Batum: If I can't find something better elsewhere, I'll stay in Portland.

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2012/05/trail-blazers-nicolas-batum-nba-links.html

Nice knowing you Nic.

 

You left this part out:

He's a professional basketball player, meaning he's going to do what's best for his career the same as you or I would. He likes Portland and doesn't want to go anywhere else, but if there's a better offer out there and the Blazers don't match it, he'd be stupid to pass it up. We fans can get caught up in the emotional attachment we have to our team, but it's best to remember that there aren't oaths of allegiance required when a player signs a contract. To look at it the other way around is also important: the Blazers are in it for the money too. They could have signed Nic to an extension this season, but wanted cap space and didn't want to get caught overpaying Batum. I hope that it works out that Nic stays here, but it's not the end of the world if he doesn't.

 

Agree with e_blazer. Good post!

 

I agree that his attitude sounds perfectly fine to me. He should take the best deal. If all is the same then he would be happy in Portland. But, he has to market himself to other teams too. He would be a fool to discourage other teams from making offers. And he isn't a fool.

 

Nic really has no real options. If Portland truly wants him then they can keep him. He certainly won't give Portland a "hometown" discount though, nor should he. Unless he absolutely hates Portland, which according to a source is not great for young Black males, he will stay if Portland wants him bad enough

 

I think he handled it appropriately as well. I just had hopes he might give a hometown discount.

 

Love how some people have to put a negative spin on everything Blazers, facts be damned.

 

Not to mention the Blazers are probably looking at 10 possible teams to trade him to in various scenarios. It works both ways. He'll be back.

 

You really start to wonder if some Blazers fans really believe it's a prerequisite to being a true Blazers fan.

 

A sign & trade would be interesting with the Raptors.

The #8 pick for starters.

I just have this feeling that they are going to offer him more than what Paul is willing to put on the table (>$10M)

 

The only thing I hope from Nic is that he doesn't jump on an offer right away and takes his time shopping the market.

Teams are cut throat, they know the Blazers situation. If I was another team, I would make the offer on July 1st and say you got 48 hrs to decide then offer withdrawn (Blazers less likely to match before trying to get a key FA).

But it is up to Batum to decide if he is going to accept an offer and hopefully he will give the Blazers a little time to do their thing before he signs an offer sheet.

 

From John Hollinger:

Trail Blazers: Hollinger: Trail Blazers Understand Restricted Free Agency
"Exactly. Why negotiate against yourself? Restricted free agency gives you the option of letting the market, not the player, his agent, or even the team, set the price. There are rare situations -- the Wesley Matthews' restricted free agency with Utah, for instance -- in which a team can get burned by not locking up a player in advance of the free agent signing period, but when you've got cap room and a desire to re-sign said player, as the Trail Blazers currently do, there's little to no benefit of NOT going into restricted free agency."

 

But... but... but... Some of the posters on this board are saying the team blew it with Batum.

 

I guess it could, assuming he gets a crazy offer in the first few hours of free agency. In which case they could renounce him and keep their cap flexibility but lose him for nothing, or they can match the offer which cuts down their cap room and they end up paying him way more than he's worth ... realistically I don't see teams throwing huge amounts of money at him (even to screw with the Blazers) because I don't think he exactly did enough individually to warrant a huge payday.

Bottom line: I think most teams pass on him after exploring sign and trade scenarios with Portland and he ends up staying here for about 8.5 - 9.5 million a year -- an over-payment but probably no worse than spending 10 million on Goran Dragic.

 

So, if no free agents will come here even if we can offer the max (which has also been bandied about), why not overpay to retain Batum?

 

They still are under a timeline where they have to sign the OTHER players they like quickly....

I think there is 7? to 10? days where teams can talk with agents\players? before they signing period begins...and then once a contract is offered to a player they have 3 days (instead of 7) to decide whether or not to match it....

If that is the case then it gives POR approximately 1 week +3 or so days to get players dialed in before some team offers Batum....

Once Batum is offered POR is on the clock as far as I am aware...

So they better get thier shit together in a hurry...

This is why it is important to have a GM in place right away and why it is more unrealistic to sign a guy like D-Will who will probably play the market

 

Won't know if FA's would consider us until we try. And we can't try, if we don't have the means. At least now we have the cap space.

I love Batum, and hope we keep him. But overpaying just to overpay and keep him..... bad strategy. Especially when we can overpay and keep him now. We really lost nothing by letting him go to free agency.

 

Oh I agree we lost nothing by letting him go to free agency; what I'm saying is that, now that he's an RFA, there's no point in talking about price. We're going to match, either because he's the piece we need to compliment our new awesome PG, or we didn't sign anyone else and we're swinging at air.

 

I kind of hope he goes. He's very replaceable and he's boring.

Unless a player's a superstar, I like to move them every couple of years. Same for coaches.

By a draftee's 2nd year, what you see is what you will ever get. Moving on through more coaches is the only way he'll improve. Batum is too comfortable here.

 

His defense is unique, and with the right PG / coach he'll be much more valuable and exciting