Batum ... MRI - updated 8/23 w/ highlights vs Italy
by #10 on Aug 23, 2009 2:27 PM PDT
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Printedit - here's the video that the French doctor showed the Blazers:
Nicolas Batum, how have you managed the trip to the US and back at your team's request, when the qualification campaign isn't even finished?
First of all I'm relieved by the problem with my shoulder, which we're now pretty sure is benign, but also a little frustrated because I wanted to be at the game tonight (France takes on Finland for the last game of group B). But I have a lot of confidence in the team.
What happened over there?
When I arrived in Portland, the osteopath of the French team was waiting for me with the Blazers' doctor. From the airport, we left directly to the hospital for an MRI. While I was taking the tests, our osteopath showed the Blazers' doctor the video from my game against Italy and talked with him. Leaving the MRI, the just told me that I could go back the next morning.
What was your reaction?
I was a bit annoyed because they made me spend 14-15 hours in a plane to take a 15 minute MRI and tell me that it was good...
We're you thinking you'd have to stay in Portland longer?
Yes, I thought that I would have to stay there at least a week. And in fact, I only stayed 21 hours there...
Patrick Beesley, the sporting director of the Bleus, explained that the video of your game against Italy had been very decisive (18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals for Batum)... Did you think about Portland while playing, telling yourself that you had to have a big game to show them that everything was fine?
To be honest, yes. I told myself that I had to have a big game to show them that I could play, even with my shoulder problem.
Do you understand the reaction of your club?
Yes, the club wanted to make sure that it was fine. On one hand, it's normal because they invest a lot in us. But at the same time, it leads to some weird methods at times. The most important thing is that everything is good now.
In the end, isn't it also a little gratifying to see that a team like Portland is counting on you that much after only one season in the NBA.
We'll look at the positive side of things and say yes. It shows that they're really counting on me for the next few years. It's true that it makes me a bit happy as well.
After your conclusive win over the Italians Friday night in Pau (81-61), you're already qualified for the final of the qualifiers, which will be played August 27th (away) and 30th (home). Between Bosnia and Belgium, who would you prefer to meet in the final?
Let's say Belgium, it's not as far.
It's also less dangerous?
That too (laughs).
When will you meet up with the Bleus?
I'm going to watch the game (against Finland) tonight on TV. Next, we have a few days off; it starts up again on Friday. While waiting, I'm going to rest at home with my family.
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coudnt they have done a MRI by the French docs?
and sent the tapes along with it? instead of having him on a 14 hour plane ride.
just shows how our medical team is incompotent
Trade for Luis Amundson!!Do it KP!!
Parker had to do the same thing
I think it’s for the best to get an outside opinion, had that last game against Finland been a must-win for France, there would’ve been a lot of pressure on the French doc to clear him whether he was OK or not. It also sets the precedent if Batum ever has a more serious injury. That said, you’d think they could just fly him to England or even New York or something instead of all the way back to Portland.
Or have the doc fly to France
Who cares if he has to endure a long flight. I would have preferred that over having Batum, hurt shoulder and all, on that long of an uncomfortable flight. Or at least have him picked up in PA’s jet…..
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
by iDea on Aug 20, 2009 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Yeah, I wondered why we didn't do that
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
Agreed
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
Ummm. . . Because doctors are busy people?
The logistics of rescheduling all of the patients a MD sees over two or three days would be a huge hassle, affecting tons of people — the doctor, the patients, the office staff. And it gets magnified if the doctor has surgeries scheduled.
Perhaps one of the reasons was that the French MD had a break in his/her schedule — it IS August after all and half of Europe is on vacation — and the Portland MD was busy.
I think the Blazers were just marking their territory
You would think they have at least one doctor that wouldn’t mind flying to France to check out a player.
Hmm, there may be legal issues.
Perhaps the team Docs aren’t licensed to practice in France. I’m guessing the thing boils down to legal issues. Anyone know what an NBA team’s responsibilities are toward their player who gets hurt playing in an international game?
I doubt there is an issue there
It might be tricky if they were going to operate or something, but to check him out and look at an MRI? I’m sure they could have found a French doctor who would order the MRI. In fact, if the French doctor was willing to fly all the way out to Portland, I’m sure he would have handled any legal stuff in France.
All the doctor wanted to do was examine him and maybe run some tests. It could have been done in France.
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
Exactly
It just seems like a wholly inefficient way to handle the situation.
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
oh, I don't know
Congressmen and Senators hop on jets all the time
then they tell the rest of us that we need to reduce our carbon footprint?
