# All this hoot N' hollering over Bayless kinda makes me wonder...



## BlazerFan22 (Jul 4, 2006)

He's going to be a great player and not afraid to take the big shots. He kinda reminds me of a guy who wants to be the man. Don't the Blazers already have that? I just hope Bayless and Roy wont clash. They are both great scorers and players that want the ball. Roy is Portland.eace:


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

It's a reasonable concern, but I think Roy and Bayless will find a way to make it work. Roy is all about winning, and he'll let Bayless do his thing. The two of them should be dynamite together.


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

Add Rudy to the mix and this is an embarrassment of riches.


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

I though the concern about the Blazers from last year is we needed a player who wanted to be the man. Roy is the man, but not necessarily because he demands it.


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

andalusian said:


> Add Rudy to the mix and this is an embarrassment of riches.


Can you imagine late in a game and we need a bucket the opposing team looking at a set of Bayless, Roy, Rudy, Travis and Lamarcus and trying to figure out who's gonna take the shot?


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

Schilly said:


> Can you imagine late in a game and we need a bucket the opposing team looking at a set of Bayless, Roy, Rudy, Travis and Lamarcus and trying to figure out who's gonna take the shot?


I can imagine it, if Oden is in foul trouble.


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

andalusian said:


> I can imagine it, if Oden is in foul trouble.


Late game last second Shot, Oden clogs the lane for us while Aldridge helps spread the floor and open the lane by being able to hit the 18 footer.


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## blue32 (Jan 13, 2006)

Roy's still our man, Bayless will know that....


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

blue32 said:


> Roy's still our man, Bayless will know that....


Roy may be the man...but that doesn't mean he'll take the big shots or carry the scoring load by himself. With Roy working to get Bayless open looks, I'd be willing to guess that Bayless ends up being the leading scorer on this team within 2 years, though Roy will continue to be the best player on the team.

I think the role that will change most with Bayless' arrival will be Travis Outlaw. I can see Bayless getting more of those last second shots that used to go to Outlaw. 

It's a good problem to have.


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## Rip City Road Blocker (Jul 23, 2004)

We should all be very excited about adding Bayless, what the Blazers have is really rare. 

Maybe some of the more veteran members can answer this more, but at least in recent memory i can not think of a team that has an entire line up of legitimate scoring threats combined with an anchor defensive center of this quality. 

I think not having a pure point all the time is not a problem we should be worried about. The idea of that is to set up the players on your team that can score in open spots. In the Blazers case, every player is a threat to score from anywhere on the floor, and all are capable moving without the ball and passing the ball, all the way up to the all-star. 

I don't see any way down the line for opposing teams to defend the Blazers. 

The only teams I can think of like this are some of the great Laker teams and the Bird Celtics teams. Current teams that have put together rosters like this (Mavericks) have not been able to anchor a great defense, the Blazers should be able to do this.


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## blue32 (Jan 13, 2006)

Fork said:


> Roy may be the man...but that doesn't mean he'll take the big shots or carry the scoring load by himself. With Roy working to get Bayless open looks, I'd be willing to guess that Bayless ends up being the leading scorer on this team within 2 years, though Roy will continue to be the best player on the team.
> 
> I think the role that will change most with Bayless' arrival will be Travis Outlaw. I can see Bayless getting more of those last second shots that used to go to Outlaw.
> 
> It's a good problem to have.



I agree with you to an extent. Bayless's shot is ugly and needs to be quicker before he can score 20ppg routinely.... There's no way this year he's going to do that, or next most likely. So while hes growing with us, he'll understand that Roy, Rudy, LMA/(insert Trav/Martell,Oden, etc) will be our main focus, and so should we as fans. I dont want to see the board start up the bayless hate this year when he doesnt perform admirably.... 

Hell maybe i'm wrong, time will tell! it's going to be a great year!


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

From the artiles I have read and from watching him (alot but over a short period of time), I get the felling (and have read) that Bayless is all about winning.

He is intense, no nonsense kind of guy, but if he has even a little perspective and he is all about winning, I don't see any clash between him and Roy.

To divert from the thread, how Bayless would handle not getting much PT. I love the way Frye handled his tempoary benching . . . but Bayless always looks so intense and wants to win so bad, if the Blazers are losing and he isn't getting any PT . . . I don't know, but that is where my concern would lie with Bayless. 

