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What Portland is telling Batum, and what they're talking about in private, could be very different things. Hard to see Buford saying something like this without their being some kind of communication between in the teams.
George Hill got thrown to the end of the bench when the Spurs needed him the most. Why the would Batum be interested in that?
What Portland is telling Batum, and what they're talking about in private, could be very different things. Hard to see Buford saying something like this without their being some kind of communication between in the teams.
It's not me who says that. It's a translation of what Noah says about KG.
Wow, damn. This makes me like Noah a little more.
Thanks Bruno. I'm with Summers, I like Noah!. LOL
There's only a few ways this can shake out:
1. Buford really said that to Batum, which would be tampering. Not good.
2. Buford said nothing like that to Batum - which means Batum made the whole thing up and then told the story to a reporter. Not good.
3. The whole thing is just a big misunderstanding, due to the language barrier, in which case it's a non-story.
I guess it's possible that the Spurs and Blazers have an agreement in principle, so the Blazers wouldn't raise any objections about tampering. I'm not sure what the league's position would be on that, but I doubt they want to see it in print.
Personally, I don't think there is any way Buford would say something like that openly to a player on another team. I don't know if you remember, but right after Will Perdue went to Chicago, he made a statement to a reporter about the Bulls signing Tim Duncan. The league got seriously pissed off, and investigated. They decided the team wasn't involved, so they just gave a warning to Perdue. But they don't play around with tampering allegations. If Buford actually said that to Batum, he and the team would get an ass-kicking. I just don't believe he would do it.
Most likely, it is a young player trying to look more important by talking big in front of a reporter. I doubt that will impress the Spurs FO much.
[Edit: Even if the Spurs and Blazers do have an agreement "in principle", it couldn't be a binding agreement at this point in time. Which means that if the deal fell through, the Blazers could still hang the Spurs out to dry for tampering. For Buford to talk directly to the player about it would just be dumb. I say it just didn't happen.]
In terms of agreements in principle, I don't think it's unthinkable the Blazers and Spurs held serious talks in February. Bruno says they talked, so I believe they talked. Here's what we know: the Blazers want to land a top flight point guard. Their front office is split over whether Bayless can become that player. They're either going to land one in a trade or free agency. Let's suppose they can't make a trade. What then?
I think they'll try to sign either Jason Kidd or Andre Miller. To do this, they'll need to rescind the rights to Frye (no brainer) and clear a little cap. Steve Blake is the obvious contract to move. Oberto + Bowen + a pick for Blake and Batum? It doesn't look like a good deal for the Blazers, but they are ultimately exchanging Batum for Kidd. Given Bayless, Webster and Outlaw, this is an acceptable loss to them. For the Spurs, it's a win-win.
I'm just brainstorming here, but that seems plausible to me.
The tampering issue is more a problem when it is with a player you planed to get via free agency. If Spurs get Batum, it will be with a trade.
They didn't have serious talks. Batum said Spurs called Blazers about him but that Blazers quickly hang up the phone.
Blazers and Bobcats had serious talks about Batum at the trade deadline, likely in a trade for Gerald Wallace.
Thanks, Bruno. I stand corrected.
Blake and Outlaw contracts for next year are also fully non-guaranteed if they are waived before June 30th.
Not true. The NBA makes no such distinction.
If you go around telling a player you're going to make a trade for him, where are his loyalties going to be for his current team?
If RC actually said that (which I doubt), it's tampering.
You're exactly right, ShoogarBear. This is the short version of the tampering rule:
Tampering is when a player or team directly or indirectly entices, induces or persuades anybody (player, general manager, etc.) who is under contract with another team to negotiate for their services.
If the Spurs had talks with the Blazers, that is between the FO's of the two teams. But going to the player and saying that he will soon be wearing your uniform? That would absolutely be tampering. The Blazers might not press the issue, if there really was a deal waiting for the trade date to get here. But knowing what a small percentage of proposed trades actually go through, talking about it to the player would be stupid.
If Buford told one of the Spurs players that Batum would soon be wearing Silver and Black, and that player spouted it to a reporter, it would still be tampering. Those guys are all well coached on how delicate the tampering rules are.
Like I said... I don't think it happened.
i think senorspur was asking noah
well, apparently, KG acted like an asshole, as usual, during the series.
the article says, just before Noah's quote posted by Bruno:
and then , Noah reacted like it was posted.The french big man has not only lost with his team against Boston, he also lost any respect to his youth idol, the shouting Kevin Garnett. And that even with KG out of the court. Actually, the Celtics stars doesn't need to play to show off, considering that he shouts and slangs to everyone everytime from the first till the last minute. If he heard about it without realling knowing what was said, Noah took right in the face the excesses from the frenzy jackass.
R.C.: "Let me give you a pat on the back."
Batum: "What? I'll soon be in Silver and Black??!"
Meh, I'm guessing Batum just made that up to try to sound cooler. When French players talk to the French media, they do so as if the info will never cross the pond. RC is the most calculating communicator in the Spurs' organization. He doesn't say anything without thinking it through. I'd believe Batum if he said Pop told him .... not RC.
It'll be interesting to see how Batum progresses in the NBA. He was really strong at points in his rookie season but his final ~6 weeks were bad. He played tired and his stats plummeted. Come playoff time, he was likely the worst starter in the playoffs outside of Bonner.
While I think Batum has a good future, I'm not sold on the fact that he'll be able to hold onto that starting job. Portland benched him at the end of the playoffs and put Rudy into the starting lineup. You have to think making Rudy a full-time starter is possible. If not Rudy, then the original starter at small forward (Martell Webster) could start once again when he's healthy. And Travis Outlaw has been complaining about not starting.
If Portland tries to make a big trade, I'm guess the players they throw in as sweeteners are Batum, Bayless and Rodriguez. That said, there's just no way Pritchar bag trades Batum for the Spurs for anything less than a package that involves Parker. He basically drafted Batum just because he figured out that's who the Spurs wanted.
Scola has owned RC horribly. While in Europe, Scola said he was a good rebounder and he came to the NBA and proved he is a good rebounder. Horrible scouting job by RC compounded by sending multiple emails that critiqued Scola unfairly and ended up not only being wrong but ended up souring Scola and his agents on the franchise.
rather have fernendez in 2010
Na, not Fernandez. Outlaw would fit alot better for us.
Last edited by DeltaCharlie1; 05-11-2009 at 12:57 PM.
+1 Although I would love Batum, getting rudy (and hopefully another youthful talent come 2010) would be sick....
The Blazers, ard in particular, seemingly value their players so much, while having so little regard for anything the Spurs have, it's inconceivable to think they'd even entertain even the most ridiculous of offers coming from S.A. Spurs just do not have enough assets to make Portland take them seriously.
I smell BS
Probably a misunderstanding, but I read somewhere that the FO was talking to VSpan again. Maybe we trade Hill for Batum to fill our need at SF and bring in VSpan as the backup point, like we were supposedly planning a year or so ago.
Did RC also send him an email telling him he needs to rebound better?
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