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Kevin Pritchard sees the same things many Blazers fans saw in Nicolas Batum during last week's Las Vegas Summer League — a raw talent who is likely "a ways away" from becoming an NBA regular.
In fact, when I asked Pritchard if Batum is in a similar position to the one Travis Outlaw found himself when he first entered the NBA out of high school five years ago, the Blazers GM agreed that it was a good comparison. Both players have similar physical talents — great length and a high level of athleticism — that are enticing. Yet just like Outlaw once was, Batum's skill set is still very raw and his strength needs to develop.
“They’re definitely in the same ballpark,” Pritchard said. “But they also have some of the same physical tools. Great length. Hard workers. And obviously, Travis has grown up to be a great piece to what we’re doing. It took a while, but he’s definitely a good comparison to what we have in Batum.”
So why the heck did the Blazers sign Batum now, rather than leave him in Europe to develop for another season, or even two?
It partly came down to the team's need to balance its roster and add a wing defender now that James Jones has signed as a free agent with Miami. With Jones gone, Outlaw and Martell Webster were the only returning small forwards, which could have put the Blazers in a bind if either player got injured.
That doesn't guarantee that Batum will see action during an injury situation, or in any situation for that matter. But having him available gives the Blazers extra options in the rotation and — with his long wingspan and athleticism — on defense.
“I don’t know if he’ll get on the court this year,” said Pritchard, who is still in Las Vegas watching LaMarcus Aldridge and rookie Jerryd Bayless practice with the U.S. Select Team. “We know he’s a little bit of a project. He’s got to work on his body and (jump) shot. But he’s just got some physical tools that you can put him in a game and he can defend somebody.”
Batum's defense made an impression on Pritchard during the Las Vegas Summer League more than the other aspects of his game, which often looked every bit like the raw project that he was expected to be. He shot just 34 percent in the five summer league games, averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds while committing 3.4 turnovers per game — second only to Bayless’ 3.8.
Still, Pritchard held off on specifically stating that he doesn't think Batum will be ready to play next season — though it appears unlikely. With the small forward position set with established players, and with the team also holding other options at the position, with Brandon Roy and possibly Rudy Fernandez capable of spending some time there, Batum may have a difficult time just getting onto the active roster, let alone into a game. Most of his action will almost certainly come in practices, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him spend a large portion of the season in the NBADL.
But Pritchard said he didn't want to speak too soon.
“I just don’t want to put any preconceived notions,” he said. “One thing you want to do is you want to see how players improve. I don’t want to presume that the kid’s not ready, or we’re definitely not going to do this, until we get him into training camp.”
NO DECISION ON KOPONEN
The Blazers still have one roster spot available after signing Batum. But Pritchard said he has not made any decision on Petteri Koponen's future with the team.
The 6-foot-4 point guard — a first-round draft pick a year ago — averaged 13.2 points and a team-leading 3.4 assists per game while making five summer-league starts. But he still appears to be a year or two away from being NBA ready. So the question facing Pritchard is whether Koponen would benefit more from joining the team this year, when his work — like Batum — would likely be limited to practices and NBADL action, or whether he would be better off joining one of the better leagues in Europe, where he would play regularly.
Pritchard said he has not had an opportunity to review the film from Koponen's summer league performances while he has been in Las Vegas, and said he will wait to make a decision until after he has returned to Portland and has had a chance to review those tapes.
SELECT TEAM EXCITES PRITCHARD
Additionally, Pritchard was almost cooing when I asked him how he felt about the opportunity Bayless is getting with the U.S. Select Team.
"It's been a great experience for both of them," Pritchard said of Aldridge and Bayless. "He's (Bayless) going against Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Jason Kidd every day."
That, of course, comes on the heels of a summer league performance that has gone a long way to establishing Bayless as possibly the greatest steal of last month's NBA Draft. Sure, he was already highly regarded, and many people were surprised to see Bayless fall to the 11th pick. But going from a position where his draft position fell to one in which he averaged 29.8 points in four summer league games has certainly sent his stock shooting upwards once again, and given Pritchard even more reason to feel good about his acquisition.
