# Shouldve drafted Batum



## Hail Yinka (Jul 3, 2006)

i was raving about this guy before the draft. 7-11 shooting, 16 pts, 3 reb, 2 steals, 3 blocks....

yea, its preseason but for someone supposedly as raw as him he looks good

rudy gay part 2 IMO


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

Over who? Hibbert is proving to be a great prospect at center, and Rush is clearly better than Batum. Now, if we had, say, another pick in the 20's or so, it would be nice to have him. But we are set at the swing man positions.


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## Pacers Fan (Aug 25, 2002)

How is he Rudy Gay if he can't shoot and his main areas of praise are his defense and ball-handling? I haven't seen much of him, but he seems more like a player in between Scottie Pippen and pre-weight gain Boris Diaw.

He would've been a dumb pick, anyway. Two rookie wing players on a team that already had more than enough wouldn't have been smart.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

DienerTime said:


> and Rush is clearly better than Batum.


based on what?


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

rocketeer said:


> based on what?


Based on known skills. He can shoot better, he can drive better, he's more expericenced, has more potential (imo), and is a better defender as well.


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

Oh and by the way I just got back from the Pacers game today and Rush played very well. 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 7-11 shooting overall and 3-3 from three.


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

Saying he plays better defense is a reach (aka wrong), and the potential is completely up for debate.


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## Pacers Fan (Aug 25, 2002)

GregOden said:


> Saying he plays better defense is a reach (aka wrong), and the potential is completely up for debate.


I wouldn't call it wrong, just not definitive. Rush is a very talented defender. Batum may have long arms and more defensive potential, but Rush is very smart and plays the game like a 10-year vet. We'll have to see more from each when they're facing better, more caring competition during the regular season. Too bad neither may see the minutes they deserve.


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

The point is though, Batum is raw, and Rush is not. It even says on scouting sites that Batum never showed interest in defense while he was playing overseas. Right now he's doing it because he probably will not get any minutes without defense being his #1 priority.


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

If there is anything I took away from seeing Batum - is that his defense is actually very very polished for such a raw player. I have no idea what the pre-draft reports said - but the Blazers were apparently very high on him for his defensive potential and he sure seems like a natural wing defender.

This, btw - is nothing against Rush. I was impressed with him last year and the year before - and he is clearly a real player. Might not be the flashiest guy out there and maybe not a super-star potential - but he is clearly a very fine basketball player and will be a useful rotation player for years to come. 

Batum has a lot going for him however - he is a new Prince in the making - he really has a nose for the ball and understanding of where he needs to be in order to be an effective defender.


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## Hail Yinka (Jul 3, 2006)

he shouldve been the pick at 13, over rush

like i've said i like rush as a player but batum's potential is through the roof. if he continues to develop and improve he will be an all star. the blazers got the steal of the draft IMO


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## PaCeRhOLiC (May 22, 2005)

Meh...Preseason performance means nothing whatsover, talk to me when he starts doing something when it actually matters...


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

Yinka some of your Pacers negativity gets pretty annoying. If we had traded Bayless for Batum, fans would have beaten the crap out of Bird. It's preseason, and Rush has a much higher chance of being something in the real pros.


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## nbanoitall (May 21, 2004)

I was telling Nuggets fans that Denver should have picked him up at 20. We of course traded the pick. And only one other Nugget fan supported me on it. I brought up how well Batum was doing so far... and of course no response 
Maybe I should bring up to again how I would have taken Durant too if I was drafting first last year (ok that was just evil... considering what happened last night).
The main point is that Batum is earning minutes despite being I believe the term used was "raw". I'd hate to go quite that far, but I will say he has a lot of potiental and he seems to be working hard to develop. This is great news for the Blazers and I do see him as a quality wing in this league. How good will he get? Time will tell.
The Pacers drafted a sure thing. You know what you get with Rush. But I pointed out before about his age and that he is at his apex talentwise. Maybe he can turn into a quality role player for the Pacers, but with greater risk comes a bigger reward. Considering the situation the Pacers are in right now... I'd have gone with Batum over Rush.


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## StephenJackson (Oct 28, 2004)

Well Batum only got 3 minutes last night for Portland. Granted it was game 1, but if Portland really believes in the kid and he's as good as he is (according to yinka), one would think he would get more minutes. We'll just have to keep an eye on it, I reckon.


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

I read something saying that McMillan was thinking about starting Batum since Webster was injured, but he obviously decided against it. Not sure if that means he doesn't think he's ready, or just doesn't wanna throw him under the bus, but i'd say its the first one.


