Batum vs Claver, Sergio & Rudy! Today, 12:30pm ESPN 3, FIBA Game Thread!

[illmatic99]

Their defense looked very impressive.

They're a lot like that MEM team. And they seem to have amazing chemistry

 

[BBert]

Spain is loaded. France, not so much.

 

[PDXFonz]

Nic looked as bad as he ever has in international play today. I really expected more from him this year with the opportunity to carry the team. Maybe he is a product of the people around him after all....

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Batum has just not impressed at all for France. It reminds me of Summer League 2007: Petteri Koponen has looked really good and Batum has looked very meh.

We can just hope that he's saving it for when it counts. After all, this is a group of six, four go forward, and two of them are Iran and Egypt.

(Not that I expected France to beat Spain. Spain clobbered France the first time they met last Summer, and that was without Pau and with Parker.)

 

[Eastoff]

Batum has just not impressed at all for France. It reminds me of Summer League 2007: Petteri Koponen has looked really good and Batum has looked very meh.

We can just hope that he's saving it for when it counts. After all, this is a group of six, four go forward, and two of them are Iran and Egypt.

(Not that I expected France to beat Spain. Spain clobbered France the first time they met last Summer, and that was without Pau and with Parker.)

Oh I didn't realize four go forward. Here I thought for sure, France was done for.

 

[PDXFonz]

Batum has just not impressed at all for France. It reminds me of Summer League 2007: Petteri Koponen has looked really good and Batum has looked very meh.

We can just hope that he's saving it for when it counts. After all, this is a group of six, four go forward, and two of them are Iran and Egypt.

(Not that I expected France to beat Spain. Spain clobbered France the first time they met last Summer, and that was without Pau and with Parker.)

Are you claiming he has been bad on purpose? Or that his playing bad is a product of him not trying?

Either way I'm not sure I buy in to that. I think it is more likely that Batum simply isn't used to/capable of being the first option.

 

[BBert]

Batum isn't a first option.

 

[HailBlazers]

Batum isn't a first option.

Pippen never was either.

 

[KingSpeed]

Pippen never was either.

I don't know about that. In the 93-94 season, Pippen was the number one option for the Bulls. They won around 55 games and made it to game 7 of the second round. Plus, he won All Star MVP that year.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

...and only lost that game 7 due to a phantom foul - which I loved as a bulls-hater.

I don't know about that. In the 93-94 season, Pippen was the number one option for the Bulls. They won around 55 games and made it to game 7 of the second round. Plus, he won All Star MVP that year.