Portland Wants Kemba; Maybe Not (Update)

[Harry Palmer]

I would do the 5th for Batum and try and get the 21st as well...

This thread's got a little bit of everything. An Awesome/Mediocre title, airport pedagoguery, and now the usual 'start of with a non-rumor which favors us and inflate it to the point where we would be committing larceny while mulling it over doubtfully' routine.

[bboyskinnylegs]

Batum is not just an average player. He is a very efficient player that defends, rebounds, and knocks down the 3 ball--exactly what we need at the SF position. I think him and DeMar would make a great wing combo, and he would definitely help space the floor and improve our perimeter D. He's long, quick, athletic, and just 22. If you look at his averages this year, in games where he played 30+ minutes (a total of 47 games, so you can't say it's statistically insignificant) he averaged 14.9ppg shooting 47.6% from the field (36.6% from 3). He also averaged 5.43 rebs.

So even if for some reason him and DeMar don't improve at all, that's a young starting wing combo that can consistently produce 33ppg already. If given a higher usage than the 17.8% he had in Portland this year, I think he can up that production even more (I also think DeMar can up his production from the 18.2ppg he averaged in 30+ minutes this year as well).

[James_Raptors]

I highly doubt , in a weak draft year like 2011, that Portland considers a Batum for #5, even for a millisecond. They are very high on him (who wouldn't be). I'm sure most of the teams in the NBA would be interested in him.

[wanker]

I don't understand the hype (around here) with Batum--he isn't that good, and I certainly wouldn't trade a #5 pick for him.

For example: He has a simple rating of -1.2 (with both negative own/opp PER and negative on/off court value). http://www.82games.com/1011/1011POR.HTM

[raps4eva]

f that kemba to raps babyyyy

[Compton_Killa10]

I rather take Val( who is my least fav prospect in the draft and the one guy I pray to god BC doesn't draft) over Oden who will never play more than 20 games for the rest of his career smh

[darth_federer]

I don't understand the hype (around here) with Batum--he isn't that good, and I certainly wouldn't trade a #5 pick for him.

For example: He has a simple rating of -1.2 (with both negative own/opp PER and negative on/off court value). http://www.82games.com/1011/1011POR.HTM

According to Synergy he was also one of the top 5 worst defenders in the NBA.

@tomhaberstroh

Synergy's top 5 worst defenders (min. 300 plays): J.R. Smith, Ramon Sessions, Daniel Gibson, Marco Belinelli, Nic Batum.

[totallyr]

I'd rather draft Kemba than trade him, although give me Val