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Hobbesarable said:
Unfortunately, that is not Batum this season.
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He's one dimensional. He's never been able to take his man off the dribble or create his own shot. So if he is not hitting the three point shot and has 'decided' he's not going to move wo the ball for the eve he's pretty much toast as a scorer.
 
JFizzleRaider said:
I'd have no problem with batums slump if it actually looked like he cared while playing. My god, this guy has been loafing around on the court like he'd rather be anywhere else in the whole world. If you're injured sit until you're healthy.
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Repped
 
OneLifeToLive said:
He's one dimensional. He's never been able to take his man off the dribble or create his own shot. So if he is not hitting the three point shot and has 'decided' he's not going to move wo the ball for the eve he's pretty much toast as a scorer.
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He certainly hasn't looked like he usual self for most of the season. Some rest would do him a world of good.
 
Hobbesarable said:
He certainly hasn't looked like he usual self for most of the season. Some rest would do him a world of good.
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I'd much rather give him a week or two off to recharge if that is what is needed then have him play like he has, wouldn't make much difference the way he's played so may as well give it a shot
 
magnifier661 said:
I liked your idea of a month or 2 off. Let him relax and be ready when we really need him
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Seriously Mags... a month or two? :confused:

I used to post here a lot and I still lurk often... you are one of my favorite posters and I love your enthusiastic homerism... but today you almost made me have a stroke. :smiley-eek2::smiley-yikes::shock1:

P.S. I think you meant to say weeks not months :cheers:
 
Spud147 said:
Seriously Mags... a month or two? :confused:

I used to post here a lot and I still lurk often... you are one of my favorite posters and I love your enthusiastic homerism... but today you almost made me have a stroke. :smiley-eek2::smiley-yikes::shock1:

P.S. I think you meant to say weeks not months :cheers:
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Lmao! Dude he hasn't rested since last season. He went straight into Fiba then back to this season. Other players had time off to let their bodies heal.
 
e_blazer said:
Exactly.

How are you doing these days, Spud?
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I'm doing well E. Still working/living at the same place. How about you?

Did Crandc finally give up on this place? If so, that's too bad.

On a Blazer note (and in the wrong thread), can anyone figure out that flagrant foul on Wesley? I kept checking to see if the league came out with an oops never mind statement but it never happened.
 
magnifier661 said:
Lmao! Dude he hasn't rested since last season. He went straight into Fiba then back to this season. Other players had time off to let their bodies heal.
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cool, perhaps he can reduce his pay (during his time off) since he played most of the summer once again, fat chance huh?
 
Hobbesarable said:
It would be a shame if she gave up on this forum. I personally enjoyed her contributions.
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Me too... just like I enjoyed PapaG. After posting on all the reincarnations of the old ESPN board with him over the last 15 years I miss him. Now that I've lit that fire cracker I'm going to run and hide.
 
In the previous five games Batum put together a string of mediocre games to slightly raise his PER to 12.6

Mediocre seems like a jab at Batum but it's a HUGE improvement to what he's been putting up the entire season.

Some will bring up the 30-9 record but having one of your starters in this huge of a slump will not fly in the playoffs.

He needs a player who will push him for playing time. He has Wright as his only real backup and Nic continues to coast.
 
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We need to trade for Chandler. Consolidate some young talent and maybe a 1st if really necessary and if Batum doesn't get it done then insert Chandler in the starting lineup and force Batum to earn his spot back. I know most likely none of that will happen, but it should at this point. Our SF has been a gaping hole this season.
 
Nic just looked sluggish tonight, like he wasn't up for the game. Seems like that might be between his ears rather than physical fatigue.
 
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I think the wrist is still a problem for Nic and that's why he's so tentative as well as inaccurate with his shot. If we had a decent backup SF, I'd be in favor of resting him. As it is, you just have to hope he improves or Olshey makes a trade.
 
Nic was so embarrassingly bad tonight. He kept favoring his wrist. If it really is bothering him he needs to take a few weeks off. Honestly wright and crabbe couldn't possibly play as bad as he currently is.

We need batum to figure out whatever the he is wrong with him before the playoffs.
 
Nic is going through a pretty messy divorce right now so that might be affecting him psychologically, but his play has been absolutely TERRIBLE. It's to the point where we're playing 4-on-5 on offense with him out there. Its magnified even more with that offensive scheme that is based on ball movement and getting an open shot. When the ball is rotated to Nic right now, he can't hit the shot or is hesitant to shoot so he swings it to the next guy. If you're open, most likely the other 4 guys on the floor are covered. So if you pass to a covered guy, it's gonna result in a bad, contested shot.
 
