Eric Bledsoe Rocks

[SirStefan32]

There was some bashing of Bled... I think it was Sir Stephan who invariably referred to him as 'an undersized SG who can't shoot.' He likely did it to counterbalance criticism of Goran and slin thinking Bled walked on water but dang it got old. Of course there were two camps... three camps, if you count the camp who did think of either of them was a good long term choice as PG.

Yes, indeed! I was right then, and I am right now. That's not bashing- that's the truth.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Yes, indeed! I was right then, and I am right now. That's not bashing- that's the truth.

You were more right then than I was but I wouldn't go so far as to say you were right. He was never "undersized", he was just under-tall. And although he wasn't a great shooter, he wasn't as bad as many made him out to be. Regardless, I wouldn't have called your position "bashing". You made an effort to see both sides. I'm talking about the posters that would rip him for a late game turnover while ignoring the fact we were only in the game because of his great stat-line.

Or the ones that would see Bledsoe on the sideline and call the absence of a smile an indicator that he was a horrible teammate. But even more than that, the fans that gave all the credit to Goran and all the blame to Bledsoe. They both deserved a fair share of each but there were some that refused to see it. There was actually support on both sides of the Dragic/Bledsoe divide but there was much more activity and support on the Dragic side.

 

[leclerc]

Well Dragon is a more likeable fella (until Bledsoe started smiling outside the game and Goran fled town), he's durable and was under contract. Plus he could shoot and was a better PG while they were both in Phoenix. After Eric signed and improved his decision making and outside shot he's been much easier to like. And we had Kieff and now Knight to vent on.

I think bashing is too strong a word. Anyhow it's part of the game. Guy just does his work. Fans are not always rational or right. At least they earn millions so I think Eric and Goran will be okay.

 

[slinslin]

Well Dragon is a more likeable fella (until Bledsoe started smiling outside the game and Goran fled town), he's durable and was under contract. Plus he could shoot and was a better PG while they were both in Phoenix. After Eric signed and improved his decision making and outside shot he's been much easier to like. And we had Kieff and now Knight to vent on.

I think bashing is too strong a word. Anyhow it's part of the game. Guy just does his work. Fans are not always rational or right. At least they earn millions so I think Eric and Goran will be okay.

Bledsoe shooting numbers are actually better and so are his assist numbers.

TS 56% to 54%
3s 37% to 32%

Assists 6.1 to 5.8

Dragic also was never better than Bledsoe when they were together. When Bledsoe was healthy, Bledsoe got allstar consideration not Dragic. Dragics hype only started after Bledsoe went down, the Suns season went to poo and Dragics individual numbers shot up.

Constant: high number of missed games, lacking effort on d

This is comical, Bledsoe had been a top 3 defender at his position the last 2 years and top 10 this year. To claim that is perfect proof of what I said.

No respect.

 

[leclerc]

That's just like your opinion, man. Let's take a look at the numbers that I was referring to.

Dragic
50.5 40.8 76.0

Bledsoe
47.7 35.7 77.2

Games played
Dragic 76
Bledsoe 43

Asst/TO
Dragic 5.9/2.8
Bledsoe 5.5/3.3

Rebs/stls
Dragic 3.2/1.4
Bledsoe 4.7/1.6

PPG
20.3
17.7

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

No use here.... No one will be convinced "to the other side". I preferred Dragic, but he is gone now and I am warming to Bledsoe, if he can just stay on the court.

 

[SirStefan32]

He did a much better job at the beginning of the season than he did last year, for sure. I still want him gone, but he improved a bit.

 

[leclerc]

I'm not the biggest Bledsoe fan. It's nothing personal I just think we're a better team with a classic lineup of PG + SG rather than (injured) CG + CG. That's not on Eric. Hopefully Bledsoe has continued to improve as a distributor and Booker will start and play major minutes at the 2 so perhaps it will work out just fine. He's usually healthy every second year. I also hope Ulis will get plenty minutes backing up Bledsoe.

Again, Bledsoe was improved last year (in my opinion) so I'm all for keeping him until further notice.

 

[slinslin]

Eric Bledsoe is not a combo guard, he is a PG.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Eric Bledsoe is not a combo guard, he is a PG.

I agree. He's a pg. all this combo guard stuff is off base. The issue is the Suns have been historically blessed with GREAT pgs. Most of whom were great scorers AND distributors. And Bledsoe doesn't excel in latter. At least not in comparison to kj, Kidd, Marbury (yes he counts), and Nash.

 

[Ronin]

Paul Coro ‏@paulcoro 2m2 minutes ago
Eric Bledsoe: "We definitely got to make sacrifices this season. That's one of the biggest things we're going to have to do."

 

[unseenaz]

context?

 

[Ronin]

context?

Not sure who or what he was addressing when he said that.

 

[Ronin]

The Suns will be awful defensively, even with Tyson Chandler back and adding a good veteran perimeter forward in Jared Dudley. There's just too much inexperience and not enough guys in their prime. Bledsoe, however, remains an absolute demon on that end of the floor. His attack mode is as ferocious as any guard in the league, and he'll rack up tons of steals.

If he can stay healthy, he'll be one of the few Suns whose defense can swing them some games.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/b...important-defensive-player-for-each-nba-team/

 

[Jason1970]

I agree. He's a pg. all this combo guard stuff is off base. The issue is the Suns have been historically blessed with GREAT pgs. Most of whom were great scorers AND distributors. And Bledsoe doesn't excel in latter. At least not in comparison to kj, Kidd, Marbury (yes he counts), and Nash.

Yeah, the Combo Guard was used because the suns up until Booker were starting other PGs at the 2 so they used it to try to make sense of it

 

[JCSunsfan]

Bledsoe played like a pg last night. He was bringing the ball up and starting the offense. He took shots in the flow but did not play a one man game. Most often, he brought the ball up and then passed to Booker who initiated the offense.

I like what I am seeing from Bledsoe. He is stepping back and filling a more traditional pg role while playing pretty decent D.

 

[SirStefan32]

Bledsoe played like a pg last night. He was bringing the ball up and starting the offense. He took shots in the flow but did not play a one man game. Most often, he brought the ball up and then passed to Booker who initiated the offense.

I like what I am seeing from Bledsoe. He is stepping back and filling a more traditional pg role while playing pretty decent D.

He did not force anything either! I was really happy with the ball movement, and it all started with Bledsoe.

 

[Ronin]

Eric Bledsoe Finds Voice, Embraces Role as Suns' Leader
“I’ve seen a different person in Bled,” Head Coach Earl Watson said. “His spirit, his character, his transparency, and just as a basketball player. He grew.”

“Bled is just Bled,” Watson said. “He walks around with the biggest smile on his face and it lights up the room.”

Watson has helped Bledsoe improve his leadership skills on and off the court as well. The coach instructed Bledsoe to read “The Carpenter” by Jon Gordon, which focuses on three things: love, service and care. “That sounds like a point guard to me,” Watson said.

“It helped me be more caring,” Bledsoe said about the novel. “I’ve always cared about my teammates, but it’s about being vocal and letting them know I care about them… not just on the basketball court.”

http://www.nba.com/suns/blog/eric-bledsoe-finds-voice-embraces-leadership-role-suns