Run PDX wrote:I'm starting to wonder if Denver would take Batum and McCollum for Affalo and Chandler - with no draft picks involved. It works financially, and it actually gives the team some flexibility to... 1.) Use other assets to make another decent trade this season, and 2.) Sign a player to a gradually increasing contract that sees the largest increase three years from now - i.e. a backloaded contract. Because we would be shedding McCollum's third year.
I know that it might seem like a knee jerk reaction to the way Batum has been playing, but maybe he needs a change - and maybe we do as well. He hasn't really stepped up to his new contract over the last two years, and it's hard to justify the Blazers keeping Batum and Matthews at a higher pay rate when we need to resign LMA and Dame.
I don't think that's accurate....he hasn't stepped up to his contract this year but he did last season
Last season, Batum was 2nd on the team in TS%, 4th in offensive win shares, 2nd in defensive win shares, 3rd in Off Box plus/minus, 1st in Def Box plus/minus, 1st in Total Box plus/minus, and 1st in Value Over Replacement Player
obviously, each set of numbers probably has flaws and can skew one way or the other, but taken as a whole they do paint a picture about impact. Add in the facts that Batum was 2nd on the team in assists, 3rd in rebounding, 2nd in total steals, 3rd in blocks, and was Portland's best perimeter defender while committing the fewest fouls/36
the guy turned 26 just one month ago, so it's not like he's over the hill. I think the Blazers should be cautious about cutting loose from a player that can do as much as Batum can.
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I also think it's possible that Batum's 3pt shooting slump has overshadowed everything else in people's perceptions of how he is playing because he shoots 4.4 three's a game in the Stotts offense
his 2ptFG% is .523 this season while his career mark is .527. He did shoot .566 on two's last season so there is definitely a slump down from that mark, but he essentially at his career mark.
last season, he averaged 5.1 assists/36 and 2.5 turnovers/36. This season he's averaging 5.0 and 1.9. So there is an actual improvement in assist/turnover notwithstanding his brain-dead performance against the Spurs
his rebounds/36 have dropped from 7.4 last season to 5.6 this season so a significant drop there, but it's worth noting that his mark this season is the 2nd highest of his career. I'd be willing to point to his knee issues as a main reason for this number being down so much
he's definitely in a slump, and it appears to be both mental and physical. I don't know whether time-off would help or not. This may be season long if it has to do with his divorce and those nagging injuries
if Portland is going to trade a starter they need to maximize the return and I'm not sure that would be the case right now with Batum