"More than anything, I think he's a hyper-competitive kid," Pritchard said. "He's fearless at the basket. He's got to work on some things, but I think we've gotten a really good player. And I don't want to get too excited about summer league, but I do think that when he walks on the floor in training camp, he's going to get after it."
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Blazers assistant Monty Williams admits he didn't quite understand what the team's management saw in Nicolas Batum when they worked him out prior to last month's draft.
Williams saw him attempt too many shots during a group workout in California, appearing to work too hard to make a good impression. It was the type of workout that can lead people to believe a guys is selfish, Williams said, or trying to prove something. But now that he has had a few days to work out Batum before Williams coaches the Blazers' team in the Las Vegas Summer League, he understands what guys like Blazers General Manager Kevin Pritchard were seeing when they acquired the first-round draft pick last month.
Williams rolls off a list of things he likes about Batum's game: His long arms -- they stretch more than 7-feet, Williams was told -- and athletic build; exceptional balance that allows him to pull up from a sprint to take a pull-up jumper with little effort; the ability to guard, and potentially shut down, smaller players because of his length; and speed that matches up with the Blazers' quickest players.
In fact, Batum worked out this week with Martell Webster -- the top performer in the team's training camp conditioning drills last summer -- and left a strong impression after running sprints against the fourth-year swingman.
"Martell, Travis are our fastest guys, by far," Williams said. "And he hung with Martell the other day, and he just, kinda like, his expression didn’t even change."
Still, Batum's skills are raw, particularly on the offensive end. And if the Blazers decide to invite him to training camp this fall, it may be more for Batum's defense. So Williams said he plans to test those skills in training camp by putting Batum on the ball in crucial situations and matching him up with smaller players.
If Batum isn't invited to training camp this year, though, Williams is convinced he will be ready within a couple years. Batum already possesses many of the skills he needs to be an effective NBA player. The next step will be to get stronger. At 190 pounds, he is 10 pounds lighter than Blazers rookie Jerryd Bayless — in a frame that stretches five inches taller.
"That’s going to be key for him," said Williams, who said Batum would likely make the roster if he had already had a couple years of weight training behind him. "It wouldn’t even be close. If he can get that kind of grown-man strength in the next two or three years, he could have an impact. But that’s going to be big for him. It’s easy for us to assess this. But when you think in your mind, ‘OK, against Carmelo (Anthony), that’s not going to work. Against Ron Artest, or Rashard Lewis ...'”
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Here's a transcript of Jerryd Bayless' media session following Thursday's summer league practice. And for those obsessed with sneakers, Bayless said he signed a contract with Adidas a couple days ago.
JERRYD BAYLESS
On how he's performed in his first two summer league practices:
I feel I'm doing well, I'm just not doing as well as I would like. Everything else is going really well, the team is playing well, we're getting better every day, and things are going pretty good.
On what he is getting out of his summer league experience:
We'll, just getting better. Playing basketball, every day you've got to get better at it. And it takes time for me to improve as a player, and for us to see as a team what moves we're going to make and the direction we're going to go in the future. So, you know, we're trying to get better as a team every day. And I think it's going to help us in the long run.
On the competition with Petteri Koponen:
He's a good player. He's definitely a good player. And every day we're going to come in here and work hard and try to get better as a group. So he's going to help me, and I'm going to help him. And hopefully it'll help us in the long run.
On how he feels about playing both point and shooting guard in Las Vegas:
That's fine. I've said it before, too — whatever the coach wants me to do, I'm gonna do. What I feel, I've told you guys before, I feel most comfortable at point. And Petteri's been here a little bit longer than me, and if they want to start him out at (point), that's fine. I'm gonna play the two (shooting guard), I'm gonna get a couple more shots playing the two. So whatever they want me to do, I'm gonna do.
On whether it is a relief to start playing team basketball again after a month of workouts:
Definitely. It's kind of tough right now because you're trying to get back in a rhythm. And once you get in a rhythm, a lot more shots start falling and things like that start happening. You know, when you're just going through cones and doing little drills like that, you're not really in the same rhythm as a game rhythm. So everybody's trying to get back their rhythm, and once that comes it's going to be pretty good basketball.
On whether he sees it as a to balance his scoring ability with his point guard skills:
I think it's just making the right play at the right time. And I know I can do that, making the right play, whenever someone's open, getting them the ball, and when I have an open shot, taking that shot. So whatever the situation calls to be, I know I can do it.
On his reputation for being a gym rat:
I've always been like that. I know what it takes to get good, and I want to continue to do that and just keep on getting better on a daily basis.
On whether his first few days as an NBA player have felt different:
Not really. It's just still playing basketball. And I'm really excited about this opportunity. You get to travel a lot more, obviously, and you get to play against the best competition in the world. So I'm really excited of the opportunity, and I'm going to take advantage of it.
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Remember how the Portland city council passed a resolution in May supporting legendary Blazers broadcaster Bill Schonely's induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame? Well, now the Vancouver City Council is getting involved as well.
The council will consider a resolution at its Monday meeting, asking that the Hall of Fame honor Schonely with the Curt Gowdy Award for his contributions to the game of basketball, and induct him into the HOF. The resolution will be presented at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
Here is the full text of the proposed resolution:
Special Recognition
1. Resolution supporting induction of Bill Schonely into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (Staff Report 114-08 --- attached on grey paper.)
A Resolution of support asking that the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honor Bill Schonely with the Curt Gowdy Award for his outstanding contribution to the game of basketball as a member of the broadcast media during his nearly 30 years as the voice of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Summary:
Bill Schonely had a distinguished career as a sports announcer in Washington State both for the Seattle Pilots Major League Baseball Team and the Seattle Totems Western Hockey League team during the 1960s. He became the voice of the Portland Trail Blazers beginning with their first game in 1970 and served in that capacity for nearly 30 years. He called 2,522 Trail Blazers games during his broadcast career, including 84 playoff games. When he stepped away from the mic, Bill Schonely's 30-year career was the second longest consecutive broadcast career in the history of the National Basketball Association. Through his work as a volunteer for non-profit organizations in the Portland area and Southwest Washington, Bill Schonely remains a distinguished and engaged citizen of the community. Vancouver City Council strongly supports the recommendation that the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honor Bill Schonely with the Curt Gowdy Award in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to basketball and its fans as a member of the media.
Action Requested:
Adopt a resolution of support asking that Bill Schonely be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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The differences in Petteri Koponen were quickly noticeable as the Blazers' second summer-league practice session wrapped up on Thursday.
Last year, Koponen was a scrawny 19-year-old whose skills were still developing. He was soft spoken and seemed to have potential, but it appeared to be a couple years away from having a serious shot at playing in the NBA.
But the differences in Koponen have been widely noticed this summer, and many people around the Blazers' organization have noticed. Koponen seemed to have grown taller — nearly 6-foot-5 now, compared to 6-4 last year — and he said he had gained four kilos (approximately nine pounds) since last summer. He was noticeably stronger, and he spoke with the confidence of a mature, seasoned player.
"I know that I can hold my own and I can play against them," Koponen said when he was asked if he felt he was ready for the NBA. "I know there are things that I can do better and improve my game. I know I’m a young guy, but I feel that I’m ready to go and now can take that next challenge and see where I am."
Koponen appears to have a good shot at taking that next step. The Blazers are intrigued by his quick improvement. Koponen hit more 3-pointers this season (121) than he had in the previous three years (103). He had grown as a team leader, winning the Finnish League's MVP award, and led the Honka Espoo Playboys to their second consecutive league title. And Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard said the team could benefit from many of Koponen's skills.
