I know he's been off lately, but if you're going to only play him 9 minutes you might as well see what you can get for him. It's no secret that a bunch of teams covet him, and for good reason. But if you're not going to play him (guys don't work through slumps on the bench) then see if you can't package him & Miller or Pryz for a upgrade). I LOVE Batum, but with Wesley playing his tail off, maybe we should see what we can get for Nic? It's better than letting him rot on the bench.
I was gonna say the same thing. Fundamentals of NBA trading and business in general. Never. Sell. Low.
I agree. Everyone should be on the proverbial block. No one should be "sell now for whatever you can get." Except Marks. That guy breaks all the rules.
We can't change the past - but Nate is in control of the future. If he isn't willing to let Batum play through a 2 game slump - then lets see what we can get for him. I think we could still get something pretty damn good. Or, of course, the more simple solution would be to just play him more minutes.
Did you read my post? I'm not having a knee-jerk reaction here. I said I love Batum, but that if we're not willing to play him, we might as well see what we can get for him.
There were a number of comments that apparently interpreted this thread to be a knee-jerk "lets trade Batum because he's had a few bad games" type thread. Let me explain my thoughts with a little more detail... I love Batum but I think no one is untouchable, especially right now. I think it's pretty obvious the team needs to get better. What are our most valuable trading assets that you could realistically see being moved right now? I would probably say Miller, Batum, Camby, and Joel. Out of those 4, trading Miller and Camby would likely have a pretty strong impact on our short-term winning percentage. Depending on the trade, this doesn't necessarily scare me - but I bet it scares management who is also trying to sell tickets. Batum (if you're not going to play him) and Joel would have a lesser impact on short-term wins. Since his injuries, I don't think anyone considers Joel to be untouchable. So he should already be on the market (although I do love Joel). Batum, on the other hand, has seemed to be nearly untouchable in Blazer land. But he's not starting, and then we only play him 9 minutes tonight! If we keep losing, and one of our most valuable trading chips continues to have this small of role, then I think we should see what we can get for him.
I think Nic can still be a helluva player but he's not untouchable. I find it more than a little disconcerting that his confidence seems so low. I'm not a big fan of the "Nate ruined <player X>" excuse, but it is interesting that so many seemingly promising young prospects have flamed out with the same general pattern of hot starts to their careers only to come crashing back to Earth by year two or three. Is too much effort being spent trying to turn these guys into something they aren't, is too much pigeonholing occurring, stunting certain players while other guys like Roy and Alridge have been given carte blanche? I will say this, if Nate is still here next year and Wesley Matthews falls off a cliff then I think it's fair to say there's more than just a coincidence at work here.
Its not Batum that needs to go, its McMillan. Part of a coaches job in the NBA is to make pieces fit. We've seen what Batum is capable of, but it seems something that has gone on has rattled his confidence.
It also begs the question that if Brandon's decline in play has effected Batum. For Nic's first couple years, he has basically been a Bruce Bowen type on offense. Waiting in the corner for the penetration and kick. Roy isn't commanding the attention on defense that he used to, thus not leaving Nic with the open shots he used to. Its well known that Nic thrives in a free-flowing system. He's almost Clyde-esque in the way that he glides to the rim in the open court. He either needs to seriously work on his game, or he needs a change of scenery.
First, what are you doing up at 4am? Second, it may very well be the coaches job to make players fit together, but he still has to have the right pieces. Now maybe we do and maybe we don't.
I think Batum's problems have more to do with his leader rather than him. The brilliant way Nate toys with young kids confidence is rearing it's ugly head
didn't Jeff Pendegraph say the same last night on Talkin Ball? I did not hear him but from some other posters he was very candid about Nate and how the young guys don't feel nate trusts them at all.
