Bayless Sharp in Win
posted: 7/14/2008 at 7:27 PM
You always hope the performance lives up to the hype. And, even though the hype was somewhat controlled in this case, if you were expecting a lot of Jarryd Bayless in his first game of the Las Vegas Summer League, you probably weren't disappointed.
Bayless scored 28 points, and led the Trail Blazers to a win in their first game of the summer in Vegas, 78-73 over the Washington Wizards. The other player I've been talking so much about, Petteri Koponen, was also very impressive, scoring 19 points. Koponen, who just turned 20, shot 4 for 6 from behind the three-point line. He's hoping the Trail Blazers decide to sign him, as they do have two roster spots available.
Back to Bayless... I want to hear more from all of you, as many of you probably saw him for the first time. But, I can tell you that one of the things I really think the team will miss without Jarrett Jack is his toughness, and ability to get inside and get to the line. Well, this is just summer league, but Bayless has shown he's tough and gritty, and can shoot free throws. He was 18 for 23 from the line in this game. When things are sloppy, and not much is going right offensively (like in this game), it's nice to have a guy who can get cheap points.
The other player the Blazers drafted last month, Nicolas Batum, was very active early in the game, but didn't do a lot offensively. That's not really his job at this point, but did grab a few rebounds and was very under control. I still think he'll be signed by the Blazers and won't be returning to Europe.
The summer league is very guard oriented, and I've seen guys tear up games in the summer and then do nothing in the regular season. I don't see this happening in the case of Bayless. He showed the Trail Blazers plenty in this first game, not only the toughness, but also creativity in the lane. He's also got a reputation for being a competitor, and we saw that come out late in the ballgame.
I was also very happy with Koponen, and the way he showed the willingness to take some late-game responsibility. He had a couple of huge three pointers down the stretch of the game, and around the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter put the Blazer offense on his shoulders.
All in all, it was a summer league game, which means less-than-spectacular shooting, some sloppy ball handling, and guards dominating the action. But, we also saw the two players we previewed the most, going into Vegas, shine in their first outings.
Thoughts?
RSS FEED
thanks MB, I will always be a Bayless supporter and having spent 4 years of my life in Bend, I may just have to go out and buy a Blazer hat and officially join the bandwagon.
I am from Arizona and I have to tell you all that Bayless is the real deal. I have had season tickets to UofA for 30+ years and he was easily the most impressive Wildcat freshman guard I have ever seen (no offense Mr. Bibby).
He got to the line at will in his first summer league game tonight (23 attempts) which is not an aberration. He averaged 7.5 FT attempts a game last year as a freshman. He is at his best when he is taking it to the bucket, and utilizing his advanced mid-range game.
You got a steal in this draft, Bayless and Roy will be a great balance of scoring and facilitating. They are a perfect back-court pairing and will play like Isaiah and Dumars did in the old days. They will BOTH be PGs and BOTH be SGs.
It was rat-ball, as usual for the first game. I still think Bayless will be a good penetrator in the future. Probably not this year though. Not that it matters with Aldridge and Oden posting up.
Bayless looked sick. Just like he was in college. Him, mayo, and westbrook should do well in the league just because they are so athletic.
He definitely stood out as a scorer and somebody who can get to the rim on an NBA level. Well done mr pritchard.
Is it usual for summer league games to be a low scoring afair? how did the top three prospects play on deffense and were they passing the ball around.
MB,
I'm taking the advice you gave Cic. :)
The screaming and cussing you are hearing is coming from Gresham, OR.
I was hoping that just maybe I'd be able to watch this game, but of course no.
You know what really sucks is there is no reason for Comcast to carry this game except to screw over people that don't have Comcast/Verison. It's being televised on the NBA channel so any of their customers would be able to watch it anyway and it's not like they are doing their own broadcast, they are just sending the same broadcast that NBA TV is.
