| The Quandary at Point Guard Authored by Billy Ray - January 21, 2006 - 12:27 am
Sebastian Telfair was and still is being touted as the future. Jarrett Jack had been touted his perennial backup, and Steve Blake nothing more than insurance. Yet in an interesting twist, the insurance backup has become starter with the perennial backup getting some big minutes off the bench. Meanwhile the future hasn't had such a smooth ride.
To be fair to Sebastian Telfair, at 20 years old it was unlikely that he was going to put up all-star numbers. He has greatly improved his outside shooting, almost to the point of being a serious threat behind the arc. He also has cut down on some of the careless turnovers—though those will not entirely disappear because of the kind of game he plays.
The real problem lies not in the stats, but in the biggest performance measure of all—wins. With Steve Blake behind the helm the Blazers are moving the ball much more efficiently, are getting better shot opportunities, and are even playing better team defense.
Does that mean that Telfair is a bust? Not even close. But the reality is that Telfair will not receive starters minutes until he can at least perform at Blakes level.
So what does a team do when it spends its first ever lottery pick on a point guard that it anoints the franchise player before he even puts on a jersey, only to have him struggle immensely in his first taste of real action?
If you are the Trail Blazers, you wait.
Telfair still has all of the makings of becoming the star point guard that the Trail Blazers envisioned when he was drafted in 2004, but he needs time. Whether that time comes in the form of playing time or practice time it does not really matter, the important thing is that the Trail Blazers focus a lot of attention on getting Telfair where the team needs him to be—as the teams starting point guard.
Telfair is first and fore-most a scorer, which is a direct contrast to Nate McMillan's style of point guard. While Telfair is an excellent passer, his game flows—and thus his ball distribution—much more freely when he attacks the basket and looks for his shot. In contrast, Steve Blake does not need to look to score when he is running the point, and is perfectly capable—and happy—being the fourth option on offense.
The chances of Telfair changing his game are slim, and the chance of McMillan changing his style of coaching are just as bleek. The best that Trail Blazer fans can hope for is that both player and coach can come to an understanding that is mutually beneficial for the team. At the moment, that looks to be a bit far off. |
