BigDaddyG wrote:

Finestrg wrote:Just curious what you guys think --

Rank the following 3 guys and tell me why. Then tell me how high you'd be willing to go in order to bring them in here:

Patty Mills
Darren Collison
Jerryd Bayless
Shaun Livingston

1) Collison -- solid three-point shooter who does a good job staying in front of PGs on defense, but struggles in size and strength matchups. He can really push the ball and is adept at running the pick and roll. Solid shooter, but a so,so finisher. More of a shoot first PG.

2) Patty Mills -- Really good scorer who can hit the three and run the pick and roll, penetrate and finish at the rim. Weak defensively and playmaking skill are suspect. Weak defender. Benefits from playing in a Spurs offense that flanks him with other shooters and passers.

3) Shaun Livingston--Smart, tall guard who can post up and pass over the defense. Good defender, but poor shooter. He isn't really scorer. Health will always be a concern due to his history of knee injuries.

4) Jarryd Bayless-- Strong, athletic combo guard capable of creating his own shot and attacking the rim. Just an average three-point shooter. Has never been more than just decent finishing at the rim, despite his athleticism. Isn't really a playmaker and is a weak defender. Easily gets lost on screens.

Interesting take and thanks for responding.

I tell ya what man, I've been fixated on Mills and Collison for so long that I overlooked Bayless being a FA too. I like that kid a lot. Always have. He might be at the top of my wish list now. I know there are things that will give most pause: 5 teams in 6 seasons; hasn't done much as a pro yet; the shoot first mentality; the small arms; etc. but I'd like to focus on the positives: still has considerable upside, probably the most pound for pound out of the above 4; athleticism, speed, ball-handling etc. is all top notch; dude's a good competitor that will take it right at guys and won't back down; youngest of the above 4 (both he and Mills are 25--Bayless was born about 2 weeks earlier; I for one actually like a scorer's mentality in a PG---now I know he's a little trigger happy but the boy can score--I'd like to put that to work for us--we need more scoring options with or without Melo. The more people on the floor that can put the ball in the hole, the better (better pure scorer than Patty Mills even out of these 4 guys); at 6'3" can play some 2G if we ever decided to pair him up with another gifted passer in the backcourt (Darius Morris? Even a guy like T-Will who's an outstanding ball-handler and passer for a SG, Spencer Dinwiddie, etc.); and last but not least, he can set up others even though his 1st instinct is to score the ball... Compared to Lowry, I actually like Bayless' raw talent and physical tools even better. If Lowry can raise his game to the level he did last year with the increased PT and responsibility, I think this kid absolutely could. He just needs that chance. What's the worst case scenario here -- we give him 3 yrs/$10.5mm to be a rotation player, a very good scorer off the bench and a good ball-handler capable of playing PG for stretches w/o a doubt...Best case is he's a late bloomer that finally puts it all together and turns into a star in NY. He certainly has the talent for it. I feel Collison and Mills can duplicate what Lowry did in Toronto this year but feel Bayless might have the best shot of getting there out of the 3. My whole thinking here is let's see if we can get a guy for a modest amount of money, give him ample PT and then see if he can really shine and exceed expectations. Look at the Yankees with Yangervis Solarte -- we could use a little luck like that.

EnySpree wrote:Jerryd Bayless is actually one of my favorite players in the league. I though he was going to be a star coming out of college. He was fantastic for Portland and he actually carried the team when Brandon Roy was there down the stretch and I the playoffs. He's been bounced around. His confidence started to go after being bounced around and benched for benched reason. He should definitely be on our short list of low risk high reward type guys. Right now he is a minimum to 3 mill a year player. His talent says different but he would need the opportunity to play.

Man I agree. I loved him in college (he had a huge year the 1 year for Arizona -- as a freshman he put up 20 ppg, 45% FGs, 40% 3s, 4 apg, 83% FTs on over 220 attempts). I see an opportunity to potentially get a standout talent at a bargain price. You get an opportunity to get a talent like this at a discounted price (on the talent & upside alone, $10-11mm over 3 years is a steal), show a commitment in him -- give him the keys, get out of his way and let him do his thing. So far no one has given him that steady opportunity in the pros yet. This dude can play. I'd love to see what he could do with Kyle Lowry-type mins & touches. I think he's more talented than Lowry. Bigger & younger too...Highest upside player of the 4 guys we're talking about here imo. He'd be the first guy I'd contact about upgrading the PG spot. Is he a Phil guy though? Maybe not...We've got to figure out what's more important here if this is gonna be a full-blown rebuild (even for only a year) -- the system (if Melo's gone, I'd love to see what this infamous triangle finally looks like without star players anchoring it) or getting the most talent and allowing that talent to play to its strengths...I vote for amassing the best talent I could find, regardless of whether they're 'triangle guys' or not.. Think about it -- if Melo leaves, Phil will be in uncharted waters for the first time that I can remember. Has he ever even been though a rebuild? Maybe the triangle needs to take a backseat for a little bit -- let's focus on amassing decent talent first.

93BUICK wrote:We could offer him constant analysis of his skillset here on UltimateKnicks.com™