I know there are a couple of Blazers threads already, but this is another subject. Steve Blake is having a career season and separated his shoulder last night in the 76ers blowout loss, but there is an upside. Jerryd Bayless stepped in and started doing what was expected of him. He put a 23/3/3 game on the Nets by relentlessly attacking the basket and showing it's impossible to stay in front of him one-on-one. The highlight play was a two-handed dunk off a baseline drive in the 4th quarter over Bobby Simmons that drew a foul and caused a bench celebration. Bayless has gotten more playing time recently and (except for last night) has seemed a little more comfortable in their offense. Tonight, he looked for opportunities and took advantage of them. His jumper still isn't falling, but the guy is a good shooter. It's just a matter of time before it all comes together for him.
come on... it was aginst the nets. They aren't really known for their guard defense... K-mart scored like 30 points on them in a half.
He also went 1-11 last night... But anyway, Indiana is so stupid for trading him, especially for Rush.
However, Bayless has always been known for his outstanding potential. Nets or not, he has to start proving himself SOMEWHERE other than Summer League.
I assume you mean if he becomes tough to stop late in games, yes, the West is in trouble. The Spurs have TP and Manu, both of whom can drill from mid-range or get to the rim and guarantee a foul. Tonight, the PnR with Roy and Aldridge was deadly. Whenever the Nets didn't double, Roy finished at the rim fairly easily. When they doubled on Roy, Aldridge swished the wide-open 15 footer. If you have Bayless as another option off Roy or as another option with the ball if he is a better match vs his defender, they will be very tough to defend in crunch time. This is the kind of game from Bayless many of us have been waiting for. The fact he was a decisive factor in a close game was a bonus. If Bayless has found himself, look for Sergio to start complaining again and ask for a trade after Blake gets back.
A_3PO, what's your take on Greg Oden? He seems to be dominated by Lopez in this game (stat wise), I didn't watch the game though.
He's always been good. I always felt he needed some burn in the game. Now he's getting his opportunity and taking full advantage.
He was a complete chump tonight against Brook Lopez. He put a 17/13 on the Bulls Monday but the last 2 games have been pretty bad. Based on Amare's recovery from similar surgery, my take on Oden is next season will tell his story. He's very young and missed an entire season of basketball. He wasn't cleared for full contact until right before training camp. His athleticism isn't all back. You can't really judge his upside yet. Right now I'm willing to say, at a minimum, Oden will be a very good shot-blocker and rebounder. There's a decent chance he becomes a GREAT rebounder. How much beyond that is a wild guess.
Bayless has a lot of potential and a ton of fire for a rookie, but I'm not convinced that he can play PG.
But that's the beauty of playing with such a complete player like Brandon Roy. Bayless can just focus on scoring, Roy can do all of the playmaking that team needs. Damn, talking about this just makes me so depressed. Imagine having a line up of tmac roy artest scola and yao ming
Bayless is a lie of player. He can score, AND? Like everybody in Portland. 12 scorers don't make a great team. Rockets are and will be a better team, so I prefer being a rockets fan.
He gets awesome in later years of association in 2k9. Adds nothing to this thread but just thought I would point that out
I don't know man...I wouldn't put too much stock into it, but since 2k7, Granger has also been one of those guys that got way better in association... It drew a foul, but he didn't even get touched. Literally. Terrible call that might have made a difference in the outcome of the game. The NBA's officiating is laughable half the time.
