tlongII
01-16-2009, 10:12 AM
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/01/portland_rebounds_from_loss_at.html
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/01/large_Jerryd_Bayless_Bill_Kostroun_AP.JPG
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Any worries about how the Trail Blazers were going to survive without injured point guard Steve Blake were quickly put at ease Thursday by rookie Jerryd Bayless.
With a performance that was part determined, part dazzling and part redemption, Bayless scored a career-high 23 points to help the Blazers grind out a 105-99 win over New Jersey at the IZOD Center.
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."
It's hard to argue that Bayless doesn't deserve more meaningful time after he spent important stretches of the game carrying the Blazers with his offense, while adding what coach Nate McMillan said was good defense on Nets star Devin Harris.
Bayless hit 6 of 9 shots, all his baskets coming off determined drives. His attacking style helped produced 11 free throw attempts, all of which were on target. He also added three assists, one turnover and three rebounds in a career-high 25 minutes.
"Any night anybody on this team can step up and do great things," Bayless said. "Tonight was kind of my night."
McMillan said he will consider starting Bayless in the Blazers' next game -- Saturday at Charlotte -- but wanted to think about it first. McMillan also said he was content with the play of Thursday's starter Sergio Rodriguez, who had four points, four assists and two turnovers in almost 23 minutes.
Still, McMillan seemed to be leaning toward reuniting Spanish buddies Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez on the second unit because of their chemistry, but didn't Thursday because Fernandez was a late addition to the rotation after determining his sore left foot was well enough to play. Fernandez hit two three pointers and finished with six points in 23 minutes.
For the Blazers (24-15), it was far from a pretty performance, and hardly without its flaws, but if anything, it was a response after one of the worst games of the season one night earlier, a 100-79 loss in Philadelphia.
"This," McMillan said with emphasis. "Is the team I know."
So even though this was the second consecutive game Greg Oden was essentially benched for long stretches because of his defense, and even though the Blazers fell behind by double digits for the 10th consecutive game, enough good things happened to notch the season's tenth road win, just three away from last season's total.
The Blazers' offense -- which has endured some brutal droughts of late -- scored on 17 of 23 possessions in the fourth quarter, including back-to-back three pointers from Travis Outlaw, some big jumpers from LaMarcus Aldridge and a series of tough, yet nifty, drives by Roy.
But the basket everyone will be talking about, and that left many New York writers with their hands on top of their heads, was a driving baseline dunk by Bayless while being fouled by Bobby Simmons that gave the Blazers a 95-89 lead with 3:20 left. It was part Spud Webb, part Shaquille O'Neal and all emotion.
With Bayless screaming and flexing after the whistle, and the Blazers' bench beside themselves, Roy sought out the youngster at the top of the key.
"I just wanted to yell with him," Roy said. "He was yelling, and I was like, 'No, no -- come here. I want to yell too.'"
It was a flashback to the player, who in July, steamrolled the Las Vegas Summer League with relentless drive after relentless drive. Only this time, it was in the NBA, against a decent Nets team (19-21) that had brawn (7-foot center Brook Lopez), quickness (Harris) and athleticism (Vince Carter) -- but no answer for the 6-foot-3, 200 pound dynamo with tree trunk legs.
"He is amazing at getting to the basket," said Roy, who fared pretty well himself, finishing with 29 points. "I get a chance to see it in practice, and I'm like, when this dude finally gets comfortable out there, he's gonna be tough, because you can't keep him out of the paint."
Why is Bayless able to drive so often and have it appear so easy?
"He's strong, strong as hell," Roy said. "Just play against him and you'll see why he gets there. Tell him to drive on you one time. He puts that body on you ... I mean, I was falling back (going) 'Whoooooa!'"
After that happened a couple times in Blazers practices, it struck a chord with Roy. This was not common, he thought. It got him thinking which other players in the NBA posed the same problem when he was guarding them.
"It's the Dwyane Wade's that give you that type of problem," Roy said. "You look at the young players, it's Rodney Stuckey. Those dudes that get low and power to the basket, those are the toughest to guard. And he has that."
Few have questioned Bayless' talent. The debate was whether his mind would ever slow down enough to allow him to use it. Between his obsessive work ethic and unrelenting expectations, Bayless had wound himself so tightly that people on, and around, the team worried whether he was about to snap.
Thursday was one big release of all that tension.
"I knew I was pressing," Bayless said. "When you haven't played, you just want to play so well and it's tough to do that when you haven't played in so long. You keep trying to force things. Today, I was just going to let the game come to me."
Notes:For the second consecutive game, Oden didn't play in the fourth quarter. He played 13:23 against the Nets, finishing with two points and one rebound. "Pick and roll defense," McMillan explained. "We just couldn't contain them with a big lineup. When we had matchup of Greg trying to guard Devin. ... It was a tough matchup." ... Oden took the short night in stride. "Of course I want to play, but when we win, it doesn't really matter. But I want to be out there, I want to help the team win, I want to contribute. But a lot of times the matchups. ... a lot of times it just doesn't work." ... Nets rookie center Brook Lopez, the 10th overall pick from Stanford, had 17 points and six rebounds. ... Joel Przybilla had 11 rebounds and Aldridge had 20 points. ... The Blazers are 10-11 on the road. They didn't earn their tenth road win last season until March7, in the 31st road game.
