Jerryd Bayless:

The sign had been made before the game but it did not make its way onto The Rose Garden's gargantuan video screens until Jerryd Bayless had helped turn the place into Rip City bedlam in the fourth quarter.
"Welcome to Prime Time, Jerryd Bayless," the fan's sign read.

Bayless had been pining for this chance since he arrived in the NBA last year, only to immediately have to wait in line for a turn. Buried on a deep team last season, Bayless thought he had his chance coming this summer when Portland traded backup point guard Sergio Rodriguez and sent Bayless to NBA Summer League in Las Vegas to concentrate on his new backup point guard role. But when Hedo Turkoglu balked on a free agency commitment to Portland, the Blazers signed Andre Miller instead and Bayless' chance was gone again behind Miller and Blake.

If it was not for Portland's rash of injuries, Bayless' playing time would be as inconsistent as ever. But Portland leaned on him against his hometown's team, the Suns, and he answered the call with a career-high 29 points (previous high was 23) on 9-for-15 shooting. He made two 3-pointers in a game for the first time in his career. He had 16 points in the decisive fourth quarter, often taking over the ballhandling from Brandon Roy so that Roy could rest instead of coming out of the game. Roy played the entire second half.

"It felt great," Bayless said. "I can't even like. You know, this last year and a half has been tough for me. Coach (Nate McMillan) has given me an opportunity now and I'm just trying to make the best of it so I don't have to go through that again."

Maybe Wednesday was an omen. Portland practiced at St. Mary's. It was St. Mary's Home for Boys in Portland but close enough to Bayless' Phoenix alma mater, St. Mary's High School.

With the Suns keeping Roy in check, Bayless scored 11 in the first half to help keep Portland afloat. But he was bigger in the fourth quarter, getting all 16 in the final 7:28, starting with when he drew Jared Dudley's fourth foul. He hit a jumper. He took Steve Nash off the dribble. He hit a 3-pointer with Amar'e Stoudemire closing. He made a no-look reverse. He hit another 3-pointer when Dudley left him to double Roy. He hit three of four free throws in the final seconds.

"Me and Brandon talked about it a lot," said Bayless, still only 21 after spending one year at University of Arizona. "We feel kind of like he's the LeBron (James) and I can be the Mo Williams off of him because Mo's not really just a pure point. He's kind of just a guy that can make plays. That's what I was trying to do tonight and just make plays for myself and everybody else."

Bayless scored 14 points in Portland's prevoius game but this was the first time he had led the Blazers in scoring.

"I've told him for the last two years, 'Be patient, be patient. The opportunity is going to come. I don't know when but it just does in the NBA,' " McMillan said. "That opportunity has come in the last two games. He's shown this at times but the last two games he's shown what he's capable of doing with that opportunity."