another interview with him. Don't freak out about some of the comments (about wanting to be more showy, I think) I had a hard time translating some parts. I'm pretty sure he participated in some And 1 type of thing and that's just what he's talking about. My comments [in brackets]. So, have you gotten to know Portland? Yes, my move went well. I was a little apprehensive about my adaptation but Portland is a well organized team, very structured and since I left the airport they've held my hand. They were very welcoming. My mother hasn't arrived yet because she's waiting for her visa but it's fine because we've gotten everything very quickly. I have my house, my car, I'm settled. I wanted to do that fairly quickly to be calm and concentrate on basketball. Training camp begins soon and I wanted to arrive early to prepare myself. What did you do this summer? I came back from the summer league July 22nd and since then I've taken a vacation. It's good because I've had two crazy months. In fact, I didn't stop at the end of the season. During my vacation I took a little break from basketball. Since August 22nd, I've been in Portland working hard. For the moment, it's individual training and games in the morning. There's only one training session each day but for me it's actually two. From the end of September to the beginning of October there's training camp. We'll take on the pre-season the 12th and after that it begins! What areas do you want to work on for your first season in the NBA? My pre-season will be centered on my physique because it's going to progress very quickly. I don't have a precise objective in term of muscle gain but just become stronger, have a weight that's going to help me in a game. As a result, I lift weights for an hour and a half every day. I'm also going to work a lot on my shot. I also need to adapt to their game. There aren't many shooting positions and as soon as you get the ball you have to take a shot immediately. The game is a lot more individualistic than in Europe, which I'm not really accustomed to yet. You already have a good shot, what more will you learn with the Blazers? In fact, I'm learning to shoot while tired. I don't shoot at the beginning of training anymore but always after. It's really interesting and going back to the basics isn't a bad thing. I know I have a good shot but the three point line is further out and that's what I need to work on. Your goal for this first season? Of course I hope to get some minutes but I'm here in particular to learn a lot. It's a year of learning to really be ready for next season. Portland's aiming for the playoffs? Yes, that's clear. We have a very very young team, one of the most exciting this season. The experts talk about it a lot and the season previews call us one of the three teams to follow. We have the star Greg Oden, who can finally play. Rudy Fernandez, Jerryd Bayless and myself who arrive, others who need to establish themselves. It's a very exciting team, it's going to be a great season. Where did the number 88 come from? I wanted #5 but Rudy had already taken it. #33 was James Jones' number before leaving. And #8 was already on Webster's back. I was at the draft with my best friend and he suggested my birthday. #14 (he was born December 14th 1988) wasn't very fun so I decided on 88. As you can see through events like the Adidas NBA 5IVE Tour, the NBA really is something else? It has nothing to do with the Pro A [top French league]. It's another world. It's a show but above all it's a business. I think that that the sporting side has been neglected, except when the playoffs start. The “show” part is emphasized but that's just the way it is. And besides it's fun and exciting! So are you going to loosen up more [embrace the “show” part of the NBA]? I think that it's going to come in time. I was already beginning to let loose with Le Mans at the end of the season in the last 3 or four games. In the NBA, the game and the atmosphere encourage you to express yourself more because those are very often the plays that make the highlights. This year, I especially want to watch and next year I'll let loose. Is your Euroleague experience a real plus in the NBA? In the Euroleague, I learned about the difficulty facing old veterans. The NBA isn't the same as a the Euroleague but I'm sure that it will help guys like me or Gallinari. Last year, you had big responsibilities with Le Mans, in Portland that's going to be very different. My first professional season with MSB [Le Mans Sarthe Basket], I was nothing. I got the crumbs left over from Kenny Gregory, who was the star of the team. That's a bit of what I'm going to do this year in Portland. I know how it works. I'm only 19 and I still have time. If I blow up in four years [even if it takes me 4 years to reach my potential], it's not the end of the world because I'll only be 23. I have the time to progress.
Great stuff. Thanks for passing it on. I think Batum has the ability to become a shutdown wing defender.
I wonder how he will take it when the DNP's pile up one after another after another... That's one of the downsides to the 15 man roster.
The biggest thing I worry about with Batum, and I've been a fan of his since the 2007 Hoops Summit, is his approach to the game. He turned down being a lottery pick in 2007 because he wanted to go back to France and become a better player. However, he didn't step up his game that much.
On most nights? None. On blowouts (either direction) 1-3 minutes. He has potential, but is not strong or skilled enough to step on the court this year. The best he could hope for is to become a Prince-type defender toward the end of the season and maybe he would get some defensive burn.
Good interview. Thanks. I wonder if he'll spend time in the developmental league, rather than riding the pines as the 13th or 14th guy... Ed O.