"We’re gonna take a hard look at him, just see if he’s progressed, gotten better, see if he can take the next step," Pritchard said. "He’s 6-4 3/4 — almost 6-5 — can shoot the ball — we need shooters — and we love him because he’s a gym rat. We have little side bets all the time on who’s gonna be the last person here at practice. It’s either Kopponen or Bayless. Those guys are here all day. We have to kick them out. It’s a good problem to have."
Now the question on team officials' minds is whether Koponen has improved enough to play at an NBA level. And that is what they will be feeling out during summer league. Pritchard said the Blazers will evaluate how well Koponen runs the team as a point guard (though he will also be used at shooting guard) and how far his overall development has progressed. Pritchard said he will return from summer league, review the tapes of each game, and decide whether to extend Koponen an invitation to training camp in October.
In other words, there is a lot riding on Koponen's summer league performances, and he admits to feeling pressure.
"But I have to be ready for that," Koponen said. "There’s always some pressure, and when I feel a little bit of pressure, I’m more ready than if I don’t feel anything."
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The Blazers sent out their roster for summer league today, and while there are several familiar names on it, there are a host of new ones. Here are a few notes to consider as summer league gets underway.
- Petteri Koponen will be one of the more intriguing players to follow during this season's summer league. A first-round draft pick last summer, Koponen generated quite a buzz last month when he arrived in Portland early and showed noticeable physical development.
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- Jerryd Bayless will obviously draw the most attention. The Blazers want to test his skill as a point guard, and there are high expectations about how well Bayless can develop into a sidekick for Brandon Roy. Summer League will give us the best indication yet of his talent.
- Nicolas Batum, like Koponen, is sitting on the bubble for a training camp invitation. He's athletic, long and smooth, and the Blazers feel like he can be a solid defensive player right from the start. The questions will focus on his physical development — he's scrawny and may be pushed around easily on an NBA floor, so Batum will have to convince the Blazers that he can play around that weakness.
- Chris Ellis is back on the summer league team after playing for Portland last summer and spending training camp with the Blazers last fall. He averaged 5.4 points and 4.4 rebounds for the Tulsa 66ers last season.
- And David Lucas is certainly familiar with the Blazers. The former Oregon State forward is the son of assistant coach Maurice Lucas and has been a regular at the Blazers' practice facility and the back halls of the Rose Garden over the years. He just finished up a season with the International Basketball League's Portland Chinooks, with whom he averaged 37.0 points per game.
Here's the Blazers' summer league roster.
| # |
Name |
Pos |
Ht |
Wt |
Exp. |
From |
| 88 |
Nicolas Batum |
F/G |
6-8 |
190 |
R |
France |
| 4 |
Jerryd Bayless |
G |
6-3 |
200 |
R |
Arizona |
| 40 |
Josh Davis |
F |
6-8 |
235 |
3 |
Wyoming |
| 0 |
Chris Ellis |
F |
6-9 |
250 |
R |
Wake Forest |
| 18 |
Morris Finley |
G |
5-11 |
175 |
R |
Alabama-Birmingham |
| 42 |
Eddy Fobbs |
C |
6-11 |
240 |
R |
Sam Houston State |
| 51 |
Steven Hill |
C |
7-0 |
245 |
R |
Arkansas |
| 28 |
Petteri Koponen |
G |
6-4 |
195 |
R |
Finland |
| 30 |
David Lucas |
F |
6-8 |
246 |
R |
Oregon State |
| 50 |
Aleks Maric |
F |
6-11 |
275 |
R |
Nebraska |
| 6 |
J.R. Pinnock |
G |
6-5 |
207 |
R |
George Washington |
| 21 |
Bernard Robinson |
G/F |
6-6 |
225 |
3 |
Michigan |
| 31 |
Brandon Robinson |
F |
6-8 |
215 |
R |
Auburn |
| 17 |
Jon Stefansson |
G |
6-5 |
200 |
R |
Iceland |
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Lots of interesting stuff came out of today's press conference with Kevin Pritchard, Nate McMillan, first-round draft picks Jerryd Bayless and Nicolas Batum, and forward Ike Diogu, whom the Blazers acquired in the draft-day trade for Bayless. In fact, there's so much good stuff that I think it would be better to just give you the entire Q & A's I had with everyone. So here you go.