The Blazers are sure making it hard to be a part of this team. I'm a die-hard Blazers fan, so I'll just take the abuse, but at a time when the Blazers could be adding to their fan base they are not only losing fans because of this BS, but losing potential fans.
Well guess I'll wait until 2am and see if I'm disappointed again or if I'll at least be able to see the replays.
GO BLAZERS!!
Thanks again Mike for the update. I saw the game online and I agree with all you said. Just wanted to add that Bayless also make several nice passes while driving to the hole. Looks like we may have found our point. The only problem is which one? It's going to be fun to watch.
Later
gwg
Cic said:
"MGB
all you have to do is go to NBA.com and sign up for "All Access" (free) and you can watch all the games streaming live."
Thanks for the advice, Cic, I did try that when I couldn't view the game on TV, but my connection is to slow. All I got was freeze frames which was unwatchable. I do have DSL so I was hoping it'd work, but my connect was just to slow.
I think Bayless will make us forget about Jack real quik, I agree with KP. He's Jarret on roids. It is a skill to get to the paint and draw fouls, u have it or u dont, Bayless has it. I would love to see him and BRoy out there together because Roy doesnt need to score to b great!
I was very impressed with Bayless with his desire to go inside and score. I was also very impressed with the Finn Petteri Koponen,where my parents came from,with his quickness and solid defence ,plus his 3 point shooting.
Go Blazers//Phillip H Palkki
its great to see bayless score and get to rack. he even shot free throws well, but we need him to create more offensive oppurtunity for other players(point guard). all in all he played well, actually better than expected.
I thought Bayless played well. It will be nice when he comes off the bench to give the second unit a scoring boost. He looked more in control of himself then Sergio does. He definitely isn't afraid of contact. I thought he played really tough. I will miss Jack but I think Bayless fits in nicely.
Koponen looked good also. I liked the back in three pointer. Did he call that? He played solid defense and passed very well.
Batum was active but I didn't see him do much. I saw him leave with an injury. What was it? Did he ever come back?
I missed a big chunk of the game because Josh Hamilton was lighting up the home run derby. It was crazy, they should have stopped it there and just gave him the trophy. It was obvious he would be out of gas by the time it got back to him hit again. Props to his pitcher who was 71 and pitched 80 plus pitches.
Anyway, I changed it back and saw us make the comeback to win. I wonder how the rest of the week will go? Do you think Bayless will continue playing well or will he get tired and drop off some?
Bayless is the best!
Hey MB,
I expected Jerryd's game to be a lot like Jarrett Jack's (the ability to penetrate and draw fouls), so while I wasn't necessarily surprised, I was very happy. Jerryd is very quick, and I think he could definitely play next to Brandon in the 4th Quarter.
Two of Jerryd's best defensive plays of the evening ended up being negated by the refs. I thought he timed the block on the fast break perfectly, but it ended up being goaltending. He put on some great full court pressure at one point, and then got called for a touch foul. It was a concern that he didn't seem to be able to prevent Nick Young from shooting over the top of him, so his defensive grade has to be incomplete at this point. Can he stay in front of the quicker point guards in the league ? Hopefully that's the case, because he doesn't seem to be able to do much to bother a taller player.
I had never seen Petteri play before, and I was very impressed. He seems more like a true Point Guard, and he has a very nice feel for the game. I was very happy with his defense. He consistently kept his man in front of him, and he's long enough to really bother the jump shot (nice brick he forced Nick Young to heave up late in the game).
Petteri belongs in the NBA, and I hope the Blazers decide to sign him this year. If Petteri continues to play like he did tonight, I think it will be very hard for KP to let him go back to Europe.
I can't wait until tomorrow's game !
Go Blazers !
Phil
I'm glad for the win, but I'm concerned about Bayless having 0 assists and 0 steals. I heard from a friend watching the game that he had a couple nice passes that should have resulted in some dimes, but not much more than that.
