Calling my shot

by SpyderRyder on Dec 19, 2007 3:14 PM PST

Much as Idog1976 postulated his love for Eric Gordon (which is not unwarrented, however with our current winning streak and his torrid play he will go top 3 so that blows that.)

I will now call my shot at the 2008 NBA draft:

Jerryd Bayless.

Evidence:

It is becoming apparent that Roy will be playing a lot more PG and that we will need a PG/SG who will be able to hit the 3 pt and defend the Parkers, Pauls, and Williams of the league. Much of the banter both here and on the RealGM board has been for a G with the following:

Excellent on-the-ball perimeter defender who can disrupt the other teams offense
Good to great shooter
High BB IQ. They must have a really good shot selection.

Does anyone disagree on any of the point listed above?

Now looking at the draft board, the top is filled with Rose, Mayo, Beasley and Gordon. Of those top flight picks only Rose and Gordon even fit the bill, but should be going within the top 5 picks if not top 3. We CAN however turn this "freshman frenzy" into a strength for us as the aforementioned fab 4 freshman are all very much hyped (ESPN can be good for somethings HAHA) and hopefully Bayless will be able to slip into the 7-15 range where we should have a shot at him.

1) Excellent on-the-ball perimeter defender who can disrupt the other teams offense:

Here is an excerpt from Rise Magazine:

"But the surprise of this past summer wasn't Bayless' offensive prowess. In fact, the first thing the coaches of the U.S. under-18 team said to Lopez after Bayless helped the squad coast to the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship had nothing to do with his offense.

"They praised his defense more than anything else," Lopez says. "We'll remind him of that this year."

http://www.risemag.com/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=NationalNews&& ;categoryKey=PlayerProfiles&articleId=7659

2) Good to great shooter:

Is shooting .476 from 3pt land and .495 overall
against much tougher competition than Gordon I may add (#4 Kansas and #9 Texas AM)

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=36075

3) High BB IQ. They must have a really good shot selection.

If what you have read has not moved you yet here is some more.

http://www.nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/jerrydbayless.html

Pritchard knows what will take this team over the top and I think he will agree with the requirements for the SG/PG postion. I would imagine that KP will hone in on his player and will stop at nothing to get him and in my opinion the player who fits the bill pefectly is Jerryd Bayless.

PS: In watching tape of another SG that we have coming over, Senior Fernandez, does he remind anybody else of Ray Allen? I look at that 3pt shot and the quickness and accuracy he has is incredible. They both shoot about 40% from 3 and are average defenders, either way should be fun watching the "Spanish armada" team on the court with Sergio and Rudy.

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Comments

thanks

I really enjoy reading clearly laid out diaries with links to evidence. Food for thought.

I haven't slept for ten days because that would be too long.

by abetterbomb on Dec 19, 2007 3:20 PM PST reply actions

If we have Roy at the point...

which isn't my favorite plan but I acknowledge that it will likely happen at least for a period of time then we need someone similar to who you describe. It's a good plan if we head in that direction.

by drawingjeremy on Dec 19, 2007 3:30 PM PST reply actions

could be

I still think the pick gets packaged with Jack and someone else in a trade for someone (I have no idea who).

by jksnake99 on Dec 19, 2007 3:30 PM PST reply actions

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

We already agreed Rudy Fernandez is the next Michael Jordan.

The only problem I see with Bayless is that his Draft profile reads a lot like Jarrett Jack's did and we don't really need a younger Jarrett Jack... Bayless would be an interesting acquisition though.

My money's on KP settling with Greg Oden, Petteri Koponen, Joel Freeland, and Rudy Fernandez as his draft class and trading our pick or drafting another European that we can stash [Nicholas Batum?].

But jeez, if Rudy and Petteri come over, plus a third Euro from the 2008 draft class, cigarette sales in the Pacific Northwest are going to go through the roof!

by Champs2009 on Dec 19, 2007 3:31 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

I'd be surprised

if either Koponen or Freeland ever make our roster. To do so they would have to dislodge someone and I don't see who that could be.

by blazerprophet on Dec 19, 2007 3:33 PM PST up reply actions

Kop

will dislodge Green eventually.

by jksnake99 on Dec 19, 2007 3:37 PM PST up reply actions

Really?

I think Green may end up being our "spark plug off the bench" PG in a few years.

Further, I think Sergio will eventually leave via free agency and JJ will be traded eventually.

by blazerprophet on Dec 19, 2007 3:41 PM PST up reply actions

Kop

can dislodge any pointguard we have.

I think he's that good.

A wink is the same as a nod to a bat!

by ratbastird on Dec 19, 2007 5:44 PM PST up reply actions

Then why isn't he here?

Fire KP, I say.

Randee of the Redwoods '08

by tominhawaii on Dec 19, 2007 5:53 PM PST up reply actions

I much agree.

I see Green as being nothing to the Blazers. He's the one who will be gone when we want to make room for someone else. His low draft position is not insignificant. I feel the only reason he has had so much support from Blazer fans was due to Nate's idiotic statment predicting Green would win us a number of games this year. Stupid, stupid,stupid! I can't believe he did that.

As I've posted a few times before, I think Nate's weakness is in talent evaluation; although I suspect in this case his statement was made to motivate Sergio. If so it was a poorly conceived motivational technique.

by TwoDeep on Dec 19, 2007 6:30 PM PST up reply actions

Lol

Very funny, I bet they'll have to find a tobacco store with snooty European tobacco. Those Euros don't appreciate fine American tobacco.

