Draft Nicolas Batum!

[farrisdabis]

Sure, he's a project. But the kid is only 19 and could develop into a Rudy Gay type player. He has all the physical tools to be successful NBA star and with the right coaching he can mature into something great.

ESPN has us taking them in their latest mock draft.

ESPN Mock Draft 2.0 (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=MockDraft-080527)

Here's a good mix video of him at the Nike Hoop Summit:

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/akr4jxCARXk&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/akr4jxCARXk&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

[rocketshopeful]

if hes available @ pick 25 that would be a steal. However, as the draft approaches, I cant help but think his value is going to rise.

[Spacemoth]

That second Mock Draft makes a lot more sense. I can see CDR and Budinger falling and Bill Walker rising, and the Spurs taking Tomic, but I just don't see Batum falling to us, sorry.

[1JumpShot]

last year i think it he wouldve been projected at middle lottery

[leebigez]

why didn't we just draft rudy gay instead of a rudy gay type?

[hooroo]

IMO his fellow frenchman 6-7 swingman Mickael Gelabale on the Sonics would a more interesting pick up in free agency.

A second year player who had quite a few good offense outings last year especially since he's meant to be a strong defensive minded player.

Unfortunate for him this season the Sonics drafted Durant & Green while preferring a vet presence in Damien Wilkins backing them.

[Asian Sensation]

Batum reminds me of a French Mcgrady/Durant. He's not going to last till 25. No chance in hell.

[Tuan]

He isnt anywhere in the same class as Durant and especially Tmac. Just look at how he moves, it is no where nearly as fluid as tmac. I would draft him at 25 though :D.

[W22_STREAK]

Just wanted to say this ESPN V. 2.0 draft seems a lot better and more logical than v1.0.

and at the 25th pick Batum would be a steal...get it done Morey...

also shows how the talent pool this draft basically plateaus after pick 5...

[Jeff Who]

Batum reminds me of a French Mcgrady/Durant. He's not going to last till 25. No chance in hell.

Right, he looks more like Durant. Pretty tall quick and athletic.

[Suuso]

If we would get CDR or Batum i'd start crapping diamonds.

[HI Mana]

Batum definitely reminds me of Rudy Gay. Incredible length and finishing ability, mechanically sound jumpshot that will improve with age, and questionable heart and toughness. I doubt Batum will fall to 25, but then, I doubted that Rudy Gay would ever fall to 8. You would have to be extremely happy with that pick, as even if the guy caps out as Boris Diaw-Riffiod with finishing ability, that's a pretty damn good player.

Would Morey draft him? After the Aaron Brooks pick, it seems clear that he's always willing to take the best player on the board, but at the same time, the Landry and Battier trades were based on filling needs. Is Morey willing to basically waste a pick here on a guy who probably will take 2 years to be a rotation player on a championship contender, when the Rockets have obvious holes that need to be filled? I hope so. As I've said before, the Rockets need to both stay healthy, and get lucky somehow, getting a steal in FA, trade or the draft. All great teams have lighting strike multiple times; Houston needs one more.

[JamesC]

I like his athleticism but he's a bit on the skinny side at the moment and he'll probably get pushed around pretty easily. Foreign players seem to have problems adjusting to the physicality of the NBA. If Morey takes him I'll be all for it. I just hope he locks him in the weight room till preseason, lol.

[dlite316]

i like this guy...but it is unlikely that we can get him

[stillillmatic]

he's too talented to pass up, but that's gotta be one of the worst looking jumpshots i've seen. if we get him, we'll have chuck, scola, harris, three ppl who have some of the worst forms in the nba.

[GotGame15]

he seems like a great player and all, but i dunno....seems like a project, we have a max of about 3-4 years left for tmac and yao to get a championship. If we select Batum, we better do an incredible job via trade and FA, because if not then we are not doing anything to make our team better. I'd select CDR, Budinger, Rush before Batum....IMO.

[SuperBeeKay]

Id rather have somebody with a better jumpshot

[Thefabman]

i agree his jumpshot looks less than spectacular

[Aruba77]

IMO his fellow frenchman 6-7 swingman Mickael Gelabale on the Sonics would a more interesting pick up in free agency.

A second year player who had quite a few good offense outings last year especially since he's meant to be a strong defensive minded player.

Unfortunate for him this season the Sonics drafted Durant & Green while preferring a vet presence in Damien Wilkins backing them.


Really like Gelabale, and yes ... he's ***** out of luck in Seattle. He's a great 3pt. shooter and could get you 10 points in 20 minutes. Unfortunately, he's still really raw and not all that good in other facets of the game. He's a project, but he has the ability to be a solid scorer in this league.

[thumbs]

Really like Gelabale, and yes ... he's ***** out of luck in Seattle. He's a great 3pt. shooter and could get you 10 points in 20 minutes. Unfortunately, he's still really raw and not all that good in other facets of the game. He's a project, but he has the ability to be a solid scorer in this league.
Heck, Novak can get you 10 points in five minutes if you give him the ball on the arc. ;)