What a disappointment this guy has been. He was supposed to be a star on defense, but I don't see that what so ever. His penetration is pathetic, he'll make a slow ass move to the hoop and flick up some weak shit that hardly ever goes in. He's a decent shooter, but is very limited offensively. He looks lazy and disinterested most of the time. Just compare how he plays to the kind of fire the Thunder players bring to the court. This guy is only a borderline starter, and Portland shouldn't give him anything over 5 mil.
Well, I'm not going to disagree with you, but I think it's hard to have the same kind of fire as the Thunder when you're on one of the worst teams in the league and you're getting destroyed by one of the best teams in the league.
in that case say goodbye. 23 year old with 4 years NBA + lots of euro experience, 17.5 PER, 3P range, reputation as above average defender, hasn't reached ceiling; 5 mil would be a joke. teams would be crawling over each other's backs to sign him for 6. i'm guessing we will be looking at matching a MINIMUM of something like 35/4.
The last thing Nic needs this summer is to play in the olmpics. The guy needs to go home for 8 weeks and then come back to Portland and work on his game and his body for 6 solid weeks. Then go home again before the season. But that aint happening with the French Team. Can he at least speend May and part of June pumping some iron? and taking 1000 shots a day.
No I really don't. The Euro guys never work on their deficiencies over the Summer because they are playing for their country. The best thing for LMA the summer of 2010 was him NOT playing on our National team. Instead he went to work with Canales (or who ever) for a month and worked on his game. The Euros peak early IMO. They get better at an earlier age, but then they hit a plateau. The established ones play games all year. The Kobe's, the Magic's and the MJ's got better every summer by working on just one thing. Euro's don't. Batum needs more muscle, rest and a inside move.
the guy is playing for a big payday and has been given his big chance as a number 2 option, if he can't show more than he has recently I don't want to pay him much
I agree that his current play is hurting his summer negotiations. But I disagree that spending the summer on the Olympics will make him a worse player than just working out in Portland.
Yeah. He's not as graceful as Roy by a long shot, but he also seems to have the ability to get a layup when he wants. And he has a magic ability to get referees to grant him free throws. I became more convinced than ever that OKC can't keep him, though. It's no accident that they start Sefolosha because Westbrook and Harden sort of duplicate each other. Harden needs the ball to be at his most effective. He's got to think that he can be the star of some other team (like I said - like Joe Johnson leaving Phoenix). On the other hand, I also like Sefolosha. He seems to be a Blazer killer. He's like a better version of Wesley. He also deserves better. Damn the Thunder and their players' readiness to sacrifice for the common good!
1. Some players just don't muscle up. Look at Reggie Miller or Tayshaun Prince. 2. He's young, he doesn't need rest. 3. He HAS an inside move. He was posting up all the time for Nancy. Check out 18 seconds in: [video=youtube;ZsIvQUTaVkU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsIvQUTaVkU[/video]
Instead of resigning Batum, we should save that money for Harden. Harden is on a totally different level that Batum. Batum is like Travis Outhouse, a likeable guy, plays great once every 10 games.... Dream Scenario for the next two years Deron Williams/Jonny Flynn James Hardan/Elliot Williams Wesley Matthews/ LA/Hickson Joel Freeland??? Of course, we'll probably have a couple lottery picks from this year to throw into the mix.
It is true that Batum has been kind of maddening. And it's odd, because he was consistently good in Europe. Of course the level of competition is lower, but it was his attitude - he seemed cockier over there. I think he doesn't feel as comfortable as he used to, what with Rudy and Patty gone. Somebody needs to be brought in just to pamper his ego. I kind of wish they'd run the offense through him more (like in Nancy) to make him feel more engaged. It must be hard to be off the ball when our PGs are so crappy - they either create for themselves (badly) or dump it to Lamarcus.
Harden isn't a UFA, and OKC will either sign him to an extension (like Durant and Westbrook) or trade him. So cap space won't help us.
I like Batum, but as I've said a thousand times, he is a role player. Nothing to get upset about. He is what he is
