http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/10/cleveland.html The two most important parts of the article though, isn't about the scrimmage.
Batum as the 5th option among grown men (and man-child) is actually a great position for him to be in. With Outlaw all but useless in a starting role, a young kid willing to play without the ball might have more impact than either of the two players supposedly ahead of him in the rotation (though Martell was doing well). I'm excited for this game.
I was at the scrimmage. Batum looked very, very good. It seems that he's worked a lot on his jump shot since the summer league. That elbow that Pryzbilla got was nasty, there was blood all over the court.
How did you get in? My understanding is that you had to be a student at CHS or one of the other PIL schools ... Then again I suppose you could be a high school student who just happens to like the Zags.
I was there too. Friends have a kid @ Cleveland, so we got tickets. I agree about Batum. He looked very good. Much more confident than summer league. Good shooter. Excellent defense. Other observations: Rudy Fernandez sees the game at a different speed than most of the guys on the court. He's better suited as a point guard than anybody but Blake and Rodriguez. Steven of Nazareth isn't NBA material. Maybe he will be someday, but I don't think he is now. Ike Diogu is a bully, took it right at Oden a few times for a basket. Tough presence inside. Sergio's shot is better, but it still isn't good. Steve Blake is a better player now than he's ever been before. He anticipates plays very well and he's tough as hell, fighting through screens, playing scrappy defense. He does a good job leading the fast break when he's allowed to. Oden is a one dimensional bulldozer, but that dimension is pretty damn good. Jerryd Bayless is no point guard. I don't see big minutes for him in the 1st half of the season and when he does play, he's got to be a Ben Gordon type scorer off the bench, not running the point. He smiled at least 10 times that I saw. We should trade Travis Outlaw. Shavlik Randolph deserves an NBA roster spot, but possibly not with us. Luke Jackson played very well. Better than I've seen him since college. He appears to be healthy. He's quick, has good hops, plays okay defense and he's very, very smart on the court.
Zags is a 15 year old cheerleader for Cleveland who happens to LOVE Adam Morrison. I thought you knew that!
Very cool recap . . . thanks. The Rudy excitement has died down a little so it is good to hear about how is still playing at a different level than the other rookies. There sure is a lot of love for Batum. I will be the skeptical one about a 20 year old that looked lost in summer league, is new to the league and I think needs to bulk up. I think both Bayless and Batum are going to end up riding the pine a lot this first year . . . but I'm pulling for them and I ecognize posters and media are seeing good things from this kid. I've been the the cheerleader for Blake posting about how vital he is to this team . . . sounds like he is healthy and will be ready to go. I hope I can watch the game Monday and see if Blake can feed the big man down low better than Sergio or Bayless.
