Is Battier a better player now than he was when we traded for him?

He was playing injured most of last year, so its hard to gauge where he is compared to when he first arrived.

I tend to think he's pretty much the same player, worth roughly what he's getting paid (MLE -- meaning, he's a solid, but overall average player for his age bracket).

 

The same.

DD

 

About the same. He is older, so he might have lost a little quickness.

 

I think he's the same. Exactly what was advertised, nothing more, nothing less.

 

His scoring efficiency is virtually unchanged. His scoring has decreased because he is taking less shots in the minutes he is playing compared to Memphis. I don't know if that is good or bad. All I know is when you watch the games and he has taken more shots, it is usually when 111 and other scorers are out, and then we are relying on him to score, and it makes me cringe. IMO, I do not think he is an effective offensive creator. However, I would have like to see him take more shots and more drives to the basket when he is the 3rd or 4th option. There were too many times when Rafer was jacking and we would have been better served to tell Shane to drive it in from the corner and make do with whatever results that gave us over watching Rafer crank out 4 for 18s.

IMO, we have never extracted the best of Shane's offensive game. Van Gundy and Adelman should have forced greater pressure on him to dribble drive with the bball when he was covered in the corner. The defense was constantly forcing the ball back to Rafer for low percentage offense by covering the other perimeter guys and fading off Rafer into Yao's lap. Van Gundy and Adelman both should have forced Shane to dribble it in instead of throw it around to Rafer.

Now that Rafer is gone, and especially since Yao is now gone for the forseeable future, it's a different game for Shane. I would expect that if he is not traded, that his scoring will rise slightly and his efficiency will remain about the same because he is so consistent and really isn't over the hill. Although he is right at the top of the hill and looking at a descent. This is why I believe it is in our best interest to trade him, while his value is the highest it is going to be. That is, a good value, shorter term contract, with consistent production and a top 3 perimeter defender in the whole league with decently efficient shooting.

 

He's not a top 10 SF I'm sure.

 

i think pretty much the same...but i think he's smarter now on D...if you think about it, the league has become faster, and any "slow"defenders" that can stay effective have had to adapt and work smarter to make up for their footspeed, like duncan..

 

It is possible that he's improved as a defender. He's known to pour over all the statistical reports Morey's analyst team comes up with. It's possible that's made him a better player, in some respects.

 

I'd say hes less effective than when he was younger. I personally think the Rockets underutilise him, he can be and was much more than just a spot up shooter.

 

he's great, just under utilized...

 

I think he is roughly the same when healthy...although his usually reliable corner shot didn't really fall too much last year.

 

We got him for the 7th pick, his value is probably a little bit lower now cause he's older. But he seems about the same player.

 

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Hey guys, I just found a video of Tracy McGrady passing!

 

Not sure Battier staying in the corner is what Rick Adelman wants. Without Yao in the lineup this upcoming season, we'll see whether he's underutilised or not.

 

I think he is a better defender now but less able to have big games offensively than when he was fresh from Memphis and used to scoring a bit more.

 

We see your loyalty for Tracy, but I believe this is a Battier thread

 

He hasn't had to score so he hasn't concentrated on scoring. This year his scoring will go up a little if McGrady misses a lot of time, although Brooks, Scola, and Ariza will probably be the top 3 scorers.

If McGrady comes back early and plays well, Battier will pretty much do what he always does, play great defense, hustle and be the 4th or 5th option on offense.

The Rockets brought him here for his defense, not scoring.

 

The only other offensive move he has is that r****ded, while effective, left hook of his. He isn't a good dribbler and at 30 the he isn't really athletic enough to be a cutter unless wide open. I would say being a spot up shooter with some post ups against the occasional mismatch is the most realistic outlook on is offensive abilities. So I do not think he can me much more than a spot up shooter imho.

 

I believe he's a smarter player with more experience..just a step or two slower