Some of the NBA’s greatest guards of the past and present have one thing in common, they all attended the University of Arizona. Because of the success of the point guards the school turns out, it has been dubbed “Point Guard U.” Bayless is the latest in a long line of successful guards to come out of Arizona.
Here are some of the guards from Arizona:
1) Gilbert Arenas. He might not be active, since of the glass knee issues, but he is still hanging in there. When healthy, Arenas is one of the best guards in the league.
2) Jason Terry. He’s over the hill now, but he was great in his prime.
3) Stoudamire.
a) Damon. The older of the two Stoudamires had a good NBA career. He won ROY and had a few good years in Portland.
b) Salim. The book might be closing on Salim’s NBA career… Or it might just be opening. The Spurs are taking a chance on him to be a productive NBA player.
4) Mike Bibby. He was traded in the middle of the season from the Kings to the Hawks to help in a playoff push. He’s over the hill, but like Terry, was one of the best in his day.
5) Steve Kerr. NBA legend! Okay, maybe not, but he did have a long career and has a few rings to show for it.
6) Jerryd Bayless. Will he be the latest addition to the reputation or will he fail to meet expectations?
Lute Olson has been the coach at the University of Arizona for the past 400 years. He has produced great NBA players (most of those listed above plus Richard Jefferson, Luke Walton, Channing Frye, etc.), but it is important to remember that Jerryd Bayless never played for coach Lute. Olson took off last season for family reasons, leaving an assistant in charge of the team. Bayless had a short career at Arizona but seems to be a mature player who wants to win and play hard. Unlike many UA point guards, he is a big scoring threat beyond his shooting. He can drive and dish or make his own shot in almost any situation.
I’m giving Bayless a good NBA career. Something like 8 to 11 years with career averages around 12 points and 4 assists a game. His impact will be felt immediately by the Blazers this year.