But again, if he is on the floor and the Blazers are playing well and winning, I don't think he will be upset if he isn't "the man"


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## World B. Free (Mar 28, 2008)

Bayless will know his role. Roy will make it clear to him.


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

Rip City Road Blocker said:


> Maybe some of the more veteran members can answer this more, but at least in recent memory i can not think of a team that has an entire line up of legitimate scoring threats combined with an anchor defensive center of this quality.


In 03-04, Detroit had 7 guys average 9.5 pts per game or more and had Ben and Rasheed Wallace manning the middle defensively. 

Before that, probably the 2nd Houston championship team with Olajuwon at center, Clyde Drexler, Kenny Smith, Mad Max, Sam Cassell, Otis Thorpe and Robert Horry all averaging 9.5 pts or more per game.

Our own NBA finals teams had the offense, but lacked the defensive centerpiece like we have now.


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## e_blazer1 (Feb 3, 2004)

Roy has shown over and over again that he's willing to share the scoring load with his teammates. He often doesn't look to score much until later in the game. I don't see any problem.


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

Coach will decide the last play. I see no clash.


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## Zybot (Jul 22, 2004)

Fork said:


> In 03-04, Detroit had 7 guys average 9.5 pts per game or more and had Ben and Rasheed Wallace manning the middle defensively.
> 
> Before that, probably the 2nd Houston championship team with Olajuwon at center, Clyde Drexler, Kenny Smith, Mad Max, Sam Cassell, Otis Thorpe and Robert Horry all averaging 9.5 pts or more per game.
> 
> Our own NBA finals teams had the offense, but lacked the defensive centerpiece like we have now.


We traded Clyde for Thorpe. But I still agree with your example. Mario Elie would replace Thorpe in scoring.


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## Stevenson (Aug 23, 2003)

Actually, I think *Oden is going to be The Man*. He's a once in a generation player, possibly. And I think Roy will defer to him much like Magic did with Kareem.


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## Anonymous Gambler (May 29, 2006)

The best player will be the man. I really don't care who it is. If Bayless is more talented than Roy- then so be it. I think it's more likely that one of our big three is the man.

But, as far as playing together goes- I think Bayless is projecting to be the perfect pairing to Roy- he can lead a fastbreak, bring the ball up under pressure and dump it off to Roy.

If Roy is double teamed in the half court- Bayless will be one of the options to get the ball. Rotate off Bayless and he can probably make you pay.

Bayless can defend the one and score against 1 or 2's- so he's perfect to match up with Roy.


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## TLo (Dec 27, 2006)

Bayless might clash with Roy in couple of years, but I see no problem for this year or next. Roy is an All Star and Bayless wants to get to that level.


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## HurraKane212 (Aug 2, 2007)

I think that Bayless can help carry the scoring load a bit through three quarters so that Roy can turn it on in the 4th. Also, he'll make it harder to double Roy on the perimeter since Roy is a good passer. I think having Bayless and Oden on the floor instead of Blake and Pryzbilla makes it harder for opposing help defenders to come off their man. I mean you can't leave Greg or LMA open, and they are dangerous in single coverage. 


So say we run a Roy-Oden Pick and Roll, which I think will be a bread and butter play for us. If whoever is playing SF spots up in a corner with LMA on the high post or baseline and Bayless on the opposite wing from the pick, then the defense will have fits. Roy is too good midrange to give him room, Oden goes to the rim STRONG (see Summer League P&R w/ Sergio) and can drop it off to LMA if LMA's defender moves over to help. If either the SF or Bayless's man jumps to double Roy, Roy can kick to the wing for the spot up three or to the opposite side of the top of the key for a Bayless drive. And there are many more options I can't even think of. 

I think our offense will be based off Roy/Oden Pick and Rolls and Oden/LMA high low post with some slashing and shooting from Bayless/Rudy and spot-up shooting from SF and Blake.

I bet Roy's PPG stays @ 20 or drops a little to 18ish, but his assists go up to the 6-10 range.


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## mobes23 (Jun 29, 2006)

The beauty of Roy is that he'll put the team on his back and score like a crazy man when he NEEDS to because the situation demands it. It's not like he's only a scorer -- more than anything, he wants to win. That's why I have faith it'll get resolved. I'm more curious to see how Bayless and Rudy interact.