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Just imagine each one of those senators represents about 2 billionaires
who pay them to talk crap about the environment while they block functional legislation and dismantle the EPA. Those dirty politicians. Oh yeah, but lets not have campaign financing reform to keep such industries out of politics. No, that wouldn’t be fair. Far better to take windmill swings at hypocritical straw men.
Backcourt game - 24/7
The second opinion on MRIs and other medical imaging is often done in India these days. Digitally, of course.
In the US, a radiologist would have to register for every state where he practices and gets images from, making things complicated. But that’s done too. A cousin of mine is a radiologist in Texas, and for a while he did “nighthawking”, reviewing images from other hospitals in other states over night.
"I'm addicted to polo y'all...respect my fresh" - Travis25Outlaw
I find myself .... annoyed by batum, ....
I think it’s just becuase of my man love for martell….
in the oh wow he’s gonna be awsome kinda way… not what tom’s thinkin you sicko’s.
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out, burns out farms, and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
"New Man Law: If you don't show up for the draft you don't get to come later if you're picked. If you believe in yourself, show up and sit there. If nobody else believes in you, take it and cry like a man...in front of the cameras."
-Dave
(pause)
"If the Lakers are Hollywood, then we are South Central." - Clipper fan.
by Cablinasian on Aug 20, 2009 12:37 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I was under the same assumption...
Big D from Blog-A-Bull - "Pritchard is such a genius that teams just give him players for free."
Greg Oden - The only other rookie with more than 500 points, 400 rebounds, and 65 blocks in under 1400 minutes played. Since 1946
by FiveOhThree-RipCity!! on Aug 20, 2009 1:01 PM PDT up reply actions
The only "Faith" I know
is Faith Ford who played Corky on Murphy Brown. And as she was the obligatory “eye candy” it is easy for us to all picture Fatih Ford and her Blazer Fandom rather than some guy from across town. We’re all living in a fantasy world.
Faith Hill?
I’m not a big country music fan but I still know she’s Tim McGraw’s wife, and I remember her doing a “football intro” song last year
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
both those ladies were very hot in their day
It must be a Faith thing. – Elgin
Without you out there, we're nowhere here
lmao .... yeah I'm a dude.
I got long pretty hair though if that helps….
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out, burns out farms, and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
"New Man Law: If you don't show up for the draft you don't get to come later if you're picked. If you believe in yourself, show up and sit there. If nobody else believes in you, take it and cry like a man...in front of the cameras."
-Dave
Sacre Bleu!
While I certainly support and applaud The Blazers concern and attentiveness, this also certainly seems like a matter that could of been handled differently. Seems to me communication in this day and age is instantaneous over vast distance.
But given our history as a franchise and “problems” with players I’m really glad The Blazers errored on the side of caution.
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
keep your hands to yourself
(or, as Wallace said to Gromit)
“watch where you’re puttin’ those paws”
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Alright...
Alright then “should” of been handled differently. A little more communication and I think we avoid Batum missing a game he wanted to be part of, and having him on a plane for 15 hours.
It’s not a big deal, everyone is happy or relatively happy.
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
I think they just wanted to seperate him from the national team
Just in case there was something wrong, they can keep him in Portland, away from the pressure of the national team needing/wanting him to play.
Plus, like Corvid said, coordinating the schedules of the doctors involved…
While it seems funny that he flew all the way to be told he is okay and then flown back, I prefer that over him flying all the way here and having to be held out of games while he gets arthroscopic surgery done.
I am fine with us trusting our doctors over someone else’s, and wanting to see everything firsthand.
Mortimer
Is it really such a big deal for a highly paid machine...
to have to fly home to undergo a checkup?
I don’t see what Batum or anybody else is taking issue with.
You get paid under contract by X employer. You get hurt. X employer wants to see you. Makes sense to me.
Muttering like this (“a bit annoyed”… PSH!) smacks of the typical athlete brat/diva.
But I like to be here. Oh, I like it a lot! Said the Cat in the Hat. To the fish in the pot.
by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Aug 20, 2009 2:52 PM PDT reply actions
I'm sure it was said more passively.
It seems like the interviewer was guiding Batum into phrasing his responses a certain way.
"Ain't nothin' in this world for free."
Sitting in back-to-back transatlantic flights isn't that much fun, even if it happens in first class
Arguably in the case of Tony Parker it even made his ankle swelling worse. And essentially they reviewed a game DVD and an MRI, both of which could have been done digitally. There was a Blazers representative in France to oversee the taking of the first MRI. Heck, KP was in France watching Nic play and could have held him out of the game against Finland and even the big one against Italy if he wanted to.
