Batum ranked 13th on Yahoo's top 30 sf list

[santeesioux]

13. Nicolas Batum(notes), Portland Trail Blazers (last year: 30th)

Before you accuse me of getting a bit batty with Nic, understand that this 21-year-old made 41 percent of his 3-pointers last season, coming through with double-figure scoring despite playing just half a game. Toss in the kid's good defense and (hopeful) ability to develop an NBA-level in-between game, and you could have a real comer for 2010-11.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...t=Ar1R4FRKvja4QkZ7hIdGuIS8vLYF?urn=nba-264472

 

[hasoos]

Talk is cheap. We need him to step up and back it up.

 

[Sex Panther]

Ya, enough of that PER argument, I want some (actual) numbers coming from him before people actually have to think twice about packaging him for Chris Paul.

 

[RoyToy]

I'm ready to see something from Batum this year as well.

He's pretty much done as much as you can ask for his first two years in the league. Now it's time to take the next step. Regardless of how people think he is used, right now you can't rely on him to create his own offense. I'd like to see him improve in that area this season, because right now it's almost non-existent.

 

[BGrantFan]

Talk is cheap. We need him to step up and back it up.

Back up what? Being called the 13th best starting SF in the NBA? Seems his PER is above that ranking. If anything, he'd have to play worse in order to live down to being an average SF.

 

[Ed O]

Rankings like this don't mean much, but if he can be the 13th-best starting small forward this year (at age 21/22, remember) I think that we should all be delighted as Blazers fans.

Ed O.

 

[craigehlo]

I can't take any list seriously that ranks Travis Outlaw above Trevor Ariza. TO isn't even in the top 20.

 

[maxiep]

Nic's biggest impact is tough to define statistically. He's the jello that holds the ambrosia together.

 

[THE HCP]

I think that on a team as deep as ours, Nic's value will never be proved thru his stats.

 

[Nhawz]

Love Batum and I think he will be a very respectable if not a star player in this league, but other than his defense he hasnt proven anything to me to warrant this type of rating so far.

 

[Minstrel]

Nic's biggest impact is tough to define statistically. He's the jello that holds the ambrosia together.

Good analogy. I am a little uncomfortable with Roy and Oden being marshmallows in this analogy, though, considering their injury histories.

 

[hasoos]

Back up what? Being called the 13th best starting SF in the NBA? Seems his PER is above that ranking. If anything, he'd have to play worse in order to live down to being an average SF.

No what I am saying is the article is correct. A lot of folks on this board make Batum out to be more than he is, even though he really hasn't done anything other than play good defense from time to time. Athletic? Yep. Good Defender? Yep. PER means little to me. Results do. I like players that find a way to win, and find a way to make plays when they need to.

 

[BGrantFan]

No what I am saying is the article is correct. A lot of folks on this board make Batum out to be more than he is, even though he really hasn't done anything other than play good defense from time to time. Athletic? Yep. Good Defender? Yep. PER means little to me. Results do. I like players that find a way to win, and find a way to make plays when they need to.

We agree, then. Still, at age 21, and with a developing game, I'll take Nic being a middle-of-the-pack SF right now.

 

[oldmangrouch]

We agree, then. Still, at age 21, and with a developing game, I'll take Nic being a middle-of-the-pack SF right now.

+1

At this point, I believe the worst case for Batum is as a Battier type glue player - and the best case could be darn good!

 

[THE HCP]

I don't need nic to be a star! Fill a role this team needs for us to win is all I need. Every player we acquire can't be all star!

 

[Minstrel]

I don't need nic to be a star! Fill a role this team needs for us to win is all I need. Every player we acquire can't be all star!

True. But Nic is going to be a star!

 

[Luther]

Hm. Nic is better than Ron Artest? I like our young guy but that is a load of shit.

 

[STOMP]

I can't take any list seriously that ranks Travis Outlaw above Trevor Ariza. TO isn't even in the top 20.

pretty interesting head to head career stats comparison

Ariza didn't do too well last year in Houston and Travis now enjoys the benefits of the East Coast bias pumping him up... in the end, it's just an opinion

STOMP

 

[STOMP]

Hm. Nic is better than Ron Artest? I like our young guy but that is a load of shit.

Artest had some good games in the finals but pretty much sucked during the regular season. Easily his worst year. He's not getting any younger

STOMP

 

[Minstrel]

Hm. Nic is better than Ron Artest? I like our young guy but that is a load of shit.

Artest is a tremendously inefficient scorer who fancies himself a first- or second-option. In addition, his defense has slipped quite a bit from his prime. A prime Artest was considerably better than the current Batum, but I'd rather have Batum for the upcoming season.

 

[Denny Crane]

Luol Deng ranked #8th
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...he-small-forwards-11-through-1?urn=nba-264568

 

[RR7]

Luol Deng ranked #8th
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...he-small-forwards-11-through-1?urn=nba-264568

Here's a group of individuals who might give a shit:

http://sportstwo.com/forums/96-Chicago-Bulls

 

[Masbee]

Hm. Nic is better than Ron Artest? I like our young guy but that is a load of shit.

As others have already said, don't be fooled by the handful of games in the playoffs where Artest sucked it up and played well. He was inconsistent and mediocre during the season. Dude looks like he is coasting.

His offense has always been a bit shaky, and unfortuately experience has not turned him into the low volume, high efficiency scorer he should be. He is the opposite of Batum and Battier types on the offensive end - make the most of the few shots taken playing off of stars. Artest thinks HE is the star.

Defensively, I thought Artest has been overrated for YEARS - coasting on his reputation. What sealed it for me was when Artest wanted the challenge of checking Brandon Roy in the playoffs, and Brandon stole his lunch money. It was almost comical watching Artest try to make his overbulked body do things it no longer can. One on one, Artest was worthless against Roy (though the Rockets as a team, mostly Battier doing the heavy lifting, did a decent job making Roy work hard).

That was two years ago, and Artest has not improved his defense since.

I think it is very fair to knock Artest down the ladder.