Batum isnt’ an impact player? And here I was ready to package Martell AND Travis for some 2nd round picks. I hear the clippers are open to a deal like that one.

It really don’t mean squat. We all get a chance to look at the rooks and do our OOOHs and AAAHs. All in the spirit of Blazerism. All will expound on their views on how our team should go this year…it is all in great fun. Fact is, when it is all said and done, don’t mean squat. KP and Nate have their plan. Anything we might add through speculation has as much effect as Flatulence in the wind. I am convinced that, this season has some major surprises yet to be revealed. Hehe, just more flatulence

Dave’s take on Bayless as a utility player with potential as opposed to an instant impact player is probably the downside, with the reality being somewhere between that perspective, and KP’s perspective that within 40 games, he’ll have it pretty much figured out. Mac knows he has to change some of his mechanics to get his jump shot off, but also commented that that can be taught. And, of course, we’d have another dimension to all of this if Fernandez was playing now, rather than playing in the Olympics for Spain. Bayless, like a lot of kids with only one year in college, obviously has room to improve. On the other hand, only two players drafted at the top of this years draft have shown much in the summer league, and that’s Bayless and Love. If we think we have a debate going about Bayless, consider what the fans in San Diego, Charlotte, Memphis, New York etc. must be saying – or speculating. Gallinari and Gordon both lasted one game, Mayo’s best production was 15 points, and Augustin has been handicapped by lacking players to pass to, and Westbrook’s scoring has yet to show up. At least Bayless is giving us some positives to talk about, which implies that he was more ready to play, than the other players – whatever else we say. In fact, if Dave thinks Bayless is a utility player with potential, you can imagine what he’d be saying about the rest of the draft, given no one else – including Rose, have remotely put the stats out that Bayless has. It’s also showing why KP drafted Bayless, which was to complement Roy, not to take a pure PG who had to have the ball all the time to be effective. Bayless has shown than his quickness will make him tough to guard, he can take it to the hoop, and in this game, his mid-range shot showed up – which he always had in college. Plus, the kid has the intangible of a real motor, combined with aggressiveness and fearlessness. He’s like a linebacker – he actually likes contact. The first half of the season will be a period of molding a team and giving the rookies time to get into the new system we’ll see. Because it will be a system, and everyone will play a little differently this year, I happen to think that we’ll start getting consistent production from Bayless, and very likely Fernandez, by mid-year. Bayless, after all, is performing better than his peers right now, has a work ethic that meets or exceeds any of them, and is coachable.

Misread your post. I agree on Batum as a utility, not an early impact player.

Other:

The interview yesterday with KP indicates that the Blazers picked Bayless to complement Roy, a special talent. They did not want a pure PG who has to have his hands on the ball all the time, because they want the ball in Roy’s hands in the 4 th quarter and in critical situations. They took Bayless for 1) size and quckness to defend the other teams point guard; 2) ability to bring the ball up and then dish off to Roy some of the time, – who will then run the play; and 3) ability, having put the ball in Roy’s hands, to then execute the pick and roll, get open, cut to the hoop, etc., so he then converts to an offensive player. Roy’s the overall floor general in the Blazers Scheme. Bayless will be a true combo. In this scheme, there is no “PG” solution – they already think they have it. Bayless, in sum, will do some point work, but so will Roy. They picked for a true combo situation because of Roy. Fernandez, in turn, will be somewhat similar to Bayless, with some kinks of his own. The 3 pt shot being one of them.

Nice job working the brevity of a blind date and smooth pick up line in the same sentence. I was reading the post on cruise control, and started laughing when I read that.

Dave, just wanted to let you know I was hanging out with a good friend this weekend, a portland native living in new york, and it only took about 10 minutes of blazer talk for the blazersedge to come up. Like me, he checks the site every morning. Kudos to you, but another drain on the nation’s productivity.

A – Bayless – has shades of Dave Twardzik, whom the Shonz use to call, “Pin Ball” for his wild drives into the lane. Roy has learned that a little pull-up jumper saves wear and tear on the frame over the year. Let’s see if the Roy man makes good use of that this year. Bayless needs to work on the same thing. I’d much rather have an aggressive scorer who can work on his game, than a guy with potential who need to be more aggressive.

B+ – Koponen – Now who exactly does he have to pass the ball to? Peteri has had to try to do a lot of things that he probably wont have to do with actual talent around him. That’s why Bayless has looked a lot better. Koponen is not a solo scoring threat at this stage of his career, but has decided to push his comfort zone in order to make the team. This bodes well for the future. I think that he is a better talent than Taurean Green, whom we had last year. And probably will surpass Sergio with more time to shine. I say sign him and then let him play in the D-League for a couple of months.

? – Batum – Looks like a sleeper keeper down the road. Not too many guys have that kind of smooth fluid body with size. If he can get a consistent jumper from 15, he will be a great energy guy off the bench in a few years

The commentators kept saying Batum would be stashed in Europe for a couple of years, and you hear that here. However, since he was a first round pick, we have to offer him a contract. So, either he decides on his own to go back, or we have to sign him.

With Koponen, I believe that if we don’t offer him something, another NBA team could sign him. If he goes back to Europe, we’d keep his rights for another year. But if your draft pick wants to play here and you don’t sign him, you lose your rights. With the way he’s played this summer, someone will take him if we don’t.

Correct me if I’m wrong on either of these.