I would be a bit disgruntled too if I flew around the globe just for a 30 minute meeting to exchange information that could have been transferred via some digital service.
by Norsktroll on Aug 20, 2009 3:36 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, let's be real
We’d all be p.o.’d too if we had to fly 15 hours to have a doc glance at an MRI & a game film and say, “OK, you can fly back now.”
The only logical reason for the Blazers to have handled it this way that I can see is what Mort said. That is: the Blazers wanted to have control if they didn’t like what they saw on the MRI.
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
I'll be real.
If I a were paid $1.1M per year for three years based mostly on my potential; I may be annoyed by my employer’s over-concern of my boo-boos. But I’m not going to be “p.o’d” about it. Life is tough sometimes for everyone – this is not one of those times. It’s two annoying airplane rides.
We have had question marks at SF since (maybe) post-Ruben and (maybe more likely) post-Pippen. Batum will solidify the position if Webster doesn’t beat him to it.
We’ll get over this August boredom. Just not soon enough.
Oh, I dunno
It’s amazing how quickly we become acclimated to things—even to making a bunch of money, I’d guess. My first season, I probably wouldn’t even be annoyed at having to fly 30 hours for nothing. I’d still be thrilled simply to be an NBA player making an NBA salary. But by my second season, it’d probably make me more than annoyed—especially if it caused me to miss a game with my national team. By my third season, I’d be so spoiled I’d probably make a fuss and try to force the team to confirm my health in a more convenient & efficient way.
But on to your more important point: yes, these dog days suck, don’t they?? I can’t believe we’re discussing Nic Batum’s mild complaints about unnecessary travel. Come on November: get here already!
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
Another cancer...
The Blazers pay him a vacation week in Portland and a medical examination and he complains.
The Blazers´ doctor tell him his shoulder “is good” and he complains. He want it bad or whatever.
The Blazers invite him to go back to France because he complains. Then he complains again because “I only stayed 21 hours”. Come on, Ben, go for it.
by amlmart1 on Aug 20, 2009 3:32 PM PDT reply actions 4 recs
CUT OUT THE FRENCH CANCER!
Rudy, Outlaw, Bayless, & now Batum! What is it with our players wanting minutes! Selfish jerks.
*Unless KP has a secret plan that makes this statement incorrect.
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or you could see it the other way
people that made him come back to portland are a cancer for the french team
Some guys in Portland complain about his shoulder and stop him from qualifying for EuroBasket (plus he was in south of France which is probably better holidays).
French doctors made him have MRI but some guys in Portland complain and want him to have the exact same MRI in Portland.
those guys send him back to France not because Batum complains but because there’s nothing on the MRI. Sorry but I wouldn’t call Batum a cancer on this one, those Portland guys just seem to be lunatics.
i see your point but
The game he missed meant nothing and the Blazer managment would be naive to assume the French team doctor has Portland’s best interest’s at heart,a bruise is no big deal,an even slightly seperated shoulder would be plenty of reason to pull NIc out of the tournament no matter how much he wants to play.
by southern oregon on Aug 20, 2009 5:24 PM PDT up reply actions
I just rebandaged my dog's tumor that is bleeding
And her cancer looked just like Batum.
TRADE HIM TO HELL.
Mortimer, vengeful.
Look in the mirror. You're the cancer.
You might want to learn English while your at it. That’s a lot of grammatical errors for a 62 word post.
Look in the mirror. You might want to learn manners while you're at it.
Presumably you don’t know that he isn’t a native English speaker and spends time here to help him learn English, so you don’t realize how foolish you sound.
Presumably you didn’t notice that he was joking, so you don’t realize how foolish you sound.
But I would hope that if you are going to complain about someone else’s English, that you would at least properly distinguish between “your” and “you’re”.
Since your subject line indicates you do know how to use “you’re”, your failure to use it in your first sentence probably does help you realize how foolish you sound.
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
by jscot on Aug 23, 2009 6:15 PM PDT up reply actions 6 recs
+1, kinda sorta
Sean, it’s easy to miss the fact that Amlmart is joking if you haven’t been around that long. One of the things I admire about the guy is his sense of humor. For someone who’s learning English, he’s a riot. His puns are amazing. He’s also very wise.
But I gotta admit this — if you’re going to but someone’s chops about grammar, you’d better make sure that your grammar is impeccable (or make it clear that you’re joking).
I proofread mine very carefully
I was scared to death I’d spell something wrong, and 3000 Bedgers would tear me to shreds. :)
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
Nope.
I did not know that amlmart1 was not a native English speaker, and yes, I foolishly screwed up the grammar in my own post. I apologize amlmart1. I thought you were serious. I’ll pay more attention next time and mind my manners. Thank you to everyone for kicking my butt. I deserved it.
by Sean M on Aug 24, 2009 1:46 PM PDT up reply actions 4 recs
My bad, Sean. I should have posted a smile :) or something, making it clear that I was joking.
