FanShot

NBA Fanhouse: Batum for Melo Doesn't Make Sense for Blazers

36

"Carmelo Anthony just isn't a good fit for the style, culture, or long-term goals of Portland. Just like when the team had a shot at Amar'e Stoudemire a few seasons back...." "The Blazers are too smart to readily cut ties with Batum, who is something of a Frenchman's Kevin Durant (maybe there's poetic justice after all). Yet as Berger points out, because of what Portland's out to do on the court, Batum's hypothetical value to Portland, and the price he could command from another team, might not sync up with what he'll be allowed to do on the court. Or, more accurately, what Nate McMillan allows him to do. As Berger writes, 'Batum is not only affordable – he's still on his rookie contract – but his value is much greater to faster-paced teams. With their grind-it-out style, the Blazers understand that they don't take full advantage of Batum's open-court abilities.'"