I'm really not attempting to slam Outlaw here, but honestly Batum deserves the start. He's just a better complimentary player then Outlaw, and a far better defender. I really had my doubts about Nic, but his basketball IQ and athletic ability make me a believer. I think Travis will fit better in that up and down tempo that the second unit plays anyways, and will be a good safety valve for them when the offense breaks down.
I'd give Nicolas a shot and see what he can do. He's shown already that he's far from nervous, and maybe Travis will look more comfortable on the floor with the second unit.
You guys have gotten such a small sample size from Batum so there still is the possibility of a rude surprise...but I see no harm in giving him the chance to try to build off of what he has already done
If what has us so excited were some hot shooting streak, or him lighting up the scoreboard for 20+ a game then you'd have a very legitimate point. The thing is, Batum has us excited more because of his very good D, excellent passing, and a nose for being in the right place at the right time.
On Courtside, McMillan sounded more sure that Batum would start. All I've got to say is it's about time!
I was at the Utah preseason game when Batum started, scored 16 and had 3 BLKs. He looked VERY comfortable in that game - his first NBA start. But, it was just preseason, and Oden, Roy and Aldridge all sat out. In any case, he seems like he matches up well against the Utah starters and top rotation players (Sloan went with his regular starters and played his top rotation guys significant minutes in that game - Batum spent most of that game matched up against Miles and Kirilenko). Given his previous success against Utah, I think this is the perfect opportunity to start Batum. He knows he can hang with the Utah players. The game isn't on national TV (I don't think it's even on locally). So, he shouldn't be too nervous or intimidated. Worst case, he starts and stinks it up. Fine, just bring Outlaw in at the 6 minute mark and play him the majority of the minutes. Seems pretty low risk to me. BNM
You can't really compare the 2 players. They bring 2 totally different things to the team. Trav is a spark plug offensively. Batum seems to do all the little things. Blks, steals, hustle. I think, like a lot of people on here, that Batum's game fits better with the starters. While Trav is nice coming off the bench. With that said, I liked how the team played in PHX when Rudy and Batum played on the court together. I say start him. WHo does he have to guard,Brewer?
What I love about Nic is how he finishes. That dunk in the SA game was sweet. That was the SA game, right?
Is that similar to the rude surprise that Laker fans are learning about Bynum this season? 8 ppg, 7 rpg? Ouch. OVERRATED! CLAP CLAP CLAP-CLAP-CLAP! OVERRATED! CLAP CLAP CLAP-CLAP-CLAP! Oden's averaging 5 rpg and he didn't even play a full half of a game. Also- is Will Bynum of the Pistons related to Andrew?
It'll be interesting to see how long it takes before the opponent's announcers transition from "Bate-um" to "Ba-toom." You knew Travis finally arrived when they stopped calling him Bo.
