Bayless And Celtics Took Crash Course To Learn Each Other During Road Trip

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2014/01/jerryd_bayless_boston_celtics.html


After trade, Jerryd Bayless and the Boston Celtics took crash course to learn each other during middle of road trip

Print Jay King, MassLive.com By Jay King, MassLive.com
on January 12, 2014 at 1:15 PM, updated January 12, 2014 at 1:51 PM



PORTLAND, Ore. – Over the summer, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens pored over statistical data and game film, trying to learn everything he could about his players.

As one might expect, the process was not perfect. He could not have expected, for example, that Jordan Crawford would emerge as the best option at point guard or Brandon Bass would prove himself as a valuable low-post threat. But before attempting to figure out how best to utilize his players, Stevens had months to get to know his roster.

A similar challenge arrived this week when the Celtics acquired guard Jerryd Bayless from the Memphis Grizzlies. This time Stevens only had one player to focus on, but he had far less time. And as a first-year NBA coach, he barely knew anything about Bayless.

“I knew just what he had done against us this year,” Stevens said Friday, “and what he did in the Western Conference Finals last year.”

So, not much. During a hectic Western Conference road trip that includes five games in seven days, how does a coach learn about a new player?

“Just did a quick Synergy report on his tendencies, where he likes to be on the court, where he has found his sweet spots,” Stevens said. “We did that for all of our guys this summer. One of our video guys put that together. I watched some clips, but also just kind of read through it.

“And then I talked to him. I’ve met with him two or three times already, just out of practice and out of the time on the court. You’re not going to get to know each other in 24 hours as well as you want to. But you just try to build every day on that.”

It didn’t take Stevens long to learn Bayless is far different from the player he replaced on Boston’s bench, Courtney Lee. Offensively, Lee made himself useful almost solely as a scorer, whereas Bayless can run an offense and facilitate via pick-and-rolls. The trade has already given Stevens the ability to cut his bench when he sees fit; he took Phil Pressey out of the rotation Friday night at Golden State, relying instead on Bayless’ point guard ability.

With the Celtics on the second night of a back-to-back Saturday, Pressey returned to the rotation Saturday during a 112-104 loss at Portland. But it was Bayless who provided a real spark off the bench with 12 points and six assists. He hit five of his first six shots, delivered a few pretty bounce passes off the pick-and-roll, and provided the type of dual threat (scoring and passing) Pressey cannot at this point of his career.

“Hard from a transitional standpoint to get a normal guy into the flow of things without really making it a simpler offense," Stevens said. "That being said, he’s picked up things really quickly. The good thing is, Memphis guards a lot like we do schematically so that’s been a good transition. And then offensively, what I’m really excited about is his ball-handling and the way the ball’s moved when he’s been on the court."

Asked whether he and Stevens discussed what he likes to do, Bayless explained, “We talked about a lot of things. It wasn’t really about what I like to do, but just what this team needed me to do to help,”.

“(Running the offense) is something I’m trying to do," he added. "We have a lot of guys on the team that can really score. I can score as well, but for us to be successful the ball has to move. I don’t mind doing that, just getting the ball moving and helping other guys get shots. It’s just something I’m trying to do right now.”

Bayless has adapted to new teams before – he’s played for five teams in six seasons and was traded at midseason from New Orleans to Toronto in 2010 – but the circumstances this time are especially difficult. Joining the Celtics after they started a five-game Western Conference road trip, the 25-year-old played his first four games without a single practice. He said most of his learning came by "looking over the play sheets, and everything else is trying to find out through experience." As of Friday, he had “no idea” where he will stay once the team returns to Boston on Sunday.

“The team will have a hotel (until he finds a place), but I don’t know where it is or anything,” Bayless said. “And after that, just got to find somewhere.”

President of basketball operations Danny Ainge had obvious financial reasons behind the trade. Bayless’ contract will free some cap space because it expires after this season, two years before Lee’s. But the newest Celtic is hoping the team will use some of that cap space to retain him. Bayless is hoping this isn’t just a temporary stop.

“(Relocating so often is) not anything you can really get used to,” he said. “The one thing I said since I’ve been here is, I’m trying to find a home, somewhere I can kind of plant my roots and grow with the organization. Hopefully this is it. I’m really hoping that this is it. Hopefully I can be a part of something great that’s going to be here.”



bob
MY NOTE: He has not been an efficient scorer throughout his career-to-date, but that might be because of the system he was within and the players he played with. If Doc was here, we might be seeing more of the same but I have confidence that Brad will try to get him to his sweet spots and not expect him to score from where the coach says he must.


.

Based on tonight's game, Jerryd has the potential to be a sparkplug, energizing the team and not just scoring or assisting (although he does both of those pretty well). In his 4th quarter play tonight, he really set a torrid pace, although that was the plan for the entire team at that point in the game. Nonetheless, he showed he can do it (although largely against reserves). He certainly deserves a really good run, particularly before Rondo returns and reduced the number of minutes available for the other guards.

Sam

Bayless is your next point guard off the bench for Rondo. He can shoot, he can distribute the ball and most of all he is in control!

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