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To the Chinese posters...

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by purplefever, Oct 9, 2003.

  1. purplefever

    purplefever Member

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    To the Chinese posters... need info on Mengke Bateer

    This board has the most Chinese out of any - so what better place to ask for opinions on the newest Raptor, Mengke Bateer?

    The guy is 6' 11" and weighed in at 305 lbs, though coach O'Neill says he's probably closer to 320.

    He looked good in yesterday's preseason opener (a win, I might add) though he played limited minutes. He has obviously been foul prone but no one expects him to play major minutes. The guy is built like a tank and has caused several team mates to comment about how solid he holds his ground. Last night, he forced both Jahidi White and Brandan Haywood into taking bad shots and coughing up the ball. Tim Dunan commented that he was hard to play against in practice "like running into a wall' if I remember correctly.

    My ideal would be for Bateer to play 10-12 minutes a game averaging 5 pts, 7 rebs and a block. Anything more is gravy for a guy getting paid the minimum.

    Rox fans might know more since he played for your rival Spurs and as my thread title suggests - I assume that the many Rockets fans from China have seen lots of Bateer back home and/or in international play.

    Can some of you who have seen him play offer any insight? I've seen very limited clips of Mengke in action and am hoping to get your scouting reports on the guy.

    Also... is it the pronunciation
    Menk, Mank or Myenk
    Bah-turr, Bi-tarr... help?
     
    #1 purplefever, Oct 9, 2003
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2003
  2. Preston27

    Preston27 Member

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    7 rebounds in 10-12 minutes is too optimistic. I'd say 4 or 5 in that amount of time would be good.
     
  3. nyquil82

    nyquil82 Member

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    menk as in monk as in clergy
    bateer as in butt tear as in a crying ass

    he has really tiny hands and short arms so i doubt he will give you a block a game. however, his offense is underrated as he can shoot the three, open jumpers and has some post moves. but his defense is bad and the best thing he can really do is push people around, best used against a guy like kelvin cato. there is a quote out there somewhere that even shaq had some problems pushing him around.

    unfortunetly, he does not have the aggression to dunk on everyone and honestly i havent seen him jump that high either, mostly a lay up guy (although i did see him do a pretty reverse layup and one once). thats about as much as i can offer, not that great but better than most college centers, he at least knows how to use his size to act as an immovable mountain.
     
  4. Panda

    Panda Member

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    Good points nyquil82. Bateer is slow and jumps low. Won't be a good shotblocker and terrific rebounder, but his rebounding can improve with better understanding of positioning. His defense aside from the fouls is decent as a backup center. He is alright in playing man to man defense but not too good on help defense, due to his lack of speed. His lack of explosiveness and elevation won't get him many dunks, sometimes it also gives him trouble making lay ups under the basket with defenders behind.

    As said above, Bateer has an assortment of offensive skills. The best way to use him is to play the Shaq game, isolate him and let him bulldoze over defenders. Against some weaker centers he can command double teams, which is a plus for a backup center. Make him the occasional center of offense in the second unit isn't a bad idea. Bateer needs PT badly, the first year in Denver he played only 20-30 games, the second year in San Antonio he nearly didn't play at all. There is still room for improvement even at his age. I think he can turn out to be a solid backup center.
     
  5. purplefever

    purplefever Member

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    Thanks for the feedback guys :)

    I agree that he's best used to bully other backups and sub in at certain times against guys like Shaq, Miller, Divac etc... The way they said he was boxing out and positioning himself so far in camp is that he can grab all the rebounds he wants. Practicing on a dailiy basis with Duncan and Robinson had to have been very valuable to his bball IQ.

    Yeah, maybe 3-4 points and 5-6 rebounds is about his limit unless he sees extended playing time for whatever reason.
     

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