Natebishop3
Don't tread on me!
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This is why I suggested maybe Wes for Deng a few days ago. Move Nic to shooting guard.
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How many times do I have post post PER/USG before people understand what that means on offense? Batum is the best 3rd/4th offensive option in the NBA right now, and he defends the opposing PG because nobody else on the Blazer roster can do so.
If Batum and Deng switched places and Deng was a Blazers and Batum was a Bulls this conversation would be flipped. People would still be saying that this is a bad deal for the Blazers.
Batum does not run the offense, why do people keep saying that shit? The Blazers pass it around a lot, and no one person runs the offense, though he occasionally will run a pick and roll. I swear, some of you talk about him like he's Magic Johnson out there, dishing out passes for easy buckets. He's a turnover machine...he's averaged over 4 turnovers a game the last 5 games.
Batum is an opportunistic scorer who shoots the open jumper, and occasionally gets a wide open lane to the rim or a put back. He's only shooting 34% from 3 this year, which is barely adequate for a spot up shooter. He ranks 81st in the NBA among qualifying players.
He's a solid starter, but certainly not worth 8 digits.
The way I see it, Batum and Deng are pretty comparable players. Deng's a few years older, so that's a negative on him. He costs $3 million a year more and he's going to be looking for a new contract that costs more than the Blazers are paying Nic. He's got more playoff experience than Nic, which is a plus, and he's a bit more aggressive about getting his shots. I guess I just don't see enough advantage to Deng to be worth risking upsetting the chemistry and committing more money to paying him.
The way I see it, Batum and Deng are pretty comparable players. Deng's a few years older, so that's a negative on him. He costs $3 million a year more and he's going to be looking for a new contract that costs more than the Blazers are paying Nic. He's got more playoff experience than Nic, which is a plus, and he's a bit more aggressive about getting his shots. I guess I just don't see enough advantage to Deng to be worth risking upsetting the chemistry and committing more money to paying him.
Who is going to give Deng a max contract? That is so unlikely to happen. You don't think Deng would re-sign for Batum's salary to play in Portland? You'd think he'd enjoy playing on a winning team.
he didn't want it in chicago though there was some bad blood there
Who is going to give Deng a max contract? That is so unlikely to happen. You don't think Deng would re-sign for Batum's salary to play in Portland? You'd think he'd enjoy playing on a winning team.
Not ironic at all. I felt I had to respond at a level you would understand (i.e. 3rd grade). That's how your posts appear to about 90% of posters on this board. Looks pretty childish, right?Ironic?
Batum is the oil.
Matthews is all of the seals.
Lilliard is the carburator.
Lamarcus is the pistons.
Lopez and Freeland are the motor mounts.
Williams is the STP Gas Treatment.
Mo is the shitty old spark plugs that only fire half the time.
Damn straight. I recently replaced my car's spark plugs and now it's working like it should.NOBODY is acting like Nic is a great ball-hanlder. But to suggest that he's not a good passer is just stupid - he is far and away the best passer on the team. Also far and away the best defender on the team - he just happens to play for a coach who doesn't understand how to implement a decent defensive system. Put Nic under Pops or Thibs and he'd be 1st team all-defense.People that act like Batum is great ball handler/passer cannot be watching the games.
There was no bad blood in Chicago. The Bulls want to rebuild and Deng at $10M was generous in the cap flexibility scheme of things.
He was asked to take a $5M pay cut, which isn't realistic for him to expect. Think Iggy's deal with the Warriors. More like $12M. The bigger thing for him may be the extra year on the contract length.
But for someone who did so much good for the Bulls and doubled as the NBA's biggest humanitarian, Deng rarely felt fully appreciated by the organization. The way they treated a player and person of his stature was often an embarrassment. It started with a contentious negotiation process for Deng's first extension, when he fought past lowball offers from the Bulls before eventually getting $71 million over six years. He was the subject of trade rumors all the way through — everyone from Pau Gasol to Kevin Garnett to Kobe Bryant — but it never bothered him. Deng just punched the clock and kept on working.
The relationship between the player and team really started to sour in 2009. The Bulls misdiagnosed what turned out to be a stress fracture in his right leg and publicly challenged him to play through it. That isn't an exaggeration. In the news release announcing the injury was this line: "He will be encouraged to challenge himself physically." A few weeks later, doctors were advising him not to put any weight the leg.
It didn't end there. Deng was issued a spinal tap when doctors suspected meningitis during last season's playoff run, an injection that had severe repercussions on Deng's body and glued him to a hospital bed. Once he was there, the Bulls showed little concern for him. Deng didn't even have a private hospital room, much less visits from team personnel. Tom Thibodeau had the gall to say Deng had "flu-like symptoms, whatever" when asked about Deng's illness. It set the stage for another contentious negotiation process. Deng's impending free agency hung over this season the moment the last one ended.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the Deng era ends in Chicago with a thud. The Bulls made one final overture to Deng, a three-year, $30 million contract that would have amounted to a hometown discount. Deng does some important things with his money. He wasn't about to take less to play for an organization that mistreated him on numerous occasions over the years.
NOBODY is acting like Nic is a great ball-hanlder. But to suggest that he's not a good passer is just stupid - he is far and away the best passer on the team. Also far and away the best defender on the team - he just happens to play for a coach who doesn't understand how to implement a decent defensive system. Put Nic under Pops or Thibs and he'd be 1st team all-defense.
You must close your eyes for all but two or three possessions of each game, and have a knack for ONLY opening them when Nic happens to turn the ball over.Yes, he's great at passing the ball to the other team, out of bounds, and at players ankles.
Deng > NicSo I just saw this thread for the first time....... someone want to recap for me.
So I just saw this thread for the first time....... someone want to recap for me.
HA!! Repped!Deng > Nic
Nic > Deng
Nic = Deng
Stupid stupid stupid
