Batum's +40 vs Durant's -34

I'm no expert, but isn't +40 better than -34?

So, Batum > Durant, right?

almost 3 years ago LaoTzu 19 comments 0 recs |

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It's all about defense.

by AK1984 on Apr 4, 2009 1:14 AM PDT reply actions

A lot of people lament not drafting Durant

However, I think that the Blazers might end up being better with Batum on the team rather than Durant. That probably sounds like an incredibly homerific thing to say, and it is true that Batum is unlikely to ever be anywhere near as good of a scorer as Durant. Fortunately, the Blazers have a ton of offensive firepower even without Durant, which means Batum’s unselfish team play and defense could easily end up being more valuable than Durant’s volume scoring and lack of defense.

I also like having Batum rather than Durant in the head-to-dead match up. There aren’t many players in the NBA that are better suited to guard Durant than Batum, and if Batum can regularly hold Durant to 4-13 shooting with 4 TOs then Batum is helping his team a lot more than Durant is.

by trk on Apr 4, 2009 1:27 AM PDT reply actions

A lot of people feel the same way

Myself included.

Karma

by Sabonis4Ever on Apr 4, 2009 2:01 AM PDT up reply actions

me too

Blazers have offensive efficiency on lock. If anything, we need more defense. So adding Durant and subtracting Batum wouldn’t help us out much.

by SteveBlakeFan on Apr 4, 2009 4:42 AM PDT up reply actions

me 3

My stubbling is perfect...

by In Walks Rudy on Apr 4, 2009 8:59 AM PDT up reply actions

Me 1,000,000

"I don’t have the first clue who he is talking about, because all I worry about is Jerome." – Jerome James, on comments by coach Nate McMillan about Seattle SuperSonics players being selfish.

by Devenex on Apr 4, 2009 9:23 AM PDT up reply actions

Me too

Big fan, he’s got star written all over him. Not superstar, but slightly better/equal to, Tay.

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Apr 4, 2009 9:39 AM PDT up reply actions

that's a pretty high standard

I would be thoroughly ecstatic if he ended up being as good as Prince… he’s one of the better SFs in the league.

draft dejuan blair

by Cablinasian on Apr 4, 2009 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions

Oden and Batum and Bayless OR Durant and Lopez is rather a comparison that might have happened

But since it went the way it went, I’m happy we have good players to match up with Durant and keep his scoring manageable.

by Norsktroll on Apr 4, 2009 11:30 AM PDT up reply actions

Ask Mike D'Antoni

how far an offense-only philosophy will get you.

"Respect everyone, fear no one." -TP

by Arby on Apr 4, 2009 3:17 AM PDT reply actions

I was meaning to mention this....

has anybody else seen a +/- better than +40?? That’s nuts.

by MattyDread on Apr 4, 2009 9:16 AM PDT reply actions

I'm wondering

if KP drafted Batum with Durant in mind. He’s got to know that in the future OKC will be a threat to Portland. Having a unique defender to pair up against a unique talent like Durant is a must. Batum is very long and is one of the few talents that could stay with Durant in the future.

by parkinglotj on Apr 4, 2009 9:19 AM PDT reply actions

I saw this in the box score too

Gave me a nice warm fuzzy feeling.

Unfortunately our bench got outplayed by theirs. Chucky Atkins and Malik Rose FTW???

"I don’t have the first clue who he is talking about, because all I worry about is Jerome." – Jerome James, on comments by coach Nate McMillan about Seattle SuperSonics players being selfish.

by Devenex on Apr 4, 2009 9:25 AM PDT reply actions

I can't wait to see Batum develop

he’s such a stud on the defensive end… the guy was built to be an NBA small forward.

draft dejuan blair

by Cablinasian on Apr 4, 2009 9:47 AM PDT reply actions

Michael Ruffin had a better +- than Durant also

I think it speaks more to the quality of the evaluation method, rather than the quality of the player. Batum and Oden are probably better for the Blazers than Durant and whatever scrub center they could have picked up to back up Joel, but it’s not because the +- says so for an individual game.

If you ever hear of someone punching out a girl scout and stealing her Samoas, it was me
- Mortimer

by Clevelander among roses on Apr 4, 2009 10:54 AM PDT reply actions

Nope, Kevin Durant put up a horrible +/- last night due to being a high-volume shooting chucker who ...

didn’t play a lick of defense. It had practically nothing to do with his teammates, since he’s the one who’s most hindering the squad.

by AK1984 on Apr 4, 2009 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

And it's one game

Previous matchups : Feb. 11 Batum +2, Durant -18 (PTB win) Feb. 6 : Batum -5 Durant +8 (PTB loss)

As others have said previously, it also depends on who is on the court with him. In the previous two matchups Oden & Rodriguez were starting.

Someone please address the minutes played. Does that factor in? Last night Nic had the 2nd highest minutes on the team ; in the previous games he only played 12 and 15.

'I enjoy this torture... I enjoy this a lot... I could watch this ... for hours and hours ... if not days... and never, ever get sick of it.' - Ben, 04-01-09

by jorga on Apr 4, 2009 1:05 PM PDT reply actions

The more minutes the better your +/- in a 35 point win.

Karma

by Sabonis4Ever on Apr 4, 2009 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions

If I played a 12 minute game with Michael Jordan as my teammate,

and noone subbed out, then I’d have the same +- as Michael Jordan. That’s ridiculous, and probably speaks to the utililty of the “stat” (I hate to call it that, since I hate it so much, so I don’t even want to have a thin veneer of respectability to it).

If you ever hear of someone punching out a girl scout and stealing her Samoas, it was me
- Mortimer

by Clevelander among roses on Apr 4, 2009 8:28 PM PDT reply actions