The super Melo to Portland thread + The Big Blockbuster

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I don't recall Nic ever professing his undying love to the city of Portland or the Trail Blazers organization. If he did, please provide a quote or a link.

What I do recall is that he was perfectly willing to leave us for MN and was much happier playing in CHO than POR:

"MINNEAPOLIS -- Restricted free agent Nicolas Batum has agreed to terms on an offer sheet with the Timberwolves and is hoping the Portland Trail Blazers either do not match the offer or execute a sign-and-trade to get him to Minnesota, Batum's agent told The Associated Press on Thursday night."

"In a season-closing interview with the Charlotte Observer, Batum told writer Rick Bonnell, "It was a pretty cool year. First time I got to play like I want to in eight years in the NBA."

BNM
Batum has said that the whole Minny debacle happened because he wasn't sure where the team was even going, that was right after B Roy left and there wasn't much communication. Afterwards he really started to take to the city, and when he got traded, tweeted all about how much he loved the city and was thankful, I think people on here underestimate how much he really loved Portland and their reasoning is always the Minny thing which is fine and all but he explained that situation and it made sense
 
These things don't make him sound like a guy that badly wanted to leave.

He wouldn't have known what playing in Charlotte was like if we kept him.



https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bl...portland-trail-blazers-podcast-espn-zach-lowe



https://nbpa.com/nicolas-batums-lov...aymaker-new-father-community-leader-and-more/

Nicolas Batum: 'If you don't love [Portland] you're weird' (video)

https://www.google.com/amp/www.oreg...atum_if_you_dont_love_portland_youre_weir.amp
This. Exactly what I was saying, Batum loved it here. People need to stop bringing up the Minny bullshit. He would of retired here if we kept him.
 
See above

But he lied.

HE says this while he's signed to us:

Batum said. "But now, I don't regret it, because the way we play, and the direction of the franchise. I'm good with it. I'm good now.''

But after being in CHA he says:

"First time I got to play like I want to in eight years in the NBA."

So he's a Goddamn liar. He can't have it both ways bro. It's got to be one or the other.
 
The Batum Crusades flaring back up reduces my hopes that trading Crabbe will end the Crabbe Wars.
Aldridge's reasons for leaving Portland will be up for debate in about 400 days.
 
This. Exactly what I was saying, Batum loved it here. People need to stop bringing up the Minny bullshit. He would of retired here if we kept him.

It's not just the MIN debacle, it's what he said in Charlotte too.
 
But he lied.

HE says this while he's signed to us:

Batum said. "But now, I don't regret it, because the way we play, and the direction of the franchise. I'm good with it. I'm good now.''

But after being in CHA he says:

"First time I got to play like I want to in eight years in the NBA."

He can't have it both ways bro. It's got to be one or the other.
And while on Charlotte he said Stotts was the first one to let him play how he wanted. See above.

You can't call him out for lying. People change their minds. As he said in that article, he didn't know Dame would be that good, we didn't have a coach and didn't know who all was gonna be on the team.
 
Hell yes it matters what you thought at the time. People who use hindsight sound foolish. Because you come in here with hindsight criticizing like you knew how the trade was going to turn out when all you did was get new information to form what is probably the opposite of the opinion you had at the time.

That's bush league.

To your 2nd "point", I don't give a damn if people criticize NO. I'll criticize the shit out of him if he trades Harkless for Ryan Anderson.

Has nothing to do with my personal opinions. Only objectively looking at the outcome of the deal after the fact to determine who got the better end of the deal.

You keep talking as if it matters what you, me, or anyone else thought of a deal at the particular time it happened. If we can use context to justify every move that turns south, then no moves made by any team ever is a bad deal, and no GM should ever lose their jobs. Everything is just gravy, because hey, it made sense at the time!

Your track record is a reflection of the moves you make over time. With Neil, he's had his fair share of hits, but he's also had his fair share of misses. The jury is still out.

I remember when KP was fired, people were outraged (myself included), he was widely considered one of the best GM's in the league. Over time, a lot of the moves he made turned out to be not so great, drafting Oden, extending Roy, the Bayless trade that people thought was a steal at the time. Point is, I don't want to let the perception of someone cloud my judgment. You deserve to be criticized if the moves you made ended in poor outcomes.
 
And while on Charlotte he said Stotts was the first one to let him play how he wanted. See above.

You can't call him out for lying. People change their minds. As he said in that article, he didn't know Dame would be that good, we didn't have a coach and didn't know who all was gonna be on the team.

