http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/buck_harvey/33705249.html Had the 2008 draft gone differently, Bruce Bowen would still be starting. At least another game. Just as Gregg Popovich went with a French teenager named Tony Parker just five games into his career, Popovich would be inclined to do the same with another. Had the 2008 draft gone differently. As it is, Bowen has as many points as the Spurs have wins this season. He played less than 22 minutes against both the Suns in the opener and in Portland on Friday night, and the end-game situation against the Blazers was telling. Then, when the Spurs needed to slow Brandon Roy, they went with other defenders. That doesn't mean Bowen is finished; he's shown similar senior moments in the past two seasons and has recovered. Knowing the respect Popovich has for him, Bowen will get extended chances. Still, the equation would be far different today if the Spurs had gotten what they wanted last June. Then they tried everything they could — from smokescreen e-mails to medical subterfuge — to draft a 19-year-old Frenchman, Nicolas Batum. He's smooth and athletic, and he showed that Friday night against the Spurs. Batum dunked on a fast break and threw in a 3-pointer on his way to a dozen points. But it's his defense that impresses, and one word describes this 6-foot-8 swingman. Long. He combines quick feet with a wingspan that would cover what Kurt Thomas and Michael Finley can't reach. Youth, speed, length — isn't a European Tayshaun Prince precisely what the Spurs need? Other teams saw his potential last summer, too, and most listed him as a mid-first round pick. But in the days leading up to the draft he underwent a treadmill test for the Nets and Raptors, and the results raised fears about his heart. The stuff was scary, as well as confusing. Batum's father had died at a young age, and, because of circumstance and because too many years had passed, teams had difficulty finding if there was a link. Toronto, drafting at No. 17, had seen enough. The Raptors removed Batum from their board. Batum went through a series of thorough tests in Cleveland, and R.C. Buford was there for them. Afterward Bouna Ndiaye, Batum's agent, announced his client had passed; teams were to get a full medical report the next day, a Tuesday, two days before the draft. That's also when Batum went to San Antonio for a workout. But the medical reports were never released, and Batum never talked to another team. A draft site wrote this: “Some teams are openly wondering whether San Antonio gave Batum a promise and asked him to not distribute his physical around the league, which would make him very likely to slip to 26.” Draft day brought another curious move. The Spurs sent out e-mails to all 29 teams inviting them to bid on their No. 26 draft pick. Everyone assumed the Spurs had Batum's medical report. Were they now suggesting by their e-mail they weren't satisfied with what they had seen? Or did they just want everyone to think that? So Batum began to fall during the draft, and Portland didn't care. Kevin Pritchard, the Blazers general manager, had pushed his owner to buy the No. 27 pick from New Orleans, and his announced target was Serge Ibaka, a 6-10 player from the Congo. Oklahoma City, however, took Ibaka at No. 24. Needing someone for this recently purchased pick, not exactly sure what was the best option, Pritchard was in a position to gamble on both Batum's medical questions and rumors that the Spurs were still interested. He traded up with Houston, moving a slot ahead of the Spurs, and took Batum. Reports that night said the Spurs cheered when Batum was selected, because that meant George Hill had fallen to them. That's not accurate. The Spurs were sincerely pleased to get Hill, and they still like him. But Hill plays behind Parker. Given what Batum showed the Spurs on Friday, given another game or two, there's a chance Batum wouldn't play behind anyone in San Antonio.
I believe that I remember some report that Batum's agent had looked forward to the Spurs selecting him. Ed O.
"The European Tayshaun Prince," I like the sounds of that. Before last season Batum was projected a top-3 pick by both Draftexpress and NBAdraft.net, he had a down year and that dropped his stock considerably. Oh, the heart-issue smokescreens also didn't help his stock either. Batum is in the perfect situation to develop. In France he was asked to be 'the man,' their Brandon Roy, but he's more of a complementary player, a role he's obviously very comfortable in and is starting to flourish.
I loved getting Batum at #25, I didn't like the idea of acquiring him with the #13th like many suggested.
That's a stretch, Jerryd Bayless certainly has higher value than Batum. It's all about getting more bang for your buck. It's like taking Brandon Roy with our 4th pick when we could have had him with a later pick. The player might be worth the pick, but you want to stretch that value as much as you can.
i love batum, so glad we got him..he fits with this team really good, brandon rush would've too if we kept him.
Has or had? Batum is younger and showing that he has an incredible feel for the game. Batum's size also makes his ceiling a bit higher too, IMO. At 6'8" with a 7'4" wingspan, there aren't many wings (if any) built like that today. Prince and AK47 both have 7'2" wingspans. Batum is a freak of nature.
I think the Bayless/Batum draft may end up being KPs best, not because of the players necessarily (because Aldridge/Roy is better) but because he only had one pick at #13 going into the draft, and got, imo, 2 top 10 players in that draft. Last 3 drafts (so KPs first 3 w/ the team)... duo of great players (or soon to be) that Ptown got... Roy/Aldridge - 06 Oden/Rudy - 07 Bayless/Batum - 08 DAMN! KP I LOVE YOU! Best drafting GM in the NBA, and i'm sure one of the better drafting GMs of all time.
I don't buy this writer's contention that Batum was an afterthought after Ibaka was gone. Batum was the obvious target for Portland from the word go: he's a SF, and he's a foreign player whom they thought could be developed in Europe for a while. However, the suggestion that that stuff about emailing round asking for offers was a smokescreen sounds more plausible. I'd forgotten that bizarre draft-day incident.
I'd love to believe the legend of his 7'4 wingspan but unfortunately he skipped the combine... the only measurements I'm aware of him taking part in were a year prior at the Nike Hoops Summit where they measured his wingspan at just under 7'1. His height measurement was just under 6'8 with shoes on, so he's right between Martell (6'6) and Travis (6'7) barefoot. http://www.draftexpress.com/article/2008-Nike-Hoop-Summit-Official-Measurements,-plus-2007-Analysis/ these measurements are good for a 3 but nothing off the charts STOMP
This summer (via 95.5) Batum was measured at 6'9" in his shoes with a wingspan of 7'4" I emailed MB and should be getting actual numbers soon. Btw, John Nash, who used to reply to anyone who emailed him, gave Travis' numbers and T-Law is 6'9'.5" in his shoes and grew over an inch from the day we drafted him.
There was a post-workout video with KP (on oregonlive somewhere) where he said that Batum was definitely coming over this year. But I agree, he was clearly a target for Portland. KP of all people wouldn't pick someone because the Spurs like him; he identifies the player he wants and then goes after him.
There was a play in tonight's game where Batum and Pryz were similarly positioned for a rebound, arms straight up in the air, and Batum's reach looked to be just as high as Joel's. Sure, that's a rough measure, but their body positions were very close.
