Scouts say: Bayless and Batum are busts

by section309 on Jul 15, 2008 11:47 PM PDT

Just passing along a new article.

Consensus opinions of 4 anonymous NBA scouts:

They say Bayless will not be an NBA starter - too selfish. I think they are wrong.

They think Mayo is the biggest steal.

They love DJ Augustin.

Beasley - great numbers, not a winner. Think Carmelo.

Gallinari, Gordon, and Alexander - the biggest busts. They predict Euros will finally be dead after the Gallinari bust. I think Rudy and Rubio will prove them wrong.

http://www.probasketballnews.com/amico_071408.html

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The man is putting up 25+ points a night in summer league and he's a bust?

He’s at least a Damon Stoudamire, if nothing else. Damon loved to fill it up for himself, and dished the rock because he had to. That’s worst case scenario for Bayless in my humble, but accurate, opinion.

How do I set my laser printer to stun?

by prezofdeath on Jul 15, 2008 11:52 PM PDT 0 recs

Yeah, but

Mousey was only 5’9” and TRex is at least 6’1” with hops.
In addition, we don’t know if his FOCUS will lead to D, but
anything will be better than Mousey.

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Jul 16, 2008 1:58 AM PDT up 0 recs

Let's just say he's 6'1"...

........................... KP/Oregonian keep up the 6’3” nonsense, trying to make themselves feel good or something. And then they call Koponen 6’4”.

Anybody with eyes who has not been huffing brain-killing vapors can see that Petko is AT LEAST 3 inches taller than Rex… Petko looks like a true 6’4” and Bayless must have hung from monkey bars by his legs and then craned his neck to measure out at 6’1.75” at the combine - he’s actually closer to 6’0” than he is to 6’3” and might “play” smaller than that - book it.

This is not to say Rex is a bad get in the draft - quite the contrary. But for the love of god - HE’S NOT 6’3”!!! KP and the Oregonian are being stupid.

"He shoots....................... he scores!!!"

by timbo on Jul 16, 2008 9:07 AM PDT up 0 recs

Closer to 6'0" than 6'3"...

Which number is greater?
a.) 1.25”
b.) 1.75”

If you answered B, you can stay part of B-edge. if not, you will get a pink slip soon.

If Bayless was measured at the combine as 6’1.75”, he is closer to 6’3” and 6’0”, by like half an inch. Even if the measurement was skewed a little, I would bet that Bayless is closer to 6’2” than he is 6’0”, and at least you can settle on 6’1”.... all are regardless of his play…. which in all reality is the only thing that matters. Let’s not get hung up on size and look for a dude who can ball and play in the NBA.

by Portland Dynasty on Jul 16, 2008 9:16 AM PDT up 0 recs

plus

he’s not going to play the game barefoot. His combine measurement in shoes is his height on the court. In shoes, Bayless was measured by independant NBA combine measuring sources, not by the Oregonian or by vapor-huffers, at 6’3”. That’s all that matters.

by abdelnaby on Jul 16, 2008 9:23 AM PDT up 0 recs

Maybe he has one of those new-fangled telescoping spines.

like inspector gadget.

by shralpster on Jul 16, 2008 1:37 PM PDT up 0 recs

Anybody with eyes who has not been huffing brain-killing vapors can see that Petko is AT LEAST 3 inches taller than Rex…

"He shoots....................... he scores!!!"

by timbo on Jul 16, 2008 2:45 PM PDT up 0 recs

................... Which makes Pete 6'6" in KP-speak...

"He shoots....................... he scores!!!"

by timbo on Jul 16, 2008 2:46 PM PDT up 0 recs

huff huff huff

Kopo is supposedly 6’5” in shoes, so you’re not far off. Not bad for a measurement derived from eyeballing a TV feed from an above-ground angle, though I’ll still take those professional measurements.

by abdelnaby on Jul 16, 2008 5:27 PM PDT up 0 recs

Petko is a very young player..

and I think it has been more than a year since the last time anyone measured him. He could still be growing, so estimates derived from looking at the TV feed might be more accurate than the actual measurements.

by trk on Jul 16, 2008 10:54 PM PDT up 0 recs

You mean B-Rex not only has small arms but also more like Velociraptor size?

If he starts to draw comparisons to DJ Augustin I will be disappointed.