KEVIN PRITCHARD, Blazers General Manager</span>
We had a couple players that we were looking at, but as the draft seemed to be unfolding the days going up to it, some guys were going to go really high. And I felt like we could get to about anywhere in the draft that we wanted, but we were going to have to give up a player that we didn’t want to give up. So when it came down to it, when we got the opportunity to move up to 11, we jumped at it, and we’re thrilled about it.
On whether acquiring the 27th pick was done to position themselves to move up in the draft:
We thought that that was going to be an opportunity. We had so many things that we could move up or down. But I would’ve rather have kept that and use other assets to move up to 11. Then we kept 27, moved up to 25 and picked up another player that we feel good about.
How surprised was he that Bayless was available at 11?
We thought there was a chance. We thought it was either D.J. or Bayless, and we liked both guys, but we’re really happy.
Is Jerryd a point guard?
I don’t think he’s a pure point guard, but you look in this league, how many pure point guards are there? And the teams that are succeeding, look at the Lakers. They have Kobe Bryant. Do they really have a pure point guard? You know, we’ve got a guy by the name of Brandon Roy who kind of takes the pressure off everyone else in that regard, so I’m not so sure a point guard is what we need.
On whether he is looking at Brandon and Jerryd as sharing the point-guard duties:
Absolutely. We’ve got to see how this kid reacts to being a point guard. But again, it’s not going to be a pure point guard, because Brandon can handle the ball, and quite frankly, so can Rudy. So those three guys, plus our starting point guard, who is a traditional point guard, we think we’ve got it manned.
On the offensive firepower added to the lineup:
I was talking to Nate, we’re looking at our second team of, you know, could be Bayless, could be Rudy, could be Travis, could be Channing, could be Joel. There’s some power. There’s some offensive firepower with that second team. ... Attackers and shooters — we’ll have both.
On he expects from Ike Diogu:
You know what, at some point in time you’ve got to take chances on guys like that. We know he has talent. We know he can score the basketball. Got to get him healthy, got to keep him healthy, and hopefully he’ll have a good season.
On whether he expects Nicolas Batum to be in training camp:
I don’t want to commit to that right now. (Peteri) Kopponen and Batum we’re going to take a look at.
NATE MCMILLAN, Blazers head coach
On the curiosity surrounding Bayless:
I’m curious about that. I want to see it. I can’t sit here and say that he will be playing the point. That is an area that we hope he can play some. But he may be a guy who is playing with Brandon and he’s playing off the ball. So it’s hard to say right now. Until I get him on the floor I’m anxious to see him in summer league. But I’m even more excited to get him into training camp and some preseason games and move him to different spots. I’ll play him at the two (shooting guard). And I’ll play him at the point.
On Bayless’ versatility:
Talking to him, he feels that he can do even more, and he basically has tried to do what the team needed him to do. So even though people were looking at him as a combo guard, he looked like a two because he had to score more. But he’s really a point. And then he mentions up here that, I’m a point. So, again, we’ll put him in situations, and I want to see him at the point position this summer and see where he’s at and how comfortable he is there. And, training camp, we’ll play him there some more. But we’ll look at what he is, and we’ll try to take advantage of his skills.
On his thoughts regarding Bayless’ point-guard skills:
He looks to score. And again, that was because he was in that role. Again, the thing is, I’ll see him next week. I’ll see him today in practice. And, I need to see him, because we didn’t work him out. If I’d had the chance to bring him in and work him out, then I would’ve run him through some drills. But I haven’t seen him do that. So I can’t wait to leave you and go there.