Any thoughts on how Bayless handled and distributed the ball?
Mike,ask Petteri if he knows what "sisu" means. He has it!
Hey! I think JB is awesome. You can't take anyhing from him. He is a heads up player. When he's in the game with other quality players that have game! It will be much easier to see he's worth the tickets.
Mike;
thank you for your update.
I think Jerryd is everything we have hoped for. I think he has a great future in Portland. I know the coaches wanted him to shoot when he could and he did that quite well. Some of the bloggers has indicated he was a ball hog that just made me wonder.
I am happy that Koponen did great, I am all for him to make the roster. I always root for the underdog for they are always fighting an uphill battle, which makes them tough.
Winning wasn't that important to me. I just wanted to see them play well and they surely did that. Turnovers were bad, but that could be expected.
I am not a BB analyze, but I am happy for what I see.
One thing Bloggers have we got a nickname for Koponen. I can't pronounce it right or spell it right. I was calling him Kopony though the game so my wife wouldn't get confused as to whom I was yelling for.
Great Game
hg
MB - I felt like Bayless showed us flashes of the tough, gritty, and creative player he will ultimately become in the league. I like the term you used in getting 'cheap' points especially in a game that was sloppy at best.
Nicholas Batum needs to get some meat on his bones because he is rail thin! The bruised ribs that sidelined him for the game has me concerned Batum's game against the the rough nature of the NBA.
During the 1st half the announcers were harping on Bayless for not looking to pass the ball more (which I was looking for too) but when Snapper interviewed Coach McMillan we found out that the offense was designed for Bayless to create his own offense, which he did well.
Two roster spots left and Kaponen made a good case for himself to be considered especially in the second half of the game.
Keep it comin' MB!
First time listener...long time caller.
@Ryan
I watched the game and focused exclusively on the three guys that mattered, with Bayless being my particular target. In my humble opinion the zero in the assist column is a little deceptive; Jerryd had some really nice setup passes into the post, but the bigs on this summer squad are ... well there's no nice way to put it ... awful. He also dished the ball a few times to an open shooter only to see the guy brick up a shot.
Jerryd is definitely a work in progress as he did seem to have trouble running set plays and the pick and roll, but it's hard to get too critical when you realize this squad has only been practicing together for about a week, and the talent disparity between Nic, Jerryd, and Petteri and the rest of the guys makes it really hard to evaluate how they'll perform in a real NBA game.
You better get your tickets now, baby because they are going like hotcakes!!
MB (and other Blog readers),
As I watched the game I couldn't help but thing...whats JB going to be like when he gets some "real" players around him. I thought he did a really nice job of setting up his teammates for what I thought were gonna be gimmes - and they ended up looking to pass the rock back to Jerryd. I'll watch the summer league, but I think I'm going to be a big fan of Koponen's. I'm not giving up on JB, in fact I really like what he brings - it's just that PK showed me enough flashes to make me think that he'll be able to play in the Association.
I knew Bayless would play well, but he went beyond expectations for his first game ever. 23 FTs in his first game? If only he would have hit some jump shots it would have been perfect.
Bayless made a few mental mistakes though. He had some chances to get a loose ball or a steal but didn't go after the ball. He also tried to snatch a open rebound and it went out of bounds. Those are things a nervous player does. I'll look for him to get even more confidence and correct those mental mistakes as he plays more games.
I really like this guy game. I think he could be the final piece to the puzzle. We finally have a back court that can where players can get to the rim. I'm very excited.
You guys were not kidding around about Koponen either. I thought he was pretty weak and his jump shot didn't look so fluid. The finish to the game was amazing though. This guy has Sergio's roster spot in my opinion unless Sergio really works out very hard and can actually make a shot.
You don't have to post this Mike, but just a heads up--it's Jerryd, not Jarryd.
Nice review MB!
