The Batum tracker thread

I'm hoping tonight cemented it. We need additional help on the wing. I don't think Batum is going to be traded but I do think the front office and the coaching staff have to be concerned. Batum cannot be counted on. He just can't. I don't think he will be traded because Olshey has shown a reluctance to make a big mid-season move but I think it can't be disputed that relying on Batum to produce is just asinine. Getting a Chandler or Afflalo and taking some of Batum's minutes could at least yield better production from that spot. His demeanor just doesn't fit this team and I know LA and Lillard are thinking to themselves that this guy just isn't pulling his own weight on the team. They need to speak up to Neil and make a move if we have a chance at getting far in the Playoffs.

 

Batum was fricking AWFUL last night. 2 airballs back to back and then a lazy ass dribble turnover.... if those plays didn't happen, different ballgame.

 

I get the whole appeasing your players and taking care of their egos thing. I also get that we're winning right now. But a Nic benching might be in order. He needs a swift kick in the pants to get his game right. Totally agree with starting Crabbe.

 

Not just his shot man. He's gotten more careless and his on ball D is suffering as well. He just looks disinterested and tired.

Could be a combo of things including fatigue from no summers off, his health, Wes taking some of his third banana shine, or even his messy divorce. Whatever it is, dude needs to get right because we aren't going far in the playoffs with him playing this shitty.

 

It's been a couple weeks but I went through Nic's season as a whole. Injuries are one thing but he had scored over 12 points something like twice. If his wrist hurts, rest him but if he is going to be out there, work your ass off like the rest of the team. The one thing he did do was get a few rebounds but in going back and looking, almost all of those were uncontested that kind of bounced to him. Just as many times, I saw him standing 15' from the basket watching as the ball was tipped around or offensive rebounds were grabbed by the Clips....just no hustle whatsoever.

He will pick his spots and once in a while try a chase down block or swoop in for a tip but it is so rare and far between right now. Then again, that has been the story of his career. Just before, he had more high notes and more often but it's not like he was every a consistent player night after night. If it is because he is tired, stop playing year round. You have an obligation to the team paying you.

If it's an injury, rest if it is so bad. If it is something that hurts, play through it like the rest of your teammates. Lillard and Wes are tough as hell by comparison. If it is your divorce, pull up your big boy pants and don't be so mentally soft....the majority of people have been through one. I'm just tired of the excuses and the lack of effort. I could live with poor shooting if he was giving it his all elsewhere but that is entirely not the case this season.

 

When we pass the ball around the perimeter dude is hesitating or passing open looks. Dorell wright or Allen crabbe would take those shots without hesitation and definitely should them at a higher clip than batum is right now. Sit his ass down until he gets his game right.

Honestly. When crabbe got the starts, the only thing I found myself missing batum was inbounds passes at the end of the game

 

I wonder if it's worth it to shut him down for 2 weeks like CLE did with Bron. Just let him recuperate and get his mind/body right.

 

Nic's played poorly this season, but if you're going to replace him you need to consider a couple of things.

1) He's a secondary ball handler in a group that doesn't handle it that well outside of Dame. Love Wes, but that's not his game. More and more we're seeing teams trap Dame to get the ball out of his hands, & we see some pretty ugly possesions. Even when Nic isn't shooting well he's the only wing we have that can dribble penetrate and break down the defense. Think about the last Game at OKC that we came back and stole when Nic was out. Up 13 at half to down 13 with 5 min left. Thunder started trapping in 3rd Qtr & forced Dame to give it up & it got real ugly. Couldn't even run plays. Without a secondary ball handler the Thunder were overplaying every pass and we couldnt solve it. Thankfully they went away from this and Dame Time happened. Nic isn't Steve Nash like with the ball, but he's the closest thing to a playmaker we have outside of Dame. Whoever you replace him with needs to be able to break down a defense, finish at the basket reasonably well, & find open cutters/shooters.

2) He's a versatile defender. In the West that is loaded with elite PGs it's a luxury to be able to put Nic on them at times. Dame has gotten better defensively, but it's a lot to ask of him to dig in defensively & fight through screen after screen down the stretch of games + give us Dame Time at the other end. Nic is long and moves his feet well enough to stay in front of guys like TP (at least for short spurts) and can be a disruptive force on that side of the ball, even if he's having a 2-9 night with 5 t/o. How many SFs can you say that about?

We can only speculate what is wrong with Nic this season (the wrist? Messy divorce? Playing in Europe all summer/no offseason?) It's been frustrating to watch. When he's right, he does a lot of things for this team that are hard to replace with 1 guy. Can Wilson Chandler be that guy? I'm skeptical because it seems like he's always injured. Haven't seen him facilitate for others much either, or lock up Tony Parker down the stretch of a close game. If we're going to make a move we have to be sure it's for the right guy with a specific skill set. No margin for error at this point with how tough the West is & the make-up of our current roster. The starting 5 has a chemistry that you don't see very often, which is why I would love to see Nic return to form more than anything. But at the same time we can't waste this season if the right guy is out there & available. We are in the "window" of making a run at a championship.

 

I agree with all of this, but it is obvious that opposing teams are laying off of Nic, knowing that he's unlikely to shoot (or make) an outside shot. The Clippers were able to get away with doubling Dame because of this. Nic brings a lot to the table, but the Blazers won't be able to keep winning against the better teams in the league unless Nic improves a lot, or Olshey finds another wing who can cover until Nic gets right.

 

And I would prefer that Nic's(and every other international player's) contract didn't specifically ban the team(s) from pressuring him(them) to forgo playing for their home country(ies).

 

If he's hurt take some time off. We're making the playoffs with Crabbe starting better to get healthy. Against teams with mediocre wings such as the Clippers we could even start Blake.

If his wrist is ok and I'm Stotts I consider bringing him off the bench. Not as punishment or anything just as a change of routine to give him a fresh opportunity. If he can excel off the bench then we can put him back in the starting lineup. I'm not sure if Batum's personality will respond positively to that change though.

 

It's just SO frustrating watching him play this year, if we had Nic of the past couple years we'd not have lost a few games we did and would have won many others much easier. Seems like he is both physically and emotionally "injured", I'm for letting him take time off and fix that wrist - what the heck is the diagnosis there? If we want to have a good shot at going far in the playoffs we need him healthy, this version frankly sucks. And I remain onboard for trying to add a vet wing to bolster our bench and basically for "Nic insurance".

 

5 pts
5 turnovers

He's even running the court at half-speed.

Need I remind you that he's being paid $11m this season?

 

Nic is starting to dodge the media after games like the plague.

He's starting to act odd.

 

Six straight years of basketball without a significant break. He needs to catch the flu and sleep for four or five days.

 

@JabariJYoung: Batum not making any excuses...told me the way he's playing is "unacceptable" #Blazers

Yeah he's really dodging the media

 

You missed the Oregonian blurb about Nic dodging the media at home games.

Where is he going to hide in San Antonio - the bus?

 

I think Nic knows but fixing it isn't always as easy as knowing it's broke

 

Instead of all the whining we are doing about Batum we should be pissed at Stotts (or the Blazers as a whole) for not doing the right thing here and sitting Nic down so he gets right.

Players get hurt all the time in the NBA and they want to play. It is up to the Coach and management to not let them play if they aren't helping the team.