I think Nate doesn't fully trust in Nic and he never has. Nate has always had Nic on a short leash and pulls him quickly. He's always been the starter that plays the least minutes. Nate leaves guys like good ole Steve Blake and Rudy Fernandez in the game more than she be when they were struggling. Nic on the other hand gets pulled immediately.
Is it McMillan's fault Batum has lapses when it comes to rebounding and defense? No. Not only that, Batum is averaging 31min a game. Your theory that Nate pulls him out right away for any mistake doesn't seem to be true.
I don't see this being the same as Webster or Bayless. There will be games where Nic will be playing very good basketball, and Nate will pull him and not put him back in until late in the game. It doesn't make any sense.
LOL. I caught that too. My problem with Nate and his handling of Nic isn't about PT. But rather it's about his role on this team. You can't just make a guy with his athleticism and sills sit in the corner all fuckin day. And you can't pull him when he misses a shot. The front office supposedly treats him like a star (asset wise anyway), but Nate treats him like a rookie, and clearly shows that same double standard that he has with numerous other players during his tenure here.
Well Nic can't create his shot off the dribble and Nate doesn't draw up many plays for him, so there's some truth to the assertion that Nate isn't good for Nic. However he needs to develop a better handle (same should be said of LaMarcus) to have better success in Nate's dribble heavy offense.
You're right. He pulls him even when he makes shots. But seriously, I was vehemently against his benching to start the second half today. When a player like that is struggling, you can't make him the scapegoat. You have to find a way to get him going by getting him easy looks instead. I mean, he was being guarded by a slow footed Anthony Morrow tonight, who was coming off an exhausting game the night before. Shoulda been easy pickins if Nate let the team run.
Nate went with the more aggressive Wesley Matthews who was playing very well. Nic just wasn't aggressive tonight and was pulled. I can still see Aldridge after a turnover telling Nic to shoot it instead of passing it. Batum struggles with that kind of stuff and can really take himself out of the offense at times. It's not all on Nate imo considering Batum continues to improve every season. He's just inconsistent. Pretty much the only players that are allowed to play through their struggles are all-stars/proven veterans. Young guys like Nic not so much.
I call bullshit. Batum needs to step up and deliver, and the reason he is sitting is because he has been stinking it up. Even if a player is having a bad night offensively, they should still collect effort statistics. Batum has basically been a big doughnut on the floor the last few games. He isn't showing up in the effort column. He is losing his defensive assignments at the 3point line. He isn't rebounding. He is passing up good shots for bad one's. For a guy who talks about having the potential of Scottie Pippen, he sure hasn't figured out the one thing that set Scottie apart from the rest. His motor.
Batum might be the most overrated player in blazers history... can you think of anyone more overrated?
Omar Cooke, Quintel Woods, Jerryd Bayless, Martell Webster, Sebastian Telfair just to name 5 from the last decade.
I'm a pretty big Nic fan, but he's got to own his part in this and that means playing lock-down D, going after rebounds, loose balls and knocking down the open looks he gets before he can given more responsibility. Is Nate helping? probably not, but he's a bit player in this.
Jarrett Jack, LaMarcus Aldridge, etc, etc. Nic has had two bad games, and now he's being heralded as the most overrated player in PDX history? Gimme a break. I know this is an excuse but Nic also supposedly had a touch of what Joel had this past week. Could be just a case of him being ill. And the only two other games he failed to score in double figures this season, were the ones right after the news about Lucas came out, and Nic admitted that he was completely shaken up by it in his blog. It's not like he's the only one struggling out there. The point of this thread is, however, that this system does not fully take advantage of Nic's strengths, (As a matter of fact, outside of Roy, few other players have their talents maximized in this system), and I don't think even the most ardent Nate supporter can deny that.
