I think there is no doubt that he has talent and is a tremendous athlete, but he really does not seem to be taking the leap forward that I hoped he would this year. I don't know why. It could be the coaching, plays are never run for him, and he is not givin the responsibility that others of similar abilities are given. Or, It could be that he does not have the mindset to ever become something special. What are you thoughts about Batum today, and where Batum will be in the future. And, what is needed to get Batum to become a top flight player.
I just think it's kind of funny that this gets posted the night after he goes 18/10/4. As for his future, I don't know what he'll become, but at only 22 I kind of doubt the book is completely written on him given that so little is actually run for him and that his role has been so up and down this year. I still think he's got the potential to be a Tayshaun + type player, but I think the role small forwards are asked to play in Nate's system almost guarantees that won't happen as long as he's here.
I will wait until Nic has been coached by someone who runs plays for him and doesn't play the mind games Nate does before deciding his fate.
Batum and Camby were getting a lot of easy tip ins last night at Golden State there was no legit center in the game for the Warriors. I still think he's got a low motor and doesn't seem to have any sort of handle to take his game to Tayshaun Prince's level. When it looked like Oden and Roy were going to be franchise cornerstones, he seemed an obvious complimentary piece to championship picture. Now that plan is torn to shreds, this team needs an upgrade in offense and Batum is the best option on this squad to land a player who's a difference maker. I hope the "untouchable" status that the organization has put on him is simply posturing to pump his trade value up.
I actually wanted to post a thread like this for a while but wanted to post it after a good game because I wanted it to be a conversation about his potential/abilities/coaching and not a bashing thread about him playing a poor game. I really like Batum a lot and have high hopes for him. I but I have had high hopes for a while now since he made such huge strides early in his career. But those strides have lessened lately and he really does not seem to bring it game in and game out. Is that a maturity issue? He is still very young. Or is it a personality issue.
I kind of feel the same way I did with Sheed. If Batum decided that he was going to kick ass, he would kick ass, any game, against any opponent. But sometimes he just coasts. He does not have the temper Sheed had, and from all accounts Batum works out in the gym and practices well, so the Sheed comparisions don't go far.
He's 22. While I usually refer to age in terms of how productivity increases as a player gets closer to their prime, it's also worth mentioning that confidence probably also increases as one gets closer to one's prime. I can recall players like Pippen and McGrady who were tentative when younger and then got more and more assertive as they got older. I'm not comparing Batum to them in terms of talent, just that aggression can be gained over time. In their cases, their teams began to rely on them more and more. The Blazers have yet to give Batum a large role for him to grow into, in terms of mindset. Maybe he'll always be a more passive type, but I think it's much too early to know.
I am with MM on this. Nate in my opinion is the bigger issue with Batum. In Nate's style of coaching he get's in players head and makes them start questioning their abilitiies and what they need to do on the court. He has done the same thing with many others including Rudy. I would like to see Batum get the opportunity once Nate is gone, and I think things will change quite a bit. Nate has a tremendous ability to ride the roller coaster in the wrong direction. When players are working well together and the player is in a zone he pulls them, when they are cold and not doing anything to offer the team he leaves them in. He is one of the only coaches I have ever seen do this. Batum can be very effective as a 3rd option on this team and a strong defender. His potential lies in how he is coached, when we get a coach please let me know. Nate is effective as an assistant coach or a college coach, but it ends there.
I saw several games with him playing for team France and was underwhelmed. Nate isn't helping, but I can't pin Batum's lack of focus on the coach.
I wonder if his Euro mindset is an issue. Young players are just expected to make the Vets better and play their role. Not the ego driven mindset so many of the American players come to the NBA with.
Agreed Craig, I just feel if a coach is supposed to educate and be a mentor to your growth as a youthful NBA player, that is not something Nate excels in. So you either have a group of strong veterans that play that role or you find a coach that doesn't give mixed signals.
Sitting a player for playing poorly is not sending 'mixed signals' or playing 'mind games'. It's simply sitting a player for playing poorly. You guys come up with the craziest shit and it makes me laugh. Anyways, until Batum proves he can create his own offense he'll be just a nice complimentary piece. He's not a diverse offensive player at all. A new coach won't magically make him one. If he wants to be able to create offense he's going to have to work at it.
So your saying Batum was playing badly with the unit he was with last night when he was pulled in the fourth quarter? If you were watching the game he wasn't? If your not willing to look at the position Nate plays in this that it just as crazy. And it makes me laugh as well.
I am not so sure that it does not fall on the coach. Batum has shown that he can outside, inside, cut, and he has also demonstrated that he has pretty good handles. He needs to put it all together, and that means experimentation and giving him room to mess up and learn and grow. Nate should demand more out of him and run plays for him. Let him mess up sometimes and succeed others. And after a good long stretch of games, Batum does not show that he can create offense either for himself or for others then you kill the experiment. But, give the man a chance. I think that when Roy was healthy, It was just easy for Nate to take the ball out of Batums hands since Roy and Miller both needed it to be successful, and Batum was not demanding it. But, with Roy unable to put the team on his shoulders now, it's time to experiment and give Batum long runs with the Ball. Run picks and screens for him, place him in the core of plays instead of on the edge.
This is it. Unless Nate somehow decides to change the Iso-Roy offense into the Iso-Nico offense, the guy will never have a play run for him so long as Nate is his coach. Pity.
The thing is that Nic really hadn't been playing all that badly until he was moved to the bench -- certainly up and down and having a bit of cold stretch, but whatever mind games Nate is playing with him it has done nothing but to erode his confidence.
Batum seems to be the type of player that needs a more up tempo game to display his athletic abilities in the open court. That will give him confidence. I also agree that some plays need to be run for him. He seems to be a "follow the leader" type of player. The best way to cure that is to give him some plays and leadership role on the team.
Nate has a good relationship with Batum. Blazers were losing, Wes was playing well and you really didn't know what was going on with Roy. Nate puts Wes in the starting line up and keeps Roy in there instead of Batum. Nic is 22, can deal with coming off the bench and got back into the starting line up shorly after. Not a big deal. It so easy to sit here and say Nate and managment should just have the balls to sit Roy. Personally I don't think that is good managment. Respect the guy who brought so much to the organization. Nate wanted to change things up to get a win and sat Nic instead of Roy, it was not some mind game with Nic. Nic is a great role player if you have a big 2 or 3. Counting on him to be one of the big 3 is asking too much of him at this stage of his career.
