FanPost

Bayless falling?

From the New York Post today. (sorry couldn't link the source)

"There are rumblings Seattle, which was linked to Bayless, may opt for Westbrook instead. Indeed, one personnel director told The Post Bayless may sink the most Thursday night.

"He may be the best individual defender in the draft, on the perimeter anyway," ESPN Draft analyst Jay Bilas said yesterday of Westbrook. "He's got a lot to offer. He's a real hungry kid. He's worthy of a lottery selection, just a question of how high. ""

This caught my eye from the Draft Express profile.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jerryd-Bayless-1067/

"Defensively, Bayless shows a lot of potential, not just with his tools, but with the commitment he’s displayed to competing on this end of the floor. He has excellent lateral quickness, clearly having received some solid coaching on this part of his game early on his career. His awareness isn’t always the best (looking a bit lost trying to find his man in transition for example), and he lacks some strength to get through screens defending the pick and roll at times—taking too wide an angle to avoid contact, but considering his age and huge offensive role on the team, it’s hard to nitpick too much here.

There is a caveat, though, as considering his size, he’d almost certainly be better off guarding point guards than shooting guards, which again brings up the fact that he’ll need to be drafted by the right team (with the right guard next to him) to really reach his full potential. He won’t be a perfect fit for everyone, but if he finds the right situation, Bayless has 20 point per game plus potential in the NBA if he continues to progress."

KP targets players, then goes and gets them. This guy, above any other player in the draft (except Rose), seems to complement Roy. I've never considered him because I thought that 1-4 picks were set in stone. If he makes it to #5, I would do that Raef and #13 for Collins, Cardinal and #5 deal in a second. I'd even throw in Webster and I don't want to see him go.