With out a doubt Batum has benefited from Stott's system. While I am new here, I did notice one member here who had a signature where it essentially said "Nobody puts Batum in a corner!" obviously referencing Dirty Dancing. That just about sums up McMillans offense versus Stotts's offense. Coach Stotts IMO, has done a magnificent job in assessing the team and players and then giving each player a role. The best I have seen since Dunleavy days and of the course the Doctor Jack Ramsey. The only knock I have on Batum is he just isn't aggressive enough overall. I so wish that he was born here in the United States versus overseas because he would (IMO) have a little bit more street ball in him or just aggression overall. I have met him in person and he's a really nice guy and a stand up guy as well.
Yep but that is a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE, gamble. I can't stress HUGE enough. If we were a bigger city like Chicago, LA, or NY then I wouldn't fret over it as much.
I was being sarcastic but honestly if he wants to win the next 4 rings and he's willing to take a huge paycut Portland would be as good a place as any. Saying he'd be a perfect fit here is obvious but hey. He'd be a perfect here.
I'm really not in love with either player. Personally, I really like American born and raised basketball players (With some exception; Mark Gasol), they just miss that element of the American street-ball attitude and Batum is clearly (To me) missing that ingredient.
http://realcavsfans.com/showthread.php?43677-My-Trade-Deadline-moves My Trade Deadline moves Although I haven't posted here in awhile I was getting on the trade Waiters or Irving train for awhile and am now getting off it until at earliest next trade deadline. With that said and based on some of the rumors plus how teams are going here is what I think: Trade Deng to Portland for Batum. -Right now Deng is the better player and will probably remain so for a few more years and helps Portland in the playoffs more than Batum could. For us we get a young SF with some well rounded skills that would fit well in this team. He is also locked up for the next 2 years after this one. Trade Andy and Jack to Portland for Okafer and Len. -Going into the season they were looking like tankers and well it didn't work out. Losing Bledsoe hurts so getting a back up combo guard who has shown to be very capable on a playoff team in Jack will help them and Andy would improve their front court either as a starter or a high energy guy off the bench for them. We get the expiring contract of Okafer out of it and a young center that is getting minimal minutes currently but could develop nicely in the future. That would give us a roster of: PG-Irving/Della SG-Waiters/Miles SF-Batum/Clark PF-Bennett/TT C-Zeller/Len That is also the starting line-up that I would run with. Sure it might not work at first but it's worth a try and gives us a look at what 4/5 of the pieces expected to be big players for the future look together. This also doesn't keep us from going into the draft closed to drafting any player at any position, to include PG.
Could someone else please write a scathing retort to this; I just don't have the energy and mean-spiritness that it would require.
I'm sorry but that's just horseshit. "More street ball" doesn't mean more aggressive, it just means more selfish. So maybe if you want Shabazz Muhammad, fine. But I don't think anyone wishes Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili could've benefited from street ball a bit more. I agree that Batum is deferent almost to a fault, but that's not because he's French, it's because he's a team player. Let's not forget this, shall we:
