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If you're talking about Mahinmi, Chumpdumper has watched this guy on team play more than anyone else, and if you'll notice he has been selective in his Ian comments...
Spurs don't need that much this summer, other than for Ginobili to not screw his ankle up more.
Plus the Spurs are bringing in a piece of Euro crap that is better than most bigs in this year's draft anyways.
If you're talking about Mahinmi, Chumpdumper has watched this guy on team play more than anyone else, and if you'll notice he has been selective in his Ian comments...
Even with the news, does anyone expect him to drop much?
Last edited by oligarchy; 06-21-2008 at 09:52 AM.
If his agent can show it's a non-issue, probably not. But there's very little time to do that. And his draft stock was spiraling a bit before private workouts anyway. Could go late first or early second now.
Not me. He plays at a position of relative weakness in this draft and that will push his draft stock up.
Unfortunately for the Spurs, it's pretty clear that the position of strength in this draft is PF, which is not necessarily a top need. So the Spurs could see some pretty good or projectable PFs drop but might not have any luck getting a wing player.
If Batum does fall, he fits a definite need....but in the end I don't expect him to be there when the Spurs pick at #26.
His stock will probably drop now.. but I bet the Spurs will pass on him as well if he falls to us because of this. I would still like to get him with the 26th pick if he does drop...
Chump always does that .
There is no guarantee that Ian will turn out good.
...nor anyone in this draft.
its becoming more and more obvious that batum will be more of a project pick than a immediate contributor pick. if thats the case, can the spurs afford to pass him up?
If the Spurs were able to land Batum in the draft and Pietrus in free agency, just imagine all the frenchie bashing we'd get to hear, having 4 French speakers on the team. The Spurs could paint giant portraits of Lafayette, Montaigne, and Rimbaud around the spur at center court and play Edith Piaf during timeouts. If nothing else, it might help Pop land a nice French Pinot Noir commercial endorsement and free champagne for the next championship celebration...
if Nicolas Batum falling to #26 pick, do you choose him consider the heart problem?
Batum will be checked in depth on Monday in Cleveland.
Even if the results shows nothign serious, his draft stock could be hurt if his agent don't do a great job at communicating on that.
Baring Batum's heart is OK, he would be a dream pick for Spurs. If they can get him, it's a no brainer.
Yeah his draft stock could fall. Even if a team believes he's fine, not being able to get insurance on his contract could scare owners away from him. I still think chances are someone will take a chance at him before 26, however you never know.
His agent's initial reaction of saying Batum's dad died of an aneurysm was pretty weak when it says everywhere that Batum's dad died of a massive heart attack while on the free throw line.
Hopefully you are right. I worry that his stock is artificially inflated due to his one good game in the Nike Hoop Summit. Without that game, would Batum even be considered a first rounder with a perfect heart? I can't confidently say yes.
Since you've watched him more than me, how long do you think it would take for him to become a contributor? A year or two in Austin before he's ready or would he be able to step in right away a la Julian Wright? I'm leaning more toward the D-League route but maybe he's further along than the videos I've seen of him.
Between the French league and the Euroleague, Batum played something like 100 professional games these last 2 years. He wasn't a bench warmer during these 100 games. Last year he played about 15 mpg and this year 25-30mpg.
Despite his young age, he is a more experienced player than most of the NCAA players.
I don't think he is a couple of years away to be a NBA contributor. He is a couple of years away to use his full potential but even without playing at his full level, he can be a solid role player.
I don't put Batum in the same category than a player like Saer Sene, that is to say a player who comes out nowhere and who gets hype mainly because the Nike Hops Summit. Batum was seen as "the next big thing" in France for years. And Batum played the Nike hoops Summit one year ago. If NBA teams still judge him on that while he has played 60 games with a higher level since that game, they are really stupid.
As I already said, Batum was the top scorer, top passer and 3rd rebounder of Le Mans this season. His Euroleague and playoffs game were disappointing but I still believe he had a great season for a 19 yo player.
I don't know how he will perform in the NBA, but he is as experimented and talented as almost anybody in the draft.
This make me think about the draftexpress "by the numbers" comparisons... even after a pace adjustment how can you compare the young players performance in the NCAA and Euroleague?
This sounds like comparing Mahinmi's numbers in the D-League to Horford's rookie stats and conclude Mahinmi is the best of the two.
Pick Him!!!!!
he's the next big thing after TP and Boris Diaw!
These "by the number" articles are as bad as the Hollinger ones.
It's going to be really interesting to see if the Spurs take Batum if he's on the board at 26. I'm not too sure they will just because having a player that the Spurs can't get insurance on would probably be against Holt's orders. If Batum's heart isn't 100% healthy, I doubt any insurance company will touch him since his died specifically died playing basketball.
I'd say it's 50/50 whether he's a first round pick. I guess his re-evaluation on Monday will tell a lot.
the new mock of June 22nd today at draft express has Batum falling to the 3rd pick of the 2nd round. Once the hype ball gets rolling, positive or negative, it snowballs.
re: his agent
Same agent as Ian Mahinmi who the Spurs have a good relationship with. If there's anyone who might be prone to giving serious considerations to the agents contradicted tales of family history, it would probably be the Spurs.
Right now, it's impossible to project where Batum will be drafted. It will depend on what doctors will say on Monday.
Depending on the result, Batum could be again a lottery pick (or close to the lotery) or be undrafted.
Batum is all over the board as far as mock drafts are concerned...Ian Thompson has him going 13 to the Blazers in the new SI.
the same agent helps him
spurs should get the truth from the agent because they could hold it against him when ian deal is up
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