Batman

[Boise Blazer]

I hope that dunk that he had last night was a light bulb moment on how he needs to take the ball to the hole. There are very few people in the league that would be able to block him without fouling him. And he shoots good from the line. Only good things can happen.

 

[BBert]

I hope that dunk that he had last night was a light bulb moment on how he needs to take the ball to the hole. There are very few people in the league that would be able to block him without fouling him. And he shoots good from the line. Only good things can happen.

There were two other times he took the ball hard to the hole like that. He does that more than people realize, I think. On the play where he stole the ball, dribbled it around the ref Globe Trotters style, then had his dunk attempt blocked -- that would have easily been the ESPN play of the day! So close!

 

[illmatic99]

Nico's going to need to take another 20 tonight. If he doesn't, Crawford will (shudder).

I think Crawful definitely will after he retweeted Camby saying JC needed to take more than 5 shots.

 

[PapaG]

Funny how you can set the narrative by which variables you choose to isolate.

Well, wins and losses come into play, of course, and in Roy's last healthy year, the Blazers were still 13th in DEF EFF, compared to 7th so far this year.

See what I did there...

 

[PapaG]

How the fuck can you support that conclusion based on team defensive efficiency??????

The Net Production stats at 82games.com tell a much different story.

Felton this season (before getting completely outplayed, once again, tonight) has a Net Production of -7.5.

Last year Miller had a Net Production of +4.1. Third best on the team behind Aldridge and Wallace.

For all the uninformed rhetoric from the Miller haters, the fact is he was rarely lit up by opposing PGs last season, not nearly as bad as Felton is getting outplayed on a nightly basis this year. You're blind hated of all things Andre Miller never ceases to amaze me. ALL the advanced stats point to the fact that Miller was CLEARLY and by a VERY wide margin, a MUCH better player than Raymond Felton, yet you stubbornly cling to some delusional fantasy that as bad as Felton sucks, he is somehow an upgrade over Andre Miller. Thinks that all you want. That doesn't make it true.

Our team defense is better this year for reasons that have nothing to do with Raymond Felton:

Full season of Gerald Wallace.
Healthier Marcus Camby missing far fewer games (so far - fingers crossed).
Greatly improved defensive play of LaMarcus Aldridge.
Wesley Mathews is the one who sucks on offense but has stepped up his defense. His Net Production is +4.9 and he's holding his opponents to PER of 8.6. Unlike Felton who's opponents are going off for a PER of 17.4.

BNM

You seem to have a pattern of making up things that posters don't post, and then spending multiple paragraphs debating that point that only exists in your head. At the end, you claim victory, but the reality is that I certainly don't think that Felton is any kind of upgrade over Miller. I was pointing out the team DEF EFF stats, and Felton, while horrific on offense, is part of a team that is more efficient on the defensive end than we saw when Miller was PG.

 

[illmatic99]

Showing the full offensive arsenal.

[video=youtube;DUnPqm5mN88]

 

[Minstrel]

Batum just needs to take more shot attempts. He has moves that allow him to separate, he doesn't need to wait for open catch-and-shoot opportunities. He can get around a screen and take step-back threes, he can post up guards, he can attack the hoop both in the middle of the court and along the baseline. And boy does he have the ability to finish.

Yeah, I mentioned the risks of pushing him to shoot more if he doesn't have the talent to sustain efficiency doing so (mook made a good reference to Travis Outlaw in that regard), but I think Batum very well might have the talent. He's also showing himself to be more adept at passing than in past seasons. Assuming his decision-making remains sound, I see little downside in having him use more of Portland's possessions.

 

[Blazinaway]

Batum just needs to take more shot attempts. He has moves that allow him to separate, he doesn't need to wait for open catch-and-shoot opportunities. He can get around a screen and take step-back threes, he can post up guards, he can attack the hoop both in the middle of the court and along the baseline. And boy does he have the ability to finish.

Yeah, I mentioned the risks of pushing him to shoot more if he doesn't have the talent to sustain efficiency doing so (mook made a good reference to Travis Outlaw in that regard), but I think Batum very well might have the talent. He's also showing himself to be more adept at passing than in past seasons. Assuming his decision-making remains sound, I see little downside in having him use more of Portland's possessions.

If he keeps this up and I certainly think he will he is going to get a very nice pay day, the Blazers may wish they got signed him in January.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

If he keeps this up and I certainly think he will he is going to get a very nice pay day, the Blazers may wish they got signed him in January.

