Even if English was his first and only language, people are reading waaaaaay too much into the quote.
It's the consequence of the instantaneous nature of our culture now. It's got to mean something! :MARIS61:
Well, I'm going to take the EXACT opposite approach to the OP on this quote from Nic. No doubt the haters, doubters, negative Nancys, Chicken Littles and self-labeled "realists" will call me a homer (gasp!) and a Batum apologist, but fuck 'em. My team just won a game they really had no business winning, and this quote tells me EXACTLY why we won and OKC was powerless to stop us. This quote from Nic embodies the unselfish nature of this team, why they have such great chemistry and why they are winning way more games than expected. Basketball is a team sport played by five players per side. There is one ball that they all have to share. All five guys can't be assertive on offense at all times and try to take over offensively. That leads to selfish play, losses and hurt feelings. Nic knows he's not our number 1, or number 2 option and often not even number 3 option on offense - under normal circumstances. Rather than try to dominate the ball and get his own shots up, he plays the role of facilitator to create easy scoring opportunities for his teammates. He is second in the league in assists for forwards, trailing only 5-time MVP LeBron James. Last night, OKC was throwing everything they had at options 1 and 2. They were double teaming Lillard 30 feet from the basket and forcing the ball out of his hands. They were throwing waves of defenders at LMA. I saw one highlight after the game last night where LaMarcus caught the ball in the paint and was immediately swarmed by FOUR OKC defenders. Well, LMA and Lillard recognized this and told Nic they needed his help, that they needed him to assert himself more on offense to keep OKC honest on the double teams - or make them pay. What great communication between teammates and what a talented player that he was able to successfully accomplish what his team asked him to do. We/they are lucky to have such a versatile, talented player on our team. He is great at setting up his teammates when appropriate, but can also turn up his scoring when his teammates are struggling and ask for his help. The perfect TEAM player. Oh, and he also completely shut Kevin Durant down in the 4th quarter last night. He single handedly held the best scorer in the entire NBA to 1 point in the 4th quarter of a close game. He was all over Durant denying him the ball all over the court. The 1 point Durant did get was on a deliberate foul with the Blazers up 3 and 8.2 seconds left in the game. His 4th quarter defense on Durant last night was a thing of pure beauty. So, rather than criticizing Batum for scoring all 15 of his points in the second half, after his teammates asked him for help at that end, while also shutting down the greatest offensive player in the world on the other end, I choose to praise Batum for being the ultimate teammate, stepping up big time on both offense and defense and helping his team pull out a miraculous road win while playing their 3rd game in 4 nights against a tough opponent that had only lost one previous game on their home court. Yeah, that was a long sentence, but no way do we win that game without Nic Batum and his great all around play on both ends of the court. And seriously, no matter how spectacular this team plays, not matter how they win against all odds, someone in this forum will find something to bitch about. How about enjoying the win for a change and being thankful for our team's success. Maybe Kevin Durant should have asked one of his teammates to step up and help him last night. I'm glad he didn't. Instead, Durant got pissed at his teammates and yelled at his coach for not getting him the ball more in the 4th quarter. Last night was a perfect example of a very good team beating a great player. Basketball is still a team sport, played 5-on-5 and I am grateful we have such an unselfish team that works together so that the total exceeds the sum of the parts. BNM
If you ask Sam Mitchell (I think?), it was because Durant was tired. you know, because he had to take on the scoring load more. And forgetting that Portland, unlike OKC, had just played the night before. And was their 3rd game in 4 nights. And didn't just travel over night on a plane.
I love quotes like that. It shows great communication and why chemistry is so important. His teammates recognized what OKC was doing on defense, figured out what they needed to do about it, told Nic, he did what they asked and we won the game. I can see why you're so angry. BNM
I can't believe that guy was once Coach of the Year. I think Stern made some kind of under the table agreement with the Canadian government that while they'd never win an NBA title, we'd occasionally throw them some token love in the form of a meaningless award to appease the north of the border fans. So, they have former all-star Jamaal Magloire and Sam Mitchell won COY with the Raptors. It must seriously suck for a fan base to know that any player worth a shit can't wait to flee the country (McGrady, Carter, Bosh, shit even Damon Stoudamire wanted out) and the best free agent you will ever attract, even by severely overpaying and hampering your franchise for years, is Hedo Turkoglu. And yeah, Sam Mitchell is just full of stupidity. He also said he won't think the Blazers are better than OKC until we beat them with Westbrook. Never mind that we beat them with Westbrook earlier in the month. Guess Sam must have missed that. I would think that if you are being paid for your expert insights on NBA basketball, you might want to actually follow the game and know what the hell you're talking about. Well, with insights like that, I'm sure it won't be long until Sam Mitchell can add former NBA TV analyst alongside former NBA Coach of the Year to his impressive resume. BNM
I have been at peace with who Nic is for a while now. He's a glue guy. He does a lot of things that don't show up in a box score, and a LOT of things that do. He's not a volume scorer. He's not a Kevin Durant. He has the athletic ability to be a star, but he doesn't seem to have the desire. I'm fine with that. Not every player has the drive and killer instinct that a Damian Lillard or Kevin Durant has. Sometimes I think he coasts a bit because the game comes so easy to him, but that's just who the guy is. We're not going to change his personality. Either accept him or don't, but he's not going to change. He is a guy that can literally do anything he wants to on the floor on any given night. That kind of versatility is extremely unique. If he ever puts it all together, he could be one of the ten best players in the league. He has that kind of talent.
By the end of his contract, it will be regarded as a steal...even though i thought when he got it that it was fair
A stupid opinion relies heavily on a stupid audience to give it merit. Two words: talking points. If I though I wouldn't be blocked or ignored for tweeting or emailing them, I would do so. They aren't interested in facts, only number of viewers.
I wrote in my recap of the OKC game: "Key moment of the game: LA put his arm around Batum as they came on to the court to play at the half. I’m not a lip reader, but Batum had zero points at that point, and had 15 points and zero turnovers in the 2nd." According to an interview I listened to on Casey's blog after writing it, it's more clear that LA was telling Batum he "missed the bus" and "we need you this half". For a guy that plays 4 man on the totem pole, I think it is quite necessary for guys like LA, Dame, Wes, and Coach Stotts to tell the 4th option on offense what the team needs and to step up when the team needs him to. I see it as a strength and a positive, not a weakness.
OLTL- you are reading too much into it. And there is a balance. You can play too aggressive. Batum is having a wonderful season and we are 25-7. Stop complaining. You're missing all the fun. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The thing about Batum is he hit a certain level and he's generally been there since. I think that's why people get frustrated with him. The big difference is assists have gone up, but with that you get a less assertive Nic Batum, leading him to turn down open shots/lanes to the basket at times. That's how he's decided to play though so it's the norm now. Role player/glue guy, but a player that won't make the all-star roster unless he improves in certain areas of his game (the biggest area being his mental approach). His talent is good, but it's never been star quality like a Paul George. I think it was a year ago I had Paul George pegged as the next breakout star in the NBA and there were posters telling me Nic is arguably even with him, and that they'd rather have Nic based on advanced stats or whatever. Unfortunately for them there's no advanced stat for talent. Paul George obviously had more if you ever watched him play. In the end Nic is Tayshaun Prince and not Shawn Marion Or...gasp... Scottie Pippen
Batum is hands down the 2nd best SF in the Western Conference. If a few Blazer fans can't avoid busting his chops about not being Kevin Durant, they should seriously consider being Thunder fans.