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## BlazerFan22 (Jul 4, 2006)

Rip City Road Blocker said:


> We should all be very excited about adding Bayless, what the Blazers have is really rare.
> 
> Maybe some of the more veteran members can answer this more, but at least in recent memory i can not think of a team that has an entire line up of legitimate scoring threats combined with an anchor defensive center of this quality.
> 
> ...


I agree, It is hard to put a team together like this. Specially when the league is so money driven like it is today. The question is can we keep it going for years to come?


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## Tince (Jul 11, 2004)

Obviously I don't know these players personally, but based on interviews and body language, I can see the following people leave once their contract is up because they value playing time more than being part of something special.

1) Sergio - I'm sure he can't wait to get out of town.
2) Webster - Will go wherever the money is.
3) Bayless - Wants to be the man, and may have a hard time playing second fiddle. 
4) Ike - He wants to play, and isn't going to stick around to be the end of a 10 man rotation.

In order: Outlaw, Blake, Roy, Oden, Joel, and Aldridge all seem like guys who would take less money or playing time to be part of something special.

I'm up in the air about the rest.


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

Tince said:


> In order: Outlaw, Blake, Roy, Oden, Joel, and Aldridge all seem like guys who would take less money or playing time to be part of something special.
> 
> I'm up in the air about the rest.


You should not be about Rudy - he is clearly at the top of this list...


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## Jayps15 (Jul 21, 2007)

Tince said:


> Obviously I don't know these players personally, but based on interviews and body language, I can see the following people leave once their contract is up because they value playing time more than being part of something special.
> 
> 1) Sergio - I'm sure he can't wait to get out of town.
> 2) Webster - Will go wherever the money is.
> ...


I completely disagree about Outlaw, he's repeatedly talked about wanting to be an All-star, not winning rings.


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## SixPack (May 23, 2007)

They wont clash because Roy will defer to Bayless.


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## Miksaid (Mar 21, 2005)

Jayps15 said:


> I completely disagree about Outlaw, he's repeatedly talked about wanting to be an All-star, not winning rings.


Despite the fact that it should be EVERY player's goal to become an all-star, just because Outlaw has not spoken about winning rings does not indicate that his intentions are simply to get the next biggest contract, anywhere. If that were the case, I would imagine he'd have demanded a trade by now, coming off the bench and all. Steve Blake, for instance, has neither mentioned winning rings or talked about being an All-Star. Where does that put him?


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

Miksaid said:


> Despite the fact that it should be EVERY player's goal to become an all-star, just because Outlaw has not spoken about winning rings does not indicate that his intentions are simply to get the next biggest contract, anywhere. If that were the case, I would imagine he'd have demanded a trade by now, coming off the bench and all. Steve Blake, for instance, has neither mentioned winning rings or talked about being an All-Star. Where does that put him?


No where. No one ever interviews Blake. :laugh:


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## Miksaid (Mar 21, 2005)

B-Roy said:


> No where. No one ever interviews Blake. :laugh:


That's outrageous. Steve Blake may be drinking beers at night with Osama Bin Laden and living a dual live as a ballerina and no one would have known. The media is clearly not doing its job. I think an interview is in order, I demand it.


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## Rip City Road Blocker (Jul 23, 2004)

I do think that if I had to predict anyone to bolt after their rookie contract, it would be either Rudy or Bayless. Bayless at least might have a chance to start. 

Rudy gave up money to play in the NBA, but I think he is going to be looking to make that back. He had no choice but to play for the Blazers in the NBA.


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## Tince (Jul 11, 2004)

andalusian said:


> You should not be about Rudy - he is clearly at the top of this list...


I'm torn on Rudy because the guy gave up a ton of money to come here, which is great. However, if the reports of him making demands about playing are true, then that leads me to believe come next contract he might go else where.


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## Tince (Jul 11, 2004)

Jayps15 said:


> I completely disagree about Outlaw, he's repeatedly talked about wanting to be an All-star, not winning rings.


From all the reports I hear, Outlaw is a loyal guy. He was one of our best players last year, but never complained about not starting. I could be wrong about him, but I totally expect him to resign under his market value when his contract is up in two years.


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## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

Tince said:


> From all the reports I hear, Outlaw is a loyal guy. He was one of our best players last year, but never complained about not starting. I could be wrong about him, but I totally expect him to resign under his market value when his contract is up in two years.


Yep. I really don't see how anybody can view Outlaw as a me-first guy. He shoots a lot, but that's what everybody tells him to do. 

