Clipperblog:Shane Battier: The answer to the Clippers’ small forward problem?

Where are James Poseys SHOOTING %'s? Where are they hiding, lets see them?

This is backwards logic. You're saying cuz Battier has similar game averages to Posey (intentionally ignoring efficiency), that if Posey is bad and didnt play in the playoffs then that means Battier has to sink with him.

How about Battier actually HELPING his Grizzles team advance in the postseason, against the Spurs the best team in their conference? Why isnt Posey RAISING his level to Battier's in helping Indiana BEAT the Bulls the best team in their conference?

By that logic, since the Grizzlies were TERRIBLE at SF without Gay and Indiana is STACKED, shouldnt that mean the Grizzlies would STRUGGLE with Battier in there? So why did the Grizzlies play BETTER?

 

I agree with DD that Shane would be a great fit there, but also agree with JV that it'd be a horrible fit for Battier. Having said that, signing him to a 3 year deal for MLE type money is a risk. If he would take a bit longer deal in the $3 million range (4 years with a team option for the 4th, with a decent buyout?), I wouldn't mind having him back with the Rocks.

 

A couple of things re: Battier vs. Posey


1. Why isn't Battier's numbers in Houston in the comparison? Are you saying he got washed up precisely at the trade deadline?

2. The fantasy box-score stats really don't make much sense as means to evaluate a player when it comes to the "Wing Defender" type guys. You really can't look at the box score numbers for a game or a string of games when it comes to guys like Battier, Posey, Bruce Bowen, Keith Bogans, etc. and determine who performed better.

One easy short hand is to look at how many minutes a guy gets and how well the team performs in those minutes. Here's where you can really tell Posey was washed up and Battier isn't: Posey's coach no longer trusts him enough to put him on the floor (and NBA coaches typically love their vets) and, when he played, the team was worse with him on the floor. Battier's coaches (both Adelman and Hollins) kept giving him regular minutes, whether or not he was shooting well, and both of his teams (Houston and Memphis) did well with him on the floor.

 

i'm completely drawing a blank at the moment...who's ej?

 

As long as we are talking Battier.... Something I don't think he gets enough credit for is his contribution to the Grizz playoff run this year. Battier made the game winning shot in their fist win. I know that one shot is just one shot, but the Grizz were young and unsure of themselves. That one shot gave them their first win and was the building block for all that came after. If nobody makes that shot, the Grizz fade bak into the young and untested. Anybody could have made that shot for them, but Battier did. Mr. Intangible!

 

I'm no Battier fan. I can pull up my post bashing him for his "p***y offense". I don't really stick up for the geek fraternity either. I enjoyed basketball plenty before advanced stats, if the quant crowd all drove off a cliff to a fiery death I wouldnt miss them that much.

But on that comparison again, the Pacers have a star wing and the Grizzlies have a star wing.

Pacers don't have a Zach Randolph type to carry the team without Granger, but give Posey more minutes and you can easily extrapolate that they're NOT a playoff team. Grizzlies with Battier playing more minutes held steady. Battier is also 2 years younger, Posey at an age where decline is almost inevitable. Advantage: Battier

(And those geeky advanced stats showed Battier really didnt "decline" all much. Even if I wanted him to decline so it'd open up a spot, fact is he didnt lose much)

Agree with the people saying Battier would be a good fit for the Clippers, but they'd be a bad fit for him. Sorry Clips/Roxfan

 

Posey better then Battier? Never. Not at any point in their careers. Posey is a decent player but he is over rated because of that ONE awesome season he had with Boston. And he has never been able to produce at that level ever again, he wasnt that good before that either. Battier has played on a high level year after year for a long time. Battier can still do a lot of things on the court to help a contender win. but for maybe 20 MPG or so.

And last season at Memphis, Allen only outplayed Battier due to age, bot skill or talent. Allen is young and upcoming while Battier is winding down. Its unfair to compare two players who arent in their prime.