Trail Post: Nicolas Batum Interview Translated
Well, Nicolas Batum did it again today during the World Championships, leading France to a 68-63 win over Canada and scoring a team-high 24 points (plus seven rebounds).
Batum also had another highlight reel dunk, this time on a baseline alleyoop finish.
After the game, Batum talked with Sports.fr about the result. Our friends over at Trail Post translated the interview to English in full. Enjoy.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
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Ben Golliver
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Sweet!
Then he’ll start for us, play 20-25 minutes (very little of that in the 4th qtr), stand in the corner launching last second threes and get zero plays called for him. Complements of our coach.
blzr31 for head coach
is your playbook as dynamite as your EXPLOSIVE critique of mr. mcmillan?
As little like as I have for unsubstantiated criticism of people in positions of responsibility, a retort seeming to insinuate that if the critic can’t do a better job than their subject, then they shouldn’t critique at all is even more worthless.
In Bayless I trust.
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by staylost on Aug 31, 2010 8:13 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
This is true.
"What you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. May God have mercy on your soul."
It's hard to get excited..
…for a player’s potential when the coach doesn’t tap it. I don’t think I’m asking for a “dynamite” playbook when all I wish to see is a few plays called for him. Maybe we can substitute 2-3 LMA “pick and pops” (since he rarely rolls) or Roy ISO’s for a Nico pick and roll. I obviously rubbed a Nate defender’s feathers the wrong way but I just don’t agree w/the coach not even attempting to use Nic offensively. It leaves little to get excited about when I see these highlights and realize that he won’t be put into many situations to replicate them. That’s all.
BTW, for the post below, I’m not sure how my summary of Nate’s usage of Nic is unsubstantiated. What part is way off base?
I’m ok with Nate taping into the much better potential of Roy. And how can anybody bash Nate in the offseason? Batum was hurt like the entire year, its not like he was going to be a the focus of the offense. Just because he’s playing good right now doesn’t mean he was misused during the season.
by hoodieNation on Sep 1, 2010 4:07 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Nevermind the well-publicized end-of-season meeting between Nate and Nic
Where Nate specifically asked Nic to work on his post game to broaden the offensive options.
I think it’s easy for fans to assume that because a player is smart and talented that they should automatically be able to participate in any kind of play you can imagine from your sofa. Nevermind that Nic is, with a healthy Greg, our fourth/fifth option on offense and so isn’t ever gonna get a ton of plays called for him anyway, except most likely as a misdirection move coming out of a timeout.
Like the Whos down in Whoville they did it without boxes or ribbons or bows, they did without centers or posting down low. They won without All-Stars and Spaniards and Frenchmen. They won with old geezers and sub-par defense-men. They won playing rookies from deep off the benches. They won with their grit and their guts in the trenches. And some who observed them have been known to say that their hearts grew three sizes (at least!) on the way. One hopes with their poise and their passion now proven that once they are healthy their game will be groovin'. -- Dave
by conspirator5 on Sep 1, 2010 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions
Batum:
I try to keep a cool head. I had the chance to evolve throughout the year with a player who masters composure, Brandon Roy. I watch a lot, and when I see his sureness and composure, I admire him. And when I play at the end of a game like today, I copy him. I have a good teacher, I think.
I would certainly like to see more evolution between those two! I think they make a decent Jordan/Pippen imitation and bring good chemistry together.
by Sir.Ludo on Aug 31, 2010 7:49 PM PDT reply actions 12 recs
This statement is *exactly* what stood out for me also! And also: "I tried to get the game to my style in the second half .. "
Nic has such great basketball IQ. And maturity .. he’s already one of the leaders of the French team.
That is my dude right there.
The game was delayed for over 15 minutes with 5:07 left in the second quarter after France's Nicolas Batum, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, dunked and twisted the rim. Officials scrambled to put a new rim on the basket and reattach a net.
Help me remember
Didn’t Batum say when he first came to Portland, BRoy put in a good word for him and more or less put him under his wing?
If so, that makes the BRoy/Batman chemistry much better then Jordan/Pippen duo because Jordan was often critical of Pippen.
Plus, Batum could do lots worst then to copy BRoy’s composure and end of the game heroics.
The criticism of Nate not using Batum on offense is somewhat unjustified because Batum was hurt last year most of the season and his rookie year was timid and also hurt. Therefore Batum’s statement of evolving says a lot. It was also said that Nate wants Batum to learn post up moves because teams has been putting their worst and too short defenders on him. Therefore, lMO, Blzr31should wait until Batum plays a season healthy before being so critical of Nate.
hg
by BBK on Sep 1, 2010 4:25 AM PDT up reply actions
Yes, BRoy took Nic under his wings.
He especially kept advising Nic to “relax” before his first start.
