No your spot on, Every game Crawford has been dishing out dimes. If he keeps that up the much needed second unit will be solid. And for Batum, he just needs to be more aggressive, take it to the rack, get pumped up, then the deep shots will fall with confidence.
I guess if your looking for the Blazers to founder then I guess a trade could make sense. But in comparison to the Squad's we've had the majority of this century, this is the best and most well rounded team yet. I can't in-vision Paul making any trades for a chance to get slightly better.
Me too. Wes looks exactly the same as last year (admittedly from a really small sample size) and Wallace is simply too good to have on the bench for large stretches.
Batum hasn't improved since his rookie year. He's chocked more then Cliff Robinson in the playoffs. The expectations for Batums "potential" are unreal and fans are setting themselves up for disappointment.
I never said I thought the Blazers would founder, but that would be the scenario where Wallace could (and should?) be moved. In response to the bit in bold: If he's not willing to make trades to get better then he'd be an idiot. EVERY team that makes moves should ONLY be doing it for the chance to get better -- there are zero guarantees.
Fewer than 20 minutes last night and missed all his shots. I really hope he's not getting discouraged. You can't really argue with the result, as both Wallace and Matthews were playing well, but the Crawford/Batum pairing really neutralizes Batum.
I agree with this to some degree. I don't think he will ever live up to some of the expectations that were there after the first couple of years, but I do feel he can still improve some. He just will never be a dominant player. Even when he's gotten big minutes in the past, he's never really been a huge scorer. Obviously he does other things well, but those remain pretty consistent regardless of his minutes. Check the logz!
I dont know why maybe just the way i think this season is going to go for all the teams but Batum will get his shot and flourish at some point. Whether it be schedule or injury his time will come and he will hit his stride. But you're right Rast, can he hang on till then?
Batum's agent is going to try to negotiate a contract before the Jan 25 deadline. I'm not sure if Batum knows that because he's playing timid and not looking like a key piece to this team's success. If they look for a penny over 6 mil a year, I'd look unload him for a legit backup center. I'd rather save the cap room for resigning Felton and Crawford.
People talk about our "depth". I'm not sure where that comes from. It's Crawford, Thomas, and Batum, and that's pretty much it. If Batum doesn't do well, we have to count on a big day from at least two of Crawford, Wes, Wallace, and Felton. It's worked so far! EDIT: With that said, I do feel there's a place for Batum here at this point. I just hope he can fill the role we need him in, and be available to step up in case of injury (as Boise Blazer stated).
Batum's body language was not good last night. The disappointment in his face when he saw Wallace coming back in for him was clear. At his age, hope he is mature enough to deal with the situation and be patient. I expect he will get big minutes (relative) tonight.
I don't understand this thread. I've seen nothing that makes me believe that Nic is unhappy. I believe a lot of posters are imagining things.
Agreed. This team from top to bottom is not selfish, and generally when your about the Team all the matters is winning. How could you not be happy on this team, and his role is extremely important. Having his D coming off the bench is amazing, or as Steve Kerr put it last night " A Luxury "
It would behoove the Blazers to pursue Nic harder than they do Gerald. Gerald is older, plays more recklessly, and has had a downward trend in his career over the past few years. Nic's discouragement this year is understandable as Gerald has had a surprisingly amazing start this season, but he is still a huge part of our future, while Gerald is not. And I think the team realizes that as well. I still say giving him 30-35 mil for 4 years is a reasonable deal.
Following Nic on twitter, I agree. He still jokes around with his teammates (was ragging on Wes and LA last night for tweeting rather than talking while on the team bus).
I was thinking that before the season started, but with as well as the team is playing now and the recent announcement the team has begun extension talks with Gerald I don't think so. I think if there is a shot at winning the division or even the conference with the team as is PA will go for it. Unless a team makes an offer we can't refuse I don't see Wallace getting traded.
I don't even know where to go with that. Nic may be inconsistent, but given his age and what's been asked of him here I still think there's considerable untapped production that he has in front of him. Travis was a one-dimensional "athlete" with the basketball IQ of a dung beetle. Nic will probably never be an all-star, but to suggest he'd turn into the kind of albatross contract Catfish represents is just wrong IMO.
Nothing wrong with offering the same type of money you gave to Wes Matthews. I think they are both at the same caliber. If Batum improves, then we got a hell of a deal. If he stays the same, then it's still well worth it.
