Jason Quick was a guest on Paul Allen's radio show (KFAN, July 6th) and mentioned that Batum wants to play SG and that's the role he wants -- it's put up or shut up time! PG: Lillard SG: Batum SF: Claver PF: Aldridge C: Freeland/Leonard Of course, this all depends on the coach and his type of system. GO!
Lillard Wes Nic LA Meyers I hope Meyers continues to play so well in SL and training camp that they have no other option but to start him.
As long as Batum has been a Blazer, "SF" is a nice way of saying, "Get the shittiest duty on defense, and then stand in a corner on offense." Batum seems to play better at SG, so I don't blame him. He's more active in the offense and somebody else gets stuck guarding the LeBrons and Carmellos and Durants, so he has a little more energy to score. I suppose Matthews is our most proven SF right now other than Batum. So maybe you give him that role. PG:Lillard SG:Nic SF:Wes PF:LA C:Meyers or Freeland (I'm hoping this position is a battle)
Is Batum and Matthews are both starting, Matthews is the SG. If Aldridge and Hickson are both starting, Aldridge is the C.
Well, it really is a problem if Batum is SG. Actually that probably is his best position. But what we need the most is not a SG, but a true SF, especially one who can guard James, Durant and Kobe. I don't think Batum does that very well; which might be one reason that Olshey has been trying to get a real SF back in a sign and trade for Batum. And if he could still somehow do that, we might end up with a better team. We have an adequate guy already at SG, especially at defense. Mathews will be less than adequate at SF. So if we could get a big athletic SF guy back for Batum, I think we would be better off. I wonder who Olshey was thinking of. And if we were really offered Willams and 2 draft picks, why weren't we able to involve a third team and get that guy?
Positions don't matter. The starting five will be: Lillard Wes Batum Aldridge Hickson Aldridge will probably end up guarding centers, Matthews will probably end up guarding shooting guards, but those are our five best players right now. The bench will be much more difficult to predict. I think Leonard will get a lot of burn, I think Freeland will play a lot, and Babbitt. Nolan will probably play because we haven nobody else at this point. Depending on his health, I could also see EWill get some good burn.
I think it will be Lillard Wes Batum LMA Leonard But I would love for Elliot Williams to win the SG position and have Wes back up both the SG and SF positions. It would not surprise me if Freeland starts at center. He may blend in better with the other starters in terms of a cohesive group. Meyers show great promise but I am not sure about the turnovers factor to start the season. Freedland may be more polished even though he will be a rookie too. Claver is a huge wild card as well.
Sure, if you think jobs are defined by height. Batum is taller and lankier, so he's the 3. But if you think jobs are defined by natural inclination, talent, and pay scale, Batum makes more sense at SG. Batum has the talent to be a pretty effective offensive player, taking guys off the dribble more, taking midrange jumpers, using his passing skills. But he needs the ball in his hands to do that. Next year he's going to be paid like a key member of the offense, so we might as well use him that way. Matthews, in contrast, really doesn't have any driving or passing ability. He's a much better candidate to be "that corner guy." And given his past, he probably feels lucky just to be in the NBA. So being a defensive role player is probably not a big deal for him. Batum (20%) and Matthews (18%) had similar usage rates last season. They both took about 11 shots per game (although Batum hit at 45% while Wes hit at 41%). They were used kind of interchangeably. I think if Batum were posting here, he'd say, "Look, this has to change. Wes is a nice guy and a hard worker. But he doesn't have my tools, he isn't being paid my kind of money, he's two years older and nobody talk about 'upside' anymore when you talk about Wes. It's time to tip the balance in the offensive sets so I get more shots and more possessions. I get a little more of the Brandon Roy Awesome Shooting Guard treatment, and Wes gets a little more of the Role Playing SF Standing in the Corner treatment." I suppose you could throw out the whole "SG/SF" thing, since in the real world lots of SF's play the "featured offensive player" role. But when I hear Batum say he wants to play SG, I interpret that as him saying he grew up on the Blazers playing next to Brandon Roy, and he thinks he can be more of that guy.
Ding ding ding Batum can create his own shot way better than Wes. Would it surprise anyone that if Nic shows any good play at SG that they deal Wes, Williams and an asset or two for a guy like Gay or Iggy?
Read Pat Riley's quotes on realgm.com on positionless basketball: Guard: Lillard Wings: Mathews, Batum Bigs: LMA, Hickson (Leonard off the bench)
If you look back to successful teams int he league, a lot of them have been this way. Ainge and DJ for the Celtics with McHale off the bench Magic at 6'9" playing PG and then C Lebron, Wade Bosh all playing out of position
I love the idea of getting Iggy. I just read this article about him preparing for the Olympics, and it makes me drool to think of him teamed up with Batum. I like what I've read about Elliot Williams, but you have to give to get, and I'd be willing to trade him. I don't know that we really have the assets the Sixers want, though, unless they want to clear out the nasty $16m they'll owe him in 2013.
really starting to like this idea. Wes can guard SF's and is much better used sitting in the corner hitting three's than Batum. Hickson should definitely play PNR will Lillard too.