In that case, ship him off to Europe, where he'd get plenty of playing time. And appreciate your answer Reep.
I just hope that he's more impressive than his summer league performance. He could be good insurance if we have to trade Webster or Outlaw in a year or so.
That is kind of the mystery here. Batum would have been the perfect EuroStash, but it sounds like he absolutely didn't want to stay over there. Maybe Pritchard thought that his primary development need was weights and that the Blazer crew could do a better job.
I realllllly like this kid. If he would of declared two years ago he would of been lotto. Big steal IMO.
Batum has a blog here, translated below. Obviously it was written before the first pre-season game I've been in Portland since August 22nd and since I've only had 3 days off when I went to Paris for the NBA 5five Adidas. Otherwise it's work, weights, shooting, and weights, almost 8 hours a day. Even at the Rookie Transition program (where there were the three stoners ) I practiced with Alexis. But anyway since Monday, the preseason began with training camp. It's crazy how haaaaarrrrrddd it is. We run everywhere, all the time. Basically, a typical day, it's 10 am - 12 pm and 6 pm – 7:30 pm. But for me, it's 8 am - 1 pm and 4 – 9 p, so I'm exhausted, but I have to do it, I can only succeed like that. Basically, it's 8-8:30 shooting and dribbling, 8:30-9:30 weights, and 9:30-10 shooting. Then, the team training and, from noon to 1pm shooting, shooting, and shooting. The afternoon is similar. After a good nap, 4-5pm weights, 5-6pm dribbling and shooting and after the team training I spend another hour on my shot. And it's like that every day. Last Tuesday we had the famous conditioning test, it was hard! You have to run the length of the court 10 times (or 5 there and back) in under a minute but you have 5 sets with 2 minutes of rest between each one. I did : 55 sec, 57 sec, 59 sec et 60 sec. I was really happy to have succeeded because 6 out of 16 players succeeded. Overall, my time was +9 sec (5+3+1+0) but the record was set by Sergio Rodriguez : + 21 sec. As for the team training, we constantly work on defense, because certainly we're a very young and talented team, but if we defend like were sick, things won't go well. That's why coach McMillan talks to us a lot about Boston last year or the Spurs. Personally, they want me to be a defensive player because they find that I understand the game and the movement of players well. That's why I only defend Rudy, Outlaw, and especially B-Roy. He's very, very good, it's crazy, but it's good it makes me progress a great deal. Otherwise in general, everything's good. I get along with everyone. Especially with the 2 Spaniards and Oden. Yes, nobody believes me when I say that we were born the same year ;-). He's really a chill guy and as I sit next to him in the locker room, we get along well. Among the players that have impressed me, there's Brandon Roy the All-Star, he has an enormous amount of confidence in himself and an impressive level of maturity, and he's a true leader. But aside from B-Roy, the player who's impressed me the most is LaMarcus Aldridge, alias L.A.12. He's reached a level already impressive enough it won't take him long to be an All-Star. He can do everything at the 4, he's mobile like Garnett. Together with Oden they can cause some damage in the years to come, and even quicker then you'd think. More personally, the coaches want me to play my game, that I take my shots and that I defend hard. Friday we had a scrimmage between us..... in front of 15,000 people and I finished best stealer with 4 defending Roy for 20 minutes. Coach McMillan really appreciated my commitment and my desire, especially in defense and on offensive rebounds. My stats : 6 points (3-8, 0-2 from three), 6 rebounds 4 of which were offensive, 2 assists and 4 steals in 24 minutes. But my team lost by 6 points, 74-68 and LA12 was picked as MVP. But for my first game with my new team, I'm satisfied with myself, especially that the players really went for the win to the end. Overall, I like the world of the NBA that I'm discovering little by little, and that's why I'm working hard every day so that I don't go (like I hear a lot in France....) to the D-league. I don't want to have any regrets. Voila for the instant, see you soon.
Dude....that is awesome. Wow. He's going to challenge Frye for the best Blazers blog. I really like what this kid is saying. Very impressed. And now with Webster out for (who knows) amount of time, Batum has a chance to get some early season PT to prove himself. I hope the kid succeeds. I'm digging his 'tude.
So what's your deal? Are you just a Batum fan? How come? Thanks for providing this information. Very much appreciated.
Just spent a month on a French warship in Africa...they didn't have any idea who Nico was. Basketball's behind soccer, rugby and cycling over there. Would love to meet the guy...seems pretty cool.
Batum looks like he can play this year. He really looks like a different player than what we saw in Vegas this summer. He has a high bball IQ and passing ability. I can only imagine how good he's going to be in 2-3 years. Btw, his 6'9" frame with a 7'4" wingspan is crazy! At only 19 he could still be growing too.