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

nbanoitall said:


> I was telling Nuggets fans that Denver should have picked him up at 20. We of course traded the pick. And only one other Nugget fan supported me on it. I brought up how well Batum was doing so far... and of course no response
> Maybe I should bring up to again how I would have taken Durant too if I was drafting first last year (ok that was just evil... considering what happened last night).
> The main point is that Batum is earning minutes despite being I believe the term used was "raw". I'd hate to go quite that far, but I will say he has a lot of potiental and he seems to be working hard to develop. This is great news for the Blazers and I do see him as a quality wing in this league. How good will he get? Time will tell.
> The Pacers drafted a sure thing. You know what you get with Rush. But I pointed out before about his age and that he is at his apex talentwise. Maybe he can turn into a quality role player for the Pacers, but with greater risk comes a bigger reward. Considering the situation the Pacers are in right now... I'd have gone with Batum over Rush.


Do what? Rush has every tool to be a Caron Butler/Paul Pierce type of player. He's atheltic, he's smart, he can defend, he can shoot. He can do it all, and I think that is ridiculous that this is even a conversation. Batum is not as smart as Rush, he isn't that great of a shooter, isn't as good defensively as Rush, but sure, he is more athletic. But you know what? Stromile Swift is more athletic than Tim Duncan, but that doesn't mean crap now does it? Does that make him better than Duncan? I believe not.


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## nbanoitall (May 21, 2004)

DienerTime said:


> Do what? Rush has every tool to be a Caron Butler/Paul Pierce type of player. He's atheltic, he's smart, he can defend, he can shoot. He can do it all, and I think that is ridiculous that this is even a conversation. Batum is not as smart as Rush, he isn't that great of a shooter, isn't as good defensively as Rush, but sure, he is more athletic. But you know what? Stromile Swift is more athletic than Tim Duncan, but that doesn't mean crap now does it? Does that make him better than Duncan? I believe not.


lets make one thing clear. I've been following Kansas basketball and the big 8/12 for a long time. At Kansas in 98 Pierce shot over 50% from the field. pulled in close to 7 boards a game. and over a block and steal per game. while scoring over 20 points per contest.
The only thing Brandon Rush and Paul Pierce have in common is that they both went to the same college. Time will only tell how well Batum will turn out. My point was the Pacers should have been looking at who had the highest ceiling not who can help me the most now. Also its important to note that Rush was born in July of 85. If Rush wasn't on that Kansas team he probably won't have gone top 20 overall. Regardless I'm not saying it was a bad pick. Just not what I would have done.


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

We tried the potential card with Shawne and got bit in the butt for it. "Potential" hardly ever works out. A player can have all the potential in the world but if they are not skilled, smart, or good at basketball, they probably never will be. Not saying Batum isn't good, he's just not at the level Rush is in any aspect but Athleticism.


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## nbanoitall (May 21, 2004)

DienerTime said:


> We tried the potential card with Shawne and got bit in the butt for it. "Potential" hardly ever works out. A player can have all the potential in the world but if they are not skilled, smart, or good at basketball, they probably never will be. Not saying Batum isn't good, he's just not at the level Rush is in any aspect but Athleticism.


Batum has height and athleticism on his side. He also shot around 35% from downtown (which is deeper internationally) on his team in France... on 52% from the field. ProA in France is a tougher league than the NCAA. 
As you can see from my comparison to Paul Pierce... Rush has done nothing to show us he'll be anything more than a role player. And thats fine for the 19th overall pick. But he's had surgery to repair his ACL and he's and older guy coming out of college. That all has to be taken into perspective. 
Actually if we are going to compare apples to apples could Rush have put up better numbers in France than Batum did? Maybe slightly... but Batum is the younger guy.
Potiental has burned plenty of teams. But there are enough Kobe Bryants... JOs etc that teams will take a chance of superior athleticism, size, and potiental over a guy that wont get much better than he already is. 
The Pacers made a safe pick, but will it be the better pick 5 years from now? Maybe, maybe not. I'd have gone with Batum. And it appears I'm not alone.


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## Pacers Fan (Aug 25, 2002)

nbanoitall said:


> And thats fine for the 19th overall pick.


13th traded for #11.



> But he's had surgery to repair his ACL and he's and older guy coming out of college. That all has to be taken into perspective.


Danny Granger. Remember him? He had a bunch of injuries and surgeries in college, and coming out he was supposed to be the guy who would be solid immediately and not really improve much, with a big risk for major injury. Look what happened with him. He came in a solid player with a decent jumper and nice defense. He's developed a killer jumper, driving skills, and although his defense has slacked off enough, he turned a complete 180 from a ready guy with no potential to an improving player with a lot of potential. That's how I see things happening with Rush, and that's not just a blind statement. From what I've seen in the presason, he's quicker, stronger, smarter, a better defender, and a better shooter than Granger when he first came in. Really, for swingmen, if you know how to score and you're quick enough on the pro level, you can be a 20 ppg scorer if you have the work ethic. If Rush has half of Granger's work ethic, he should be more than just a solid player.