Batum was one of my top players when we first got him. You could see the potential in him, the way he could affect all aspects of the game - scoring, rebounding, passing etc.
However, over the past handful of years I have come to loathe his playing style/energy (or lack thereof).
I can't stand to watch the Blazers play their guts out, and this guy is just loafing around looking like he can't wait for his shift at work to finish.
I don't mind if players aren't the best players around, just as long as they hustle and put in effort to maximise their impact - ie. like Freeland. Or Matthews and Lillard- love Freeland and Matthews work ethic.

Nics play is sooooo bad that I often forget that he's supposed to be a 7-8 year veteran. He often makes head scratching rookie mistakes during games - not paying attention on defense, blown cover assignments, terrible passes that a high schooler would know better than to throw - the guy just flat-out stinks.
To add insult (for fans urging the Blazers on), Batum looks like he couldn't give two shits. His play has sunk to such an unbelievable low that I really think w NEED to trade him, just so that he's not a liability come playoff time.

Additionally Terry should be chastised for not looking to the bench with how bad Batum has been playing.
 
I'm hoping tonight cemented it. We need additional help on the wing. I don't think Batum is going to be traded but I do think the front office and the coaching staff have to be concerned. Batum cannot be counted on. He just can't. I don't think he will be traded because Olshey has shown a reluctance to make a big mid-season move but I think it can't be disputed that relying on Batum to produce is just asinine. Getting a Chandler or Afflalo and taking some of Batum's minutes could at least yield better production from that spot. His demeanor just doesn't fit this team and I know LA and Lillard are thinking to themselves that this guy just isn't pulling his own weight on the team. They need to speak up to Neil and make a move if we have a chance at getting far in the Playoffs.
 
Batum was fricking AWFUL last night. 2 airballs back to back and then a lazy ass dribble turnover.... if those plays didn't happen, different ballgame.
 
I get the whole appeasing your players and taking care of their egos thing. I also get that we're winning right now. But a Nic benching might be in order. He needs a swift kick in the pants to get his game right. Totally agree with starting Crabbe.
 
e_blazer said:
I think the wrist is still a problem for Nic and that's why he's so tentative as well as inaccurate with his shot. If we had a decent backup SF, I'd be in favor of resting him. As it is, you just have to hope he improves or Olshey makes a trade.
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Not just his shot man. He's gotten more careless and his on ball D is suffering as well. He just looks disinterested and tired.

Could be a combo of things including fatigue from no summers off, his health, Wes taking some of his third banana shine, or even his messy divorce. Whatever it is, dude needs to get right because we aren't going far in the playoffs with him playing this shitty.
 
It's been a couple weeks but I went through Nic's season as a whole. Injuries are one thing but he had scored over 12 points something like twice. If his wrist hurts, rest him but if he is going to be out there, work your ass off like the rest of the team. The one thing he did do was get a few rebounds but in going back and looking, almost all of those were uncontested that kind of bounced to him. Just as many times, I saw him standing 15' from the basket watching as the ball was tipped around or offensive rebounds were grabbed by the Clips....just no hustle whatsoever.

He will pick his spots and once in a while try a chase down block or swoop in for a tip but it is so rare and far between right now. Then again, that has been the story of his career. Just before, he had more high notes and more often but it's not like he was every a consistent player night after night. If it is because he is tired, stop playing year round. You have an obligation to the team paying you.

If it's an injury, rest if it is so bad. If it is something that hurts, play through it like the rest of your teammates. Lillard and Wes are tough as hell by comparison. If it is your divorce, pull up your big boy pants and don't be so mentally soft....the majority of people have been through one. I'm just tired of the excuses and the lack of effort. I could live with poor shooting if he was giving it his all elsewhere but that is entirely not the case this season.

:matrix:
 
When we pass the ball around the perimeter dude is hesitating or passing open looks. Dorell wright or Allen crabbe would take those shots without hesitation and definitely should them at a higher clip than batum is right now. Sit his ass down until he gets his game right.

Honestly. When crabbe got the starts, the only thing I found myself missing batum was inbounds passes at the end of the game
 
I wonder if it's worth it to shut him down for 2 weeks like CLE did with Bron. Just let him recuperate and get his mind/body right.
 
Nic's played poorly this season, but if you're going to replace him you need to consider a couple of things.

