This is the Kevin Johnson that averaged 20pts 6 times in his career and had career stats of 17.9pts 9.1ass 3.3rbs 1.47stls, one of the better pgs to ever play the game? I don't think that kid can even be put in the same conversation.

rank the following:

-Sessions @ 4-5 years, MLE

-Sessions S&T @ 4-5 years, MLE for Duhon

-Miller 1 year for Duhon

-Lee S& T for Bayless, Outlaw

-Rubio & junk for Chandler, Nate, Mobley

Posted by EnySpree:

Posted by Bippity10:

Posted by EnySpree:

Posted by Rookie:

Posted by EnySpree:

Posted by Ira:

I don't know what to think about Bayless. He's the guy I wanted the Knicks to draft, but he didn't have a very good rookie season. Part of that might have had to do with his minutes, but I still think he should have done better.

I don't blame Lee's agent for his delusion. The Knicks told him to see what offers he would get and he didn't get a single one. He has to be aware of this.

Also, Lee has to know that if he accepts the qo instead of an $8 million deal, he's going to get $5 million less this year plus run the risk of an injury that will prevent him from getting any deal.

Bayless is a victim of Nate McMillian's coaching style which makes absolutely no sense...Bayless had a few break out performances in short minutes yet went right back to the bench. I follow the kid and this guy would already be untouchable if he got drafted by a club that could play him right away.

if he becomes a knick...unless he kills a kitten or has killed kittens before...D'antoni will have no choice but to play this kid. His offense is awesome...his playmaking will come while he grows with this young group we have....

Sessions is the new dick ride pipe dream....but Bayless still is a huge basketball talent and definately worthy of a Knick uniform.

But is Bayless the guy you want to run your offense...or is he another undersized shooting guard?

He's a scoring guard that will get his assists...He has size and is strong. He's like Nate but the kid has better point guard instincts than Nate. Bayless would be more receptive to what D'antoni wants to do cuz he's a huge fan of Nash and what they did together in Pheonix. He said he followed closely as he played in Arizona.

Nash is a scorer as well. A big time scorer when he needs to be. Thing with D'antoni...he wants the ball in the point guards hands. Bayless is perfect cuz he can do anything he wants with the ball....if the teams focus the pick and roll...fine....but if there is no play Bayless is a dangerous player to play off of. If you give him an inch he will score on you.

It doesn't matter how much a PG scores. Magic and Isiah scored a ton of points. What's important is if they can run the offense. Marbs was a great passer who could get into the paint and make very good passes. He also became very disruptive to the offense at times. A PG's job is to get the best shot for his team. If you are as talented as Isiah/Magic/Nash a lot of times that best shot is yours. So you take it. Unfortunately many guys of the Nate/Marbs/Bayless ilk have a hard time learning when to get their shots and when to get one for their teammates. They instead rely on the one on one game to "get theirs" while dishing to others when that option is taken away. Nash KNOWS HOW TO RUN AN OFFENSE. No shame in being Nate or Bayless. These guys can help you win. But you have to understand their role. Maybe Bayless proves me wrong one day, but I just don't see him being a lead PG guiding someone's offense. I think you will need someone else that can do that for him.

Yeah you get what I mean as far as having that scorer at PG....but I think Bayless will be adequate. That's why I think of Kevin Johnson everytime I see Bayless. Kevin Johnson was Marbury before Marbs. Only thing is Kevin Johnson has a good head over his shoulders. KJ's body was unforgiving though.

So I'm hoping Bayless can do it. Hopefully he can do it in a Knick Uniform...that's if the Knicks can't get sessions or the portland deal really is outlaw and bayless.

i think kj had a few years where he played the position as well as it's ever been played.

Posted by MS:

This is the Kevin Johnson that averaged 20pts 6 times in his career and had career stats of 17.9pts 9.1ass 3.3rbs 1.47stls, one of the better pgs to ever play the game? I don't think that kid can even be put in the same conversation.

Until he does it on another team right???

Kevin Johnson was Mark Price's back-up in clevland until he was traded to Pheonix. People said he could do what he did but he did it.

People said it about Chancey.....Terrel Brandon is another one....it took Mark Price to retire for him to get his big break and he responded with all-star calibur performances.

So its valid to say Bayless can be like KJ...is also valid to say he could be more like Shammond Williams too. Its a wait and see....but if the Knicks can trade Lee for Outlaw and Bayless....I will take my chances.

Hmmm, no news today on this. You'd think something would start to come together pretty quick.
Sounds like Nate is going to sign for $4 mil for one year.

I wonder if this can be worked into a 3 way sign and trade. Portland gets Miller and Lee. Philly gets Outlaw and Duhon. We get Bayless and some expirings and/or picks.

From RealGM/NBA.com:
Multiple league sources said Wednesday that they believed the New York Knicks had abandoned their pursuit of Bucks restricted free agent guard Ramon Sessions, leaving the Clippers as the prime candidate for the 23-year-old.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are believed to have mild interest in Sessions.


Another piece to the puzzle...

Come on Donnie... make the deal for Bayless and a wing and we'd at least be looking like we've got real potential moving forward.

