Batum: If I can't find something better elsewhere, I'll stay in Portland.

[Eastoff]

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2012/05/trail-blazers-nicolas-batum-nba-links.html

But if I find something better elsewhere, I'll leave. The market opens July 1, so I really have the time to take my time and look at everything out there. I have about 10 teams in mind already (as possible destinations) but we'll have to see what happens.

Nice knowing you Nic.

 

[e_blazer]

You left this part out:

I don't want to leave Portland, but I'm going to look at everything and see what's best for me.

He's a professional basketball player, meaning he's going to do what's best for his career the same as you or I would. He likes Portland and doesn't want to go anywhere else, but if there's a better offer out there and the Blazers don't match it, he'd be stupid to pass it up. We fans can get caught up in the emotional attachment we have to our team, but it's best to remember that there aren't oaths of allegiance required when a player signs a contract. To look at it the other way around is also important: the Blazers are in it for the money too. They could have signed Nic to an extension this season, but wanted cap space and didn't want to get caught overpaying Batum. I hope that it works out that Nic stays here, but it's not the end of the world if he doesn't.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Agree with e_blazer. Good post!

 

[Reep]

I agree that his attitude sounds perfectly fine to me. He should take the best deal. If all is the same then he would be happy in Portland. But, he has to market himself to other teams too. He would be a fool to discourage other teams from making offers. And he isn't a fool.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Nic really has no real options. If Portland truly wants him then they can keep him. He certainly won't give Portland a "hometown" discount though, nor should he. Unless he absolutely hates Portland, which according to a source is not great for young Black males, he will stay if Portland wants him bad enough

 

[Eastoff]

I think he handled it appropriately as well. I just had hopes he might give a hometown discount.

 

[crandc]

Love how some people have to put a negative spin on everything Blazers, facts be damned.

 

[BBert]

Not to mention the Blazers are probably looking at 10 possible teams to trade him to in various scenarios. It works both ways. He'll be back.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Love how some people have to put a negative spin on everything Blazers, facts be damned.

You really start to wonder if some Blazers fans really believe it's a prerequisite to being a true Blazers fan.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

A sign & trade would be interesting with the Raptors.

The #8 pick for starters.

I just have this feeling that they are going to offer him more than what Paul is willing to put on the table (>$10M)

 

[The_Lillard_King]

The only thing I hope from Nic is that he doesn't jump on an offer right away and takes his time shopping the market.

Teams are cut throat, they know the Blazers situation. If I was another team, I would make the offer on July 1st and say you got 48 hrs to decide then offer withdrawn (Blazers less likely to match before trying to get a key FA).

But it is up to Batum to decide if he is going to accept an offer and hopefully he will give the Blazers a little time to do their thing before he signs an offer sheet.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

From John Hollinger:

Trail Blazers: Hollinger: Trail Blazers Understand Restricted Free Agency
"Exactly. Why negotiate against yourself? Restricted free agency gives you the option of letting the market, not the player, his agent, or even the team, set the price. There are rare situations -- the Wesley Matthews' restricted free agency with Utah, for instance -- in which a team can get burned by not locking up a player in advance of the free agent signing period, but when you've got cap room and a desire to re-sign said player, as the Trail Blazers currently do, there's little to no benefit of NOT going into restricted free agency."

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

But... but... but... Some of the posters on this board are saying the team blew it with Batum.

 

[Nikolokolus]

But... but... but... Some of the posters on this board are saying the team blew it with Batum.

I guess it could, assuming he gets a crazy offer in the first few hours of free agency. In which case they could renounce him and keep their cap flexibility but lose him for nothing, or they can match the offer which cuts down their cap room and they end up paying him way more than he's worth ... realistically I don't see teams throwing huge amounts of money at him (even to screw with the Blazers) because I don't think he exactly did enough individually to warrant a huge payday.

Bottom line: I think most teams pass on him after exploring sign and trade scenarios with Portland and he ends up staying here for about 8.5 - 9.5 million a year -- an over-payment but probably no worse than spending 10 million on Goran Dragic.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

So, if no free agents will come here even if we can offer the max (which has also been bandied about), why not overpay to retain Batum?

 

[Blaze01]

But... but... but... Some of the posters on this board are saying the team blew it with Batum.

They still are under a timeline where they have to sign the OTHER players they like quickly....

I think there is 7? to 10? days where teams can talk with agents\players? before they signing period begins...and then once a contract is offered to a player they have 3 days (instead of 7) to decide whether or not to match it....

If that is the case then it gives POR approximately 1 week +3 or so days to get players dialed in before some team offers Batum....

Once Batum is offered POR is on the clock as far as I am aware...

So they better get thier shit together in a hurry...

This is why it is important to have a GM in place right away and why it is more unrealistic to sign a guy like D-Will who will probably play the market

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

So, if no free agents will come here even if we can offer the max (which has also been bandied about), why not overpay to retain Batum?

Won't know if FA's would consider us until we try. And we can't try, if we don't have the means. At least now we have the cap space.

I love Batum, and hope we keep him. But overpaying just to overpay and keep him..... bad strategy. Especially when we can overpay and keep him now. We really lost nothing by letting him go to free agency.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Oh I agree we lost nothing by letting him go to free agency; what I'm saying is that, now that he's an RFA, there's no point in talking about price. We're going to match, either because he's the piece we need to compliment our new awesome PG, or we didn't sign anyone else and we're swinging at air.

 

[jlprk]

I kind of hope he goes. He's very replaceable and he's boring.

Unless a player's a superstar, I like to move them every couple of years. Same for coaches.

By a draftee's 2nd year, what you see is what you will ever get. Moving on through more coaches is the only way he'll improve. Batum is too comfortable here.

 

[HailBlazers]

His defense is unique, and with the right PG / coach he'll be much more valuable and exciting

 

[Tince]

The only thing I hope from Nic is that he doesn't jump on an offer right away and takes his time shopping the market.

Teams are cut throat, they know the Blazers situation. If I was another team, I would make the offer on July 1st and say you got 48 hrs to decide then offer withdrawn (Blazers less likely to match before trying to get a key FA).

But it is up to Batum to decide if he is going to accept an offer and hopefully he will give the Blazers a little time to do their thing before he signs an offer sheet.

I've heard the cut throat theory a few times, but it has one major hole in it:

The first 48 hours of free agency is the most important and a team isn't going to lock up their cap space during that time period just to mess with the Blazers and potentially lose out on their top target.

When Portland screwed Utah over I believe it was weeks into free agency. If we wait more than a week into our free agency to sign other players than we should get punished for such stupidity.

 

[Run BJM]

Batum's situation is interesting because its the first full offseason post-lockout. Teams may be more hesitant to throw big money at non-star wing players. Wilson Chandler just got 7.5 mils a year, how much different will Batum be from that realistically? Especially given his RFA status, teams will be taking themselves off the market for the period it takes PDX to match. Of course with a guy like Batum it only takes one GM to believe hes on the verge of being Scotty Pippen, as so many of you thought not too long ago (lol had to bring it up), and throw huge money at him.

 

[STOMP]

Batum's situation is interesting because its the first full offseason post-lockout. Teams may be more hesitant to throw big money at non-star wing players. Wilson Chandler just got 7.5 mils a year, how much different will Batum be from that realistically? Especially given his RFA status, teams will be taking themselves off the market for the period it takes PDX to match. Of course with a guy like Batum it only takes one GM to believe hes on the verge of being Scotty Pippen, as so many of you thought not too long ago (lol had to bring it up), and throw huge money at him.

look for Pippen comparisons to resume once he's retained... right now PDX fans are hoping for him and more. I don't think the comparison is that far off with one glaring exception... PIP could play point really well.

STOMP

 

[Sinobas]

look for Pippen comparisons to resume once he's retained. I don't think the comparison is that far off with one glaring exception... PIP could play point really well.

STOMP

Yeah. And Pippen is one of the greatest SFs of all time and Batum is an average player on a crappy team.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

He's more Stacey Augmon/Shane Battier than he is Pippen.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Btw, at the deadline the Sacramento Kings were one of the teams really interested in Batum.

A S&T with that team would be interesting.

 

[STOMP]

Yeah. And Pippen is one of the greatest SFs of all time and Batum is an average player on a crappy team.

glaring implies it's a major thing. If Pip didn't have that glaring exception going for him, he's an average starter. Btw, I'm for Nic being retained at about 8M per which is about an average amount for a starter

STOMP

 

[BBert]

He's more Stacey Augmon/Shane Battier than he is Pippen.

Do fans think that's not enough? If so they should blame themselves, not the players they expect too much from.

 

[Rhal]

I think a lot of people undervalue Batum on this board. Not from a player standpoint but from a league standpoint, a lot of teams and fan bases want this guy(I know weird to say on a Blazer board that is notorious for overvaluing him the last 3 years). He will be a very trade able asset for the first two years of his contract regardless of what it is outside of a Max/Near Max. His age and ability to play so many different positions an defend 1-4 and his three % has a lot of teams salivating. Every team is going to have a different view of what they can turn him into. He is one of the few really big gems in the market this year.
I'm all for signing him anywhere from from 11m and under and then shopping him around. I do also think its a mistake if we sign him for over 9m to keep him around long term. If its a big contract like 4/40 4/44m match it then start looking for trade partners for him as soon as possible.