Coach, I promise I wasn't running hard ...

by Norsktroll on Jul 16, 2008 9:21 AM PDT up 0 recs

Booked

But I don’t agree. I think he can play bigger.

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Jul 16, 2008 9:44 AM PDT up 0 recs

summer league

is the operative word.

They might as well not even be playing the same game as we’ll see in the regular season. I think Dave’s game report illustrates that very well.

M, period. Fresh, comma.

by manzell on Jul 16, 2008 9:35 AM PDT up 0 recs

I'd love to hear previous scout reports from SL

I get a funny feeling there’s lots of gems in the past.

by Timmay! on Jul 15, 2008 11:56 PM PDT 0 recs

I love the no opinion section

by Sabonis4Ever on Jul 15, 2008 11:58 PM PDT 0 recs

Pretty much sums up Kosta Koufas for me, too.

WWSBD?

by nightbluefruit on Jul 16, 2008 12:11 AM PDT up 0 recs

I'd be selfish too

if I was that much better than my teammates.

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Jul 15, 2008 11:58 PM PDT 0 recs

Absolutely right.

Those silly little scouts ought to be out of a job. If it were not for Bayless, where in the heck would we get our offense from on this summer league squad? PK? Teams would just double team him everytime, and we’d be lucky to score 40 in a game.

I'm half kidding but half serious when I say this....why not make someone like Raef LaFrentz play in summer league? Or even Channing Frye? After all, we are not going to be able to see the fullness of what guys like Bayless and Petteri can actually do if they don't have NBA caliber talent to play side by side with.  Raef is getting $13 Mil a year to be a practice player.  Why not have him work with the young guys?

Can I buy you a fish sandwich?

by silkybrown on Jul 16, 2008 2:08 AM PDT up 0 recs

This site has bugs...

As I was saying, the Blazers ought to make Raef LaFrentz play in summer league for the sake of giving guys like Batum, Petteri, and JB a legitimate NBA caliber player to work with on the front line. If they want to see how they do with the pick and roll, why not him? After all, he’s making $13 Mil to be a practice player, so why not use him as a practice player? He’s like our 4th string PF now. If he refused to play, they should fine him about $13 Million dollars. :)

Can I buy you a fish sandwich?

by silkybrown on Jul 16, 2008 2:11 AM PDT up 2 recs

Raef is an older player and a vet...

............................. More appropriate to put Channing Frye out there. Goodness knows he’s got aspects of his game to work on.

"He shoots....................... he scores!!!"

by timbo on Jul 16, 2008 9:09 AM PDT up 0 recs

+1

Bayless was told by our coaching stff to score whenever he had the opportunity. Obviously he’s followed direction since he had his first assist last night! Of course the guy looks “selfish,” at least he does to anybody that does’nt know any better.

"It's amazing what a group of guys can accomplish when no one cares who gets credit."
President Harry S. Truman

by Dr. Deal on Jul 16, 2008 10:31 AM PDT up 0 recs

Lol

This is a satirical article right? Are they seriously saying people are going to be busts after 2 games in summer league!?

And do tell who exactly does Jerryd Bayless have to pass to on the Blazers summer league team?

By this amazing scouting report almost the entire lottery was comprised of busts.

A Time For Heroes,
It's not right for young lungs to be coughing up blood
And it's all
It's all in my hands
And its all up the walls
Well the stale chips were up and the hopes stakes were down
Until Kp came into Town!
'Sing it Petey!

by Dheepan on Jul 16, 2008 12:00 AM PDT 0 recs

Oh btw this same site that gave KP an A+ for the draft

I’m confused

Portland Trail Blazers: Kevin Pritchard, an ex-Kansas guard, reaped the benefit of two slipping Jayhawks as he dominated the draft proceedings for the second straight year. After picking Brandon Rush with No. 13, he packaged him with Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts to land a pair of unpolished gems, No. 11 pick Jerryd Bayless and former Arizona State star Ike Diogu. Both will be tremendous assets alongside Brandon Roy, Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge. Diogu is a tempo-changer off the bench who never found his rhythm last year due to injuries, while Bayless is a scorer who should fit in perfectly opposite Roy. Nicolas Batum was a great value pick at No. 25 and winds up as another Blazers asset after some late tinkering. Still only 19 years old, it seems like he fell victim to rumors of a heart problem and scouts becoming too familiar with him, poking holes in his game and forgetting the kid with the Rudy Gay-type athleticism is still a teenager. He’ll help Portland at some point. Bravo. Grade: A+.

