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The Painted Area - 10 Veterans: Nic batum
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  1. Anees
    Anees
    Posts: 149

    Posted 10/26/2010 9:52 AM

    Hey guys, this is from the Painted Area NBA blog (http://thepaintedarea.blogspot.com/), where the author talks about 10 players and what he would like to see out of them and our guy Nic was one of them:

     Nicolas Batum, Portland 
    After a season in which Portland won 50 games despite losing 300+ man games to injury, those who have run statistical projections, such as John Hollinger and Kevin Pelton, are quite high on the Blazers' chances in 2010-11. Yet, in all the talk of the Blazers as potential contenders in the West, a key name in the team's rosy projections - Nic Batum - is rarely mentioned. 

    After missing half the season with a shoulder injury, Batum was a vastly improved player in the 37 games he did play in his second season: 
     MIN FG% 3P% TS% PTS PER
    '08-09 18.4 .446 .369 .555 5.4 12.9
    '09-10 24.8 .519 .409 .646 10.1 17.3
    After taking such a big jump from age 20 to 21, can Batum continue on this trajectory at just 22, or was his '09-10 improvement something of a mirage due to the relatively small sample of total minutes played? For all the talk of whether Brandon Roy and Andre Miller can co-exist, and what Greg Oden might be able to contribute, and what Wesley Matthews can bring to the table, I think Batum will be a key underrated figure in determining Portland's fortunes in '10-11. I'm curious to see if we have about the same guy as last year... or if Nic Batum is actually a potential star in the making. 

    Any thoughts?
    I am a fan of Beating the Lakers on opening night, Lillard being the next big thing and this season being successful!
  1. BR7_Fan
    BR7_Fan
    Posts: 399

    Posted 10/26/2010 10:11 AM

    Skies the limit for Nico and he should improve from last season. With the addition of Wes to the line up im not really sure how Nate will distribute minutes, the Bayless trade helps with this issue but I think Nic needs more than the 25 mins he got last season to make some bigger strides in his NBA career.

    Mixing his offense will also help his game. Not sure he's a post move kind of player but he can surely add more driving moves possibly breaking down bigger defenders off the dribble instead of just shooting 3s. 
    I am a fan of RIP CITY > LOB CITY
  1. I''m OUT!
    I''m OUT!
    Posts: 1059

    Posted 10/26/2010 11:55 AM

    I agree, Nate needs to trust him and get him starter's minutes. If he does that he will bloom where he's planted!
    I am a fan of comcast and the blazers making deals that keep screwing us over!! woot!
  1. CharmCityBLA7ER
    CharmCityBLA7ER
    Posts: 75

    Posted 10/27/2010 7:25 AM

    Nicolas has the ability to be french durant with better defense.  Look at they're games Nicoals isnt a supreme ball handler but is silky smooth.  Has has his spots he likes to get to knows how to get there and is a knockdown three point shooter and has an ever expanding mid range and has worked on his post up.  Is Batum gonna put up 30 pts a night no but coming off screen slashing and being a pest on d and getting easy buckets in transition he can do way more than enough to earn his pay.  Batum's euro step is one of the best in the league with how smooth he take the first step at the defender and cuts in then jams it down.  He can finsh over bigger players not respecting his under percieved athelticism and length ala Pau Gasol, Kyle Korver, etc. But yea Nicolas can be counted on on Offense. Also take into consideration he said he would work on his rebounding to help out the team and he had 11 bounds last night i believe 7 offensive boards, he put in work on the glass.  He sets his mind to improving and he goes out there and proves that hes has added to his game.  He said that he would shut down Hedo since Hedo schooled him his rookie season when he was with the magic and held him to under double digits, scored more, and believe had more assist. Nicolas Batum will be portlands unsung hero
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