Maxey Featured On

usatoday

usatoday

truehoop
foxsports

truehoop

truehoop

balldontlie

hoopshype

realgm



oregonlive

blazersedge

centercourt

dwightjaynes

usatoday
ncaa
renogazette

usatoday



truehoop

associatedcontent

collegehoops

truehoop

truehoop


Get more sports at Dish Network Portland
Bayless The Next Jermaine O'Neal?
Written by wendell maxey   
Saturday, 25 July 2009 02:29

jermaine

I’m not sure if Jerryd Bayless has Jermaine O’Neal’s phone number in Miami, but if not someone might want to hook Bayless up with those digits.

O'Neal can sympathize from his days in Rip City; there are similarities in their situations.

Word is Portland has been shopping Bayless for over the past week, and according to league and team sources and those in the know, the Blazers had him on the trade table for one and all to feast on.

Maybe that is not the case now. But with Portland signing Andre Miller to a free agent contract on Friday, you have to think the Blazers will at least entertain offers for Bayless (and Travis Outlaw for that matter. Combined, the two are set to make $6 million next season) if not make a call or two themselves.

I know Kevin Pritchard said he doesn’t, “see many moves” other than, “smaller free agent signings” coming in Portland, but if the Blazers do make a trade, the tradable assets management have to employ basically begins with Bayless.

Besides, Miller - and Steve Blake as well - are going to make it real tough for Bayless to see the floor. After arriving in Philadelphia during the 2006 season, Miller never missed a game for the Sixers (has only missed three games his entire NBA career of 10 seasons) and is currently running a tally of 530-straight games played. Ironman indeed.

That brings me to Jermaine O’Neal – because even if Portland moves Bayless they run the risk of turning Jerryd into Jermaine all over again. Such is the case when you trade a kid before he can show what he can really do. But where does he fit?

Back after the 2000 season, one of Portland’s previous administrations led by general manager Bob Whitsitt traded a then young spry O’Neal to the Indiana Pacers after the Blazers struggled to find a role for him among the likes of veterans Brian Grant, Rasheed Wallace, Gary Trent and Arvydas Sabonis.

After four seasons in Portland, all Jermaine had to show for his time was a maximum of 13.5 minutes per game. That came in 1997-8, O’Neal’s sophomore season when he appeared in 60 games. By the end though, he was playing a couple minutes here and a few minutes there before being traded.

The trade to Indiana proved a blessing for O’Neal. He bulked up. He was a beast.

He averaged 12.9 points starting 81 games for the Pacers in 2000-01. The following season he earned Most Improved Player honors. In 11 seasons, he averaged double-digits in scoring. His best season came in 2004-05 when he averaged 24.3 points per game, and in three of those seasons he averaged a double-double per game.

Did I mention he’s been a six-time all-star?

Now what are the chances Bayless gets traded and writes that kind of resume for himself?  Surely the Blazers don’t want to find out. It all depends if they move him or not.

Instead, Bayless should just call Jermaine to figure out to deal with four seasons of playing the understudy in Portland.

pic via: assets espn

Ballhype: hype it up!

Comments (20)Add Comment
...
written by Scooter, July 25, 2009
It is what it is, everyone knows Bayless has talent, but lets be honest ... he doesn't fit with Portland's roster and style.

He needs a team where he can run, play loose and off the ball, he could kill on uptempo teams. But on the slow paced Blazers, who already have Rudy taking all the back up 2 minutes ... I don't see it, especially now with Miller in the fold.
...
written by hg, July 25, 2009
It has been said that both miller and BRoy needs the ball in their hands to perform great. Can BRoy and AM play well together?

It was said on Blazer Edge that with Miller not being able to shoot 3's that the opponents would plug the middle, plus with his lack of defense the centers will be in foul trouble. What are your thoughts on that?

hg
...
written by Jason Grigsby, July 25, 2009
O'Neal was dominating practice according to players on the team. I haven't heard anything similar about Bayless.

That doesn't mean that I don't think Bayless's future isn't bright. What I mean is that the O'Neal trade seemed to be indicative of a GM who was disconnected from the team (living in Seatle) and not watching how players were developing.

We've all seen how Bayless is developing. He's still got a ways to go.
...
written by wmaxey, July 25, 2009
what's up scooter....

sounds like that is the consensus for some around portland who also believe now is the time to move bayless. playing time is going to be very hard to come by.

because if he stays it will be a lot of watching and learning. and maybe that's what bayless needs right now.
...
written by wmaxey, July 25, 2009
i'm not worried about andre and miller coexisting.....you could argue that was the case with miller in denver with carmelo or in philly with iguodalla. but he made both those guys better.

portland doesn't need miller to shoot the three. that's what they'll have guys like martell, rudy and blake for. the blazers needed someone to help create opportunities for brandon, greg and lamarcus.

they found that in miller. as for clogging the lane and putting bigs in foul trouble, i'm not buying that one either.

that wasn't the case in his two previous stops, or even while he was with the clippers.

let's not harp on what we think the guy can't do before he's even stepped on the floor with this blazers roster.
...
written by wmaxey, July 25, 2009
what's up grigs....

i hear you on jermaine, but even if he was "dominating in practice" we all know where that got him. i'm with you. i think bayless has a bright future, guess i'm just not certain that is in portland.

again, he's only entering his second year in the league. the kid needs to prove himself but he also will need minutes to do so. if not, you risk stunting his growth.
...
written by WP, July 25, 2009
Bayless didn't appear ready to be a PG in 4 whole games of summer league, but that doesn't necessarily mean he can't fit in time. He's only 20 yrs. old and still learning how to fit in and develop some more PG appropriate skills. He'll probably always be a combo type, but he may develop enough to find his niche.