by Dheepan on Jul 16, 2008 12:03 AM PDT up 0 recs

explanation

These opinions were from NBA personnel, not people from the website

by section309 on Jul 16, 2008 12:09 AM PDT up 0 recs

That's even funnier then

I’m guessing GM’s and scouting staffs are all enjoying their respective honeymoon with their prospects. At this point whoever they picked (and who they passed on) must look terrible in their eyes.

by Dheepan on Jul 16, 2008 12:33 AM PDT up 0 recs

That was retarded

OJ Mayo is the best player in this draft? Beasley is another Carmelo Anthony, and that’s a bad thing? I don’t get how being compared to an Olympian doesn’t get you top draft pick status. As for Bayless, they don’t really have a right to say more than that he is not a natural distributor (which is obvious). Fact is, Bayless might become the perfect fit for Portland if he and Roy can work together almost symbiotically. We knew going in that Bayless would be the counterpart (sg in pg’s body) to Roy (pg in sg’s body).

by premthegrem on Jul 16, 2008 12:01 AM PDT 0 recs

Portland has 5 potential 6th man of the year winners.

We have so much instant offense coming off the bench I think we might explode. I sense trades coming.

If somebody hits you with an object you should beat the hell out of them.-Charles Barkley

by Winchester on Jul 16, 2008 12:51 AM PDT up 0 recs

You've hit the nail on the head

I think the whole point of having Bayless is how his game will fit with Roy’s. Anyone not taking that into account (and of all people, a professional scout!) is being rather foolish. Plus, I don’t think Nate McMillan is complaining about what he’s seen so far-getting to the line dozen times a game (even in the summer league) might come in handy very soon, to say nothing of the fact that Bayless will have two huge targets to pass to when he starts slicing up defenses.

by Modal Rounder on Jul 16, 2008 6:36 AM PDT up 0 recs

I disagree here

A scout’s job is to assess the overall player. This may or may not include how they think the player will mesh with another – especially one the particular scout may not have scouted. So it’s not on them to take into account the other players on the team. So even if their context-free assessment is dead wrong (let’s hope), it’s not necessarily on them to evaluate a player in a team context – that’s what coaches are for

M, period. Fresh, comma.

by manzell on Jul 16, 2008 9:17 PM PDT up 0 recs

Don't forget the one about Devin Harris

being a ball hog when he attempts 11 shots per 36 minutes, fewer than Nash/Deron/Kidd/CP3.

What the author didn’t tell us was that these were the gms and scouts from Charlotte and the Clippers.

by howlingfantods on Jul 16, 2008 8:19 AM PDT up 1 recs

haha

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Jul 16, 2008 9:45 AM PDT up 0 recs

Freaking +1

I can’t believe all these idiots on blogs (non BE posters) and O-live knocking Bayless. The one reasonable thing I’ve read says he has a weakness going left as does Kop. They both could work on their handle and Jerryd needs to work on his midrange jumper (I think he’s just had two off games).

He's Coming! Oden Slayer of Giants

by Idog1976 on Jul 16, 2008 10:19 PM PDT up 0 recs

Rember those scouts are the same ones KP fleeces every year!

Aldridge said. "We feel like we can beat any team. We feel like we can beat the Spurs, Suns, Lakers, Mavericks, whoever any night right now, and we'll still be here when those teams get old and their guys retire. We're going to be here for a long time."

by lee3022 on Jul 16, 2008 12:16 AM PDT 1 recs

Ding ding ding

they’re dreaming. Bayless will be a solid rotation player and will eventually be at least the back up if not starting PG.

He's Coming! Oden Slayer of Giants

by Idog1976 on Jul 16, 2008 10:20 PM PDT up 0 recs

Galinari a bust?

I was skeptical of the kid but he’s showing a lotta good things in Summer League. Are they watching the games, or are these pre-draft opinions still being held onto?

ANYONE who declares, as if it was a fact, that a rookie who hasn’t even really started their career yet is a bust, is a boner-head. Unless the player in question is the yearly stiff white big man taken in the lottery, then it is too soon to call someone, anyone, a bust. That is dumb-city, dude.