Welcome.
I'm so glad it was a joke.
I was just stunned by your post, and I’m a huge Nic Batum fan so I lashed out at you. I’ve definitely learned not to be judgemental, and I’ve also learned that my I have no future as an English professor. Thank you for responding. Go Blazers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well
The sarcasm font is a lot of times not that evident to detect, even for BE regulars I suspect.
And no, not everybody speaks a perfect english (though we try), so if grammar maniacs can be shocked, they can also find solace in the fact that we Blazers fans are running around the globe, soon we won’t even speak English anymore, but Blazerish…
Yes.
Ben posted something about Sergio that got Tom´s sarcastic reply “Yes, he was a cancer”. Fans don´t like players looking for their own interest. Then, Rudy wants a bigger role: a cancer. And Travis wants a good contract: a cancer. And Roy didn´t want to sacrifice little money to keep the best players in his team: a cancer. And I could keep going to the end of the roster, the coaching staff, the media and, why not, the fans themselves.
I resent this
I’m not a cancer, I’m a parasite.
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
Gross. I don't want polluted California cow cheese!
*Unless KP has a secret plan that makes this statement incorrect.
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I'm an Aries
Without you out there, we're nowhere here
by 22baylor on Aug 25, 2009 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
Nice answer, Sean
Everybody makes mistakes. Not everyone takes responsibility for them.
Want to become a politician? I think we might have an opening coming up soon over here in Scotland, and we could use someone with the honesty and courage to say, “I was wrong.”
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
Thanks for fessing up,
and being man/women enough to know you didn’t have a leg to stand on.
And Welcome to Bedge…
now go stand in the corner for one hour.
Romance me with that Roy rainbow shot which took flight from way beyond the arc and sailed so high that before it came back down to earth sealing the victory, it kissed the rafters and said "You're mine baby."
LOL
We already took him to the woodshed, and you still want him to stand in the corner?
This is a tough place.
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
That’s right, no more of this Freudian stuff,
Just clean their clock and take em behind the woodshed.
Why aren’t the mods doing this, do we have to do everything for them?
Romance me with that Roy rainbow shot which took flight from way beyond the arc and sailed so high that before it came back down to earth sealing the victory, it kissed the rafters and said "You're mine baby."
The mods do it privately
so as not to offend anyone.
We can show them a better way.
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
OK
I’ve stood in the corner for the allotted time. However, I must say the people I work with were quite confused by this act. I just told them it was a matter of extreme importance. By the way, I actually do live in the woods and own a woodshed. So if anyone wants to come for a visit and kick my @$% behind it, I can post my address.
lol – Look at the bright side, you started a new trend.
No more kid gloves for the new guy on the block.
I try not to chuckle when I’m at work, so as to not draw attention to myself. Not that it matters ‘cause I use my break time for Bedge, but still…probably better to fly under the radar.
Romance me with that Roy rainbow shot which took flight from way beyond the arc and sailed so high that before it came back down to earth sealing the victory, it kissed the rafters and said "You're mine baby."
I'm glad you are enjoying yourself.
Truly, I’m happy to entertain you. I’d like to reprint amlmart1’s post. Here it is:
===============
Another cancer…
The Blazers pay him a vacation week in Portland and a medical examination and he complains.
The Blazers´ doctor tell him his shoulder "is good" and he complains. He want it bad or whatever."
The Blazers invite him to go back to France because he complains. Then he complains again because "I only stayed 21 hours". Come on, Ben, go for it."
===============
Now, keep in mind that I do not know amlmart1 or his sense of humor. Also, keep in mind that most blog sites are magnets for trolls, and that there is really no guarantee that the member of this site are Blazers’ fans. Finally, think about the United States’ immature attitude toward the French since 9/11. When I read this post, I thought amlmart1 was serious. I thought he was trashing on Nic Batum for his attitude about being summoned back to Portland. I thought Nic’s attitude was perfectly understandable, and amlmart1’s post pissed me off. I viewed him as a troll. He even taunted Ben at the end, basically challenging him to delete his post. I’m sure it was hilarious to you. I wanted to reach through his computer and strangle him. Thus, I very quickly and carelessly typed my post. As originally drafted, my post simply read “Look in the mirror. You’re the cancer.” I couldn’t understand why this person hated Nic so I assumed things like, “this guy must hate him because he is French.” The spirit of my original thought was that an irrational fan trashing on the team is just as cancerous as a player complaining about the team, and I didn’t see Nic as complaining. Thus, amlmart1 was the cancer. I read amlmart1’s post one more time and made the assumption, based upon the way it was written, that he wasn’t very intelligent. Reading it more carefully, it does seem like it was written by someone who learned English as second language. Obviously, amlmart1 is quite proficient in English, and my second comment was just mean-spirited and stupid. And, of course, I screwed up my English in posting it. Absolutely hilarious! I would have jumped all over me just like many members did. The second line in my post was completely rude, and I am ashamed of it. After I read your responses, I was red-faced at work for a couple hours. Shame is a powerful thing. Of course, I apologized to amlmart1. Of course, nit-picking about grammer and basically saying someone is stupid is wrong, and the members of this site should have no tolerance for it. I commend you for defending amlmart1.