I was awfully impressed with JB and his ability to get to the rack. I posted about a month or so before the draft and advocated moving up in order to grab him. Unbelievable that Portland managed to land Bayless for so "cheap" (no offense to the players we gave up). Three things that really stood out to me tonight other than his fearless drives: His competitiveness, lateral quickness, and athleticism! He seems to have that confidence and fire that our team will undoubtedly need as the season progresses. He routinely beat his man to a spot on defense and took at least one great charge (much like Roy often does). JB does not shy away from contact, and routinely showed his toughness on the way to the rim. Maybe my favorite play occurred when he timed his jump in order to block a break away lay up attempt by the Wizards point! My only hope is that we get to see JB run the point a bit more to see his passing ability. Can't wait for game two, or for that matter, the start of the season.
Keep up the great work!
-Luke
Bayless is for real without question. He was head and shoulders above the rest. Batum is a mini Tashaun Prince minus the confidence. Koponen appeared to be a more rounded Sergio. We scored big time acquiring Bayless. He has that aggressive competitive edge combined with athletitism we need in a point guard. It won't be long before he becomes a starter.
Illuminate,
My bad. I think Casey fixed it. He also helped moderate your comments, so I should give him a shout.
And, by the way, over 20 comments, within two hours of a game ending? I'm not sure that happened after a REGULAR-season game last year. You guys are great. Love reading your reactions. It's pretty amazing that it's July, and we're wall to wall.
And, one last thing. Don't pay too much attention to stats at summer league (outside of points). The stat crew there does its best, but it's not an NBA crew, so they miss a lot. We've noticed that a lot in recent years, especially in the assist catagory. And, Jarryd will have some big-time finishers in the lane come the regular season. Driving the lane and dishing will usually end in an Oden or Aldridge jam. Kind of cool imagining that, huh?
Thanks, and keep it up.
MB
what i love is that we have so many options now. I've been trying to run through my head what lineups we would have and can come up with nothing but problems for anyone playing against us.
Who starts now? Roy (obviously), i'm sure they'll start Oden, Aldridge, then most likely it'll be Blake to start point, but then who's the 3? is it still martell, is it fernandez? shoot, is it outlaw?
Then the second unit.... Assuming martell starts (seeing as how he has to most nba experience) we start big w/ joel coming in off the bench now. i can't think of another reserve center in the league who can bang w/ joel. Then you've got channing frye at the 4... he'll stretch a defense out a bit and free travis up to play the 3, giving a bigger, stronger, player who can score like mad as well as play fantastic help D. At the 2 comes rudy and the point is shared by sergio and bayless. i'd love to see what rudy and sergio come up w/ from all their experience playing together in spain.
basically... the only weak links we have could possibly be frye cause he's not super tough, but i love him tho.... and sergio, but he provides an energy boost whenever he's in. Add in an extra shooter like koponen and there's an endless amount of scoring options, and a fabulous defensive lineup as well.
its going to be a crazy year.
but yea.... bayless looked like the s***
what i love is that we have so many options now. I've been trying to run through my head what lineups we would have and can come up with nothing but problems for anyone playing against us.
Who starts now? Roy (obviously), i'm sure they'll start Oden, Aldridge, then most likely it'll be Blake to start point, but then who's the 3? is it still martell, is it fernandez? shoot, is it outlaw?
Then the second unit.... Assuming martell starts (seeing as how he has to most nba experience) we start big w/ joel coming in off the bench now. i can't think of another reserve center in the league who can bang w/ joel. Then you've got channing frye at the 4... he'll stretch a defense out a bit and free travis up to play the 3, giving a bigger, stronger, player who can score like mad as well as play fantastic help D. At the 2 comes rudy and the point is shared by sergio and bayless. i'd love to see what rudy and sergio come up w/ from all their experience playing together in spain.
basically... the only weak links we have could possibly be frye cause he's not super tough, but i love him tho.... and sergio, but he provides an energy boost whenever he's in. Add in an extra shooter like koponen and there's an endless amount of scoring options, and a fabulous defensive lineup as well.