Playing point guard 'no problem', says presumptive Blazers backup Jerryd Bayless

Posted by Joe Freeman, The Oregonian July 20, 2009 09:40AM


Laura Rauch/The Associated Press: Blazers guard Jerryd Bayless, dribbling past the Spurs' Malik Hairston, had 18 points and a game-high seven turnovers during a 91-74 win over San Antonio on Saturday.
LAS VEGAS -- Jerryd Bayless left this town last year a summer league MVP, brimming with confidence, wired with potential and eager to fulfill the lofty expectations he created for himself.

He leaves town this year more mature, resilient and better prepared, but with lingering questions:

Is he the Trail Blazers' point guard of the future? Is he even ready to be the backup next season?

"Yeah," Bayless says, when asked if he's prepared to run the team when training camp opens in the fall. "No question."

The past 12 days have been an experiment of sorts for Bayless, who entered summer league camp determined to prove he could be a leader, distributor and floor general. The Blazers insist their 2008 lottery pick has made progress. He insists he is as confident and poised as ever, ready to push Steve Blake for the team's starting point guard spot.

But a glance at summer league statistics and his four summer league games shows Bayless clearly has work to do. The truth probably lies somewhere in between.

"Is he there yet? No," said Joe Prunty, the Blazers' summer league coach. "Has he improved? Yes."

Bayless enjoyed stretches of solid summer league play where he directed the Blazers' offense with authority, played sturdy defense and revealed a perfect blend of scoring and assist-making. He rarely dribbled aimlessly on the perimeter before ducking his head and charging toward the basket, as he regularly did a year ago.

He looked to pass more than he looked to shoot, studied his teammates' strengths and tried to get them the ball where they would most likely succeed. All the while, he was more composed and played at a better pace than last season.
Blazers' summer league results

But Bayless also labored through eyebrow-raising stretches where he committed turnovers at an alarming rate, forced plays and reverted to his attack-the-basket-at-all-costs rookie form. He finished summer league averaging 18.0 points and 4.3 assists per game and shot 47.2 percent from the field -- but he committed 25 turnovers and made just 1 of 5 three-point attempts in four games.

But Prunty has said all along that Bayless' development cannot be measured by statistics. By the time summer league ended, Prunty had hoped his point guard would recommend plays and call on hot teammates as if he were sitting in Prunty's courtside chair. And to that end, Prunty liked what he saw.

"There have been some situations where he and I were kind of on the same page with the things we wanted to run and with reading who had the hot hand," Prunty said. "A few times (Saturday night) he came over and said, 'I'd like to post this player.' And I think that was good recognition on his part. It shows that he's grasping the concept of where guys are that can help us, where the mismatch might be and who might have the hot hand."

More than anything, Bayless seems to be caught in transition, wavering between being a scoring playmaker and a "true" point guard. There were times when Bayless seemed to be thinking too much.

Bayless dismisses such criticism, saying he has played "free" the past 12 days. But coach Nate McMillan says Bayless still needs to work on trusting his instincts and letting the game come naturally.

"I think he makes up his mind too early," McMillan said. "He comes off and decides, 'I'm gonna pass' or ... 'I'm gonna go (to the basket).' And when you come off, you have to make a read. If the pass is there, you take it. I think the first option is to look to score. They take away that, then you need to know where your options are and you have to make those reads. It's like a quarterback. He can't come out that huddle and say I'm going to throw to the right. Because the right may be taken away. You have to come out, look to attack and then you have to make your reads."

Bayless left summer league pleased with his performance. He says if he had been passing to the likes of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum, rather than a collection of NBA hopefuls, his statistics would have been more impressive.

He knows he's in line to be the Blazers' backup next season, but he will enter training camp with his eye on the starting spot.

"Obviously Steve is the starting point guard," Bayless said. "But ... I don't think Steve would want it any other way. I don't think he wants me to come in and mess around with him. I'm going to go out there and try to battle him. You never know what can happen."

All the while, McMillan is lobbying for general manager Kevin Pritchard to add another point guard so the team can carry three next season. McMillan called Bayless after Sergio Rodriguez was traded last month to tell Bayless his chance had arrived. But when asked this weekend if he was confident entering camp with Bayless running the second unit, McMillan danced around the question.

If anything, that should only add another layer of motivation for Bayless.

"I know what I can do," he said. "I've always been confident in myself. Just give me the right opportunity in the right situation and I'm going to prove it."

Notes: Bayless did not play Sunday night in the Blazers' summer league finale because of a sprained left wrist. ... Pritchard said Sunday that the Blazers will sign rookie forward Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph to contracts before the season starts and give them roster spots. The Blazers' general manager also said he was leaning toward extending a training camp invitation to point guard Pooh Jeter, who has been a pleasant summer league surprise. "We only want to (invite) him if he has a chance to make the team because he's such a good kid and we want to be fair to him," Pritchard said. "But he's earned (an invitation)." ... Owner Paul Allen watched the Blazers' game courtside Sunday. ...

The Blazers blew a 20-point first-half lead in losing to the NBA D-League Select team 74-73 Sunday night at Cox Pavilion. It was the Blazers' third game in as many nights, and they ended summer league with a 1-4 record. ... Cunningham rattled in two free throws to give the Blazers a 73-71 advantage with 21.9 seconds left. The Blazers stopped the D-Leaguers on the ensuing possession, but Kurt Looby stole Thomas Gardner's inbound pass with less than two seconds left and passed down court to Marcus Hubbard, who drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game. ... Cunningham had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Blazers.