<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Sources close to the situation have indicated that French wing-player Nicolas Batum, who's widely considered the top overall prospect in Europe, likely will not enter his name into the 2007 NBA draft.Batum feels he is not ready for the NBA and must spend more time working on his body and skills before being fully prepared to jump accross the Atlantic.He had an excellent performance playing for the World Team in the Hoop Summit matching up against the top American players in his age group, finishing with a game high 23 points. He displayed his tremendous upside with a number of breathtaking dunks as well as his ability to shoot from outside. His 7-1 wingspan gives him a huge advantage over similar sized players.Batum struggled for playing time in his first professional season at Le Mans averaging 4.3 ppg over the 30 game season. But it was mostly due to lack of experience that he didn't see more time. Towards the end of the season, his playing time and production began to show improvement.Most scouts considered him as a lock to be a lottery pick with a real chance to go top 10.Batum would return to Le Mans for a second season and will be the most sought after international player next season. He has a chance to be a top 3-5 pick next year if he continues to improve his body and skill level.Batum has until April 29th and still has not made a final decision, but appears intent upon remaining out of the 2007 draft.</div>http://nbadraft.net/draftbuzz069.asp :cry2:
Dissapointing, he's a hell of a player. Buyt I'm glad to see he's so interested in improving and not making the money.
Well next year he'll make considerably more money..he'll EASILY be a lottery pick next year and possibly a top 5-10 pick
Well it's official he is not entering the draft this year. http://nbadraft.net/draftbuzz070.aspIt is a bit dissapointing that we won't see him in the NBA this coming season, but I think he is making the right decision. Too many guys enter the draft before they are really ready.
I think Batum is ready..I think he just is going for bigger bucks next year with a higher pick/draft stock on the chance he MIGHT get injured or not perform well next year but that's highly unlikely
