like Andre Miller. I wouldn't trade for Miller simply because he's a free agent this summer (I think), but it would be interesting to see how much of a difference he would make.

You're right though, Bayless isn't ready to run the team. Neither is Sergio. Blake doesn't really "run" the team either, but he's the most stable of the three. We're between a rock and a hard place right now.

 

[MrJayremmie]

I would be for starting Sergio over Bayless because Bayless's shot has been simply awful, and we need someone to shoot and spread the D... but Sergio is NOt that guy. Sergio overdribbles unlike any backup I can remember, and every time he gets the ball he runs up to the top of the key and restarts the offense... That isn't going to work with Roy, Oden and Aldridge...

Bayless isn't a much better option though... but he brings defense and the threat of hitting a shot I guess... As much as I love sergio... I'm really getting tired of him not making the easy pass and rather waiting until the end of the clock to get an assist.

 

[Natebishop3]

I would be for starting Sergio over Bayless because Bayless's shot has been simply awful, and we need someone to shoot and spread the D... but Sergio is NOt that guy. Sergio overdribbles unlike any backup I can remember, and every time he gets the ball he runs up to the top of the key and restarts the offense... That isn't going to work with Roy, Oden and Aldridge...

Bayless isn't a much better option though... but he brings defense and the threat of hitting a shot I guess... As much as I love sergio... I'm really getting tired of him not making the easy pass and rather waiting until the end of the clock to get an assist.

Yeah, it really doesn't help much when neither of our healthy point guards can hit a shot to save their life. Maybe we should start Roy at point guard, move Batum to shooting guard, and start Travis

Roy
Batum
Outlaw
Aldridge
Oden

 

[MrJayremmie]

We really, really need Rudy back. Worst case though, we'd only have to start Sergio/Bayless 1 game and then start a Roy/Rudy backcourt, which isn't very good, but better than other options.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Anybody know what Dan Dickau is doing these days? As bad as he was/is, at least he can hit an open shot (well, better than Sergio and Bayless, anyway).

I know he was going to sign with a team in Europe (Greece?), but then someone (Warriors?) invited him to training camp. He doesn't appear to currently be on any NBA roster. Perhaps a 10-day contract or two for Danny boy might not be such a bad thing until Blake gets back. He's not great, but he knows Nate's system and has played with about half the guys on the team before.

Unfortunately, the Blazers would have to waive someone to clear a roster spot for him (or any other temporary solution). Might as well cut Shavlik as they obviously have no intention to play him (in spite of lackluster performance from Ike and Channing).

Unless, of course, Pritchard's "I'm not a big proponent of in-season trades" line is just a smoke screen and he has a mid-season trade in the works.

BNM

 

[alex42083]

I'd give the starting nod to Sergio tonight. We need him over the next couple weeks. If he comes off the bench behind Jerryd, he'll just continue to sulk and play like crap. We'll get the same from Jerryd whether he comes off the bench or starts, but Sergio might get some confidence from starting.
And if Sergio continues to play like a scrub, then it may be time to move on. But this is his big chance to prove to everyone he can play.

 

[hasoos]

I'm willing to bet he does.

The opening lineup in the second half is the starting lineup for tomorrow. That is the only team that made a run in yesterdays game.

 

[number 10]

I'm hoping KP isn't 100% sold on this "no in-season trades" idea, because I would be very disappointed if we passed up something good just because he doesn't like to mess with chemistry.

I'm not sold on cap space this summer, especially now with Miles' 10th game inevitable, so I think we should move RLEC and get it over with. Please. Stop the insanity.

The insurance for RLEC kicks in on Monday, our 41st game, so nothing will happen before then.

Sergio vs. Bayless.....
Whoever starts, I'd like to see a bit more of Roy at the PG, Batum at SG, Outlaw (or hopefully Rudy) at SF. That should open things up a bit more for Roy to penetrate and kick it out for the 3, whereas B-Rex or Sergio dominate the ball a bit too much.

 

[mook]

Just amazingly bad timing. We make it this far into the season with both Blake and Rudy healthy, and then bam, we lose both of them.

*sigh*

Anyway, I haven't been a big fan of Bayless, but I actually liked some of the things he did last night. He was diving for balls, aggressively defending, taking the ball into the middle. Overall he sucked, but he had his moments. I can't think of a single positive from Sergio's game last night.

Overall, this season I'd say Bayless has been generally slightly better than Sergio, mostly because of his defense. You could argue it's a tie. But the difference is that Sergio's been in the NBA for 3 seasons, and this is Bayless' first. Sergio should be light years ahead of Bayless by now.

I'd go with Bayless. He's had some horrible passing and shooting, but from what you hear about in practice maybe some of that is just rookie jitters. Those problems may go away with a few games of regular P/T. Sergio's problems are the same problems he's had since the day he was drafted, and aren't likely to go away any time soon.

 

[PapaG]

Quick calling out any other media for laziness and reporting BS rumors as fact...

hey Jason, how is Blazer coach Iavaroni working out? Have you bothered to learn the basics of the salary cap yet?

STOMP

Quick seems to have the trust of pretty much every player on the roster. I think we're lucky to have him as a beat reporter.

 

[hasoos]

You know whats funny. If you mixed Sergio and Bayless. (We will call the theoreticall hybrid guard Sergless, or maybe Baylio) we would have one of the best damn point guards in the league.

 

[Ghost Pepper]

The Sergio and Bayless on the court at the same time experiment must END!!!!!! They are tragic, one or the other but not both. No ball movement and tons of confusion!

I think the reason Sergio has played better this year is cause he knows how to get the ball to Rudy, he didn't have that last year. That said once Rudy went out for yesterdays game, Sergio went into the trash can. What I get from this is Sergio is only as good as Rudy.