its going to be a crazy year.
but yea.... bayless looked like the s***
bayless was by far the best player in the game. it is just summer leauge but there were some NBA players like blatche and nick young. bayless will have no problem getting to the rim in his rookie season. telfair didnt have any problem getting to the rim so i dont see why bayless would. i think bayless has a really good chance of being the "missing piece" and i think thats why KP seems so excited about him. Koponen looked really good. i think if he continues to play this way KP will for sure sign him. All looks good in blazerland.
also i thought bayless looked really good on defense. he really moves his feet and trys to stay in front of his guy. i didnt see him reaching either. how about that block! i think the refs missed that call. they were probably just shocked that he got it.
Wow we absolutely stole Jerryd with the 11th pick! He has that killer instinct we been needing! It was nice to see Petteri step up and make those threes! I sure hope he makes the team! I could see him earning some decent playing time!
MB, Loved your comments! I travelled from Rancho Cucamonga and was inspired by the potential I saw. Sitting behind KP and the tanned (Ha, Ha) Mr. Allen, I sat in a crowd that kept saying:"this guy is for real" regarding JB and also "Where is this PK from?" A healthy Blazer contingent waited in line after the game as Bayless humbly signed autographs. Batum showed some promise in the first half but honestly looks like a year of honing his skill and bulking up might do him some good. Bayless had purpose and Koponen was confident to keep shooting through a sparce first half before he found his zone.
On a side note: It was a true pleasure to see my Dad reunite with Maurice Lucas after the game. Twenty-nine years ago my father was the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Portland. My Dad encouraged a then young "Enforcer" to put on Basketball clinics at each of the Portland High Schools. Record numbers flocked to these camps and tonight Maurice was as polite and a gentleman as he was so long ago. The Blazers are a class act! Bring on the Kings!
MB, Loved your comments! I travelled from Rancho Cucamonga and was inspired by the potential I saw. Sitting behind KP and the tanned (Ha, Ha) Mr. Allen, I sat in a crowd that kept saying:"this guy is for real" regarding JB and also "Where is this PK from?" A healthy Blazer contingent waited in line after the game as Bayless humbly signed autographs. Batum showed some promise in the first half but honestly looks like a year of honing his skill and bulking up might do him some good. Bayless had purpose and Koponen was confident to keep shooting through a sparce first half before he found his zone.
On a side note: It was a true pleasure to see my Dad reunite with Maurice Lucas after the game. Twenty-nine years ago my father was the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Portland. My Dad encouraged a then young "Enforcer" to put on Basketball clinics at each of the Portland High Schools. Record numbers flocked to these camps and tonight Maurice was as polite and a gentleman as he was so long ago. The Blazers are a class act! Bring on the Kings!
Is it October yet?
MB-
I went to the game today and was VERY impressed with Bayless. From before the tip he looked extremely intense like all he wanted to do was win and succeed. He was THE most intense player I saw in my 3 days of watching Summer League. He realized early that his J wasn't going down, so all he did was drive to the hoop and try to score or get fouled instead of taking J's that might not fall. He will be a great combo guard once he has some real NBA players to pass to.
After the game, I got his Autograph and he was very nice, but also still very intense. I also met KP on Friday and he was VERY nice and gracious. Great to see all the Blazer fans make the trek to Vegas. It's a great time! I loved seeing Paul Allen attending and sitting from row with KP, Nate and Tom Penn to start the game!
Koponen looked very good, especially for someone only 20 years old. He's going to be a player in the NBA, no doubt about it.
Batum has a great frame, but definitely has a way to go. He would be better with better players around him, but he seems to stay within himself pretty well. He's definitely a project, but looks like a very good defender already.
MB,
I'm very happy to report the replays are not black out on Directv. Ok, I had to wait until 2am to watch the game, but as long as I get to see the games I'm happy.