Randee of the Redwoods '08

by tominhawaii on Dec 19, 2007 4:28 PM PST up reply actions

Really strong cigarettes in Portland?

I'm not sure if there are any stores in the Portland area that sell those really strong filterless cigarettes that European athletes like to smoke. Maybe Sergio can give suggestions to Rudy/Finn/Brit on that. Good investment tip.

Nature bats last.

by fisheyes on Dec 19, 2007 4:40 PM PST up reply actions

I can see it now

Sergio will take the rookies under his wing and tell them where to get their tobacco and then say, "Oh by the way, I expect a fresh pack of smokes in my locker before each game."

Randee of the Redwoods '08

by tominhawaii on Dec 19, 2007 4:50 PM PST up reply actions

What about Fernandez?

He's supposed to be our next great SG and allegedly will push Roy to PG?

To me, we still do not have a true PG of the future. Also, With both Oden & Godzilla proving themselves to be injury prone, why not a defensive center that can play when one, or both, of them are inoperative?

I'm a "draft for our needs" type and it seems to me PG & depth at C are our most pressing needs.

by blazerprophet on Dec 19, 2007 3:31 PM PST reply actions

Drafting for our needs can be problematic

Passing on CP3 & Deron Williams for Martell/JJ was near sighted thinking to meet a need.

Drafting LMA when we had ZBO was far sighted thinking that is paying off huge.

I like drafting the best player possible when rebuilding & drafting for need when you have a winning core. Maybe we are almost to the point of drafting for a need.

On Fernandez... I have no expectations of him so that anything he brings is a bonus to me.

I do agree about drafting a back up big... Maybe the athletic 7 footer from Texas A&M??

by tweener on Dec 19, 2007 3:46 PM PST up reply actions

Well

That's my preference. If there's a "can't miss superstar", then you have to take him.

With regard to LA, we knew Zach was going to be traded a couple of years ago and he was Zach's replacement, so PF was a "need".

by blazerprophet on Dec 19, 2007 3:50 PM PST up reply actions

Any relation to Skip?

If so, draft him and bench him!

by Garces on Dec 19, 2007 3:43 PM PST reply actions

You forgot #4

We need a point guard who can penetrate.

Mmm, penetration.

Randee of the Redwoods '08

by tominhawaii on Dec 19, 2007 4:30 PM PST reply actions

Bayless

I'm with you on Bayless. While I don't think he'll be better the Gorden, Bayless is an actually reachable goal if he comes out this year. Though, if KP can swing a deal I wouldn't mind Gorden's superior shooting touch.

One thing I don't hear very much about the PG position is sharing the duties. Roy can handle the ball 50% of the time in the half court set, and the PG can bring the ball up the court, run fast break, and run the half court offense the other 50% of the time. Its not that I don't think Roy is capable of running the point, it's just that it would take pressure and punishment off him, let him save himself for the long run and the playoffs. The problem I have with Gorden is he doesn't play any PG, and would force Roy to put the team on his shoulders every time out, possible getting injured or worn out by the time the playoffs come around. While Bayless may not have a big passing advantage, he is playing that position right now for Arizona (Bayless leds his team in assists with 4.7, and Gorden is 4th on his team with 2.4).

Now, defense is one thing we can all agree on. According to the nbadraft.net, Bayless is 6-3, which is a good size for a PG. But, the best part is his rating on quickness, Bayless gets the full score of ten. I've watch a little of him play and he is very quick, and should be able to stay with just about any PG, kind of reminds me of Devin Harris with his speed. And there is a reason Harris makes good money with Dallas, and it is because of his ability to guard Tony Parker. Side Note: I was watching Bayless a few weeks ago, and he drove to the hope, got smacked, barely should it and lay it up for a And1, it was very impressive)

While I don't feel it should be Bayless or bust, I would cheer for him to leave Arizona.

by hightide on Dec 19, 2007 5:08 PM PST reply actions

I agree with oy guys too

and I also think we can get him in the draft.
Imagine Devin Harris with a jump shot.
sweet
I think that he can also lead the break, I've only seen one game of him, correct me if I'm wrong.

by Bruno on Dec 19, 2007 5:27 PM PST up reply actions

Is this guy even coming out?

Givony doesn't list him on the mock draft until 2009, and with the excess of PGs in this year's draft, I could see him sticking around longer to be taken higher.

Either way, I still think we've got to go big in the draft. If K-Love is available, I think we have to take him. He's an undersized PF, but he brings a big game, and his skills would mesh with both Aldridge and Oden. Aldridge has dealt with injuries for 2 seasons now, as has Oden, LaFrentz will be leaving in 2009, Frye has failed to impress except for one game, and McRoberts seems too small. I think we need to continue to bolster our front court through the draft, and find this complement to Roy via Free Agency.

Besides, Bayless spells his name wrong. Jerryd? What's that all about?

by bfan on Dec 19, 2007 5:18 PM PST reply actions

draftexpress hasn't updated their

mock drafts in a while and bayless stock has been rising.
The blazers could also spread the word that we'd draft him, assuming that he have a pick 10-14. I know it's ilegal, but I think everyone does that.

by Bruno on Dec 19, 2007 5:30 PM PST up reply actions

No Idea

But, there maybe a good chance that the other Arizona guy, Chase Budinger, may leave. Both draftexpress and nbadraft.net have him leaving. If that is the case, and Bayless doesn't think he can win much without him, he may leave.

However, this is just me talking about something I know very little about, so take it will an ocean full of salt.

by hightide on Dec 19, 2007 5:44 PM PST up reply actions