He re-signed here on a very reasonable (I'd say bargain basement) contract, he's never once complained to the media about an inferior player starting ahead of him (Webster) or playing out of his natural position. Everything you hear about him is that he's a small town kid who is a little naive at times. 

Recently we found out he showed up out of shape last season because he spent his summer fishing, fer crissakes. This is not a high octane, me-first kind of kid. 

Outlaw and Przybilla are cut from the same cloth. They are the workhorse in Animal Farm. Tell them their job and just count on them to do it (but don't expect them to do nothing). 

I can see Bayless, Fernandez and Webster being much more high maintenance though. The first two because they are legitimately talented and probably wish they'd got here the year before Roy did. Webster because he just strikes me as insecure.


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## <-=*PdX*=-> (Oct 11, 2007)

Holy **** you guys, it may be the Widmer I just drank but I am so ****ing excited about our situation. Fighting over who is the man? Can you all believe the stockpile of YOUNG talent we have?! Just 3 years ago I thought we would be out of it for a LONG time. This new management team and mainly KP deserve a lot of gratitude for this team. I am so excited to be able to say that I live in Portland and have support the Trail Blazers for all 21 years of my life.


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## BlazerFan22 (Jul 4, 2006)

Rip City Road Blocker said:


> I do think that if I had to predict anyone to bolt after their rookie contract, it would be either Rudy or Bayless. Bayless at least might have a chance to start.
> 
> Rudy gave up money to play in the NBA, but I think he is going to be looking to make that back. He had no choice but to play for the Blazers in the NBA.


As long as the Blazers stay competitive I don't think Rudy will be to hard to resign. I don't think he will problem with the rest of the team either. I don't doubt Bayless will have a nice career but Bayless is the one I worry about.


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

I wouldn't worry about Bayless if we WIN a lot. Winning seems to be the thing that Bayless values most. If he averages around 13 PPG, or just contributes, and we win, he'll stay.


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## BlazerFan22 (Jul 4, 2006)

B-Roy said:


> I wouldn't worry about Bayless if we WIN a lot. Winning seems to be the thing that Bayless values most. If he averages around 13 PPG, or just contributes, and we win, he'll stay.


Ya thats what they say untill there rookie contracts come up and they want the money.


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

BlazerFan22 said:


> Ya thats what they say untill there rookie contracts come up and they want the money.


If money is what you're worried about, then you shouldn't worry at all......


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## BlazerFan22 (Jul 4, 2006)

B-Roy said:


> If money is what you're worried about, then you shouldn't worry at all......


It's really not I was just saying that. It's that I think Bayless will want to be the man in a few years when we already have one.


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

BlazerFan22 said:


> It's really not I was just saying that. It's that I think Bayless will want to be the man in a few years when we already have one.


He wants to win the most. We win = he stays.


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## Rip City Road Blocker (Jul 23, 2004)

B-Roy said:


> He wants to win the most. We win = he stays.


That feels good to say, but the reality is it's not always true.

It's why Joe Johnson is where he is. I highly doubt Joe Johnson does not want to win. Everyone wants to win (with a couple exceptions). 

There could be a part of Bayless that is sure he can win without Oden, Roy and Aldridge.


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

Rip City Road Blocker said:


> That feels good to say, but the reality is it's not always true.
> 
> It's why Joe Johnson is where he is. I highly doubt Joe Johnson does not want to win. Everyone wants to win (with a couple exceptions).
> 
> There could be a part of Bayless that is sure he can win without Oden, Roy and Aldridge.


Bayless is different. His demeanor says he'll do anything to win. He just absolutely hates losing more than anything in the world. Sean Meagher already noted that when we won on Monday, Bayless gave a cheery interview, but when we lost on Tuesday, he was noticeably upset and uttered a 4 letter word leaving the stadium, even though it was just a Summer League game. I find it highly unlikely he'll bolt for a bad team just to be "the man." (He'll only be "the man" on a bad team)


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## Rip City Road Blocker (Jul 23, 2004)

B-Roy said:


> Bayless is different. His demeanor says he'll do anything to win. He just absolutely hates losing more than anything in the world. Sean Meagher already noted that when we won on Monday, Bayless gave a cheery interview, but when we lost on Tuesday, he was noticeably upset and uttered a 4 letter word leaving the stadium, even though it was just a Summer League game. I find it highly unlikely he'll bolt for a bad team just to be "the man." (He'll only be "the man" on a bad team)


Yeah, I think he is too. I'm just not going to be shocked if him (or Rudy) change over the course of 3 NBA seasons.