Couple things jump out at me.
One Koponen is a lot faster than I thought he was! That's going to serve him well both on O and D.
Bayless sure can get to the basket! I can just imagine both him and Roy on the floor together cutting up other teams D and the resulting baskets/foul shots and assists from passes to Oden and LA.
I'm not worried about the lack of passing by Bayless since it's obvious that Kopenen is playing PG and Bayless is playing SG(confirmed by Nate). Which I'm happy about because I was worried Koponen wouldn't get a real chance to play much PG like what happen last year.
List of the replay times of the games on Directv.
Blazers vs. Wizards Tue 7/15 9am
Blazers vs. Kings Tue 7/15 11pm
Blazers vs. Kings Wed 7/16 3am
Blazers vs. Kings Wed 7/16 11am
Wolves vs. Blazers Fri 7/18 5am
Wolves vs. Blazers Fri 7/18 11am
Suns vs. Blazers Sun 7/20 9am
Hornets vs. Blazers Sun 7/20 9pm
Hornets vs. Blazers Sun 7/21 3am
Ok, time to watch the second half.
Well, i must say that my impressions are only based in statistics and comments, cause i can't see the games, but i must say that Bayless game has worried me. Much.
He's not a PG. And with Roy and Rudy that's what we really need.
No assists in the full game, no shots from the 3point range, and a full amount of free throws (he can shoot free throws? is that really good? Any PG or SG MUST be in that numbers from the line. So this is nothing special).
So, as far as i see from the statistics, we have another scorer, with no passing skills, so who will play the PG spot? Blake again? Roy?
Now we have Roy, Blayless and Rudy for the same spot, unless BR plays the PG.
I'm probably wrong, but if it is so, please tell me.
Bye!
-First, Koponen's nickname has to be...
"PLAYBOY PETE"
Koponen's Finnish Pro League team is the Honka Playboys. Koponen is also the biggest Scandinavian teenage heartthrob since those two guys that were in ABBA that stood around and struck poses while the women did all the singing.
-Bayless looked great. Finding ways to score when you're shot is not falling is an advanced skill lots of kids Bayless's age haven't learned. Bayless was told to score as much as he could in the first half by coaches. His normally excellent midrange jumper wasn't there, so Bayless found another way to score.
Bayless put on very mature performance.
Koponen isn't afraid to take shots when they matter, and pretty much did what he could running an offense considering the limited skills of the post players on the Blazers summer league roster.
Batum looked okay in limited minutes. Too bad about the bruised ribs. Hope that won't Batum back from playing in other summer league games.
MR MB: you rock...game night & all is well...
I'm with you, Mike, on the performances of Bayless and Koponen. I thought they were great. Bayless' ability to recognize and hit an open lane is fantastic. I can't wait to see him start knocking down some shots from the outside to go along with that. He's going to be so dangerous out there.
The only thing i found disappointing about the game was KP and Nate's reaction to Koponen. Is it really that hard for those guys to get excited about their player? Yeah, they said some good things about his game, but i'd swear they were getting kicked in the stomach for it by the lack of enthusiasm. They also found the time to criticize him, as well. In reading Quick's story, you wouldn't guess at all that either one of those guys want Koponen on the roster.
Since when is one spot of roster flexibility worth letting a prospect like Koponen go sign a 4 year deal overseas and maybe not see him in a blazer uniform, again? Perhaps KP and i just don't agree on what kind of prospect Koponen is, and if that is the case, i would have to figure i'm just wrong about the kid.
However, i feel bad for Koponen that he goes out and has a great game and his GM, afterwards, talks like it will ruin his whole year if Koponen actually earns a spot by the end of summer league. I guess i'm just a little confused. I thought KP wanted his players to do well in summer league. Isn't that the point behind giving him the minutes? To see how he responds?
Anyway, i thought those two were great, and i'm very excited about both players. As i believe many others are, as well.