Possibly, but that may have been a strategic move. His cap hold for this summer is only $5.3M--anything he would have accepted in January would have started significantly higher. We may have to pay him more this summer than we would have last month, but we may also have significantly more available with which to sign other players (if we don't have to match another team's big offer too early in the FA period).

 

[Boise Blazer]

If he keeps this up and I certainly think he will he is going to get a very nice pay day, the Blazers may wish they got signed him in January.

I dont want to say that I "knew" this at time but I highly suspected it and I still hope that it doesnt backfire on us

 

[mook]

Batum just needs to take more shot attempts. He has moves that allow him to separate, he doesn't need to wait for open catch-and-shoot opportunities. He can get around a screen and take step-back threes, he can post up guards, he can attack the hoop both in the middle of the court and along the baseline. And boy does he have the ability to finish.

Yeah, I mentioned the risks of pushing him to shoot more if he doesn't have the talent to sustain efficiency doing so (mook made a good reference to Travis Outlaw in that regard), but I think Batum very well might have the talent. He's also showing himself to be more adept at passing than in past seasons. Assuming his decision-making remains sound, I see little downside in having him use more of Portland's possessions.

Yeah, I just have a feeling the team was gunshy after Outlaw. But really, Batum has so many more scoring tools to work with. Outlaw had basically the 3 pointer and the one-dribble pull up jumper. When all you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail. So he throws those two shots out there regardlesss of circumstance, and the result is pretty poor efficiency. Batum has those two shots, the dribble drive, the post up, the pass....he's becoming a pretty complete offensive player. He just doesn't use those talents enough.

Also, it was a matter of circumstance. When Outlaw came along we had Randolph and a bunch of scrubs. Our best hope was that Outlaw with all his amazing athleticism could become a superstar. (Dark days indeed.) Batum came along in the Roy/Aldridge/Oden era, when all we needed was an uber-role player. That time has clearly passed, and it's time to ask a lot more out of him.

Batum doesn't need to be another Brandon Roy, but he's got to set his sights a lot higher than the next Tayshaun Prince.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Yeah, I just have a feeling the team was gunshy after Outlaw. But really, Batum has so many more scoring tools to work with. Outlaw had basically the 3 pointer and the one-dribble pull up jumper. When all you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail. So he throws those two shots out there regardlesss of circumstance, and the result is pretty poor efficiency. Batum has those two shots, the dribble drive, the post up, the pass....he's becoming a pretty complete offensive player. He just doesn't use those talents enough.

Also, it was a matter of circumstance. When Outlaw came along we had Randolph and a bunch of scrubs. Our best hope was that Outlaw with all his amazing athleticism could become a superstar. (Dark days indeed.) Batum came along in the Roy/Aldridge/Oden era, when all we needed was an uber-role player. That time has clearly passed, and it's time to ask a lot more out of him.

Batum doesn't need to be another Brandon Roy, but he's got to set his sights a lot higher than the next Tayshaun Prince.

The path forward for Nic is repetition and a plan that tries to take advantage of his talents. The "Thin Man" comparison is apt and I think completely attainable, but so much of it is going to depend on A) Nic trying to stay aggressive even coming off the bench -- assuming his stint at 2 guard isn't permanent -- which can be tough for a rhythm player who's used to being 4th fiddle in a starting lineup and B) Nate being willing to live with some bumps in the road as Nic acclimates to a new role. I'm somewhat confident in the first and maybe not so much in the second, but we'll see what happens I guess?

 

[Boob-No-More]

A few other stats for the Batum fans:

He is currently 14th in the entire league in TS% (.595) and 18th in eFG% (.539).

He is 11th in the league in ORtg (116.6) and 14th in WS/48 (.196).

For the month of February, he is averaging 18.1 PPG in 32.5 MPG.

As a starter (small sample size), he is averaging 21.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 2.3 APG.

When he plays 40+ MPG, he averages 22.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 2.0 APG.

BNM

 

[magnifier661]

A few other stats for the Batum fans:

He is currently 14th in the entire league in TS% (.595) and 18th in eFG% (.539).

He is 11th in the league in ORtg (116.6) and 14th in WS/48 (.196).

For the month of February, he is averaging 18.1 PPG in 32.5 MPG.

As a starter (small sample size), he is averaging 21.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 2.3 APG.