Nic sure figures things out really well! I seem to remember there’s an African proverb about three types of people in the world: Those who see things and learn, those who are told things and learn, and those who don’t learn even after they’re told. (Maybe I didn’t say it right, but this is the general idea.)
Nic is the first kind of people. We’ve had the third kind on the Blazers in the past, but I’d won’t name names. :)
...
who can’t like Nicolas? i mean seriously, is there anyone who doesn’t like this guy? that’s just the type of guy Brandon is, to take him under his wing and show him the ropes. i belive, beginning this year, Nicolas is going to make Brandon’s life on the court a whole lot easier.
thanks so much for your concern, but i do not require your validation in order to feel free to submit my comment.
i belive, beginning this year, Nicolas is going to make Brandon’s life on the court a whole lot easier.
that started back in November 2008. The Blazers are a better unit when Batum is on the floor. If he remains on the bench for longer than 5 min I start wondering if he’s injured, because he shouldn’t be stuck there based on a “coach’s decision”
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
That was a very aggresive screen to set up the dunk...
I wonder if the Canadian had flopped like an Italian soccer player, perhaps the call would have gone to the North Americans.
In Bayless I trust.
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I think the game is more physical. I like it. I like the refs not calling fouls on obvious flops and
I heard the refs actually called a techincal foul on someone who flopped! I didn’t see that but heard the announcers mention it.
I would LOVE it if the NBA refs could call Ts on flops!!!
IDK Ben, maybe you are a hater
but I think you could link my reviews… ;)
The game was delayed for over 15 minutes with 5:07 left in the second quarter after France's Nicolas Batum, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, dunked and twisted the rim. Officials scrambled to put a new rim on the basket and reattach a net.
I think prof.mike had the first review this time... ;)
In Bayless I trust.
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of course he did
Beat me to the punch !
The game was delayed for over 15 minutes with 5:07 left in the second quarter after France's Nicolas Batum, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, dunked and twisted the rim. Officials scrambled to put a new rim on the basket and reattach a net.
Maybe it has to do with my account name...
he doesn’t want to be incriminated? lol.
The game was delayed for over 15 minutes with 5:07 left in the second quarter after France's Nicolas Batum, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, dunked and twisted the rim. Officials scrambled to put a new rim on the basket and reattach a net.
look, he was just trying to help a friend with their music video
He didn’t know about all that other stuff…
Geriatric Dunk Squad!
1/4/10 - Juwan Howard dunks on Chris Kaman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTkOqDgLb6s
3/7/10 - Andre Miller Tomahawk jams on the Denver Nuggets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-JVgm7F1QA
4/12/10 - Marcus Camby drops 30 and 13 on OKC to cement 50 wins. http://www.nba.com/blazers/media/camby_chant_041310.mp3
by Eat Politicians on Aug 31, 2010 10:12 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Who is this Neeko Batoom kid?
Maybe he could be a Blazer someday.
Porter, Drexler, Kersey, Williams, Duckworth. The greatest starting 5 ever.
i saw the title of this
And in my head I read Trade Post: Nicolas Batum. I did not like it.
by hoodieNation on Aug 31, 2010 10:18 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
I literally fell asleep reading that
I just can’t get excited about a guy who only played 37 games.
#52
you mean?
37 games last season, on top of the 79 he played as a rookie.
thanks so much for your concern, but i do not require your validation in order to feel free to submit my comment.
yeah, I don't pay attention to rookie seasons
But he got hurt playing in Europe. I can’t help but question his NBA toughness.
#52
however
whether you pay attention to it or not, he did have a rookie season where he started 76 games. that ain’t chump change! Nicolas has everything it takes to make it through 82 games plus playoffs. he’s only gettng better, stronger and more durable.
thanks so much for your concern, but i do not require your validation in order to feel free to submit my comment.
I’m new here, so help me out. Is this Tom guy a well-known troll or just an idiot?
by Mackerel on Sep 1, 2010 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions 8 recs
well ...
he stirs things up occasionally, but funny is not a term i would use for him!
thanks so much for your concern, but i do not require your validation in order to feel free to submit my comment.
A little of both
I don’t slurp rookies or injury prone players. I don’t jump on bandwagons because some player had a good game against a JV squad and I think any team outside of the NBA, and many in the NBA, are JV squads.
#52
by tominhawaii on Sep 1, 2010 2:17 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
wow
and that makes you better than the rest of us. :P
i, for one, like Nic for the improvement he showed from his rookie to sophomore seasons. he’s making strides and could have a break out season this year or next. for me, it’s like getting in on the ground floor rather than jumping on a bandwagon.
thanks so much for your concern, but i do not require your validation in order to feel free to submit my comment.
I don't hate him
I just don’t buy into the hype that he’d be Scottie Pippen if it wasn’t for Nate. That’s not to say that he can’t become a “Scottie Pippen” (and I don’t want this thread to take that tangent), or that Nate is or isn’t a crappy coach.