>>One thing Bloggers have we got a nickname for Koponen.
Petko.
Along with "Rex" Bayless and "Batman."
t
mrblazer,
After KP's comment that Koponen will have to improve each game to get a roster spot I thought maybe he shouldn't have done so well in his first game! It's going to be hard to top his ending game heroics 4 games in a row!
a few notes on Bayless:
Having watched him in HS and attending every game at the UofA... here are a few things that you should look for when watching his game.
First of all, he is a VERY good outside shooter. I watched him go 12/15 from the floor against ASU this year where 1/2 of his shots were 3s. I read that the Blazer coaches are tinkering with his shot a bit, getting him to release his shot quicker and at a higher position. So, if it seems that he is not hitting from the outside, this very well could be due to this change in his mechanics and is a temporary issue. He has one of the most advanced mid-range games I have seen out of a 19 yr old. (ie: Rip Hamilton) and will score a lot of his points in the NBA from 14-18 feet.
Secondly, Bayless does not play around with the ball a lot. You will not see him cross a lot of guys, or stop the ball with 10 seconds of pounding it into the floor. He utilizes more of a hesitation game. His first step is one of the quickest I have ever seen, so all it takes for him to get to the lane is to get his shoulder by the first defender.
He has very good court vision as well. Even though coach McMillan told him to shoot at will last night, he did have 4-6 passes that would have been assists, but were botched plays by Bigs who are not NBA worthy. He is not Chris Paul, he will never lead the league in assists, but he is a very competent facilitator and will work well opposite Roy.
Lastly, he ALWAYS plays with purpose. He has a mean streak, that intangible that cannot be taught. You may notice that he often gets noticeably upset when he fails to make a play, misses an open man, or doesn't convert on the break. Do not mistake this for childish behavior, as it comes from his drive to be the best and to win at all costs. He is a gym rat and in time he will act out less and less and impress you more and more.
Last year, interim head coach Kevin O'Neil described him as a bull in a china shop. Once he has more game experience he will still be a bull, but be less inclined to bump into the china surrounding him. He almost always plays under control, but his motor is off the charts. He is a nice man, well spoken, but he plays mean, almost like he not only wants to win a game, he wants to strike fear into the guy that has to guard him.
Only time will tell, but I have had the honor of watching Kerr, Bibby, Terry, Stoudamire, Arenas (et all) live in every home game they played at Arizona and if I were a betting man I would put money on Bayless being a better pro than any of them.
Did I see someone out there named Finley? He seemed pretty quick on his feet. Where did we pick him up? If he developed his defense some more, he would smother guys on D.
MGB...I tried to watch the game on NBA.com's website, but for large blocks of time, there was only audio with a frozen picture. I think they were just having some major glitches. At least I hope so, because it looks like that will be my only chance of seeing a lot of the games this year, too.
Mr. Blazer...I too am a little perplexed with the thought process of the blazers in regards to that open roster spot. If PetKo can play good in summer league, then why not put him in the open roster spot? We went a full year last year with a full roster. Is this year any different? Perhaps the difference is that they have something brewing for the future. Maybe a veteran that can be picked up, after the training camps have broken, or a trade could come up. That spot may be open anyway, if Raef gets traded at the deadline.
It will be interesting to see what happens!
Darth_Siles,
Based on the stats alone you have good reason for concern about Bayless being unwilling or unable to distribute the ball but stats are just stats and this is summer league. Bayless had a couple of passes that I knew would have translated to points if it were Aldridge, Oden, or Outlaw. Let's face it, most guys in summer league are scrubs and that goes for us too. Bayless was by far the most potent offensive player on the court and he took it upon himself to score more because he clearly wants to win.
Our bigs fumbled the ball, missed shots, and looked uncomfortable. Everyone is trying to prove themselves, the talent level isn't the highest, and everybody knows nobody. These games do not resemble anything close to regular season NBA basketball.
