Where would we be with Tony Battie?

orlandomike · Post #1 » by **orlandomike** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:28 pm

Now that we have at least 3 or 4 days to watch, I just wondered where we would be had Tony B not gotten hurt. Solid defendier fundamentals guy, could count on him to shoot just when he needed to and give you 15/8 maybe.

Rick Rolled · Post #2 » by **Rick Rolled** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:30 pm

I think of that all the time....

But....

Giving his knees a year off might do wonders for Tony. We'll see next year.

theTHIEF · Post #3 » by **theTHIEF** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:31 pm

tough to say really, we wouldn't have Evans or Cook and they IMO have had more impact than Tony alone would have...Never know though, Tony could have come up big for us in games where we werent getting it done on the glass...

Post #4 » by **eyriq** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:35 pm

I can say that moving forward having Tony would be HUGE. Having him for a whole year? Like Rick Rolled stated, in essence, there were too many moves made BECAUSE he was out that have helped this team to say what would have happened otherwise.

Pancho_Pantera · Post #5 » by **Pancho_Pantera** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:42 pm

It's the same question Lakers fans ask about Bynum.

magictreat · Post #6 » by **magictreat** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:21 pm

orlandomike wrote:Now that we have at least 3 or 4 days to watch, I just wondered where we would be had Tony B not gotten hurt. Solid defendier fundamentals guy, could count on him to shoot just when he needed to and give you 15/8 maybe.

He is an stiff, remember he dissapeared last season at playoff time against Detroit, I'm glad he isn't playing, freaking stiff....

paperboymafia · Post #7 » by **paperboymafia** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:23 pm

15/8?

more like 10/6

mhectorgato · Post #8 » by **mhectorgato** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:29 pm

magictreat wrote:He is an stiff, remember he dissapeared last season at playoff time against Detroit, I'm glad he isn't playing, freaking stiff....

And Darko had a good playoff against Detroit and he's been a stiff all this year ... so what does that prove?

It's hard to imagine that this team would be more successful with Tony starting. Obviously our current scheme wouldn't work with him shooting 3s ;-)

Having Tony in there off-loaded Dwight from having the tougher assignment. It certainly will be interesting to see what our starting line up will be next season - with a typical PF or Shard.

I would imagine that the only change to our starting lineup might be at the 2. But many here point to the PF as being our biggest issue ...

Having Tony sub in would be better than Foyle at the C, though different players.

15/8 - don't think so, especially the 15 part.

theTHIEF · Post #9 » by **theTHIEF** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:30 pm

depends on the competition...

CourtsideTV · Post #10 » by **CourtsideTV** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:31 pm

he's a solid 10/8 guy... plays solid defense..

i forgot if he's even good..loll..but i know he's better than foyle..
foyles a nice guy but as a player..he just seems overrated by the sonics ans.

Post #11 » by **MagicMadness** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:32 pm

Battie would be coming off the bench, giving us like 7/5 a game - which obviously would have been very helpful.

SVG is not going to have Hedo or Lewis coming off the bench next season...

theTHIEF · Post #12 » by **theTHIEF** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:34 pm

Tony would have had a double double vs the Raps in almost every game with consistent minutes...

Post #13 » by **ORL** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:45 pm

I think at this point you can't change the makeup of the team my moving Lewis and Turk down for him. That's too dramatic a change. I think at best, Battie backs up Howard (Foyle's and Gortat's minutes) and that's about it.

mhectorgato · Post #14 » by **mhectorgato** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:45 pm

MagicMadness wrote:Battie would be coming off the bench, giving us like 7/5 a game - which obviously would have been very helpful.

SVG is not going to have Hedo or Lewis coming off the bench next season...

Not that this means anything in the real world, but quite a few see the PF as the biggest issue to address.

If we get a MLE PF or use Tony to start, do we play Hedo out of position then?

Granted he would have a tremendous height advantage, but would he be as effective driving against quicker defenders? Shorter defenders might give him more trouble with his dribble. Would he be able to effectively defend smaller quicker guards?

It will be interesting to see what our S/L will be next season this time.

Post #15 » by **MagicMadness** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:58 pm

I know that some fans would like management to trade Hedo, move Rashard to SF, and get a really good, legit, PF.

And it's not a bad idea, actually. I'll consider it as well, once our options become clearer in the coming months.

However, I don't expect management to move Hedo. My *early* prediction is that they will be satisfied with this year's attendance numbers, will be satisfied with the community buzz, and will want to give the Hedo/Lewis/Howard frontline another shot.

But to answer your questions about Hedo at SG - no, IMO, I don't think we would want to use him there. Or at least, I highly doubt he would florish or be anywhere nearly as effective. I would rather have a defensive guard there, much more so than a scorer.

mfishy · Post #16 » by **mfishy** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 5:28 pm

We would probably be worse off.

I am one of the guys that thinks we really need a banger, but Tony is not so much that player. Add to that, would Hedo have done what he did?

It is an interesting situation because Shard cannot play the 4 all his years in Orlando. He is not a PF. That said, can SVG really take minutes away from him or hedo?

Post #17 » by **craig01** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 5:36 pm

I agree with ORL in that Battie would get back up minutes behind Howard.

Battie would never average 15/8 or even 10/8 .

He's a 6/5 guy that needs 25 minutes to do that.

Like fishy said, he's not a banger either.

While I don't think he hurts you on the floor, he does not provide much in the way of production, so productivity would be lost because of someone else's reduced minutes.

Greer · Post #18 » by **Greer** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 5:50 pm

I think the only thing battie will provide is the ability to play big effectively. He isn't gonna come out there and change anything. He won't bring all the disadvantages of foyle. He is just gonna be out there and isn't an impact player. But thats what we need off the bench is someone who is just out there and not out there killing us and chucking away.

magicfanejc42 · Post #19 » by **magicfanejc42** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:01 pm

I like Tony and he is missed on this roster right now, but you all have forgotten tony since he hasn't played in so long, he is a 5/5 guy and MAYBE will get you 7/7..he isn't a scorer, and honestly isn't a great rebounder.. He is a solid defensive player though, and that is what we miss.

Having Tony back would be wonderful, but right now this team is doing fine, and with the addition of the MLE, a first rounder and Tony in the offseason, and maybe even Fran, we will be a SOLID team next year.. Let's just see how far we go without him.

orlandomike · Post #20 » by **orlandomike** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:13 pm

I guess the word to use is efficient. He is an efficient smart player, kind of like Horace Grant, not that good , not the banger but from the stand point of doing the dirty work, not screwing up and being very selective of his shots. He doesnt try to do circus crap like some of our guards to make something happen. He knows his skill level and plays within it. That doesnt show up on stat sheets but players dont always win games, many times they just lose them.