On his impressions of Ike Diogu:
I’ve always been kind of intrigued by him, just because he’s, to me he’s a big body that plays in the post. He’s an old power forward in a sense. Most of your power forwards now are face-up guys who shoot from the perimeter. He’s a guy who plays in the paint and plays with his back to the basket. And I think you can, if he is aggressive, he can get to the basket or get to the free-throw line. He’s a throwback. He’s a Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, an old power forward. I would say a 1980s type of guy. The new power forwards are like LaMarcus, who are more face-up guys, can stretch the floor. And we need that. We didn’t have that guy last year. Greg we’re hoping will give us some of that. But, you know, with him being there, we can go to that. We have that option.
On how he envisions potentially using Diogu:
He can play with Joel (Przybilla). If we’re dropping him the ball on the post and Joel is on the weak side, he could play with Joel, he could play with Greg, he can play with LaMarcus. He’s the power forward, and it gives us some versatility, some options. Or we could play Frye, who could spread the floor. So he and Frye, it’ll basically be between he and Frye on how we go, but I think both of them can play with Joel.
On his impressions of Nicolas Batum:
Very smooth player. Just check him out; he’s smooth even in the interview. He’s smooth. And he has a ways to go. But I think he has potential. I think he has, like the rest of our guys, he has potential. Very athletic. He’s a legit three (small forward). And I think in time he’ll be able to play a couple positions. Tonight, seeing these guys play, I’ve seen him work out — had a good workout for us. But I haven’t seen them in a five-on-five setting, Bayless and Nicolas.
On whether Batum needs to improve physically:
Well, those guys like that, it’s gonna come. Ain’t nothing we can do. It’s not only a European player, it’s a young player. When you look at Travis’ body, when he came in, they will just fill out. Ain’t nothing we can do. You can’t put any weight on him. That will come.
JERRYD BAYLESS, rookie guard
On why he says he is a point guard, not a combo guard:
I feel like my whole life I’ve played point guard, and this year at Arizona I had to play off the ball for our team to be successful. And I’m gonna do what’s best for the team, but I know my natural position is point guard, and I feel most comfortable at that position.
On why he feels most comfortable at that position:
I just feel comfortable at it. I was a scorer (in high school), but I played point. For my team to be successful, I need to score. That’s just the way it worked out.
On why he ended up playing shooting guard at Arizona:
Because of our injury bug and our coach. I went there for a different coach, and the other coach, I guess, felt a different vibe, I guess a different way he wanted to play me. So I just went and did the best for whatever the team was, and it ended up being more combo.
IKE DIOGU, fouth-year power forward
On whether being a traditional-style point guard has caused him to be undervalued in his career:
That’s true, but at the same time I think people also get confused because I can operate on the low post, that I can’t do anything outside. I’m a very good shooter from outside (comfortable to the college 3-point line).
On people’s impressions of his play:
I don’t really know if you can make a book about Ike Diogu because you haven’t seen enough of him. That’s why I kind of laugh when people say, ‘Oh, well, he doesn’t do this well, he doesn’t do that well.’ Truth of the matter is you haven’t seen enough of me to know what I can and what I can’t do.
On why he feels he hasn’t found more opportunity in the NBA:
You know, I honestly couldn’t tell you. I thought that I should play a lot last year in Indiana based on the way I started the season. But, you know, I tore the calf muscle and missed a considerable amount of time. And then it was just hard getting back in the rotation. So, I really honestly can’t say. I feel like I’ve improved every year. I worked extremely hard last summer, and I thought last year was going to be the year. And it started off being the type of year that I wanted, but it didn’t exactly end the way I wanted it to.
On how injuries have affected his career:
I don’t really question my ability. I’ve just had unfortunate injuries. Without those injuries, there’s no telling where I’d be right now. That’s how it is, though.
Note: Diogu missed 12 games as a rookie in Golden State after breaking the fourth metacarpal in his left hand during training camp. He missed 17 games early in his second year because of a severely sprained left ankle. And he missed 20 games early last season after tearing his left calf muscle.
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