If Batum can put together a 15-16 PPG, 45% FG and 40% Three. That would still be a bargin. Let's not even factor the intangibles like steals, blocks and rebounds that he's doing so well lately.
Batum's about as productive in the last 5 games as Aldridge was before he got his big 5 year, $60 mil contract (which, in hindsight, was a freakin' steal). If he can finish out the season at this level, I'd expect to see him paid about the same. He's never lacked a motor, only confidence and certain skills. Much like Aldridge at that point. So it seems like a contract that, at minimum, would be decent value throughout, but a steal if he can make the progress that Aldridge made.
Not against the Lakers. Batum, like Aldridge and Roy, have historically played the Fake Show with inspired basketball. I would add Wallace, but those days were when he was playing in Charlotte. Maybe that bleeds over tonight.
Let's go Batman [video=youtube;-jTHdRnE-xw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jTHdRnE-xw&feature=share[/video]
Wow, I watched a couple of minutes and I'll get back to it to see the whole thing. I posted a picture of his mother a month ago and thought I'd accomplished something, but this has film of her talking. This is great.
Shining on the big stage: [video=youtube;v4GJ0m_5g7U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4GJ0m_5g7U&feature=g-u-u&context=G2198be0FUAAAAAAAAAA[/video]
I know the Lakers took their foot off the gas after they extended the lead to 30, but it was nice to see Nic fight through and step up in a hopeless situation and show some heart.
That spin move on DWade. Wow. Where did that come from? [video=youtube;Q7Egk4Utfxw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Egk4Utfxw&feature=g-u&context=G2ced14cFUAAAAAAAIAA[/video] Frustrating as fuck though. He played the fewest minutes of any other starter and even Wessy played more than him.
Originally Posted by HCP Hey RoyToy...... is this whole "hate on Nic" a big game you are playing? Are you just bored? You can't have any type of grasp of knowledge of the game whatsoever if you can not recognize his abilities! The kid and I mean 23 year old kid has game and TONS of potential. I think Nate finally noticed nobody was giving him the ball when he was out there with bench guys and knew he had to get him some run with Camby and LA who know how to get him involved! If your just fucking around, haha...... if not, you have no credibility around here son! BUMP
[video=youtube;UTEQjxXFg3w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTEQjxXFg3w&feature=g-u&context=G2198be0FUAAAAAAAAAA[/video]
Update: Batum is 17th in the league in 3FG Made at 63. He is currently 11th in the entire league in TS% (.599) and 11th in eFG% (.551). He is 9th in the league in ORtg (116.1) and 16th in WS/48 (.190). For the month of February (12 games), he averaged 17.8 PTS/G, 4.8 REB/G, 1.7 AST/G, 1.6 STL/G, 1.6 BLK/G, .485 FG% and .429 3FG% in 32.9 MPG. For the month of March (2 games), he is averaging 23.0 PTS/G, 4.0 REB/G, 1.0 AST/G, 2.5 STL/G, 1.0 BLK/G, .536 FG% and .400 3FG% in 35.9 MPG. As a starter (10 games), he is averaging 19.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 1.8 APG. When he plays 40+ MPG (5 games), he averages 23.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 1.6 APG. BNM
Yes, and he's 29th in the league in players that qualify in MPG. If you expand that to include all players who have played at least 25 games at => 24.0 MPG, he's 31st. So, that begs the question, where does Nic rank among players who play the same position(s)? If you consider him a 3 (probably his best natural position), his PER ranks him 3rd behind LeBron James (33.2) and Kevin Durant (27.6) (the two highest qualifying PERs in the entire league). Granted, there is HUGE drop between Durant and Batum, but there is no other small forward in the league right now with a PER => 20. If you consider Gallinari a 3 (which is what he's playing in Denver), he's hot on Nic/s heals in both PER (19.9) and WS/48 (.190 for Nic, .187 for Gallinari), but he doesn't have enough minutes to officially qualify. How Nic compares to other 3s with PER => 17.0: LeBron James: PER = 33.2 WS/48 = .345 WS = 9.3 Kevin Durant: PER = 27.6 WS/48 = .247 WS = 7.3 Nicolas Batum (plays 2 and 3): PER = 20.0 WS/48 = .190 WS = 3.9 Danilo Gallinari: PER = 19.9 WS/48 = .187 WS = 3.2 Carmelo Anthony: PER = 19.2 WS/48 = .124 WS = 2.3 Thaddeus Young (plays both 3 and 4): PER = 19.5 WS/48 = .190 WS = 4.1 Paul Pierce: PER = 18.7 WS/48 = .148 WS = 3.4 Andre Iguodala: (plays both 2 and 3) PER = 18.0 WS/48 = .168 WS = 4.6 Danny Granger: PER = 17.8 WS/48 = .148 WS = 3.4 Rudy Gay: PER = 17.2 WS/48 = .105 WS = 3.1 If you consider Nic a 2, his PER ranks him 4th among shooting guards behind Dwyane Wade (28.6), Kobe Bryant (24.0) and James Harden (20.8). How Nic compares to other 2s with PER => 17.0: Dwayne Wade: PER = 28.6 WS/48 = .260 WS = 4.7 Kobe Bryant: PER = 24.0 WS/48 = .159 WS = 4.5 James Harden: PER = 20.8 WS/48 = .228 WS = 5.4 Nicolas Batum (plays 2 and 3): PER = 20.0 WS/48 = .190 WS = 3.9 Monta Ellis: PER = 18.7 WS/48 = .067 WS = 1.7 Rodney Stuckey: PER = 17.8 WS/48 = .123 WS = 2.6 Kevin Martin PER = 17.6 WS/48 = .147 WS = 3.5 Jamal Crawford (plays 1 and 2): PER = 17.2 WS/48 = .107 WS = 2.2 These advanced stats point out a number of things. First, LeBron is having an absolutely incredible season, not just compared to his current peers, but historically. The all-time season record for PER is 31.84 by Wilt. Jordan's best was 31.71. LeBron is on pace to shatter that record. He's also on pace to break the single season record for WS/48. The current record is .3399 by Kareem. Of course, this is a lockout shortened season, and it is the REGULAR season. In order to claim one of the best seasons of all-time, LeBron and the Heat will need to win the championship. Other than a few superstars like LeBron, Durant, Wade and Kobe, The PER rankings are dominated by big men (4/5s) and point guards. The shooting guard position is incredibly weak once you get past the top 3 (Wade, Kobe and Harden). Iguodala is solid, but not spectacular. In fact, after the top 2, the small forward position isn't all that great either. Guys like Melo and Rudy Gay aren't exactly having great seasons. The Knicks seem to play better without Anthony (which also shows up in his advanced stats) and Gay is an inefficient volume scorer. When comparing the advanced stats, you could make an argument that Nic is the 6th best wing (2/3) in the entire league at the age of only 23. He's certainly in the top 10 wings in terms of his advanced stats. This is good for Nic, but potentially bad for the Blazers. With so many teams having cap space this summer, some GM will likely make Nic a huge offer based on his improved performance, still untapped potential and young age. He'll never be a superstar, like LeBron or Durant, but he has the potential to be one of the best number 2 options in the league. I think the Blazers are going to regret not locking him up long term when they had the chance. Best case, it costs them several million dollars over the life of his contract and a chunk of cap space that could have been used elsewhere. Worst case, it costs them their second best player that is young and still improving and could have been a major building block for their future. This is what happens when you have no GM and no one with a long term vision guiding this team. BNM
