Picking up where he left off
Portland’s Jerryd Bayless wound up being the MVP of the NBA Summer League in 2008. Bayless was back in Cox Pavilion Monday with the Trail Blazers and he was back to his old tricks, scoring 22 points and doling out seven assists. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get the Blazers over the hump as Toronto broke into the win column with a 92-87 victory.
Bayless was 7 of 17 from the floor and 7 of 8 from the foul line. He also had six turnovers.
But he’s exciting to watch and there were a good number of people who stayed to see him rather than watch Blake Griffin across the way in the Thomas & Mack.
No Bayno
Former UNLV coach Bill Bayno is back with the Trail Blazers as an assistant after his brief fling at Loyola Marymount. However, Bayno will not be in Las Vegas this week. He is in Indianapolis, working with Greg Oden, who is getting ready for the upcoming USA Basketball mini-camp in Las Vegas next week.
Beaubois update
Dallas guard Rodrigue Beaubois will be OK as he suffered a thigh bruise against Phoenix. Originally, it was believed he had hurt his knee.
Beaubois was injured in the final minute after scoring 16 points.
The Mavericks don’t play again until Thursday, giving Beaubois a couple of days to heal up.
Studs and Duds
Monday’s Studs and Duds from Day Four:
Stud: Blake Griffin, Clippers. A dominating debut with 27 points and 12 rebounds. And David Stern got to see half of it.
Stud: Gary Forbes, D-League Select. Not only did he have 20 points, his three steals helped the D-leaguers post their first-ever win over an NBA team.
Dud: Thomas Gardner, Trail Blazers. Four points, all from the line, in 30 minutes? Give the ball to Bayless and get out of his way.
Dud: The Timberwolves team. How do you lose to a bunch of minor leaguers?
Stud: David Monds, Lakers. He got lost in all the Blake Griffin hype, but he had a solid game with 16 points and eight boards. He has played well in Vegas and he deserves a look come fall.