Starting backcourt of the future is....

by Twith on Apr 23, 2009 12:28 AM PDT

Roy and Rudy?

The more I see it, the more I like a Roy-Rudy starting backcourt in the future.

This was the kinda thing I didn't like hearing about in the offseason before we actually saw Rudy. I didn't think he had the requisite skills. Now people don't talk about it when it seems like a better idea than before. Here are the offensive traits I really like about Rudy as our starting "other-guard."

Moving without the ball
Shooting the three
Ball handling under pressure
Creativity/passing
Some amount of penetrating, even if it ends in a pull-up or stop and turnaround

Honestly, what can Blake do on the offensive end that Rudy can't?

Defense would be an issue here. Deciding who to put on the opposing point guard might be a problem. We're not staying in front of the uber-quick guys anyway (Parker, Paul, Brooks) though I think Roy does a better job guarding these guys than Blake ever has. Plus, I think Rudy is a lot smarter with the subtleties in help defense than Blake is, and he is more opportunistic in creating steals and running the break.

I'm honestly surprised at myself being in this position right now. I used to value Bayless more, as I thought Rudy was a bit of a one-trick pony, but he's brought a ton to the table lately.

Poll

Should we make a championship run in the next five years, Roy's starting backcourt mate of the future will be...

Blake

18 votes

Bayless

92 votes

Rudy

43 votes

Sergio

6 votes

Other - Already in the league (Hinrich, Miller, Bibby, etc.)

45 votes

Other - Not yet in the league (Rubio, Wall, etc.)

14 votes

218 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Roy-Rudy

And have Batum guard the point guards, problem solved.

"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''

by Sabonis4Ever on Apr 23, 2009 12:36 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs

what I've been saying

for months

by darkhelmit54 on Apr 23, 2009 1:28 AM PDT up reply actions

I think both Roy and Rudy could probably guard most PGs better than Blake can anyway

by trk on Apr 23, 2009 1:32 AM PDT up reply actions

So then does Roy guard the SF?

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Apr 23, 2009 8:20 AM PDT up reply actions

That would be the idea

I don’ think it would be a bad one. Artest is a SF.

by rmcdougall on Apr 23, 2009 11:14 AM PDT up reply actions

Or Roy

"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''

by Sabonis4Ever on Apr 23, 2009 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions

that was

my first thought also.

by usmcr3049 on Apr 23, 2009 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions

My ONLY issue with this lineup....

Rudy might get eaten alive by teams with good SG’s. Otherwise, I like it. Especially in crunch time.

Yes! Yes! In the face!

by LeafHawk on Apr 23, 2009 12:50 AM PDT reply actions

If the other team has a good SG, Batum can guard them

Not many teams have 2 All-Star caliber PG/SG/SF combos that we have to guard. Those that do are going to be tough to cover regardless of who we have in.

by Zaig on Apr 23, 2009 10:14 AM PDT up reply actions

good crunchtime line up

but rudy is a lot more effective when he has someone to run with. Roy likes to bring the ball up and dissect the d. I like the style of our starters grinding it out and our second team running everyone ragged

by svlittle on Apr 23, 2009 1:09 AM PDT reply actions

A Roy/Rudy backcourt could be very effective in the future

I don’t think that they are operating at maximum efficiency right now though. When Blake isn’t in the game, Roy tends to hold onto the ball too much and try to do everything himself. Ideally, I think a Roy/Rudy backcourt should be a lot like a Roy/Blake backcourt: they should be sharing ball-handling responsibilities with neither of them dominating the ball. Rudy needs to work on improving his ball-handling skills to really be successful in this role, but in the long-term it should work well.

by trk on Apr 23, 2009 1:29 AM PDT reply actions

they're already better than Blake

by far in the open court, Blake just knows his limitations better than Rudy at times. However he create far less also (for himself and teammates)

by darkhelmit54 on Apr 23, 2009 1:32 AM PDT up reply actions

Rudy over Blake benefits

undebatable
1) Better post entry passer
2) Better at pushing the break
3) Better off the ball

debatable
1) better defense
2) better shot (maybe not statistically but Blake are usually wide open)

I don’t care if Blake starts, but Rudy should be getting the 35 mpg NOT BLAKE! I hope this is a rookie acclimation thing because if it happens again next year people are gonna be mad!

by darkhelmit54 on Apr 23, 2009 1:31 AM PDT reply actions

andre miller just dropped 30 on the magic

bayless leaves over my dead body

by thomasikehara on Apr 23, 2009 7:30 AM PDT reply actions

I like it myself... but

rudy has to gaurd the points. Roy can’t be wasting energy chasing the quicker PG’s around the floor… although the smaller quicker PG’s wont be in the game long when they are getting abused on the defensive end by Roy or Rudy. I also think Rudy’s creativity is his best and worst quality at the same time. He makes some really sick plays and also some pretty stupid passes. I am big on this backcourt though. I am glad McMIllan did the “twin towers” lineup because now nobody is talking about the Rudy-Roy backcourt which seemed to me like a sweet lineup.

by Escrote on Apr 23, 2009 9:05 AM PDT reply actions

+1

Roy needs energy in the 4th to put us on his back.