When he plays 40+ MPG, he averages 22.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 2.0 APG.

BNM

I liked how Nate went small against Golden State. Wallace moved to PF and Batum started at SF. I think that's a good line-up. When Aldridge gets back; we should have Camby come off the bench and start Aldridge at center. I think we have Batum able to feed Aldridge on the wing; which should free up Aldridge more. Wallace isn't consistent enough from the perimeter to keep the D honest.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I liked how Nate went small against Golden State. Wallace moved to PF and Batum started at SF. I think that's a good line-up. When Aldridge gets back; we should have Camby come off the bench and start Aldridge at center. I think we have Batum able to feed Aldridge on the wing; which should free up Aldridge more. Wallace isn't consistent enough from the perimeter to keep the D honest.

So essentially, you want to bench Camby in favor of Matthews? Hmmm...

 

[magnifier661]

So essentially, you want to bench Camby in favor of Matthews? Hmmm...

No I would rather bench Matthews; but I doubt Nate will.

 

[RoyToy]

Batum just needs to take more shot attempts. He has moves that allow him to separate, he doesn't need to wait for open catch-and-shoot opportunities. He can get around a screen and take step-back threes, he can post up guards, he can attack the hoop both in the middle of the court and along the baseline. And boy does he have the ability to finish.

Yeah, I mentioned the risks of pushing him to shoot more if he doesn't have the talent to sustain efficiency doing so (mook made a good reference to Travis Outlaw in that regard), but I think Batum very well might have the talent. He's also showing himself to be more adept at passing than in past seasons. Assuming his decision-making remains sound, I see little downside in having him use more of Portland's possessions.

This is the key issue for Nic that will make me change my opinion of him. I think so far he's shown he's pretty limited at this skill.

I don't really care what his averages will be given more minutes. If his ability to create his own shots when guarded 1on1 don't improve then my opinion won't really change on him.

 

[MickZagger]

This is the key issue for Nic that will make me change my opinion of him. I think so far he's shown he's pretty limited at this skill.

I don't really care what his averages will be given more minutes. If his ability to create his own shots when guarded 1on1 don't improve then my opinion won't really change on him.

You're on an island all by yourself in your opinion of him.

Its okay, you can come out.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I don't think Nic is ever going to be a great one-on-one scorer, so if that's the criteria RoyToy is going to cleave to as whether or not he "changes his mind" about him, I guess he's always going to be a borderline shitty player.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I don't think Nic is ever going to be a great one-on-one scorer, so if that's the criteria RoyToy is going to cleave to as whether or not he "changes his mind" about him, I guess he's always going to be a borderline shitty player.

I don't expect him to be a great one-on-one scorer, but I do see the potential to be a very solid number two option. In the past two seasons he's gone from strictly a spot-up feet set jump shooter to someone who can ball fake, take one dribble and pop, to someone who is now putting the ball on the floor and attacking the paint. That's significant progress. Stats be damned. Just watching him now compared to two seasons ago shows how much he's improved - and the stats only back that up.

Combine his improved offense with his defense, court awareness and young age and he still has a lot more "upside".

I think playing in Europe the past two offseasons has REALLY helped his game. He's had to take a bigger roll on those teams, has played more shooting guard, handled the ball more and played for coaches who see him as more than just a young kid to park in the corner for the kick-out 3.

BNM

 

[Minstrel]

This is the key issue for Nic that will make me change my opinion of him. I think so far he's shown he's pretty limited at this skill.

Coming into the season, I'd have agreed with you on that (though I didn't share your overall low opinion of Batum). This season, he has shown much better ability to do that. If you want to say, "Show it for a longer, sustained period," that's fine. But I think it would be disingenuous to claim that "so far" he's shown himself to be limited, as if this season doesn't count. This season is not enough to conclusively pronounce that he can create plays for himself and others (the measure of offensive impact) long-term, but he has been showing the skill and it's not like a random bolt from the blue...not only is he a young player who's improving at an age where you'd expect improvement, he's also shown similar skills before, either in flashes at the NBA level or more lastingly at the admittedly lower competition level of international basketball. Doing it for Team France isn't the same thing as doing it in the NBA, of course, but it also provides context that suggests that this is not necessarily something to mistrust as random variation.

 

[THE HCP]

A few other stats for the Batum fans:

He is currently 14th in the entire league in TS% (.595) and 18th in eFG% (.539).

He is 11th in the league in ORtg (116.6) and 14th in WS/48 (.196).