Melo was overrated for so long, that now the pendulum has swung the other way and he’s way underrated (at least around here). Someone who is top 3 in any of the major basketball categories is nuthin’ to sneeze at, and Melo is a TERRIFIC scorer, and efficient as well. Inside and outside, and doesn’t take a lot of dumb 3’s. He definitely isn’t perfect, not a good defender, and doesn’t rebound like he did in college, but his scoring is soooooo good that he can’t be discounted.

He can score 30+ a game efficiently. That’s still pretty good.

Anyways, I’m all for withholding SEVERE judgement on young players until you really know what they are. I know that doesn’t make for a decent article, but we can be more responsible and intelligent in the blogging world. I’m also guilty of snap judgements on youth, but any reasonable person will acknowledge that a career isn’t decided in the first 2, 3 seasons.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Jul 16, 2008 12:53 AM PDT 1 recs

Yeah I agree

Once Melo mellows out a bit (hoho) and matures he will probably be regarded very highly by fans. I have no doubt he will be part of some very good teams in the future.

by Dheepan on Jul 16, 2008 1:30 AM PDT up 0 recs

Sort of Like

Iverson….......remember, that dude kicked his naked wife out on the street. Loco…..

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Jul 16, 2008 6:56 AM PDT up 0 recs

+1

Score one for the Captain !

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Jul 16, 2008 2:07 AM PDT up 0 recs

Agreed Mortimer

and I don’t just say +1…I actually rec it!

He's Coming! Oden Slayer of Giants

by Idog1976 on Jul 16, 2008 10:21 PM PDT up 0 recs

Boy??

Melo is way underrated.If you watch his game, he can really Pass the ball.And actually is Unselfish!! I like his attitude on the court, seems to enjoy the games so much.

Feel sorry when he has to cooperate with Mr. Iverson.

by asiafan on Jul 16, 2008 12:56 AM PDT 0 recs

Batum has a looooooooooooooooooooooong way to go

He will definitely have the physical tools once he gets acclimated to the weight room. He needs to improve immensely in all areas, but we got nothing but time for that guy.

Can I buy you a fish sandwich?

by silkybrown on Jul 16, 2008 2:14 AM PDT 0 recs

I can see where they are coming from

Bayless IS a ball hog and name one person besides Spencerbutte who’s seen Batum play? If you told me the Blazers were going to draft some skinny kid from France, I wouldn’t be to excited and would never expect him to actually play for the team.

"France is a place where the money falls apart in your hands but you can't tear the toilet paper" - Billy Wilder

by tominhawaii on Jul 16, 2008 4:38 AM PDT 0 recs

I haven't seen him play

But I have spent some time in his home town, LeMans, and I can tell you that besides the 24-hour auto races (which I haven’t seen), they have some kick-butt chocolate and they serve a regional specialty that is essentially shredded pork swimming in lard. So if Nic would just have his mom send him some provisions he might be able to put on some weight. Of course, you don’t really see very many, uh, gravitationally-challenged people in LeMans or elsewhere in France, for that matter. Oh, nevermind …

"Shoot, I don't even have anything to put in my own sig"

These are the modest words of pualo, posted on June 20, 2008.
Yes, pualo, an extraordinarily discerning BEdger with a knack for subtle expression.

by CatMan2 on Jul 16, 2008 8:45 AM PDT up 0 recs

I used to work for American LeMans

That was a pretty neat race.

"France is a place where the money falls apart in your hands but you can't tear the toilet paper" - Billy Wilder

by tominhawaii on Jul 16, 2008 9:23 AM PDT up 0 recs

Bull

Come on guys. Whoever came up with stuff completely ignored the game plan that the Blazers are using. Bayless is not a ball hog. He’s playing according to the book Mac gave him right now. We have no scorers on the front line – so what do you expect Mac and Williams to do? Batum was 1 for 8, for example. Mac specifically wants Bayless and Koponen to handle the ball, and he wants Bayless to take it inside. This selfish stuff is a real load of crap. Gordon, in turn, played exactly one game. Augustin, in turn, struggled as he, like Bayless and Koponen, had no one to kick the ball to inside that could finish. Ah well, let them at cake.

by Eben Calder on Jul 16, 2008 5:33 AM PDT 0 recs

Probably from the same experts who brought you "All-Star Belinelli" a year ago

July 17th 2007: “Top ten list for rookie of the year:

1. Marco Belinelli
2. Jeff Green
3. Acie Law IV
4. Greg Oden
5. Brandan Wright
6. Kevin Durant
7. Spencer Hawes
8. Al Horford
9. Julian Wright
10. Jason Smith”

July 12 2007: “No one made a greater impression than Marco Belinelli. He burst onto the scene with a 37 point explosion against the Hornets in his first game last Saturday. He tailed off from there and finished with an 0-for-9 performance beyond the arc and 6-for-22 overall in his final Vegas game. The Warriors still won the game. Belinelli finished 12-for-27 from deep for a 44% clip.”

