The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have picked up the option for the 2011-12 season for guard Jerryd Bayless.
Bayless (6-3, 204) is in his third NBA season after being drafted in the first round (11th overall pick) of the 2008 NBA Draft. The University of Arizona product averaged 8.5 points, 2.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 17.6 minutes of play over 74 games (11 starts) last season for the Portland Trail Blazers. In those 11 games as a starter, Bayless averaged 12.6 points, 3.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 24.4 minutes of action. During his rookie seasonin Portland, Bayless appeared in 53 games,averaging 4.3 points, 1.6 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 12.4 minutes of play. The Phoenix native was named the 2008 NBA Summer League MVP after leading the league in scoring at 29.8 points per game.
