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Tag Archive - freebayless

No One Knows What It’s Like

December 22, 2009 in by with 1 Comment

It’s too obvious to say that building a team is more difficult than it looks. But it should also be obvious that building a team is less difficult than a few owners/GMs/coaches/a certain GM-Coach whose name rhymes with ‘Fun-schmeevy’ have made it look. There are certain guiding principles, bits of prevailing logic perhaps, that have guided lesser franchises through harder times by way of savvy management. Things as basic as avoiding draft land mines (or at least avoiding stepping in the same ones repeatedly), refusing to buckle in trade negotiations when in possession of real value, and knowing when to buy and when to sell. These general concepts (among many, many others) are the foundation of reasonable team management, but here’s the bizarre thing: even when armed with a detailed understanding of the league, an appreciation of the general tenets of successfully running a team, and a comprehensive history of the NBA crammed into your skull, there are no guarantees of success. Proper management will get you so far, but the harsh reality is that proper team-building takes so much more.

The Portland Trailblazers are an interesting case study on multiple levels, but particularly because their fortunes have been all over the place. Brandon Roy is clearly the star of the show, and rightfully so. He’s an incredibly talented offensive player who can produce without stymieing the greater team-wide vision. In fact, with a player of Roy’s particular talents and tendencies, you could go as far as to say that he excels within a team framework. There are certain NBA players who were born to win one-on-one tournaments. And for what it’s worth, Roy probably wouldn’t do too badly. That said, the true beauty of his game comes in how he controls the flow of the offense and manages space. He works the pick-and-roll beautifully, he draws extra defenders and finds the open man, and above all, Roy isn’t just capable of making the pass, but completely willing to. He’s humble. He’s a consummate professional. He’s hungry. And despite everything that has gone right for the Blazers in amassing their stable of young talent, it’s possible that they still haven’t figured out what kind of players are best-suited to flank Roy (and LaMarcus Aldridge, and whoever else is deemed part of the core).

It’s not as simple as taking a franchise model and plugging in Roy. His style is very much his own, and despite the temptation to assume that he would work the same in any number of systems with a precedent of talented shooting guards, that’s not the way it works. Just because the Bulls of the 90s, the Lakers of the early 2000s, and the current incarnation all run some version of the triangle offense, the personnel put their mark on the system. In those cases, you can hold the coach and the system constant, but that doesn’t make Luc Longley and Shaquille O’Neal one in the same. Players will always shape a system to make it unique, and great players typically have a more profound influence than is easily recognizable. As much as Roy is to be part of McMillan’s system, the system and the rotation must adjust to the specificities of Roy’s game. Hence, we now have quite the ongoing quandary in regard to Steve Blake, Andre Miller, and Jerryd Bayless’ spots in the rotation. If you rank the players in terms of their sheer basketball value, you may end up with a different result than if you ranked them according to their value to this team. It’s a hell of a situation to be in for a team that supposedly had it made, and it’s only the most obvious of the Blazers’ troubles this season.

You can write your rules, follow the guidelines, and flesh out the system and the game plan all you’d like, but things in the NBA don’t go according to plan. Long-term success hinges on a coach and a front office’s ability to learn and adjust, and though the Blazers are far from any kind of critical point, their current troubles have only furthered their position as a team of interest. NBA rotations don’t just fall into place, regardless of the talent on the roster, and though some acquisitions may seem random in nature, those that work out seamlessly are often those that are carefully weighed in the context of not only the system, but the specific roles and capabilities of the players within that system. It’s all a very delicate balancing act. After all, if Steve Blake doesn’t take a step back this season? Or if the Blazers inked Paul Millsap or Hedo Turkoglu rather than Andre Miller in the off-season, would we even be discussing which type of player operates best alongside Roy? The situation is always fluid and always unique. Although it’s nice to rise each morning and go to sleep each night with a mission statement and a roster full of talent under your pillow, finding success as a team is rarely about such glittering generalities. The Blazers may be better off than the league’s have-nots, but Kevin Pritchard, Nate McMillan, and the Blazer brain trust still have plenty to figure out.

Lion Face/Lemon Face 12.17.09: JERRYD BAYLESS JUST HAPPENED EDITION

December 18, 2009 in by with 5 Comments

Ben, Matt, if you please.

Lion Face: WHO DO YOU THINK MORTAL? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!!!

I tend to run more on the negative these days than the positive. With the franchise I despise more than any other with a lockdown on the title for the next two years, it’s hard to get moved, especially in a world where those feelings are so often expressed quickly and eloquently by better writers than I on these here blogospheres. Not having a team, I usually take a backseat to the team’s writers. And while I’m very happy for Blazers fans after everything they’ve gone through this season, I’m going to take this one. I loved Bayless pre-draft, and then I saw him in Summer League and it was one of those moments that stick with you. His performance was revolutionary. And so to hear Nate say after the game that he was going to have to learn to play point, was infuriating. But that was nothing compared to watching him rot on the bench, never allowed to work past his challenges, to develop past his limits. I couldn’t believe he could be that obtuse.

