Friday, January 16, 2009

Jay Bay Bay!



Jay Bay Bay! Man what an awesome game! Not only was it a great win for the Blazers vs. the Nets, who had won their previous 4 games at home, but Jerryd Bayless showed us why he was a lottery pick and summer league MVP. Bayless shattered his previous career high of 8 points, with 23 points on 6-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line. And anyone who saw the game saw his amazing dunk on Bobby Simmons with 3:30 left in the 4th quarter. Check it out here. I couldn’t stay up to see if it made Sportscenter top 10 though. Anyone know?


We did a great job containing Devin Harris in this game, and made him work for every point he scored. Even though he had 23 points, he only attempted 4 free throws (he averages 9.6 a game). The Blazers also did a great job of shutting down Vince Carter. Carter only had 13 points. We did a great job of slowing these guys down by being aggressive on offense and drawing early fouls that forced them to sit. During one streatch, Carter hit back to back shots, then picked up his 3rd foul and had to head to the bench. Things like that have a huge impact on the game.


The Blazers also did a great job of getting out to an early start (7-0). Even though it didn’t last the entire game, it set the tone early and it was a good sign to see our guys taking this game very seriously. In the absence of Blake, Portland did a great job of taking care of the ball. They only had 8 turnovers in the entire game to New Jerseys 10. This is only one more then we had in the entire first quarter vs. Philly! Great job taking care of the ball by the Blazers guards.


Individual Performances


Jerryd Bayless – Who else could the game ball go to? Bayless filled that void left by Blake, as the 3rd heat in Portland’s offense. He got to rim almost at will, and made New Jersey pay for fouling him. I am very happy to see one of our two backup points capitalized on Blake being out.


Brandon Roy – Although all the headlines read Jerryd Bayless, Roy once again carried this team. Roy was aggressive early, getting to the line 7 times in the 1st quarter alone. He drew a ton of fouls against New Jersey, and forced them to go to their bench. Roy ended with 29 points, 8 boards, 5 assists, and 2 steals. What was/is amazing about Roy, is that even though he was already playing a great game, when Bayless got hot, he deferred to him. I can count on one hand the number of all-stars in this league that would defer to a rookie like that. That’s the kind of stuff that makes Roy and this team special.


LaMarcus Aldridge – Aldridge had a quiet 20 points and 6 boards (why is Roy getting more boards then Aldridge?). We went to LaMarcus early, but he could not find his touch. In the 2nd half he stepped it up and hit a few open jumpshots off pick and pops with Roy. Nice game from Aldridge.


Sergio Rodriguez – Here is the other side of the coin. Where Bayless shined, Sergio struggled. He had 4 points, 4 assists, and 2 turnovers. He was beat on defense, and didn’t really get us set up in our offense (which is his supposed strength over Bayless). The next week or so should be interesting for Sergio, it could very well make or break his future in Portland.


Greg Oden – Oden had a hard time dealing with Brooke Lopez, and found himself in early foul trouble. He had only 2 points and 1 rebound in 13 minutes of playing time. The rookie roller coaster continues with Oden.


Travis Outlaw – Outlaw shook off the cobwebs of the first half to come back and hit some huge shots for us late in the game, including a three and a timely fadeaway from the free throw line. His fadeaway pretty much sealed the game for us. He also had 7 rebounds, and continues to be one of the more frustrating Blazers on a night to night basis. Why can’t he bring that effort every night?


Rudy Fernandez – Rudy gave us 23 quality minutes on a bum wheel. He didn’t help a ton, but he didn’t hurt us, which sometimes is just as good.


Joel Przybilla – Joel did a good job coming in for Oden tonight and rebounding. He had 11 boards (6 offensive) in just 22 minutes. Good work from the Vanilla Gorilla.


Game Summary in One Sentence: Great, much needed win on the road, and possibly a game that changes the playing rotation for the remainder of the season.


Links


From Jason Quik at the Oregonion:

After spending the first half of the season bottled up with anxiety over not playing, frustration at not performing well in his limited chances, all the while unwavering in his confidence, the 20-year-old said Thursday's explosion allowed him his first NBA chance to sit back and exhale.

"I'm out of the stranglehold," Bayless said.

And perhaps straight into a pivotal role with the Blazers, if anybody listens to All-Star Brandon Roy.

"I think the young fella is ready to go," Roy said. "Throw him out there, throw him into the fire. That's what I say."

Another article from Chris Sheriden at ESPN.com.


So do you have to start Bayless now while Blake is out? Is it time to give up on Sergio, or does the 3 year vet get another chance?

6 comments:

  1. I say get rid of Sergio and go with Bayless...So what?! After one good game I am on the band wagon.
    And big ups on the shout out to Roy and being unselfish. UW baby.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bayless' dunk ended up #2 I believe on top-10 plays. I'm with Spell, start Bayless now while Blake is out and let Sergio run with Rudy in the 2nd unit. Then move Sergio at the end of the season. I wish KP would move him right now, but didn't KP just say on ESPN he doesn't like mid-season moves? I dunno for sure but I do want to see more of Bayless.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes Matt, KP has said that multiple times in interviews, but he could just be saying that so all the players don't start freaking out and hoping they don't get traded. I think he just says that throw up a "smoke screen" to certain people. I guarantee he is burning up the phone lines looking for a trade.

    Oh and I almost forgot...welcome to the blog Spelltizzle! Good to see ya post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. KP is a master of the smoke screen. That's a good point about not wanting players to freak out. I would think that a package of either Raefs contract and either Sergio/Frye/Diogu or any combination could yield us a useful off the bench player.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bayless reminds me of a Baron Davis type player, who plays bigger than he is. I love the intensity and emotion he brings to the game. I think the Blazers really need that type of spark. Sometimes we show too little emotion and that doesnt bode well for us sometimes late in games. I would like to see a trade for Amare Stoudemire or that type of player, I wouldnt mind getting rid of Sergio, Outlaw and Fry for that type of move. I have the Blazers -2 and over 178 tonight against the Bobcats.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kiel,

    I also think has the spark and emotion that we need. I also think its good for him how well he has been playing next to Roy.

    I would like for us to get Amare too, but to be honest I cannot see him coming here without us giving up a significant piece (Roy, Aldridge, or Oden). The likes of Sergio, Outlaw, and Frye just wouldn't get it done!

    ReplyDelete