For the month of February, he is averaging 18.1 PPG in 32.5 MPG.

As a starter (small sample size), he is averaging 21.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 2.3 APG.

When he plays 40+ MPG, he averages 22.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 2.0 APG.

BNM

Then why do a couple suckas on here hate on him so much?

 

[TripTango]

I think Crawful definitely will after he retweeted Camby saying JC needed to take more than 5 shots.

I agree with Camby that Crawford needs more than 5 shots. The good news is that if they divvy up Felton's attempts there should be more than enough to go around!

 

[Nikolokolus]

I don't expect him to be a great one-on-one scorer, but I do see the potential to be a very solid number two option. In the past two seasons he's gone from strictly a spot-up feet set jump shooter to someone who can ball fake, take one dribble and pop, to someone who is now putting the ball on the floor and attacking the paint. That's significant progress. Stats be damned. Just watching him now compared to two seasons ago shows how much he's improved - and the stats only back that up.

Combine his improved offense with his defense, court awareness and young age and he still has a lot more "upside".

I think playing in Europe the past two offseasons has REALLY helped his game. He's had to take a bigger roll on those teams, has played more shooting guard, handled the ball more and played for coaches who see him as more than just a young kid to park in the corner for the kick-out 3.

BNM

Oh, I completely agree, I was just finding it interesting how some people really seem to gravitate to the ability to go mano y mano as the primary test for whether or not a player can be good or even great.

Minus a few quibbles with his motor and level of aggression, I find his game eminently watchable and mostly expect good things to happen when he's on the floor. He just strikes me as the kind of kid that needs time on the court and a consistent plan for development to help him reach his potential by using him in ways that cater to his strengths (post-entry passing, shooting, defense, posting up, etc.) vs. the "go stand in the corner and shoot" offense that Nate prefers for his small forwards. That aint gonna get it done.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Oh, I completely agree, I was just finding it interesting how some people really seem to gravitate to the ability to go mano y mano as the primary test for whether or not a player can be good or even great.

Minus a few quibbles with his motor and level of aggression, I find his game eminently watchable and mostly expect good things to happen when he's on the floor. He just strikes me as the kind of kid that needs time on the court and a consistent plan for development to help him reach his potential by using him in ways that cater to his strengths (post-entry passing, shooting, defense, posting up, etc.) vs. the "go stand in the corner and shoot" offense that Nate prefers for his small forwards. That aint gonna get it done.

So, how much of Batum's improvement do you think has come from playing in Europe the past two seasons vs. how much has comes from playing for Nate.

Personally, I think it almost ALL comes from playing in Europe, where he's given a bigger role and expected to contribute more.

Nate needs to take that same approach. How can the kid improve if you don't challenge him to try new things? Maybe, that's the silver lining to how bad our guards suck this season. Maybe Nate will be forced to play Batum at the 2, which will create new, different opportunities and challenges for him.

BNM

 

[MickZagger]

Then why do a couple suckas on here hate on him so much?

It tells more about their hoops knowledge more than anything else, really.

 

[MickZagger]

Nic's looking great in the SG role. It was never a question.

 

[Boob-No-More]

A few other stats for the Batum fans:

He is currently 14th in the entire league in TS% (.595) and 18th in eFG% (.539).

He is 11th in the league in ORtg (116.6) and 14th in WS/48 (.196).

For the month of February, he is averaging 18.1 PPG in 32.5 MPG.

As a starter (small sample size), he is averaging 21.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 2.3 APG.

When he plays 40+ MPG, he averages 22.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 2.0 APG.

BNM

Update:

Batum has moved into the top 20 (19th) in 3FG Made at 52.

He is currently 13th in the entire league in TS% (.598) and 15th in eFG% (.549).

He is 9th in the league in ORtg (116.5) and 12th in WS/48 (.199).

For the month of February, he is averaging 18.7 PPG in 33.4 MPG.

As a starter (small sample size), he is averaging 21.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 1.6 APG.

When he plays 40+ MPG, he averages 22.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 2.0 APG.

He also has as many BLK (13) and more STL (16) in 9 games in February than he did in 18 games in January.

BNM

 

[Nikolokolus]

If this keeps up he's going to be a very well-paid small forward in about 4 months.

 

[illmatic99]

If you haven't already, you should be subscribed to thebatumconnection by now.

[video=youtube;Yo333-lzy-o]