Battier sat late last season when playoffs was out of reach. Said he could have played if needed, but not enough at stake to give it a go. Whether he's slowing down significantly or smply missing a center to whom to funnel opponents is debatable, and I trust the front office to have reviewed enough data to make that decisoin. Same goes with whether Budinger is a potential starter.
This idea that keeps getting propagated about Battier not being able to finish last season is hilarious. We were out of contention, so he sat out. That's what older players do. The year before (again, Clutchfans experts were saying that he was done), he started 72 games and played 34 MPG (and played ~33 MPG this year, starting in more regular season games than he did last year). Let's not let facts get in the way though...
i was mad earlier but now it makes sense. The log jam at the sf position was a big issue. Battier budinger Ariza all play the 3. Also i just plain didnt like Ariza when pressure was put on him, his dribbling was really bad, he just seemed to make turnovers everytime he recieved the ball in an important situation.
So we have Martins offensive scoring, sweet, and have Courtney Lee coming in can score if hit open, and he Plays D. They train together in the offseason should be great chemistry is kept in the locker room. Great addition,while at the same time setting us up for something potentially bigger. KM + CL = BIG RED
Lee really suits this team. He moves off the ball well, really gets out in transition, can shoot, and makes good decisions. He plays very similarly to to Bud on offense, actually. He will benefit greatly by playing next to Lowry. Anyone notice how Bud did well in transition next to Lowry, while Ariza and Battier didn't? Ariza just didn't fit in.
as someone stated before, CL's character and chemistry with KM is a huge plus over Ariza. but im still not sold on his D over Ariza's. his highlight vid did show that he is very capable and a serious offensive upgrade over TA though. i just really hope Hill comes along defensively soon...or DM shocks the league and lands us Dwight Howard. :grin:
Imagine a defense-oriented unit on the floor with Lowry, Lee, Battier, Hayes, and Yao. That group wouldn't score much, but we now have the ability to really put the breaks on opposing offenses.