I most certainly can. I know that quote. If that's so true then why would he say:

"First time I got to play like I want to in eight years in the NBA."

Those two statements are opposites.
 
You deserve to be criticized if the moves you made ended in poor outcomes.

I guess this this is where we disagree. Because for some reason you seem to be thinking that Neil can prevent people from getting injured.
 
I most certainly can. I know that quote. If that's so true then why would he say:

"First time I got to play like I want to in eight years in the NBA."

Those two statements are opposites.
:biglaugh:

NBPA: A few years into your time in Portland, you had a spike in assists from 1.4 to 4.9 per game over two seasons. What was key behind your big increase?

NB: Terry Stotts was the key. He was the first to really allow me to be a playmaker. When I signed my first deal, I said, “Coach, I think I can be a 15, 5 and 5 guy.” He said, “I know you can be, so I’m going to try to do everything to make you an all-around player.” And he let me be what I wanted to be. He was the first one to do that.

https://nbpa.com/nicolas-batums-lov...aymaker-new-father-community-leader-and-more/

Again, he wouldn't have known he loved playing in Charlotte if we didn't trade him. There is a quote of him while he was in Charlotte basically saying he loved playing for Stotts and he was the first one to let him play how he wanted.

Him loving playing for Charlotte is irrelevant because he wouldn't have known!

We can just keep reposting the same quotes back and forth tonight if you want :biglaugh:
 
I guess this this is where we disagree. Because for some reason you seem to be thinking that Neil can prevent people from getting injured.

That's a nice spin you're putting on there, but I guess I'm not really surprised considering who it is coming from.
 
I most certainly can. I know that quote. If that's so true then why would he say:

"First time I got to play like I want to in eight years in the NBA."

Those two statements are opposites.
So you will take one quote and just use that to destroy the many quotes he had on Portland? that's nonsense, say what you want but I know Batum loved the city and as frustrating as he was to watch sometimes, he is one of my all time blazer favorites. You can't hate on some of his playmaking abilities and chase down blocks, had some great scoring games as well. Defense. Could of been better though. I just know I followed Batum very closely, watched interviews and the Minny thing fell back on the fact B roy left and he was unsure about this team. Then Dame came along and Nic really loved it here. It's not like Nic asked for the trade, we gave him away to Charlotte. I have the most confidence he would of stayed here if we offered him something after his contract was up.
 
Meanwhile how about Dennis smith jr? Dallas stole him, jeez
 
So you will take one quote and just use that to destroy the many quotes he had on Portland? that's nonsense, say what you want but I know Batum loved the city and as frustrating as he was to watch sometimes, he is one of my all time blazer favorites. You can't hate on some of his playmaking abilities and chase down blocks, had some great scoring games as well. Defense. Could of been better though. I just know I followed Batum very closely, watched interviews and the Minny thing fell back on the fact B roy left and he was unsure about this team. Then Dame came along and Nic really loved it here. It's not like Nic asked for the trade, we gave him away to Charlotte. I have the most confidence he would of stayed here if we offered him something after his contract was up.
Actually nobody knows that. In fact in all my time as a Blazers fan I can think of maybe a handful players who "loved" the city: Duckworth, Kersey, Porter, Briant Grant, and Channing Frye. For all we know Nic just likes to say nice things about wherever he's at -- which is a pretty good policy.
 
Actually nobody knows that. In fact in all my time as a Blazers fan I can think of maybe a handful players who "loved" the city: Duckworth, Kersey, Porter, Briant Grant, and Channing Frye. For all we know Nic just likes to say nice things about wherever he's at -- which is a pretty good policy.

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2017/01/nicolas_batum_returns_to_portland.html
"I spent seven years in this city," Batum said Tuesday at the Moda Center, where the Blazers hosted the Hornets. "When I came here, I was technically nothing. I was 19. Didn't speak much English. I was just a young guy. When I left, I was a man. This is always going to be a special place for me. Always. Forever."

This quote was in this year, after he signed his 120M contract. Seems like a bit much if he didn't really enjoy the city.
 
I haven't had a chance to read through this thread. Does it have any legs?
 
That's a nice spin you're putting on there, but I guess I'm not really surprised considering who it is coming from.

That's not spin, those are facts. And you one of the whiniest posters in here have some shit to say about me... when you post it's like James Harden flopping...

But the bottom line is we traded for afflalo because we were number 3 in the whole league. Then Wes goes down and Afflalo gets injured shortly after. There goes our season. This is followed by TT quitting on us against the Grizzlies.

The moves Neil made were right at the time and had the injuries not happened who knows how far we would have gone with that squad.
 

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