What was so exciting about Bayless getting to the line like he did was the idea that Oden and Aldridge will be right there with him. I imagine he won't be as distrustful with those guys as he is with the scrubs trying to break into the NBA.
Don't let the stats scare you. I'm sure once you see this guy you'll change you're mind, at least you'll be more at ease. He has work to do but I'm confident he'll improve.
I've never been this excited about a rookie (not including Oden).
Go Blazers!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Mike-
I was under the impression that Batman already signed? Obviously I must have dreamt that up , but I swear I read that somewhere...
Anywho, I was extremely impressed by that "fire" Rex had. I was a little perturbed by his interviews at the "meet our draftees" presser b/c he seemed so ice cold and cocky. Well I've changed, or shifted my opinion... clearly this guy is about his business. I noticed a couple intangables, including high fiving and slappin every teammate on the back at every possible moment good or bad situation. That is encouraging. He also isn't gonna be one of these "tinkerbell" pg's or combo guards whatever he is.. I liked how he got into the lane and GASP finished hard by making a bucket or getting to the line. This is something that JJack lacked, he would get into the lane and...TO
I think tonight will be a good time to see if this is really how he plays.
-Sophia
PS- Get well soon Batman, we love you :)
What I noticed the most about Bayless yesterday is he just seemed to be at a higher level then everyone else on the court. He had that extra gear that no one else seemed to have. He was easily the quickest, fastest, most athletic player on the court. And what's more, is he is able to control and use all of those attributes to his advantage. That for me was pretty exciting.
MB,
I was really impressed with JB's quickness and ability to attack the basket, but Koponen looked more like a PG. Unfortunately Koponen did not look quite as good as I was hoping. But clearly some potential and I would not have a problem with signing him this year. As far as the assists thing goes, I don't think JB was trying that hard to get assists. He seemed to be focused on agressive, take it to the rim, type basketball to show off his strong points. But he did make some nice passes, just not to a guy who could actually score the ball. Anyway, too early to draw any real conclusions about anyone, but a nice start for the summer league. We should wait and see how things look after all the games before forming any real opinions. But so far so good.
Summer league games can be quite deceiving, since the talent level and playing dinamics are more fitting to the D-League.
I have to agree that Bayless seems to be an interesting prospect but nothing off-charts. It will take him at least 2 years to develop into a well rounded NBA guard. More of a SG than a PG. Hopefully Nate will know how to motivate and help him grow.
Koponen displays a good basketball IQ and fundamentals. However, his best move would be to get out of the Finnish Basketball league and head out for a more competitive league such as the spanish ACB. He can stay there for a couple of years, give himself time to mature and grow. He is only 20 years old and unfortunately the NBA is not the best place to develop young and inexperience players. No patience or dedication to build basketball fundamentals. The most succesfull European imports come to the NBA after winning "everything" overseas and with a solid and fundamentally sound game. Koponen should be patience and keep working hard.
Very hot pics at the blazer dancer trials!
For a young player, Bayless did very well although I agree with Monty that he needs to quicken the release on his shots.
I also thought Koponen did very well although I think his way of dribbling the ball is prone to being poked away and he needs to improve on his reaction to double teams.
I'm a big Petteri Koponen fan. I know folks talk about next year's line-ups, but in my mind, here are the line ups a year or two down the line ...
White: Oden, LA, Webster (assuming he become more consistent with his threes), Roy, and Bayless
Red: Pryz, Frye, Outlaw, Rudy, and Koponen.
Personally, I'm salivating at those two line-ups.
I'm sure there are plenty of Blake fans, but I think Koponen's quicker, longer, smoother, and will eventually mature into the solid player Blake is with more talent.
And Sergio, well, he does bring a lot of energy onto the court, but it's often out of control energy.
Bottom line, my hope is that Koponen makes the roster this year.
Bayless is so sick, he should be starting this season, how come he is not???
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