Bayless needs to strengthen his legs, he's shooting from his arms, that was clear last night. He'll get that though. The other thing is he needs to stop over thinking the PG position. Much like how Oden looks, he too seems like he's trying to conform rather than play.

I think if Rudy doesn't play tonight, Sergio will lose the ability to start very quickly. Sergio has yet to master the shot clock, and his defense and shooting are non existent. If Rudy's not there for back door dunk passes, his game is very average, almost D league.

I will say that the games upcoming are easy ones for a new PG to emerge. These are easy east coast teams, last night they should have killed the 76's. NO EXCUSE!!!

We'll see tonight.

 

[BBert]

I'm a Sergio fan. I like his game -- at least I will once he develops a good outside shot. I never drunk the Bayless Kool-Aid that was being passed around before and early in the season and I've rarely been impressed with his play on the court, in the limited action he's gotten.

Having said that: I would start Bayless. Glue him to Harris and make him work. Bayless can't run the offense -- so let Roy do it. That was the idea anyway, right? Bring Sergio in as the backup and give him more actual minutes than Bayless -- unless Bayless is really earning it on the court.

I seem to give the young players a lot more leeway to develop than most fans are willing to do. I can easily imagine Bayless becoming a starting quality guard for us. He's young. Give him time. Sergio is still young. Give him time. Or maybe just trade Sergio to a team that fits his style better -- because Nate's team ain't it.

 

[RoyToy]

How long is Blake out btw.

 

[BrianFromWA]

The Sergio and Bayless on the court at the same time experiment must END!!!!!! They are tragic, one or the other but not both. No ball movement and tons of confusion!

I think the reason Sergio has played better this year is cause he knows how to get the ball to Rudy, he didn't have that last year. That said once Rudy went out for yesterdays game, Sergio went into the trash can. What I get from this is Sergio is only as good as Rudy........
I think if Rudy doesn't play tonight, Sergio will lose the ability to start very quickly. Sergio has yet to master the shot clock, and his defense and shooting are non existent. If Rudy's not there for back door dunk passes, his game is very average, almost D league.

I'm with you for the most part, but if you replace the word "Rudy" with the phrase "a cutter who knows how to score near the rim", I agree with almost every letter.

Yes, if you have a dynamic passing PG who runs an "offense" that is predicated upon standing around, waiting for an iso and then kicking to a 3pt shooter, you're going to have issues. I wish Sergio would pick up that extra foot or two of range on his jumper...he's money from the corners, but sucks from deeper than that (kind of like Outlaw last year). Travis improved some, maybe Sergio can too.

Bayless should start, and it's not close. He's been practicing exclusively with Roy and the starters all year. Sergio's been with Rudy and the White Team all year. Mixing and matching has not worked for us. Define roles, and keep them. Bayless and Sergio have both said that they don't care who starts, as long as they get minutes. I believe them. Start Bayless on the Batum "15 minutes at the start of the halves" plan, and play him more if he's playing well. Bring Sergio in in his defined spots, and then see at the end who needs to be on the floor.

 

[BrianFromWA]

How long is Blake out btw.

They haven't given a projection, and I'm not a doc, but Grade I separations (especially to a shooting/throwing shoulder) generally take 3-6 weeks to be back

 

[Nikolokolus]

Well, it's not really going to be a "versus" thing since we are now officially paper thin at the guard spots; both players will be receiving essentially what amounts to battlefield promotions and both are going to need to step up big with both Rudy and Blake (and Martell, sheesh) on the shelf ... not too mention Brandon still doesn't look 100% right.

I think Bayless is still pretty green and Sergio is in a definite funk compared to his play earlier in the year (when I was actually pleased to see the improvements he'd made to his game.)

Maybe Nate can suit up for a night and show these guys how it's done?

 

[BalancedMan]

I'm 6'1, 23 years old, and while not exactly "athletic", can get up on the rim. I'm a good outside shooter and excellent passer, but my ability to finish in the lane is weak and my ball handling is below average. I last played for a college team in Europe. Maybe the Blazers should sign and start me as a short term stop-gap. I would be the sprinkles on top of the cake!

 

[MARIS61]

I think Sergio will start. Despite Bayless and his "toughness" (not as tough as he portrays, but he has some guts), we need someone right now to run the offense. That's not Bayless. See his stat line last night? 25 min, 1-11, 0 assists. I don't care if he is a rookie, that was terrible. And it's not like he was up against an all-star. He's a long ways away from being an NBA player. Probably 2-3 years.

That said, Sergio wasn't a whole lot better, but at least we know he can play.

Also, I don't buy stuff like, "let's start Bayless and hope in 2-4 years he learns to play". To me, let him learn to play at the NBA level at practice, the d-league, bit reserve minutes... and then throw him in. It's better for the "TEAM".

Repped.

 

[MAS RipCity]

This is Bayless time. Get his feet wet now before our stars are in their primes. He is very solid defensively and when he gets consistent minutes he will produce, (see, Detroit and Chicago). I think those games showed the player he will become. Let him get into a rhythm and he will hit that jumper, and he already attacks the hoop at will. If this kid is truly our future, let it shine, let shine.
Just like with Roy being out, if we can sustain the storm with Blake out AND Jerryd improves, that makes us that much more tougher during the stretch run.

 

[hasoos]

This is Bayless time. Get his feet wet now before our stars are in their primes. He is very solid defensively and when he gets consistent minutes he will produce, (see, Detroit and Chicago). I think those games showed the player he will become. Let him get into a rhythm and he will hit that jumper, and he already attacks the hoop at will. If this kid is truly our future, let it shine, let shine.
Just like with Roy being out, if we can sustain the storm with Blake out AND Jerryd improves, that makes us that much more tougher during the stretch run.