Wohoo, “he tailed off” already in Summer League yet people declared him a ROY candidate in the same week. That was such an accurate prediction it is almost scary.

Coach, I promise I wasn't running hard ...

by Norsktroll on Jul 16, 2008 7:51 AM PDT 0 recs

LMAO

thanks Norsktroll I needed that.

He's Coming! Oden Slayer of Giants

by Idog1976 on Jul 16, 2008 10:24 PM PDT up 0 recs

"So instead of making my own predictions about what might become of this year’s draft picks, I talked to two general managers and two scouts, and came up with a consensus."

I’m calling shenanigans. I think the four anonymous people chosen by the author to assess this year’s draft talent are actually four random elementary school kids who hate the NBA.

Quote from the article:

“The days of drafting international players in the lottery are just about numbered, and Gallinari will be one of the reason’s why.”

Ok, now I just think the “scout” referred to by the author is Dick Vitale.

lickety-brindle

by Billy Ray Bates on Jul 16, 2008 10:33 AM PDT 0 recs

Did

Did these scouts also say that Brandon Roy has no upside and wasn’t athletic?

ROTUNDITYDOTNET

by damir on Jul 16, 2008 11:03 AM PDT 0 recs

is it just me?

or do the “quotes” in the article not sound ANYTHING at all similar to how all the GMs and scouts I’ve listened to talk.

Rule #1 of nitpicking is to get it right.

by douglast on Jul 16, 2008 11:30 AM PDT 0 recs

Well if they actually watched the games...

Bayless does pass, and he does try to get assists. Problem? Nobody he passes to can score. I watched the game with my dad and we would both say “that’s an assist” on some of Jerryd’s passes, except they of course don’t count because he’s passing to people who will never have the talent to make it into the NBA.

Not only that, but because him and PK are the ones carrying the team it’s usually up to Bayless to be the big time scorer. You’ll see him get plenty of assists when he’s passing to the likes of Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden.

SL is like his situation was in Arizona, he can’t really rack up the assists when he’s forced to be the go to guy, not to mention he was told to shoot a lot by coach.

by Bskey on Jul 16, 2008 11:31 AM PDT 0 recs

What have these guys been smoking?

JB and Alexander both have the talent and proper tude to be big time NBA players but after doing what the coachs are telling them to do in a couple of pick up games they are a bust?

by southern oregon on Jul 16, 2008 11:40 AM PDT 0 recs

I'm sure you're onto something.

I don’t know many if any GMs or professional scouts that are going to call a guy a bust or dud after one or 2 summer league games. Since when is 26 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists (more if he had good teammates) considered a dud anyways? Those are stud numbers, not dud.

I don’t understand people calling Bayless a me-first player. He does pass, but you have to have guys around you who can score to be getting assists, and lets face it when you miss all your hookshots 100% of the time you aren’t going to be getting your 1 guard many assists. Coach Nate said it best when defending Jerryd, Brandon Roy is not out there right now.

by Bskey on Jul 16, 2008 11:47 AM PDT up 0 recs

BUST? IMPOSSIBLE!

After reading this little gem from Casey Holdahls blog, I think it’s going to be hard for Bayless to be a bust. His work ethic simply won’t allow it….....

“After signing hundreds of autographs and posing for pictures with fans who had just watched him embarrass the Wizards interior defense over and over again, Bayless packed up his belongings, made a quick stop off at the hotel, then proceeded to find an open gym at a Las Vegas 24 Hour Fitness to work on his shot. No night out on the town, no kicking it on the Strip with friends. Just more shots and a desire to prove his doubters, namely the ten teams who passed on him during the 2008 NBA Draft, wrong.”

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Jul 16, 2008 12:02 PM PDT 0 recs