However, read his post. If you weren’t in on the joke, wouldn’t you have posted a rebuttal to his opinion. I chose insults over intellect, and I will not do that again. Not because of fear of being virtually “spanked,” but because member’s posts did turn the mirror around and showed me the ugly, mean side that I displayed. I’m better than that.
If I had posted amlmart1’s exact post word for word, you would have come after me. That’s all I was trying to do, root out a troll that was causing trouble on the site. The irony of me basically becoming the troll is not lost on me. But it’s over. I apologized for my error. Given what I knew, I stand by my decision to go after amlmart1 (through I regret my wording), and I’m truly disturbed by the ‘us" against ’them" attitude that Blazer1342 is displaying publicly in his/her posts. You are not the moderator of this site, nor is it your job to show the mod’s how to do their job. It’s perfectly acceptable to take pride in a blog site that you frequent regularly and contribute to greatly, but I’m a registered member of Blazersedge with same rights to contribute as you have. No more kid gloves for the long-time members who think they run this site. You don’t. I appreciate the lesson in decorum. It was much needed. And now, it’s over. Look on the bright side Blazer1342, you got to smack me around once. Unfortunately, I’m just not much of a trendsetter.
Once again, I like to apologize to amlmart1 for my hasty, judgemental and nasty post. You deserved better. Thank you for being a gentleman throughout.
The funny thing is that both you and animart1 appear to strongly agree on the topic.
And you are totally right that it would be easy to not see animart1’s sarcasm.
*Unless KP has a secret plan that makes this statement incorrect.
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Just FWIW, Sean
He wasn’t challenging Ben to delete his post. He was challenging Ben to go after Nic for being a “cancer” because Ben kind of went after Sergio for being a cancer, and a lot of people thought Ben was over the top on it.
It wasn’t that he thought Ben should do anything, it was a gentle dig at Ben for what he did in the past (all in fun). So there was some history behind that — which you, as a new member, couldn’t possibly have known. I totally understand why you misread his post.
Probably the best lesson of all is to keep your profile low until you learn a new community. But few of us actually do that — I didn’t, either. Because on the ’Net, you can become part of a community right away, right? Jump in and go for it!
Fortunately, this is a fairly forgiving place — no one is going to hold stupid comments against you for long unless you keep making them.
For my part, I’d have just said, “Hey, Sean, you don’t know him, but he’s joking,” and left it at that, if you hadn’t gone to the English thing. Because one of the things I like about this site is that kids, and those who don’t have great education, and horrible Europeans, and even the odd L@ker fan or Sonics fan, are all welcome.
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
If I can chime in belatedly
I do appreciate the spirit is which you took the correction. Thank you for your courage. There are a couple of things that have helped me in the past to rethink a post before I hit post (and more than a few have gone unposted).
1. If I click on the red name at the bottom of a post and I will be linked to the profile page of the poster. There I can scan that posters recent recent activity. On the black bar I can then click on Blog and review the poster’s fanshots and fanposts. It gives me a better appreciation of that person.
2. This blog is different than any I have encountered. It is huge but there are a strong core of hundreds of true fans here every day who learn to recognize other posters and often bait each other a bit in fun. The trolls expose themselves pretty quickly and are welcomed here as well so long as they do not stay abusive. Many fans of other teams have said they come here because they have nothing like this place for their own team.
Finally I will add that amlmart1 has shown his quick wit and deep intelligence here for a good long time. He knows his history and even his Latin. He adds a Spanish flavor for us to appreciate Rudy and Sergio better and often translates interviews in Spanish for us less-gifted linguistically. I am sure you will come to know him better as the months roll on. I welcome you here as well.
hmmmmm…….
Everything I said was truly in a lighthearted manner (Except for the Welcome – that was genuine), hoping to back away from the somewhat tense situation and make you feel welcome. (Which obviously backfired).
The "lol" – was in response to your joke about standing in the corner.
