Shane Battier shouldn't be part of our future plans

I'm not sure that Troy Murphy is any longer the player that he once was at all, but if he's even anywhere close then I would make this trade. If he's simply a player on the decline, then I wouldn't. Battier isn't that valuable as a player anymore, bu keeping the team's chemistry intact is valuable; after all, you don't want to shake things up too much more than what they've already been. Some people swear that Battier is Jesus, and I'm not convinced of that, but he does have his value as a player and as an integral part of the team's chemistry. I, like you, understand that he's very overrated and overpaid at this point, but I don't like the idea of just throwing players away for the sake of it. Just keep in mind that Morey's not against trading anyone if he feels that it's good for the team.

 

Shane intangibles are off-court. I wouldnt be surprised if he was the mayor of houston one day.

 

He might as well be an assistant coach. Battier's not valuable to any team unless that team happens to be a contender. I say trade him for some a potential player and some draft picks then we're ready to roll. He just doesn't fit within the current framework of the team.

Morey seems to be getting rid of all the CD relics left on the team in an effort to build the team from the ground up. I wouldn't be opposed to doing a sign and trade with Yao if it brought back some high draft picks and good up and coming players.

 

Are any of these things still true?

1. People used to make a big deal about Shane being able to take the opponents best perimeter guy out of his comfort zone and force him into bad shots. For one, Ariza guards the likes of Kobe and Lebron as much as Shane does now. Also, go back through the box scores and look at how many opposing wings have had better than average games against the Rockets. Guys like Stephen Jackson have had career games against Houston this season. Dwayne Wade turned Battier into a turnstile. I know he's one of the best offensive players in the league, but Shane, as advertised, is supposed to be able to neutralize those guys. It's just not the case.

2. Based on what??? Do you have a stat that shows the team is better defensively than what he's out of the game? The team has been awful defensively compared to in years past. The major change has been Yao. A lot of role players probably look like premier defenders with a 7'6" mountain protecting the basket and clogging up the lane.

3. Clearly not shooting 40% from 3. If he were, this team would be a lot better off. He's been an awful shooter this year. People praise him for "knowing his limits" and "playing within himself". If a player with good shot selection shoots that poorly, then you have a problem.

4. This might still be true, but these things don't justify playing him heavy minutes. There are a lot of guys who could do these things for a lot less money and still contribute in other areas. At some point, the ends don't justify the means.

 

[/sarcasm] Don't forget about his intangibles![sarcasm]

 

Finally, with the proliferation of all these Shane Battier threads, people are starting to see the light. This is definitely a positive development. Battier was never that good. Now he's declining rapidly, taking valuable playing time away from other players, and he has a horrible contract. I would've waived the requirement for a physical and done that Amare trade in heartbeat. Unfortunately, Battier's only value now is as an expiring contract next year.

Great post!

Lol, hilarious. It's funny how Battier's blind supporters are quick to point to the box score when he actually produces some points, rebounds, etc... (which doesn't happen often), but then they do a complete 180 and claim that Battier's production can't be measured by using traditional stats when he plays poorly (which happens all too often). Their logic is completely circular. They have used every excuse in the world to justify his rapidly declining play. In the end, while some may come around and accept the reality of the situation, others will continue to make excuses for him and argue on behalf of a lost cause. I can't wait until the day Battier is no longer playing for the Houston Rockets.

 

Whats funny is Kwame never seems to have any opinions on anything unless its Battier related.

 

I've never been to high on Troy Murphy. trust me because i've been high.

 

As usual you're wrong. The only reason you notice these posts and not the others is because you're one of the blind Battier supporters. I guess you're still going to argue on behalf of a lost cause. I can't wait to hear what your next excuse for Shane is going to be. It's like a tragic comedy with posters like you, RV6, and the rest that can't or won't accept reality. I'm glad others are finally starting to come around and embrace the things I said a long time ago.

 

You're completely right, you dont just come in to post about battier, sometimes you visit NBA dish and post about Gay. Our apologies if we implied you're living in the past and can't get beyond the Battier trade, we were so wrong.

 

Please link me a recent post by you non Battier related. Thanks!

 

He sucks

 

it's a trick. I'm sure he gets in one or two non-battier related posted a week, so he'll just link one of those...a better request would be to show his last 100 posts or so and show how many are battier-related..

 

Its very sad the "find more posts by Kwame" option isnt available to me.

 

I agree with you on all of that except for that he is a liability on offense. With Battier and Hayes in the lineup there is no offense. Would you like this team to have Rudy Gay or Battier? Right now for this offense I think Gay would be great.

 

I would have moved Battier at the deadline for anything tangible.

 

It's good to see that the masses are speaking out and letting their voices be heard regarding Battier. Shane needs to be benched and his mins need to go to others.

 

the Rudy Gay for Battier debate will be ended in the very near future, if it hasn't already ended in the minds of everybody who watches basketball

 

I told u guys.. shane no good...everynite he will find sum way to prove that..watch him