Trying to make Bayless into a pure point is like trying to use a switchblade to scoop ice cream. But tonight, finally, Jerryd Bayless arrived. And there was fire.

When Bayless had two turnovers in the 2nd quarter after a strong start, I expected Nate McMillan to send him back to the dungeon. But Nate stuck with him. Whether it was Andre Miller’s inability to do any of the things they paid him to do that he has yet to do this season, a gut feeling, or the Ghost of squandered talent past, Nate stuck with him. And it paid off.

Bayless used his inside-outside game on offense to feed the other. So he was taking corner three-pointers directly off the pass from Roy (who the Suns were packing the lane against), and not thinking about it. Just release. And it fell. Praise be, it finally fell. That gave him the confidence to attack the rim, which he did, relentlessly. You have to foul him. He’s too fast not to foul. Throw in a few easy buckets, and one absolutely sick reverse off a Roy feed to the baseline, and you’ve got yourself a career high. He was dialed in. He was swarming to the ball on defense, snaking in and swiping as he followed through on assignments, and communicating with his team.

After a big three late, the kid let out a roar. The kind of raw emotion that people say you don’t find in the NBA. It was about a year and a half of being held under water. It was about finally proving he belonged here like he said he did. It was raw, it was honest, and I had already jumped out of my chair and was yelling with him.

I’m a writer, so I’m of course bent to the dramatic. But on a night where the focus was on the absence of their star lottery pick and when the center they buried like they had been doing to Bayless torched them from outside, it was deeply poetic to see Bayless be the star on this game, to deliver the victory by playing his game. He managed to find a way to work alongside his teammates, even feeding them after a few choice under-basket loop-probes (a la Steve Nash). He was a complement to Brandon, not a competitor, nor a counter. And when he missed the game-clinching first free throw at the end of the game, his teammates were there to rub his head and tell him not to worry about it, even though Bayless was killing himself for it anyway. That’s important. He’d just had the best game of his life, and was still livid he missed that free throw.

Maybe it was just one night, maybe this is all he gets. But his ability to attack, to fight, to kill isn’t something that drifts. It’s a quality that you have to encourage and harness. If given the opportunity, he can do those things. Jerryd Bayless needs to start. But until then, I’m willing to just be thrilled that for a night, he had arrived.

Live With Who People Are

December 14, 2009 in by with 1 Comment

The point is, Jerryd’s main competition for minutes is not Steve Blake, it’s Roy and Miller. He has to catch up to one of them in order to increase his playing time significantly. In doing so he also has to overcome that star or veteran gap in the minds of the coaches. It’s not impossible, I guess, but you can see why the going is slow, especially since Bayless trails both handily in nearly every category listed.

In fact I will go out on a limb at this point in saying the chances of Roy, Miller, and Bayless existing long-term on the same team are small. Steve Blake’s presence in the equation changes it not a whit. You could cut Steve tomorrow and you’d still have the same issue. Eventually one of these guys has to be let go.

Does this mean Jerryd’s situation is hopeless until that happens? I’d say no, for a couple reasons.

First, I think it’s obvious that Jerryd was unsuccessfully typecast as a point guard during his early tenure. This is something we called from the beginning. You have to let players play to their strengths if you’re going to play them. You can teach them beyond those natural strengths, of course, but you can’t suppress the strengths in doing so and find success. Judging by the way Jerryd is playing and the time, position, and role he’s finding himself playing in, it seems the coaching staff is learning or has learned this about him. When he does play he’s driving, scoring, and providing a credible offensive threat. The removal of the burden of setting up plays has freed him. He looks more fluid, confident, and ironically is more in tune with what’s going on out on the floor than he used to be. They may trade him in favor of a pure point guard if that’s what they think they need but they won’t be putting him back in that box. That means his play should remain strong and has a chance to get stronger.

via The Bayless Quandary – Blazersedge.

Hey, look, the exact same stuff we’ve been saying for a year and a half. Neat.

This, in a nutshell, is what the Blazers did. They saw the best talent available was a young, devastatingly quick guard with a mean streak like no other. They recognized their ability to horde tremendous talent and cover for injury or a pick or two not working out (unless it was Greg Oden, of course), and selected him to fill their need at pure point, fully aware that he wasn’t a pure point. Not only that, but becoming a pure point ran contrary to everything that defined the young guard. Most teams draft a player and try and put him in the best position to succeed. The Blazers have never done that with Jerryd Bayless. Should they look at what’s best for the team first? Absolutely. But not if you’re banking on a scenario which you knew to be unlikely in the beginning.