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/01/large_Jerryd_Bayless_Bill_Kostroun_AP.JPG
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Any worries about how the Trail Blazers were going to survive without injured point guard Steve Blake were quickly put at ease Thursday by rookie Jerryd Bayless.
With a performance that was part determined, part dazzling and part redemption, Bayless scored a career-high 23 points to help the Blazers grind out a 105-99 win over New Jersey at the IZOD Center.
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."
It's hard to argue that Bayless doesn't deserve more meaningful time after he spent important stretches of the game carrying the Blazers with his offense, while adding what coach Nate McMillan said was good defense on Nets star Devin Harris.
Bayless hit 6 of 9 shots, all his baskets coming off determined drives. His attacking style helped produced 11 free throw attempts, all of which were on target. He also added three assists, one turnover and three rebounds in a career-high 25 minutes.
"Any night anybody on this team can step up and do great things," Bayless said. "Tonight was kind of my night."
McMillan said he will consider starting Bayless in the Blazers' next game -- Saturday at Charlotte -- but wanted to think about it first. McMillan also said he was content with the play of Thursday's starter Sergio Rodriguez, who had four points, four assists and two turnovers in almost 23 minutes.
Still, McMillan seemed to be leaning toward reuniting Spanish buddies Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez on the second unit because of their chemistry, but didn't Thursday because Fernandez was a late addition to the rotation after determining his sore left foot was well enough to play. Fernandez hit two three pointers and finished with six points in 23 minutes.
For the Blazers (24-15), it was far from a pretty performance, and hardly without its flaws, but if anything, it was a response after one of the worst games of the season one night earlier, a 100-79 loss in Philadelphia.
"This," McMillan said with emphasis. "Is the team I know."
So even though this was the second consecutive game Greg Oden was essentially benched for long stretches because of his defense, and even though the Blazers fell behind by double digits for the 10th consecutive game, enough good things happened to notch the season's tenth road win, just three away from last season's total.
The Blazers' offense -- which has endured some brutal droughts of late -- scored on 17 of 23 possessions in the fourth quarter, including back-to-back three pointers from Travis Outlaw, some big jumpers from LaMarcus Aldridge and a series of tough, yet nifty, drives by Roy.
But the basket everyone will be talking about, and that left many New York writers with their hands on top of their heads, was a driving baseline dunk by Bayless while being fouled by Bobby Simmons that gave the Blazers a 95-89 lead with 3:20 left. It was part Spud Webb, part Shaquille O'Neal and all emotion.
With Bayless screaming and flexing after the whistle, and the Blazers' bench beside themselves, Roy sought out the youngster at the top of the key.
"I just wanted to yell with him," Roy said. "He was yelling, and I was like, 'No, no -- come here. I want to yell too.'"
It was a flashback to the player, who in July, steamrolled the Las Vegas Summer League with relentless drive after relentless drive. Only this time, it was in the NBA, against a decent Nets team (19-21) that had brawn (7-foot center Brook Lopez), quickness (Harris) and athleticism (Vince Carter) -- but no answer for the 6-foot-3, 200 pound dynamo with tree trunk legs.
"He is amazing at getting to the basket," said Roy, who fared pretty well himself, finishing with 29 points. "I get a chance to see it in practice, and I'm like, when this dude finally gets comfortable out there, he's gonna be tough, because you can't keep him out of the paint."
Why is Bayless able to drive so often and have it appear so easy?
"He's strong, strong as hell," Roy said. "Just play against him and you'll see why he gets there. Tell him to drive on you one time. He puts that body on you ... I mean, I was falling back (going) 'Whoooooa!'"
After that happened a couple times in Blazers practices, it struck a chord with Roy. This was not common, he thought. It got him thinking which other players in the NBA posed the same problem when he was guarding them.
"It's the Dwyane Wade's that give you that type of problem," Roy said. "You look at the young players, it's Rodney Stuckey. Those dudes that get low and power to the basket, those are the toughest to guard. And he has that."
Few have questioned Bayless' talent. The debate was whether his mind would ever slow down enough to allow him to use it. Between his obsessive work ethic and unrelenting expectations, Bayless had wound himself so tightly that people on, and around, the team worried whether he was about to snap.
Thursday was one big release of all that tension.
"I knew I was pressing," Bayless said. "When you haven't played, you just want to play so well and it's tough to do that when you haven't played in so long. You keep trying to force things. Today, I was just going to let the game come to me."
Notes:For the second consecutive game, Oden didn't play in the fourth quarter. He played 13:23 against the Nets, finishing with two points and one rebound. "Pick and roll defense," McMillan explained. "We just couldn't contain them with a big lineup. When we had matchup of Greg trying to guard Devin. ... It was a tough matchup." ... Oden took the short night in stride. "Of course I want to play, but when we win, it doesn't really matter. But I want to be out there, I want to help the team win, I want to contribute. But a lot of times the matchups. ... a lot of times it just doesn't work." ... Nets rookie center Brook Lopez, the 10th overall pick from Stanford, had 17 points and six rebounds. ... Joel Przybilla had 11 rebounds and Aldridge had 20 points. ... The Blazers are 10-11 on the road. They didn't earn their tenth road win last season until March7, in the 31st road game.