The "I try not to laugh at work" was also in response to you drawing attention to yourself while standing in the corner, while at the same time trying to respond to you in the same fashion you responded to me, and it is true, I try not to laugh at work while Bedging, i.e try not to draw attention to myself.
The mods do a great job here, and the mod remark was a joke. Just guessing, but I think everyone understood that as comic.
I can see how you probably were not yet in the frame of mind for joking, but because of your response (standing in the corner), I thought you were ready – sorry about that.
amlmart1 seeems to have accepted your apology, which is cool, because some people are not so forgiving, even here.
I almost didn’t come back to this thread, but I’m glad I did. So if you are a little more settled in, reread my comments and see if they don’t sound a little different to you.
When I read the first line of your comment my first reaction was to respond with "I only enjoy myself if everyone is enjoying themselves, so I hope you’re liking being lambasted." I only bring this up because that’s how much I thought you were in a different place. But I can see now you were still a little rattled.
This is a great place with a lot of great people, so one more time, Welcome Sean M!
Romance me with that Roy rainbow shot which took flight from way beyond the arc and sailed so high that before it came back down to earth sealing the victory, it kissed the rafters and said "You're mine baby."
I really was in the mood for joking.
I was having fun being disciplined. For some reason your post got under my skin, but obviously, I misinterpreted it. I’m actually not a person who posts frequently, but Blazer news is so sparse these days that I decided to dip my toe in the water. The long and detailed responses all of you have given me demonstrates how much you care about this online community, and I appreciate everyone’s advice and welcoming gestures. I am definitely a newbie when it comes to the Blazers. I really didn’t start following the team on a regular basis until the middle of the 2007-2008 season. The game you reference at the end of all your posts (Portland/Houston OT) is actually what turned me into a diehard fan. I bought a ticket on a whim, and the live experience was mind-blowing. This year I’m a season ticket holder, and I hope to attend all 41 home games. So not only am I new to this site but also to the team. I’m sure that will be evident in future posts.
Thank you everyone for the oreintation to Blazersedge. I may fade into the woodwork for a while, but I’ll be lurking daily even if you don’t hear from me. This is a unique site, and I can see why many of you are so passionate about it.
Finally, I will likely have a ticket available for many games this season as I only have a game companion occasionally. I write this not to hawk tickets, but because my travels through this site have given me the impression that many members of this site do not attend a lot of games in person (possibly I’m wrong about that). If the rules of this site allow me to, I will probably be posting some opportunities. In short, maybe I’ll get the chance to meet some of you. I’d like that.
Thank you, everyone. I apologize for the disruption I’ve caused. It’s amazing how my original post of 25 or so words could cause all this, but I appreciate the education all of you have given me.
GO BLAZERS!25 words become thousands!
It’s the offseason, and none of us have a life.
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
Wow, you were at that game, I’m totally jealous.
Thanks for replying.
I did come to this party a little late and felt I had 2 options, ignore what had gone on before and just say Welcome (which probably was the best option), or to rib you a little.
And I did feel bad when I saw how you took it. I should probably save my jesting for those I know better.
I was hoping the way it all came across was like the new kid who just transferred to our school. And on the way to your seat you stumbled and hit the kinda cute girl with braces buck teeth (amlmart1). But she’s pretty tough and didn’t really need a Band-Aid, so no bad feelings came from that. And then a few of us in the back of the class gave you a hard time for your entrance, but then we invited you to go shoot hoops after school to let you know everything was cool.
That was sort of what I was aiming for.
I saw your other comments about Nic, I love this guy. I don’t want to get my hopes to high, but it won’t surprise me it he turns out to be a star in the making.
Romance me with that Roy rainbow shot which took flight from way beyond the arc and sailed so high that before it came back down to earth sealing the victory, it kissed the rafters and said "You're mine baby."
I like the analogy.
Funny stuff. I guess I felt like I was being bullied. I figured I could either stand up for myself or get beat up for my lunch money every day. I’m a heavy guy. I get overprotective about my lunch. I’m glad I was misinterpreting your comments.
Nic’s my favorite. He has a long way to go, and his stats are rarely impressive. But he’s got no ego, a ton of heart and a wealth of untapped potential. I’ll be crushed if Nic doesn’t become a star in this league. I remember in March against New Jersey, Nic had a great game – 20 points and he sunk a 3 to effectively seal the victory. But what stuck with me was a play in the 2nd half. He drove down the lane, the defense collapsed on him and he got stuck in the air with no shot. He turned it over and looked pretty foolish in the process. New Jersey went on a fast break, and it looked like an easy 2 on the other end. Nic blocked the layup attempt. It was beautiful. Instead of getting down on himself, he just hustled down the court and took care of business. It’s just a block on the stat sheet, but it was so much more to me. Once this kid starts believing in himself, he’s going to be a stud. That may take some time, but I believe it will happen.
by Sean M on Aug 28, 2009 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
The biggest fear of Batum
was that Portland could take this as an excuse to stop him from playing in the Eurobasket, just like Chicago and Orlando didn’t want Joachim Noah and Michael Pietrus to play in the French team.