- Neil

by Blazin'aTrail on Apr 23, 2009 9:11 AM PDT up reply actions

I don't think our permanent answer at PG

is on the team right now.

"Respect everyone, fear no one." -TP

by Arby on Apr 23, 2009 9:20 AM PDT reply actions

I disagree

I think that because of the dynamics of the league, each team matches up differently. There will be times in which certain rotations appear better… and they probably are for that scenario. Rudy complimented Roy extremely well for a stretch of the last game. Would it be sustained long-term to merit a permanent fix? I doubt it.

Steve Blake is better point guard than Rudy Fernandez. Yet, with all of our options: Steve, Sergio, Jerryd and Rudy – each provides something unique and beneficial to the line-up when they are playing. Currently, none of them have the complete profile of the ideal pg for our team and therefore we will continue to see mixed rotations.

by pdxer in dfw on Apr 23, 2009 9:29 AM PDT reply actions

Steve Blake is the best point guard on the team right now

But Rudy Fernandez has a lot of good point guard attributes. I think he could become a very good point guard in the future if he gets some practice playing the position. In a lot of ways he is like a taller and more athletic version of Steve Blake.

by trk on Apr 23, 2009 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions

If he spent the entire off season training to become a PG maybe...

For now he is okay in stints, but not as a long term PG.

by Zaig on Apr 23, 2009 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions

Easiest poll ever... Blake is the starter now and we're going all the way this year!!!

by 52therim on Apr 23, 2009 10:10 AM PDT reply actions

Exactly!

What’s up with the pessimism in the original post?!

“Should we make a championship run” should be “when we make our championship runs”.

And aren’t we in the midst of a championship run right now? Looking into the future should involve looking forward to the huge game the Blazers have tomorrow.

Don’t hate on Blake. . .(unless we lose to Houston)

by unblindloyalty on Apr 23, 2009 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm really surprised

at all the Bayless fanatics. The guy has done nothing to show he can be a competent POINT GUARD. Aggressiveness? Sure. Attacking the rim? Yep. Intensity? Undoubtedly.

But as far as the characteristics we need from our starting point guard of the future, Bayless hasn’t shown anything warranting this level of support.

"Respect everyone, fear no one." -TP

by Arby on Apr 23, 2009 10:21 AM PDT reply actions

Natural gifts

Intensity, intelligence, and confidence go a long way. And he’s quite fast, which we desparately need on defense. I think this off-season will be good for Bayless though I’m glad we’ve got more eggs in the basket.

by jiminut on Apr 23, 2009 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions

Intelligence?

Haven’t seen anything that says he is dumb, but haven’t seen any evidence that he is smart either.

by Zaig on Apr 23, 2009 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions

Honor student

Doesn’t necessarily translate, once he gets in a game and his heartrate jacks up to 150, but off the court he’s an intelligent guy.

Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.

by KP Corleone on Apr 23, 2009 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions

Honor student?

All being an honor student means is that he has drive and that he puts forth effort. We already knew this about him.

Not saying he’s dumb still, just saying that there are plenty of dumb people to get awesome GPAs. (Also plenty of smart ones to get bad GPAs.)

by Zaig on Apr 23, 2009 2:04 PM PDT up reply actions

In addition

Roy was a terrible student… he tried hard but I believe he has a learning disability or something. I remember he didn’t even qualify academically his first term. Roy is not very book smart in the traditinal sense but he has one of the highest BBIQ’s in the league.

by Escrote on Apr 23, 2009 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions

seriously

the faith in Bayless defies logic at this point.

by jksnake99 on Apr 23, 2009 10:35 AM PDT up reply actions

Bayless won't be the PG of the future until...

he wipes that grimmace off his face and gets that stupid “BAYLESS” tattoo removed from his back… I am not sure what this has to do with basketball but I am sure doing those things would help.

by Escrote on Apr 23, 2009 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions

The tat...

…is kind of like the time in high school I got a license plate with my name on it followed by “KAR.” (“Car” was taken. Give me a break, I was 15.) Only nobody calls it out over the intercom when he leaves his lights on.

At least my license plate didn’t leave a scar upon removal.

Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.

by KP Corleone on Apr 23, 2009 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions

Not immediately but mid-term: Roy (lead guard) and Bayless (pg defender, gunner). Of those that are currently on the team. All bets are off if we acquire Rubio/Hinrich/...

That stop and go by Roy is straight sick. I'm calling him "The Flu" from now on. - Wendell Maxey

by Norsktroll on Apr 23, 2009 11:12 AM PDT reply actions

I think its a decent idea, but certain teams this poses a problem for us and those teams are......

Teams that have real goof SF’s that I like Batum to guard, but at the same time have real good PG’s that I don’t want Rudy or Roy to guard:

Denver, Cleveland, Houston, Boston byt he way Rondo is playing lately, maybe Philly if they keep Andre and he still keeps his high level of play up all come to mind

But maybe Bayless can soon become our solution for that when he becomes more dependable?

"Sometimes I catch myself watching him and he's shooting floaters all-net. And just to watch how he's talking trash. I loved it. I loved every minute of it. Rudy's a competitor." - Brandon Roy

by Trail Ducker on Apr 23, 2009 2:08 PM PDT reply actions