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

nbanoitall said:


> Batum has height and athleticism on his side. He also shot around 35% from downtown (which is deeper internationally) on his team in France... on 52% from the field. ProA in France is a tougher league than the NCAA.
> As you can see from my comparison to Paul Pierce... Rush has done nothing to show us he'll be anything more than a role player. And thats fine for the 19th overall pick. But he's had surgery to repair his ACL and he's and older guy coming out of college. That all has to be taken into perspective.
> Actually if we are going to compare apples to apples could Rush have put up better numbers in France than Batum did? Maybe slightly... but Batum is the younger guy.
> Potiental has burned plenty of teams. But there are enough Kobe Bryants... JOs etc that teams will take a chance of superior athleticism, size, and potiental over a guy that wont get much better than he already is.
> The Pacers made a safe pick, but will it be the better pick 5 years from now? Maybe, maybe not. I'd have gone with Batum. And it appears I'm not alone.


First of all, the european three point line is 3 feet closer, second of all, i'm tired of discussing this. Let's let their careers do the talking.


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## MillerTime (Jul 6, 2003)

If you watched the Pacers game vs. Detroit, you'd realize it was a good choice to draft Rush. He showed what he can do. He was taking one of the best defenses on head-to-head. I like Batum as well, but i also liked many other prospects as well. That said, if i had to re-do the draft, Rush and Hibbert would be coming to Indy. 

But this shouldn't even be a topic.


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

Nice to see you here MillerTime

Totally agreed, this topic shouldn't have been started, Rush was clearly more ready for the NBA and he is a perfect fit next to Granger.


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## Hail Yinka (Jul 3, 2006)

thank you nbanoitall.......someone who knows what im talkin about

you cant even be serious sayin brandon rush has a better chance of being something in the nba. batum is 19 yrs old!

face it, this team is going nowhere. the pacers are not going to contend for a championship anytime soon and i could care less if they grab the 8th spot. if you are a franchise like the pacers you draft for the future.



if you dont think this kid is going to be an all star you need to turn on ESPN right now. his defense looks phenomenal.


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

Get out of here with your negativity. Point is, every team in the NBA was high on Rush and if we had taken Batum at the 11th pick, riots would have happened.

Brandon really does have a better chance of making it in the NBA considering he is already ready. I'm done talking about this, you are the most frustrating and stingy person I have ever met on a forum.


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## PaCeRhOLiC (May 22, 2005)

The way Hail Yinka is hyping him up you would think Batum is the next coming of Jordan and Magic combined into one...


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

I liked both players in the draft, so, I don't think you guys could've went wrong either way. I also don't fault Indiana for going for players who they felt could help right away. Just 'cause you never know with international players. 

Batum did pretty well against SA last night; 12 pts (5-9), 2 blks in 21 mins. Nice block on Tim Duncan. Pic is huge that's why I linked it.


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## nbanoitall (May 21, 2004)

Hail Yinka said:


> thank you nbanoitall.......someone who knows what im talkin about


I actually forgot just how high Brandon Rush went. I do think he'll be better than Kareem but I do see him as a role player either starting or coming off the bench. Which doesn't make him a bad draft pick at all. My point was as a franchise that is currently searching for a new identity... going with the younger prospect if you like his upside is the smarter thing to do.
Now there is one thing I agree with DT about and that is we won't have the answer to this question for a few years. But thats what the draft process is all about and exactly WHY WE SHOULD be talking about it right now or whenever we want to.
As to DTs remarks about the three point line. My point was that Batum was shooting deeper threes in France than Rush was at Kansas.
I have learned its pretty challenging to argue with DT because he only grasps recent history of NBA basketball... so its hard for him to understand how guys a lot more developed now end up being surpassed by teenagers who are just developing their games.
SAR, Kerry Kittles, Lorenzen Wright etc might be more developed at the time but that doesn't mean those teams that drafted him didn't eventually **** up by passing on Kobe Bryant in 1996. Now that doesn't mean Batum is the next Kobe, but I do think it would been an acceptable risk to believe he would be better than Rush and draft him above Rush.
But again DT might have been 8 or 9 years old back then. So I figure if DT doesn't give you negative rep for arguing with him... its a victory.


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

PaCeRhOLiC said:


> The way Hail Yinka is hyping him up you would think Batum is the next coming of Jordan and Magic combined into one...


:lol: Agreed


Repped


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## nbanoitall (May 21, 2004)

DienerTime said:


> :lol: Agreed
> Repped


Hail Yinka is always wrong. Diener Time is always right. Batum is a French commie *******. agree?
:wink:
sorry, i just found your remark childish and surprisingly a highlight of the point i made about you.


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## Hail Yinka (Jul 3, 2006)

funny thing is everyone on here was going on about how crappy a pick rush was and that he wasnt a good player. i said he was a good player/would be a better pro than you think and he would surprise yall. look whats happened.


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