Had the Blazers signed someone for more than 2 years guaranteed, it might be easier to conclude that Bayless is done in Portland. But maybe this just gives him more time. And maybe my man, Steve Blake, gets his expiring contract traded at the deadline or isn't resigned next year if the Blazers feel Bayless is ready for the rotation.

Depth is a good thing...injuries happen, trades opportunities arise.
...
written by hg, July 25, 2009
That is the way I feel, Let's see what happens before we start yelling. I suggested puting Miller in the 2nd unit with Rudy. leave Steve and BRoy together. I would rather have Miller with Greg to help Greg's Offense.

Thank you for your reply. but I may use it against you in depates against other bloggers.

hg
...
written by hg, July 25, 2009

He also needs to learn to keep his cool. Making bad remarks against your teammates on national TV is not acceptable protocol

hg
...
written by hg, July 25, 2009
As you said, injuries happen so we needed another pg. After watching him this summer IMO, he is not ready to be our soal backup pg.

I think if we played him 10 to 12 minutes a game we would be OK. Do you think JBay will be happy with that?

hg
...
written by oregon duck, July 26, 2009
you said you would have miller with greg, and blake with b roy. i agree with you, but the problem is that if greg really is developing like everybody is saying this offseason, he will likely be moved into the starting lineup with b roy. this is the dilemma that i see. in my opinion miller and roy need to find a way to coexist to make the blazers the best team they can be. with martell/rudy on the wings to knock down the 3 and spread the court, i think andre and b roy can work together nicely.
...
written by oregon duck, July 26, 2009
i think he would be very happy with 10 to 12 minutes a game. the tricky part is finding him those minutes now with miller and blake taking up most of the pg minutes, and roy and rudy, and possibly martell taking up most of the minutes at the 2. i definitely agree that finding some time for him would benefit not only his development, but the success of the team, but i just dont know where he is going to fit in this year
...
written by Nikolokolus, July 26, 2009
I kind of hope they keep him, but if they do trade him I'll understand that it was probably as much desired by Jerryd as it will be deemed a necessity by management.

Who knows, maybe he'll show enough growth in practice and scrimmages to push Blake for backup minutes and by the time "Blakey's" contract expires Pritchard will feel comfortable rolling with Bayless as his backup.

I just feel like Jerryd's timeline and the team's are completely out of sync ... I won't be shocked to see him have a Billups-like career arc.
...
written by hg, July 26, 2009
Not being a smart ___. But, what makes you think Steve is going to surrender his starting roll. Remember there is very little difference between the starting team and second team.

If Miller is faster than Steve, he should be on the second unit. BRoy needs Steve three pt. range and Miller needs Rudy's three point range.

The first unit BRoy can handle the ball and the second unit Miller can handle the ball. I know Miller needs to be in with BRoy, LMA and Greg with Martell being the three pt specialist. Come to think about it that would be quite a team. But Miller, Rudy, Batuum, probably Outlaw and Joel would be quite a team. I say that because I think Miller can make a scorer out of Joel. At least to the point of making the defense plays him honest.

Come to think about it I haven’t the foggiest idea what I am talking about LOL.

hg
...
written by wmaxey, July 26, 2009
oregon duck beat me to the punch....

baring any freak set backs by oden, i picture him as a starter coming out of camp with that second unit of guys like blake, joel and rudy set to grind it out.

probably the toughest call is who gets the starting gig at three and who comes off the bench between outlaw, martell and nicolas.
...
written by wmaxey, July 26, 2009
you talking about bayless or jermaine?
...
written by wmaxey, July 26, 2009
will bayless be happy with that?

if he doesn't like it he'd better learn to.

i say you have to let these guys earn their playing time instead of trying to hold their hand because it's the right thing to do. if bayless earns the minutes so be it. if he doesn't, that's on him.
...
written by wmaxey, July 26, 2009
everything is up for grabs at this point.....and it's not even october yet, so we can speculate all we want about who will start or who will come off the bench.

every nba player share at least two common beliefs in this league: they all want to win and they all want to start.

no one is coming to camp thinking they are a back-up, particulary at point guard where life gets more interesting when you bring in a free agent to what was already a complicated position.
...
written by hg, July 26, 2009
Bayless, you said he needed playing time and to find himself. I said he also need to keep his cool. With the Blazer brass, fitting in the culture is as important as playing.

I am under the impression that his harsh words got him in trouble with the Brass more than anything else.

hg
...
written by hg, July 26, 2009
Thank You, I'll buy that.

hg

Write comment

busy
< Prev   Next >
 

Featured Writer: Travis Margoni

osu_1_banner-600x302

Coming Soon: Featured writer Travis Margoni brings seven years worth of journalism experience as a writer and editor to Beyond The Beat and will provide at-large coverage on sports across Oregon and at Oregon State University.

Featured Writer: Ben Bradea

timbers_middle

Coming Soon: Featured writer, Ben Bradea - a former sports columnist for the Daily Barometer - goes beyond the beat on the Portland Timbers and Major League Soccer

Featured Writer: Eric King

vikings_middle

Featured writer Eric King covers the University of Portland Pilots and Portland State Vikings:

Pooh Jeter Finally A King

Featured Writer: Nick Poust

ducks

Featured Writer Nick Poust provides in-depth sports coverage on the Oregon Ducks and minor baseball with the Eugene Emeralds:

Malcolm Armstead Latest To Leave Ducks

 

Featured Writer: Ryan Duca

vol2

Featured Writer Ryan Duca covers the Salem-Keizer and Willamette University athletics:

After Cancer, Brian Hennessey Fighting Back To Majors

About Bloguin

Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.

Advertisers

The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.

Bloggers Wanted

The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.

The Bloguin Login

The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!