The situation was embarassing because now France is very close to playing the Euro cup it means more matches and Portland could want some rest for Batum. Early in the season Portland allowed Batum to play these qualifying games knowing there would only be 4 games if France was doing bad. Now there are 2 more games and if France wins there can be up to 11 more games in the offseason (17 in total). And the Eurobasket final is 16 days before the NBA preseason kicks off. Not much of a rest.
Nic and the Blazers know that this is very valuable experience
KP is not looking for some flimsly excuse to pull him off the team and Nic can rest in the preseason,Martell needs all the minutes he can handle
by southern oregon on Aug 20, 2009 6:00 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm sure he was nervous ...
and then to have it all over and done with so quickly would be frustrating. I’ve flown back and forth from San Francisco to Italy and it’s a LONG flight and not restful even if first class, I’d imagine (I flew coach).
I’ll bet Rudy will keep his mouth shut unless he’s in so much pain he can’t stand it if he’s heard about Nic having to fly back. Pau tore a ligament in his finger and the Lakers sent a coach to Spain to keep an eye on that situation. Seems the Blazers could have done something else but guess better safe than sorry.
edited to add the link to this video the French doctor showed Portland
by #10 on Aug 23, 2009 2:28 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
can you put update in the title? I almost missed that there was something new.
Thanks for the video link!
"If the Lakers are Hollywood, then we are South Central." - Clipper fan.
Oh My God!
That looks a lot like Scottie.
Like T4L says below, it’s not like the real thing because of the environment, plus it’s a highlight reel, but the way he plays there certainly bears a resemblance. Awesome update.
*Unless KP has a secret plan that makes this statement incorrect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
Ok, I didn’t say this, does anyone feel a title shot coming on?
Certainly a deep playoff run is possible.
Romance me with that Roy rainbow shot which took flight from way beyond the arc and sailed so high that before it came back down to earth sealing the victory, it kissed the rafters and said "You're mine baby."
Anything is possible with this team
Though I think a first round exit is unlikely this year, it is certainly still a legitimate possibility. So is a title run.
No one knows how far our rookies from last year will progress. Very young guys often see huge leaps in their second year.
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
If Greg and Batum show up big,
Andre mixes well, even just small improvements form the others, Martell, Travis, LMA, etc. – look out NBA.
Romance me with that Roy rainbow shot which took flight from way beyond the arc and sailed so high that before it came back down to earth sealing the victory, it kissed the rafters and said "You're mine baby."
If we stay healthy
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
If God doesn't return.
*Unless KP has a secret plan that makes this statement incorrect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
very cool, it's nice to see Nic take the ball and knife to the rim
but that wasn’t NBA-caliber defense those Italians were playing
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Batum le Roy
Does that look like Brandon taking over a game or what? Nic left them hanging so bad.
Only problem, what is with the steals and drives full court for the layin. And the floating over the opposing front line for the OReb and baby hook in the lane. That is too beautiful to watch! You’re hurting my eyes, Nic. Ouch!
I love this team.
Wow!!
I’ve always been a Batum fan!! Was that really the shy French kid from last year? He looks great!!!!
New interview with Batum
http://www.dailymotion.com/user/pau-orthez_com/video/xa90l7_20090823-batum_sport
He was a bit anxious portland would keep him for a long time, he said he prepared himself not to come back to France because you never know what they could find on the MRI.
He showed the full game France vs Italy (to the doctors I think) plus a montage of previous games.
It was previously set that he wouldn’t play the last game against Finland anyways.
He’s happy France will play the finals against Belgium and not Bosnia because the game Belgium vs Bosnia in Bosnia was a trap [from an interview with the French Coach 40 free throws for Bosnia, 10 for Belgium, plus apparently the coach from Bosnia took the ball from a Belgium player’s hands and they gave a technical foul to the Belgium coach]. Plus Belgium is closer so they’ll go there by train, plane is boring.
He was expecting the audience from Pau to be great because they’re the best audience in France. They know the audience will be there on sunday against Belgium.
He was surprised to have an impact quickly on the french team, all he wanted was to fit in with the crowd and follow the older players. He’s happy of what he’s done but he worked a lot last year. He managed to make a big step in his mind, he manages to have his mind right from the beginning of games, he’s not scared of the objectives.