They drafted Bayless and said at Summer League “We have a small guard, his name is Brandon Roy and he’s the future of this team. Jerryd will learn to play point or he won’t play at all. ” And when Bayless failed to make that transition, which isn’t something you learn, it’s something you are, or rather, it’s something you’re not in a lot of ways, they punished him. The Blazers punished Jerryd Bayless for being who he is.

When it became obvious that Jerryd wasn’t going to suddenly burst out of the telephone booth as Chris Paul, did they trade him, after letting him boost his stock? Did they work him into a second lineup as the instant offense that could provide the starting line a break? Did they do anything that would be not only in the best interest of the player but of the team? No, they stuffed him down and then brought in Andre Miller.

At least now they’re letting him raise his value. Because he has no future on this team. None. And if you want to blame Bayless for being too selfish to shift, that’s fine, but to do so is to undermine his considerable ability. There are very few cases where I can say that someone would be better off in Golden State. But Jerryd Bayless would be better off in Golden State.

Jerryd Bayless Has Had It Up To Here, Even If Here Isn’t Very High

December 8, 2009 in by with 0 Comments

Multiple sources in the NBA have told me that Jerryd Bayless seems to be the most available player on Portland’s roster. A couple of sources indicated over the weekend that Bayless has asked the team to trade him, because of his lack of playing time. I wouldn’t blame him — young players want, and need, to play. And if he wants out, the team should try to accommodate him.

Bayless has begun to see more action lately, but you have to wonder — is that being done to help teams get a better look at him? A showcase? I mean, how can you ask a lot for Bayless when he’s not even playing significant minutes for you? If I’m sitting in another NBA office and the Trail Blazers are asking me if I want Bayless, I’m going to have to answer, “Why would I want somebody you don’t think is good enough to play for you guys?”

via Does Jerryd Bayless want out of here?.

In the first 18 games of the season, Jerryd Bayless played double digit minutes four times. In the last four games, he’s hit double digit minutes three times, including 20 minutes in the “win” against the Rockets.

So either McMillan (& Co., since Nate’s sidelined with sugery, which sucks)  is trying to get him time to placate him, which isn’t a sound strategy considering the desperate need to get their back court situation settled, or he’s playing him to raise his trade value. The situation Jaynes outlines is one I’ve been worried about for a while. They decided not to move Bayless when they didn’t want/need him, instead they buried him. So now they need to move him, but they’ve driven all value out of him.

The problem is the Blazers obviously need frontcourt depth, but no one’s got it. Everyone’s loaded up top and thin down low. One thing is for sure, though. Playing Bayless and benching Miller isn’t going to help the chemistry situation any.

There’s A Red And Black Storm On The Horizon

November 24, 2009 in by with 0 Comments

His confidence soaring, Oden returned to the locker room after the game — and an NBATV interview — to joke on camera that his Ohio State Buckeyes would “smash” either the Beavers or the Ducks in the Rose Bowl. He laughed and smiled as he said, “Sorry, but it’s true.” What’s this? Giggles talking smack? Love it.

While the hot discussion topic might still be whether Steve Blake or Andre Miller should start at point guard, tonight we finally saw real evidence that Miller running the second unit is good for all parties. Make no mistake, Miller had a much better game than Blake tonight. But ask yourself this: Does Miller score the same 16 points if he plays all his minutes alongside Brandon Roy? Probably not. Does Brandon Roy score 18 points if he plays all of his minutes alongside Andre Miller? Do these two players, the team’s two best play-makers, combine for 12 assists if their minutes overlapped more? Are both Aldridge and Oden able to get going if Roy and Miller are both in the game simultaneously, if Blake isn’t there to keep the defense a little bit more honest? Does the team’s dominant second quarter take place if Blake is running the show rather than Miller?

via Media Row Report: Blazers 122 Bulls 98 – Blazersedge.

I’m having to walk a fine line with the Blazers this season. On the one hand, I see Oden finally coming into form. His defense is just monstrous right now, and last night he actually had post moves-post moves!- working. That’s unstoppable.  It’s the same thing with Howard. When Dwight actually has his drop step hook going, like in Game 7 of the Boston series last year? Nothing you can do. Same with Oden. They were passing, they were working, they were moving as a team and not just “Brandon Roy And His Band Of Misfit Toys!.” This team really is on the verge of absolutely detonating a crater into the Western Conference. And Nate McMillan must get some of the credit for that.

On the other hand, I still feel like he’s responsible for their occasional lapses in focus, for mismanaging the backcourt, and for generally not being awesome. But Ben makes a good point that Miller’s actually too good for the first unit. And with results like last night, even against an offensively neutered Bulls team that really just wants to go home from this horrific road trip, he’s got them playing at an amazingly high level.

Also, I say Jerryd Bayless play last night and my heart soared.

/swoon