Now that he won't have to carry the burden of the team's best defensive player, where he's going out every night pretty much knowing he's the one that's responsible for slowing down the other team's best player (Kobe, Lebron, etc.), I think it makes Battier much more valuable. He's never played on a team where he wasn't that guy, IIRC. I think we can expect a much more-rested Battier who will be able to do much more offensively consistenly if he's sharing these defenisve duties with Artest.
^ whoops! Seems like the post came out all screwed up cuz of missing end-quotation tags. Buit you get my point. Heh.
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FFH2kevG_e0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FFH2kevG_e0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Good video of Shane.. cept for the fact that a Chinese guy named "Dirk" made it. I sure as hell know his parents didn't name him Dirk.
He's underrated and undervalued. The vast majority of people who undervalue and underrate him are fantasy leaguers who can't comprehend how someone putting up the numbers he does can be worth anything. People who actually watch the games and understand the game recognize his impact. You can't try to measure his impact with fantasy stats because fantasy stats don't track drawn charges, proper defensive rotations, or diving for loose balls. Because he doesn't wow you with slashing the defense reverse layups and tomahawk dunks doesn't discount what he brings to a team. So sit down for 5 minutes and really think hard about it and see if you can come up with the last time you were screaming at the television or in the stands because Shane Battier just plain screwed up a play in a critical situation or even a remotely crucial situation.
I don't think we really overvalued him we just expected more him than what he can do. Battier is a great defensive player and a prefect glue guy for a championship caliber team. So it wasn't a matter of overvaluing it was more of a matter of expected too much from him.
Wow, you put the March 16th game as evidence. How many shots did it take for him to score 30? He went 11-33 in that game but man Kobe scored 30 points. Can anyone shut down Kobe or Lebron consistently anyways? You must hate Duke or something because you keep bringing up Battier's good guy image like it is the only reason why people like him. They like him because he gives you maximum effort with mediocre talent and every coach in the league would die to have him for EVERYTHING he contributes on the court. He has not been a starter most of his career on playoff teams because he is a nice guy. He helps win ballgames, period. He takes charges, gets loose balls, steals, blocks, assists, tips rebounds to teammates, pick and roll defense, putting a hand in a shooter's face everytime. Sometimes that doesn't stop the freaks of the NBA but he does keep them out of the lane for the most part and make them shoot below average percentages. I would rather have Battier over Bruce Bowen also for what he contributes. Tmac abuses Bowen everytime he plays him but that doesn't mean Bowen isn't a solid defender. You obviously are not fond of Battier because he can't enough points and can't win defensive player of the year which is laughable. Guys like Larry Hughes win DPOY because they lead the league in steals. Who cares? The reason Battier is undervalued is because charges don't show up on stat sheets and he gets more of those than anyone and they are just as good as a steal.
I guess people like you undervalue him. Anyways, I think your poll is too simplistic. There are people who overvalue him. And there are those who undervalue him. What do you mean by "we"? Non existent? If by that you mean he cannot create his own shot, then yes. But tell me how many role players in the league can hit close to 40% from the 3pt line AND can also defend the opponent's best wing player? With a center like Yao, you cannot have enough reliable 3pt shooters. And Battier is one heck of a reliable 3pt shooter. It's not about "off the court behavior" as in "not getting into trouble" like Artest. It's about being a good chemistry guy, good locker room guy, willing to do anything the team needs him to do. That's his value. That's why coaches as differently as JVG and Adelman all value him.
I would say his defensive abilities and general smarts are undervalued, but his offensive contributions are overvalued. In that respect, he is no Rudy Gay. The Rockets have plenty of "glue," they need more "edge." They got it with Artest.
That's the beauty of this whole situation, we already had someone great on defense, now we can have them both in when we need the defense while having reliable shooters at the same time. It's not like running Hayes out there who truly has no offense. Instead we'll have two players who were reliable from three this past year on the wings in Artest and Battier with McGrady and Yao on the elbow and painted area. Furthermore, Artest can do quite a bit more than just shoot the three ball. Why would we trade Battier now? He fits in very well with what Morey has put together, and don't forget that Morey was responsible for his acquisition.
seriously we need shane on this team....how many players do you know come up to the coach and tell him...have me come off the bench to match manu and his minutes like shane did against the spurs this past season? that guy is all about the team. If shane starts I'll be fine with that and if he comes off the bench I am fine with that and you know what the best part is? Shane will be fine with that too. He will still see 30 mins or so a game its about winning with Shane. I became a shane believer, when we traded gay and swift for him I was upset because I knew about shane but didnt really know him as a player and what he brought to a team. Watching him play that first month as a houston rocket Shane completely sold me as a player, teammate and person. I dont think there is a single coach in this league that wouldnt want a Shane Battier on their team. He is a leader much like yao he leads by his hard work, professionalism and his play on the court. I remember a SLAM article about shane last year where JVG said that as hard as it is to find a star player in this league to be on your team its just as hard to find players like shane, sometimes harder to get on your team. I agree with JVG on this I think its a lot easier for a team to get a 'star' player on a team than a player like Shane who is willing to sacrifice any part of his game for the sake of the team. and if indeed artest is a one year rental we will need shane for the 09-10 season. obviously if someone says we'll give you chris paul for shane you do it, but think about the types of players we may be able to get for shane in terms of contract value....there really isnt anyone out there that strikes me as a guy who can replace all that shane does on and off the court for this team.
Now hear me, my thread does not say trade Battier, and no, i do not hate Battier because he is from Duke or any other reason. I graduated from U of H and don't remember us having a rivalry with Duke for me to hate Battier. All i'm saying is that we overvalue Battier and what he brings, case in point, those people that will only let Battier go for Attest. Battier is a defensive specialist, but most people spin it as if Houston is over without Battier. Last time i checked, the Rox were among the top defensive teams in the NBA before Battier. Not saying Battier is not good, but he is not an allstar or even an all around basketball player in the NBA. Battier just like Chuck Hayes is a one dimensional player. He can't even be a 3rd option on a bad team, he is a role player at best, or someone to be brought in towards the end of the game. Someone mentioned that we now have a big three just like San Antonio, so Battier can be our Bowen. Difference is that Bowen plays different positions with those 3 and they usually (yeah yeah yeah ginobili got moved but he still played major minutes) played at the same time. While pretty much, Battier, Artest and even Mac play SF. He is good, but no one he should start over Artest with his defensive liability. And for those who claim he hits 3's. Most of them are wide open because of the attention Yao and T-Mac gets and he only managed to hit 37% last season. Yeah, i understand he brings some intangibles to them, but why over value his intangibles to the point that a role player is considered untradeable
He's not untradable...Nobody really is...Shaq got traded..Tmac has been traded. But people on this forum and the GM's around the league realize his value...Do you think everybody in the league is just delusional. Why has he always played 35+ min for every coach he's played for...JVG, Adelman, Hubie Brown, Mike Fratello. Everybody respects his game because he has a high bball IQ which most players don't have these days. He also seems to always be there for charges and is just relentless on defense. He also spreads the floor and does a good job rebounding. I don't know why you say he doesn't have an all around game. I think he does...He doesn't turn the ball over and always makes the right play... Every coach in the league would love to have him on their team. He's not gonna be a 3rd scorer on a contender but he is worthy of a starting job with most teams in the league..With that being said, I still think he's better suited coming off the bench with the Rockets current lineup
