Battier's last season, wants to go out in blaze of glory

[SUN]

Battier has this cool, refined way about him that I can't even really picture him as a coach or a commentator. He almost seems too witty and cerebral for the NBA life. This is weird, but I could see him being the coolest High School English teacher ever

I could see him in the adult industry, maybe as a 3 and D guy.

[RJM]

I JUST DIED.

[Rock Hardy]

Battier has this cool, refined way about him that I can't even really picture him as a coach or a commentator. He almost seems too witty and cerebral for the NBA life. This is weird, but I could see him being the coolest High School English teacher ever

I could see him in the adult industry, maybe as a 3 and D guy.

[DayofMourning]

A little off topic, but related is that if I was going to choose a team of players to put together that would fit stylistically and would have the necessary leadership and chemistry to get through the tough times, then 70% of this roster would be on it. Battier (along with Wade, James, Bosh, Ray, Mike Miller, etc.) is a perfect teammate.

The Duke team he played on (with Dunleavy, Boozer, and Jason Williams) was my favorite college team ever. Since then he has experienced repeat levels of success with every team he's played on. He's an amazing player with no comparison currently. Who else in the NBA can come close to his play? I'm actually interested, because he's a big loss to us.

[RexBoyWonder]

A little off topic, but related is that if I was going to choose a team of players to put together that would fit stylistically and would have the necessary leadership and chemistry to get through the tough times, then 70% of this roster would be on it. Battier (along with Wade, James, Bosh, Ray, Mike Miller, etc.) is a perfect teammate.

The Duke team he played on (with Dunleavy, Boozer, and Jason Williams) was my favorite college team ever. Since then he has experienced repeat levels of success with every team he's played on. He's an amazing player with no comparison currently. Who else in the NBA can come close to his play? I'm actually interested, because he's a big loss to us.

You're not going to find a Battier replica, he's a unique player in today's NBA. But we can find guys that bring different things that could help just as much. The new guy/s probably won't have the same IQ or intangibles but they could bring better athleticism and scoring talent. I do think Battier's good qualities rubbed off on some of our younger players so we'll benefit from that even after he's retired.

Great teams have to constantly evolve, retool, grow. You can't freeze time.

[EscapoTHB]

I hope he stays on as an assistant coach or takes some kind of role with the team. I think his presence in the locker room is huge. Even getting away from all of the little things he does on the court.


It's interesting to think about how this team might shift for the next 5 years of this team.

It's clear that Riley has been looking for young role players to bring in this year to learn the system with the coming years in mind. If everything plays out, the next five years of this team our key role players are Rio, Norris, Beasley, and Oden. I think Ray could stick around another 3 or 4 years too if he wants to. Once Wade really declines, you'd maybe have Beasley and Bosh ready for big roles.

I actually think Rio and Cole have both looked like they improved a lot over the summer. I can barely recognize Rio when he attacks the basket this season. So aggressive with the drive.