1) He's a secondary ball handler in a group that doesn't handle it that well outside of Dame. Love Wes, but that's not his game. More and more we're seeing teams trap Dame to get the ball out of his hands, & we see some pretty ugly possesions. Even when Nic isn't shooting well he's the only wing we have that can dribble penetrate and break down the defense. Think about the last Game at OKC that we came back and stole when Nic was out. Up 13 at half to down 13 with 5 min left. Thunder started trapping in 3rd Qtr & forced Dame to give it up & it got real ugly. Couldn't even run plays. Without a secondary ball handler the Thunder were overplaying every pass and we couldnt solve it. Thankfully they went away from this and Dame Time happened. Nic isn't Steve Nash like with the ball, but he's the closest thing to a playmaker we have outside of Dame. Whoever you replace him with needs to be able to break down a defense, finish at the basket reasonably well, & find open cutters/shooters.

2) He's a versatile defender. In the West that is loaded with elite PGs it's a luxury to be able to put Nic on them at times. Dame has gotten better defensively, but it's a lot to ask of him to dig in defensively & fight through screen after screen down the stretch of games + give us Dame Time at the other end. Nic is long and moves his feet well enough to stay in front of guys like TP (at least for short spurts) and can be a disruptive force on that side of the ball, even if he's having a 2-9 night with 5 t/o. How many SFs can you say that about?

We can only speculate what is wrong with Nic this season (the wrist? Messy divorce? Playing in Europe all summer/no offseason?) It's been frustrating to watch. When he's right, he does a lot of things for this team that are hard to replace with 1 guy. Can Wilson Chandler be that guy? I'm skeptical because it seems like he's always injured. Haven't seen him facilitate for others much either, or lock up Tony Parker down the stretch of a close game. If we're going to make a move we have to be sure it's for the right guy with a specific skill set. No margin for error at this point with how tough the West is & the make-up of our current roster. The starting 5 has a chemistry that you don't see very often, which is why I would love to see Nic return to form more than anything. But at the same time we can't waste this season if the right guy is out there & available. We are in the "window" of making a run at a championship.
 
Kaydow said:
Nic's played poorly this season, but if you're going to replace him you need to consider a couple of things.

1) He's a secondary ball handler in a group that doesn't handle it that well outside of Dame. Love Wes, but that's not his game. More and more we're seeing teams trap Dame to get the ball out of his hands, & we see some pretty ugly possesions. Even when Nic isn't shooting well he's the only wing we have that can dribble penetrate and break down the defense. Think about the last Game at OKC that we came back and stole when Nic was out. Up 13 at half to down 13 with 5 min left. Thunder started trapping in 3rd Qtr & forced Dame to give it up & it got real ugly. Couldn't even run plays. Without a secondary ball handler the Thunder were overplaying every pass and we couldnt solve it. Thankfully they went away from this and Dame Time happened. Nic isn't Steve Nash like with the ball, but he's the closest thing to a playmaker we have outside of Dame. Whoever you replace him with needs to be able to break down a defense, finish at the basket reasonably well, & find open cutters/shooters.

2) He's a versatile defender. In the West that is loaded with elite PGs it's a luxury to be able to put Nic on them at times. Dame has gotten better defensively, but it's a lot to ask of him to dig in defensively & fight through screen after screen down the stretch of games + give us Dame Time at the other end. Nic is long and moves his feet well enough to stay in front of guys like TP (at least for short spurts) and can be a disruptive force on that side of the ball, even if he's having a 2-9 night with 5 t/o. How many SFs can you say that about?

We can only speculate what is wrong with Nic this season (the wrist? Messy divorce? Playing in Europe all summer/no offseason?) It's been frustrating to watch. When he's right, he does a lot of things for this team that are hard to replace with 1 guy. Can Wilson Chandler be that guy? I'm skeptical because it seems like he's always injured. Haven't seen him facilitate for others much either, or lock up Tony Parker down the stretch of a close game. If we're going to make a move we have to be sure it's for the right guy with a specific skill set. No margin for error at this point with how tough the West is & the make-up of our current roster. The starting 5 has a chemistry that you don't see very often, which is why I would love to see Nic return to form more than anything. But at the same time we can't waste this season if the right guy is out there & available. We are in the "window" of making a run at a championship.
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I agree with all of this, but it is obvious that opposing teams are laying off of Nic, knowing that he's unlikely to shoot (or make) an outside shot. The Clippers were able to get away with doubling Dame because of this. Nic brings a lot to the table, but the Blazers won't be able to keep winning against the better teams in the league unless Nic improves a lot, or Olshey finds another wing who can cover until Nic gets right.
 
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