Batum should start at SG. Why not?

First, I wouldn’t put Wes and Nic on the same level for wing defense. Wes is faster, and can be more physical with smaller guards. He’s our best defender on the wing, and we ask him to guard PGs quite a bit. As much as I love Nic (he’s my favorite player) he can’t guard the stephen currys and ty lawsons of the world. It’s just a size mismatch. Plus, in a starting lineup of Felton, Wallace, and L.A., he’s still not going to get many looks, even if he gets more minutes.

SG is simply not his natural position. His handles are improving, but Wes is still better in this department as well. Please believe that while international basketball is competitive in its own right, it’s not close to NBA play. You’re dealing with elite defenders, night in night out. Nic was the best player on his team in SLUC Nancy, and was twice (or more?) named player of the week in the league. That reflects well on Nic, but it should also tell you about the quality of the the play there. International play is similar; rarely do you play the Spains and the U.S.‘s of the world. Having big games against Latvia and Israel doesn’t buy you much street cred.

Lastly, the rotation just doesn’t work out that way. Neither Wes or Crawford are PGs, even though we’ve been playing Crawford there a lot. That’s why his turnovers are up. I think that’s also why we started giving Nolan Smith a little bit of time. Expecting Crawford to effectively run point every night is wishful thinking. He’s a good distributor, but he’s a shoot first guard. When he’s playing PG, he’s got to find his own shot way more often. Since he’s a monster in the 1on1 game, this is ok some of the time. But we’ve effectively eliminated the potential of catch-and-shoot scenarios with him. I haven’t seen him run a pick and roll very often either. It’s just iso and drive the lane. I don’t think that’s what you want from your PG.

And if Nic starts, who’s backing up gerald? We just went from a fairly deep team to not deep enough. We could slot the rhino in there, which then moves Thomas to the 4 behind Wallace. Then we put in CJ for Camby? That’s a tough pill to swallow. Or, we put Luke in at the 3? Either way, it’s a huge letdown in the second unit.

I love Nic, I want him to start eventually, and I want him to be a big part of our future. I own one jersey, and it has #88 on it. And right now, my best hope is for Nic to get to a place where he’s a legitimate and consistent 6th man. Our bench should be pouring it on opposing benches and upping the lead. Everyone plays better when they’re given more minutes. But truly gifted and elite players, on elite teams, are efficient with the time they’re given. Right now, we need Batum to fill that role.

I’ve been saying this for a month. Wes is a better player, just as capable at defending wing players (respectfully disagree with the commenter above), and most importantly he shoots better and has become a more reliable, consistent offensive player than Wes. And, frankly, coach McMillan is looking like a complete fool for not playing Nick more. I am more than frustrated with McMillan for this and for his rotations this season. But, yeah, Batum should definitely start. He’s just a better player and more of what we need in the starting lineup. His ability to play within the team offense is no joke, and his shooting is just better. Plus do you know how big and athletic that makes our starting lineup? Jeez. It’s just a little exasperating.

more minutes for Nic, but I think that can be done from the bench.

The last few nights, Nic has gotten minutes with the starters and his play has really picked up. The second unit just doesn’t have much flow with Smith, Smith, and Crawford calling there own number almost every time. That said, Nic’s versatility makes him a better fit for the bench than Wes. Nic can defend 2-4 depending on the match up while Wes really only defends 2s.

To me, the question really is about giving Wes too many minutes. His defense, shooting, and ball handling are not good enough to justify 8-10 more minutes a game than Nic. Really the two should be about equal in minutes at just under 30 a game.

The more I watch the more I feel bad for Nate, I just think he has a rather limited vision for the game (much like he did as a player) and I don’t think he “gets it”. Great guy, and a good leader…but not the right coach for a team invested in the draft like the blazers are.

Batum has effectively guarded both Tony Parker and Kevin Durant. I didn’t say he “stopped” them, but compared to Matthews, the PGs, and Wallace, he can D up against a variety of players AND — more importantly — D up on all the switches that the Blazers do.

It doesn’t mean that Matthews plays only 24 minutes nor should Batum. It does mean that Crawford plays little or none at SG, because both Matthews and Batum are better for the team (playing both ends) than he is. That is the miscalculation made by CoachMac.