From the beginning of the year he was looking forward to playing with the French team, he knows where he wants to go with it and they know where they want to go.
It may be a small springboard for the NBA too, he knows Portland watch games and look at the stats. It’s a nice surpise for them, they didn’t expect he’d have an impact on the game.
He’ll see what happens next year but it’s not really his objective. His objective is to win with the French team, with Portland he’ll see next.
He has a bit of his mind in the Eurobasket but try not to lose focus, if they lose next 2 games they’re in holidays, well they go back home and go back to next season and he doesn’t really want to resume with his team right now.
by chuky on Aug 23, 2009 8:34 PM PDT reply actions 6 recs
Wow, Nic's getting a little nasty in that video.
Granted the defense is a little substandard, but he’s showing flashed of a player who could get 35 minutes a night in our rotation. Love to see him attacking the rim like that … on almost every play.
"These are dreams that we have." --Rudolfo Fernandez
Another Interview (Game tonight at 8pm CEST)
http://www.basketsession.com/itw-batum-sexprime-sur-la-derniere-echeance/
Back from his check up in Portland, Nicolas Batum wishes to see the french team approach both meetings against Belgium with a high rate of engagement. Eager to discover the senior version of the Euro, the young forward of the France team spoke at Jacques Klopp’s microphone from Agence France Presse about this last step. Now reassured and in full command of his faculties, Batum talks about the difficulties of the French team when opposed to outsiders …
Two weeks ago you left the French team for Portland. What happened next ?
It was an express travel, I can say. I took off Saturday morning at 07am from Pau. I arrived in Portland, I had two, three tests, they watched the DVD of the match (France-Italy) and told me: “It’s ok, if you want you can leave tomorrow”.
Altogether, how much time did you spend in Portland ?
21 hours ! I spent more time in the plan than on the spot. I was surprised because I left France thinking I would only come back next year. I prepared for a one way journey.
A big relief then ?
Of course ! I told myself : now It’s good. I’m going to end it, I’m going to the European Championship and we’re going to do something there.
What were your condition when you came back in the group on Saturday in Pau ?
Fresh and rested. The first two days after my return I was a little lost, shifted after 9 hours of jet lag in one direction then in another. Monday morning my mother came to fetch me at the airport and I went straight home. Then I’ve trained twice with the team of Pont-L’évêque before heading to Pau.
You were brilliant in France vs Italy. Was it to convince Portland’s managers to release you ?
I knew I was going to bring the video and that it wouldn’t be good for me if I were doing a bad game. So yes I thought about it. I tried to be everywhere to show them that I wasn’t hurt. It worked.
In fact you’ve only made big games with the Bleus so far ?
The first half against Hungary wasn’t awesome. But it’s true it’s going well. I knew I could bring a lot to this team but I didn’t think I would have such an impact from the beginning. I want to go on and be a additional weapon.
Have you followed the defeat of your teammates in Finland?
I was in front of my TV. It was funny by the way, I knew all their systems and players. There was a phenomenon of decompression. We were not a 100% concentrated. Fortunately there hasn’t been implications for the future. But we must not repeat a game like this.
A good warning before playing Belgium ?
Yes because Belgium can play basketball, there’ll be a big audience, a hot arena. We’ll have to take care.
Especially since France has often struggled with supposed small teams …
It is a problem of motivation, but you have to know what you want. Here we’re playing a qualifying game for the European championship. We don’t care who’s the opponent. We have 80 minutes to go to the Euro [quarters last 10 minutes], we have to go all out. Try to make a difference tomorrow [tonight] and then confirm in Pau on Sunday. And also to show we’ll be ready in the Euro and we’re not going there to be kidding.
What would represent a participation in the Euro for you ?
It would be huge. There are big team like Lituania, Greece, Spain. It changes from junior teams, it’s not the same level. You meet real players. It’s important for me to make this European Championship.
Nicolas Batum in Pont-l’Evêque, picture from http://www.plpab.com/
by chuky on Aug 27, 2009 9:02 AM PDT reply actions 3 recs
Nic made some nice plays
one really nice block, in particular, but it didn’t seem like his best game.
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
It was probably
His shoulder flaring up : )
"I saw him in the face" Sergio's quote on the latest alley-oop to Rudy.
by blazermaniac32 on Aug 28, 2009 8:14 AM PDT up reply actions
France needs your help today at 8am PDT !
Last game of the Finals today at 17h in France, France needs to win by more than 4 points to qualify for the EuroBasket.
Congratulations!
Belgium looked like a decent team in the first game, but….
"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue
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