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## blazermaniaisback (Jun 7, 2007)

BlazerFan22 said:


> It's really not I was just saying that. It's that I think Bayless will want to be the man in a few years...


And why not? ESPN does have him and the summer league MVP after two games. :biggrin:



> MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Jerryd Bayless, Blazers
> 
> In both of the games he has played, he has been the best player on the court and it hasn't been close. Using his speed and exceptional handle to set up defenders, the combo guard has made a living at the charity stripe, attempting a two-game total of 39 freebies (making 31). He followed up his 28-point, four-rebound debut against the Wizards by hanging 26 and six on the Kings.


http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop...dweek-Awards.html?lpos=spotlight&lid=tab5pos1


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## BlazerFan22 (Jul 4, 2006)

B-Roy said:


> Bayless is different. His demeanor says he'll do anything to win. He just absolutely hates losing more than anything in the world. Sean Meagher already noted that when we won on Monday, Bayless gave a cheery interview, but when we lost on Tuesday, he was noticeably upset and uttered a 4 letter word leaving the stadium, even though it was just a Summer League game. I find it highly unlikely he'll bolt for a bad team just to be "the man." (He'll only be "the man" on a bad team)


Ok how about this example, What about the three J's dallas had? Jason Kidd, Jammal Mashburn and Juwan Howard Dallas was building a vary nice team.


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

BlazerFan22 said:


> Ok how about this example, What about the three J's dallas had? Jason Kidd, Jammal Mashburn and Juwan Howard Dallas was building a vary nice team.


What was the point of this?


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## alext42083 (Nov 7, 2003)

BlazerFan22 said:


> Ok how about this example, What about the three J's dallas had? Jason Kidd, Jammal Mashburn and Juwan Howard Dallas was building a vary nice team.


The third J on that team was Jimmy Jackson instead of Juwan Howard, and those guys never won, never even made the playoffs.

And those guys were too busy bickering over Toni Braxton and blew it up after two years together. I don't see a correlation between them and what we have right now with our group..


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## MrJayremmie (Dec 29, 2007)

From what Bayless said, he said his goal this season was to play PG and make Aldridge, Oden and Roy all all-stars. He really is a team first guy.

I REALYL like him, because i could never imagine him having ANY problems off the court, ever. He will just be in the gym. I do think he might end up our 2nd leading scorer in a couple years. Once he finds his place on this team (and he will have a big role as the 4th best player, imo) he will be great.

He WANTS to play PG. He said so. He said he is most comfortable doing it. He is all about winning, not being THE guy. He has had to be THE guy for his teams to even have a shot at winning, and it continues in summer league as he takes over games. He has hardly got a chance to play any PG in summer league and has been told to score, but he is playing solid defense, rebounding and dishing out some nice passes (not all finished by teammates). He can contribute without scoring, and put him as the PG, bringing the ball up, caling the plays, etc... he will be an awesome part of our team.

I think a lot of you will warm up to him more as the saeson progresses. We absolutely MUST have a player with his type of competitive fire on this team. We lost Jack, this kid has Jacks fire, but is a way better bball player. Perfect situation!

Go Bayless! GO BLAZERS!


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## BlazerFan22 (Jul 4, 2006)

MrJayremmie said:


> From what Bayless said, he said his goal this season was to play PG and make Aldridge, Oden and Roy all all-stars. He really is a team first guy.
> 
> I REALYL like him, because i could never imagine him having ANY problems off the court, ever. He will just be in the gym. I do think he might end up our 2nd leading scorer in a couple years. Once he finds his place on this team (and he will have a big role as the 4th best player, imo) he will be great.
> 
> ...


 Well I hope you are right. I like Bayless it's just that being young on you rookie contract getting all that money can change people. He can b saying all the right things now and it may not mean squat in 3 years.


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## MrJayremmie (Dec 29, 2007)

Yea you are right, it just depends on the type of guy he is.


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

BlazerFan22 said:


> Well I hope you are right. I like Bayless it's just that being young on you rookie contract getting all that money can change people. He can b saying all the right things now and it may not mean squat in 3 years.


You keep shifting positions. Money or "the man?" Neither are a problem. If he wants more money, he'll get it, as long as he deserves it. He wants to win the most. It's just such an adamantly simple concept.


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