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7. Nicolas Batum, fading
During a recent game, Charlotte's broadcast team pointed out that Batum's rebounding and shooting percentages exceed his marks from last season. It was peak Hornets Pravda.

I've always been a Batum fan. He's a heady two-way player who contributes in ways that don't show up in the box score.

It feels queasy drawing a direct line between salary and points per game, but I'm sorry: A 30-year-old wing earning $24 million cannot average 7.5 shots per game on a team starved for someone other than Kemba Walker to let fly. (Cut to Malik Monk sticking his hand enthusiastically out of James Borrego's doghouse.) Charlotte ranks eighth in points per possession, but it has no offense when Walker rests or slumps. Batum jacking up his usage during those minutes would be worth a small downturn in his individual shooting.

A rim-protecting center is the only player type that can shoot so rarely and produce at a near-max-salary level. Those behemoths at least get to the line; Batum has attempted 31 free throws all season.

Even when he burrows into the post against a matchup he likes, Batum fades from contact:


Who is Charlotte's second-best player? Is it (gulp) Jeremy Lamb? Charlotte needs a little more from Batum to separate themselves at the bottom of the junior varsity playoff race.

Vanderbilt_Grad wrote:In theory Batum is being used as a defender / passing shot creator. If you bench him who takes that secondary creator role on offense?

DY_nasty wrote:

Vanderbilt_Grad wrote:In theory Batum is being used as a defender / passing shot creator. If you bench him who takes that secondary creator role on offense?

if you replace a trash bag with literally nothing, at the very least you get rid of the smell...

catch20two wrote:I still think Batum is better than Bridges and Bacon so I'm not ready to go the Deng route on him just yet. That probably says more about Bridges and Bacon than it does about Batum.

I like Bridges as a small ball PF and eventually maybe a starting PF but I don't really like him at SF at all. He's not good at creating his own shot against anyone. His jumpshot is inconsistent. I don't even need to talk about his questionable decision-making. Too often he unnecessarily drive into no-man's land against several defenders and he occasionally shoots contested long range shots as if he got it like that. I love his intangibles and effort though.

Bacon can disappear as much as Batum even when he is shooting so that's that.

DY_nasty wrote:

catch20two wrote:I still think Batum is better than Bridges and Bacon so I'm not ready to go the Deng route on him just yet. That probably says more about Bridges and Bacon than it does about Batum.

I like Bridges as a small ball PF and eventually maybe a starting PF but I don't really like him at SF at all. He's not good at creating his own shot against anyone. His jumpshot is inconsistent. I don't even need to talk about his questionable decision-making. Too often he unnecessarily drive into no-man's land against several defenders and he occasionally shoots contested long range shots as if he got it like that. I love his intangibles and effort though.

Bacon can disappear as much as Batum even when he is shooting so that's that.

how exactly did bacon play himself out of the rotation though?

out of all the young guys, he got the fewest opportunities and did the most with them imo

i dont think batum's replacement has to be great or anything but just add SOMETHING to the game. batum can't even flop right

Hornet Mania wrote:The team needs a shake up, and if we can't make a big trade (no assets) then benching the max contract bum is the best way to send a message. He has simply not earned the minutes and there is little reason to believe he will improve. Batum is what he is, soft, lackadaisical, comfortable and overpaid. JB can at least make him uncomfortable by doling out a few DNP CDs, let's see if it changes anything else about his approach. To be honest I don't even care if we see Batum on the floor in a Hornets uni again, benching him probably does more to help the young guys (opportunity + motivation by example) than anything.

It's incredibly telling that the best stretch of basketball this team played since Batum arrived was when he was injured in 2016. Dude has a game coaches fall in love with (willing passer, obviously a smart player) but he either doesn't care or is incapable of putting in the effort necessary. Either way, sit his ass down NOW.

It was insane to see Batum out there last night while Bridges never even saw the floor. Miles has his warts but FFS at least he won't watch D-league players blow by him possession after possession without seeming to care. We got completely owned on the boards because we didn't box out and had no physicality.

Bassman wrote:What is sick AND fascinating is how Batum’s career with Charlotte is modeling the other French farce, Boris Diaw. Are they talking to each other? Did Doris tell Nic how to go so soft that he sabotages the team’s success? Is there some crazy neurotic personality disorder that compels Batum to “become” Diaw? Why did both go limp on a large contract when they had every opportunity to be key contributors?

Cho certainly screwed those team up.

Bassman wrote:What is sick AND fascinating is how Batum’s career with Charlotte is modeling the other French farce, Boris Diaw. Are they talking to each other? Did Doris tell Nic how to go so soft that he sabotages the team’s success? Is there some crazy neurotic personality disorder that compels Batum to “become” Diaw? Why did both go limp on a large contract when they had every opportunity to be key contributors?

Cho certainly screwed those team up.

HornetsFan29 wrote:

Bassman wrote:What is sick AND fascinating is how Batum’s career with Charlotte is modeling the other French farce, Boris Diaw. Are they talking to each other? Did Doris tell Nic how to go so soft that he sabotages the team’s success? Is there some crazy neurotic personality disorder that compels Batum to “become” Diaw? Why did both go limp on a large contract when they had every opportunity to be key contributors?

Cho certainly screwed those team up.

I 've said it before but we signed the wrong 2 that summer we should had signed Lin and Lee intead of Marv and Batum and team would be alot better to watch kemba and Lin was a good together and Lee is a good 3 and d player for us.