Batum interview (Feb. 12)

Batum: "J'ai de la chance"

Nicolas, right off the bat, how do you feel after 50 or so games in the NBA?

Better now. The month of December was very difficult physically, and since January everything is going much better, I think that I've started to get into a good rhythm. Apparently, it's normal the first year since you discover this new rhythm and you don't really know how to manage all of it. Besides, the French, notably Mike Pietrus, had warned me, telling me that they had all a drop-off in December, that I shouldn't worry about that.

Were you even saturated with basketball at one point in time ?

That's true, but it's because I wasn't used to this rhythm. In France I could play, all out, two games each week, sometimes even with a winter break whereas here you can play up to three or four games in the same week.

How have you adapted to Portland?

I love Portland, aside for the rain... Before I came, I had been told that it was going to rain every day but aside from a crappy December, we've come out of it pretty well. Otherwise the city is really cool, it's surrounded by mountains, I've settled well and I feel really good here with my family, it's a setting that I like.

Regarding your integration in the heart of the NBA...

It's cool! Honestly, I've adapted well, I can't complain! At the start, everyone saw me in the D-League, now I'm playing 18 minutes a game and I'm starting so everything is good. After it's true that my stats aren't that great but I'm happy, it's my first year, I'm on the court and on top of that we're winning.

What did Nate McMillan, the coach of the Blazers, expect from you when you arrived?

In fact, I think he truly discovered me in training camp. I worked a lot on my defense and I think that that's what appealed to him, because offensively I wasn't necessarily competitive. So I really emphasized that, I didn't let up and it worked. And now, he talks to me before each game, in particular he gives me info on the player that I have to defend.

You have been brought to defend some of the best players in the League, from Kobe Bryant to LeBron James, not to mention Dwyane Wade. Which one has impressed you the most?

LeBron James. No hesitation. The coach told me: " Do all you can to keep him out of the paint, make him take mid-range shots. " Result: he put up 34 points, of which 12 were outside shots. And I told myself: " why does he do that today, to me? " The coach then told me that I had done my job well but he was just blessed that night... It's annoying because I was on him each time, and he still managed to score. With Kobe Bryant, I wasn't bad. But Dwyane Wade, I think that that's my biggest succes, I limited him to 12 points. It's always motivating to play against this type of opponent but it's true that against LeBron I was a bit stressed before the game. At 20 years old, when you're told that you're in the starting five and that you're going to defend McGrady, Kobe, or LeBron, it's really motivating! I just tell myself that I'm lucky, I have to take advantage and go all out!

Tell us about this young Portland team, the surprise team from last year who this season are confirming [last season's success], notably with big debuts from Greg Oden, 1st in the 2007 draft, and the confirmation of the talent of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge...

We're actually fourth in the West and now the objective is going to be to do everything to assure a good place in the playoffs because we're already semi-assured of making it there. After that, the gameplans revolve a lot around Brandon, LaMarcus, and Greg, even if there is more and more for Rudy. After that, regarding Greg, he's criticized a lot but I think he's been very good. He was stopped for a month, didn't play for 500 days and came back directly in the NBA, with the entire basketball world waiting, with crazy pressure and as soon as he has a bad game he gets criticized. He's still had fifteen double-doubles this year...

How are your relations with the other members of the team?

I get along very well with the Spaniards because all three of us are all a bit in the same situation, but I also get along very well with Channing Frye and LaMarcus Aldridge, with Greg Oden as well since we're side by side in the locker room. Honestly, we all get along well, there are no cliques in the team. It's true that from the outside there's this image of an NBA team where each person is in his corner, eats alone in his room... But we have a lot of dinners together. For example, at night we don't say "see you tomorrow" but rather: "where are we eating tonight, what are we doing?" There isn't an individualistic attitude.

Like all rookies, you were subject to a particular treatment since your were responsible for several chores within the club...

For me, honestly, it's easy since I just have to carry Brandon Roy's bag from the bus to the hotel when we arrive, and all the better he's on the same level so it's not very restrictive... I don't have to go back down to get food for so-and-so like the case might be for Jerryd Bayless with Joel Przybilla! There's four of us rookies but Greg Oden didn't do anything because he's not a rookie like the others. Rudy doesn't have much to do either but at the start of the season. Even if we understood everything that we were told, we pretended that the language barrier stopped us from understanding what they were telling us... And it worked! (laughs)

Rudy Fernandez, who's getting ready to compete in the dunk contest at the All Star Game, will have prepared several surprises for this event. Can you tell us more?

We see him at the end of each practice with Travis Outlaw and we try to give him ideas. He has some pretty good things... If he manages to pull them off it will be far from ridiculous. I'm keeping the secret and I'm not going to reveal what he's going to do but all that I can tell you is that he has four-five dunks ready, even if he only works on three because he doesn't think that he'll make it to the final.

There's been talk of you or Sergio Rodriguez helping him?

Ah no, it's sure that I'm not going to go there... If it's to show up, give him a bad pass, no thanks! (laughs) Sergio didn't want to either but I think that Rudy will manage very well alone.

Speaking of the All Star Game, were you hoping to participate in the Rookie-Sophmore game?

I admit that it crossed my mind a little bit but given the quality of rookies this year, I knew that it was futile. Unless they make a team of 30, but otherwise... When I see that players like DJ Augustin or Mario Chalmers weren't taken, I tell myself that it's not worth worrying about!

We've seen you on several occasions in the famous "Top 10" of the NBA, notable for a facial on Pau Gasol as well as for blocks on Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade...

Ah the dunk on Pau Gasol... the next day that was the only thing people talked to me about! Rudy is still talking about it! He calls Pau Gasol in front of me and makes fun of him, shouting "Ah! You got dunked on, and by a Frenchman too!" It was talked about for a short week but here you move on quickly so since then it's moved on to other things. Concerning Allen and Wade, in fact now I'm keeping a list with the all the big names that I've blocked... (laughs) There's some pretty big names on it, with Allen and Wade but also Parker, Duncan, Pierce, the Shaq, Iverson, Paul, West...

To finish, a little word about the French national team, for which you had been preselected last summer...

At the time, I was a little annoyed at not going there, I reluctantly had to decline my selection because Portland didn't want to let me go. But I'm going to do everything to go next time. I'm very committed, call me and I'll come immediately because the French team is one of my biggest dreams. We have some great generations [of players], with lots of players be it from Parker's generation, or ours with Nando De Colo but also the guys from Sidney 2000 who prove in Pro A [French league] that they can still contribute a lot. We really can have a great team!