Who's the Point in Portland? By: Alex Raskin Last Updated: 12/9/09 5:38 AM ET | 1288 times read Some nights Blazers starting point guard Steve Blake can play as much as 40 minutes. Other nights he struggles to log 20. Free agent signee Andre Miller was expected to be a major contributor for Portland this season, but he too has seen his playing time fluctuate. Even second-year guard Jerryd Bayless – someone who averaged less than 13 minutes per game last year – is starting to carve out a space for himself in Portland's point guard rotation. So, is there any rhyme or reason to this three-ring circus at the position? "We don't know," Miller told HOOPSWORLD. "Just, whenever you get into the game, for however much time it is, you want to take advantage of it." But nobody has been able to do that consistently either. Blake and Miller have each seen their PER's drop significantly from last season as both of their turnover rates have spiked as well. Bayless, on the other hand, has seen his PER rise to 16.24 (15 is the league average) as his turnover rate has fallen from 15.2 as a rookie to 8.6 this season. No matter how Coach Nate McMillan (who is currently sidelined after Monday surgery for a ruptured Achilles' tendon) has divided the playing time, the results have been the same. Portland is simply getting outplayed at the point. According to 82games.com, Portland had a negative PER differential at the point guard position heading into Monday's game in New York. The Blazers' point guards have been outscored while they've committed slightly more fouls and turnovers than their opponents. Conventional wisdom suggested the Blazers fixed their point guard situation when they added Miller over the offseason. But the veteran has yet to supplant Blake as the starter and has struggled at times. Miller thinks he understands the offense, but just needs more time to adjust. "I think I've adapted fine," said Miller. "It's still early in the season. (There is) always an adjustment as a point guard." But until that happens, a series of factors seem to dictate who may or may not be running the Blazers' offense. And exactly what are those factors? "Injuries, how they play during the game, the normal stuff," said assistant Dean Demopoulos. But now Bayless is putting another factor on the table: scoring. Bayless has scored in double figures in three of the last four games and is shooting over 50% from the field for the season. "Right now Jerryd is a young player, but he is able to give us a boost and change of rhythm of a game," said Demopoulos. "He's a very aggressive guy. He goes all out all the time. Many times you need a game-changer like that in certain situations." Of course, when those situations are few and far between, players can get a little annoyed. Yeah, it's gotten frustrating because I think I'm able and capable of helping this team," said Bayless. "Sometimes I just haven't gotten the opportunity." Part of the problem for Bayless may be the perception that he's not a pass-first point guard. "He's more of a score-first guard," Blake said. "He's very good at drawing fouls and getting to the basket – more of a set-up guy – someone who can spot up off the ball." But that's an opinion that Bayless – who is rumored to have requested a trade out of Portland – disputes. His assist rate (16.0) may be well below that of Blake (30.9) and Miller (27.1), but he did get the chance to run the Blazers' offense during December and January of his rookie season as more of a traditional point guard. "Right now they're kind of using me as kind of a combo," said Bayless. "But last year when I played, when Steve went down, I did a good job coming in and distributing the ball, getting everybody involved. We won games and right now my role is to look for opportunities to make plays for myself and other people." Whatever the answer is at point guard, the Blazers hope to find it fast. The team is 1-4 in its last five and scored only 84 points Monday night against the Knicks – the NBA's 26th ranked defense. If asked to simply run the offense, or to score points, Blake knows he and his fellow Blazer point guards need to, "accept your role and you play as hard as you can." http://tinyurl.com/y9xdrmq --

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