I personally think Batum, like our starting core, will be back for another year. I think we learned something this season, which is our core rainout of gas. Since Batum is guaranteed to play for France again this summer, do you think we should just rest him for the first 2 months of the season? We may take some lumps at the beginning, but as we learned it's what you do at the end of the season that's really important.
(My post assumes everyone comes back for simplicity's sake) I like the idea in isolation, but that makes us super thin at the wing spot for the first two months, if you include Wes being out until January. You'd have Afflalo and CJ starting with Crabbe and Wright off the bench... not devastating, but not world-beating.
Yeah we would be thin, but I believe we would still be a .600 team. After 2 months, we can become "world beating"!
This is just nuts... Why are we catering to him? He is not about to what's best for the organization. There is just something very wrong with this whole situation. And I'm shocked I'm seeing poster so easily and willing to embrace such an idea. I hope the org has completely decided to move away from Nic Batum.
Seems rather dumb for Portland to pay him and rest him so he can play for France. I think he should rest the summer, if he doesn't bye bye.
This has been done throughout the league to star players. Spurs are prime example of a team that caters to the health of their star players. Even Memphis, Clippers and Houston did it this year. It's a trend to keep the players healthy in a time that really matters. What's even more strange is how you questioned Stotts last season for overplaying the starters but think this is crazy for resting them
You don't need to rest him two months. The world cup thing in France starts in August and lasts 10-12 games. At most give Batum off 10-12 games at the start of the regular season since it's important for him to participate in training camp.
I don't have any evidence to support this but is it possible his problem is not needing more rest but needing more conditioning, more strength (not adding bulk) and more working on his skills. This is really my objection to playing with France, takes time away from what he should really be working on. I think he is one player on the team who is not continually working on being better (although Lopez might be in the same boat or could be so athletically limited than he can't improve much). I am ready to let go of him if we can get something good in return.
Good news is next year is a contract year for Batum. He'll want to get paid so he's going to make sure he improves for this past season.
I'm just trying to explain how you didn't want to play him too many minutes to avoid wearing down, why not avoid too many games to wear him down?
We have Terry "Play the starters until we're up 30 or down 30, then with 2 minutes left, I'll make a decision based on a rabbit in the rafters twiddling his nose to give me the cue to take out the starters" Stotts.
Funny. But actually, do we want that type of player on this team of so many hardworking individuals? He is gonna step up because its payday year? Then what? Everybody wants Portland to sign him again? So another year after that we can pull back up all these threads and bring them back to life with his girly play? I give respect for him for saying the series loss was on him, even if I think it was more than him. It doesn't change the fact that he is, and has been the helter skelter(Not Sotts...) X factor on this team. And he hasn't produced. Not just the series. Not just this year. He has run his course and had his time and what bothers me the most is his lack of loyalty to the team that is paying him and the city that once embraced him as part of the core future of this team. I guess I would say Ive lost my faith in the one player who I couldn't see a ceiling at one time. Now I see it The ceiling is fatigue, not talent, but he doesnt want to do what he should be doing for the team in the off season.