I just hold him to the same standards as all the other players (not counting Miller) and call it like I see it. Nic is playing against crappier teams and he missed a lot of games last year.
I hope he become a player future players will compare themselves to, and I hope Nate is there along the way. That’s just how I roll. (I call no “let me fix that for you” and change the “roll” into a “troll”)
#52
and tom freaking LOVES Andre.
Not just because he is a great player and teammate, but for being just a great person in general.
by hoodieNation on Sep 1, 2010 5:39 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
He is like our court jester.
He says mostly stupid things when read directly.but tries to get us to open our eyes to stuff that we are willingly blind to.
In Bayless I trust.
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tominhawaii....Nic was hurt HERE in the spring of 2009. He then continued to play.
And played injured in the summer last year. Came back to Portland during the summer and was OK’ED to go back and play the rest of the summer. Would love to know which clown ok’ed that.
I gotta ask Corvid to find the link because she's the link lady
Nic said last year after his surgery that he knew he needed surgery in the summer and he waited to get it after the NBA season started. His priorities are a major concern for me.
I also didn’t like that he was a rookie with Oden, Roy, and LA and he complained after the season about “doing the Portland”. Did he really expect to be the focal point of the offense when he was still learning the language and the offense?
#52
If you read the interviews last year that #10 posted, it’s clear that Nic wasn’t honest with himself (or the doctors/trainers for either team) that he had an injury that wasn’t going to get better if he continued to play. All summer the guy was saying everything he could to get out of having surgery or a long rest/rehab period — over and over again he talked about being able to play through the pain. Training camp changed his mind.
The operation came naturally. As soon as July we knew that it was a fracture [torn]. It hurt, but I kept on playing.
I just kept on playing without complaining. It hurt but it wasn’t unbearable, I managed to play.
I was fed up with my shoulder. It’s been seven months with this problem, it bothered me more and more during the last three months, and the last two weeks, the shocks were more and more frequent and the pain even worse. So I was sick of it. When I took that blow, I knew that it was dead and just two days from the start of the season… it sucks! But I can’t play 82 games like that. Even with all the willpower in the world, I wouldn’t have been able to be at 100%.
On another note, there are several “clowns” who OKd Nic for play: the Blazer doctors, the French team doctors, and Neal ElAttrache, one of the best shoulder docs in the country. ElAttrache, who handles 75% of the NBA’s shoulder injuries, recommended surgery but also told Nic that he could continue to play if he could manage it. The bottom line: Pain is subjective. Nic told them he could play through the pain and they believed him. The situation probably wasn’t as cut-and-dried as it seems to many fans and the clown comment is a cheap shot.
http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/17/1315208/nicolas-batum-interview-feb-17th
http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/26/1102428/batum-blog-pre-injury
by Corvid on Sep 1, 2010 5:24 PM PDT up reply actions 5 recs
It's all Oden's fault
because when Batum ran into Greg during training camp, Nic knew his shoulder was hanging by a thread
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
One thing we know now: Greg is not prone to shoulder injuries
"Listening to the media only increases your odds of failing at whatever you are doing" - Mark Cuban
you dont pay attention to rookie seasons??
I don’t really need to say anything to this. Keep watching the games from your couch, rest of us will be at the RG homie!!
Oct. 26th
I watch, I just don't care
I’d rather not watch a rookie play and I’d rather make a judgment based on a larger time frame so that I know the stats are legit. I think if a rookie is playing, then it’s bad for your team because you can’t trust rookies.
#52
Neeco, Neeco!
I watched the entire replay and the exciting thing to me was Nic’s ability to put the ball on the floor and drive. It may take a while for that to translate against NBA players, but you can see it coming. Nic’s long legs just eat up distance. He was at the three point line and took it to the hoop with one dribble.
From a team standpoint, what I find really positive is the number of players on the Blazer’s roster who can get to the line. Free throws are not only easy points, getting the other team in foul trouble is a huge weapon. Often, getting the other team’s best players in foul trouble is the very best form of “team defense.” Even LeBron can’t score from the bench.
The Blazer’s have more and more players who can get to the line: Roy, Miller, Bayless, and Oden. If Nic and LMA get into the act, it is going to put a ton of pressure on the opposing teams bigs. Nic is showing his potential as a slasher. If Bayno’s reports about LMA are true, he may be ready to join the parade to the free throw line. It may not be the most exciting way to score points, but it is incredibly effective.
In just two-three seasons, the Blazers are morphing their style from jump shots, to penetration, low post scoring, and free throws. Blake, Trout, Martell, and Rudy all relied on jumpers. Joel was a non-factor offensively. These guys are either gone or playing far less important roles. Maybe we have finally arrived at the point where Barkley will stop calling the Blazers a jump shooting team.
by upper left corner on Sep 1, 2010 6:22 AM PDT reply actions
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