Comments on: 213 Hoops Roundtable: Nic Batum Signing

By: Oodypkt

Oodypkt — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 13:37:28 +0000

This is brilliant.
Reggie & Batum have a great season and choose to comeback.
The team is quite confident for the established culture and it shows.
…
I really want to see the closing line up when Kawhi is back.
Kawhi/PG/Batum/Mann seems like a lock to me.
They are do-everything wing who can seamlessly switch.
Then we can rotate Reggie, Mook, Serge or even Zu, Winslow, Bledsoe, Luke for the 5th spot.
We become so underrated this season due to Kawhi’s injury.
We will surprise some people.

By: mlslaw1

mlslaw1 — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 01:24:53 +0000

“people make fun of the Clippers now out of fear rather then disdain”
Matt: for this alone, you need to run for office

By: Matt Jennings

Matt Jennings — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:49:55 +0000

batum is awesome. Good enough to start but comes off the bench. Guessing he will be sixth man material like Andre iguadala. I am really optimistic because of the organization. I have never felt this way before. The Clippers are prepared for the present and the future and this is with injuries and giving away multiple draft picks. I have so much confidence in the owner and management. people make fun of the Clippers now out of fear rather then disdain. I couldn’t be happier.

By: mlslaw1

mlslaw1 — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:42:02 +0000

Very spirited and with liberal use of NBs native tongue. I keep thinking about how challenging this season will likely be without KL. And I’m wondering how our hallway neighbors would fare without the annointed one. I think we’d do better.

By: zhiv

zhiv — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 19:41:32 +0000

No time like a Nic Batum celebration to break my lengthy silence, and say ditto to LH’s A+x15. I think that most of us Clipper cognoscenti remember when we first heard about the Charlotte buyout and how the Clippers were angling to land him. Even then, it was still low risk and mostly questions, based on troubled recent seasons. But there was something, the je ne sais quoi, bien sur, and if NB still had it, and could slip quietly into the Clipper locker room, good things might happen. The next beat was the Marcus Morris injury, et voila, Batum was fully ensconced, a starter, the glory of his game in full display. Back in the day we had in-depth, days-long discussions about glue guys, and others might remember the players in question (it wasn’t Kerry Kittles.) Nic Batum transcended mere gluiness, translating it to savoir faire par excellence. Krazy glue, I think it’s called here.

But the big note about the signing, not mentioned above, is this: no Kawhi Leonard, at least not for the present, and for some time to come. In the absence of Superstar A, Batum becomes even more essential and central to the Clipper cause. The Clippers will be able to compete and should be able to stay squarely in the playoff picture, and NB will play a major role. It was one thing to step in for MMorris, coming off troubled Charlotte campaigns and getting his feet wet. Now Batum is a crucial Clipper, he’s comfortable and confident, and the team even had a chance already to forge a solid identity of sorts without Kawhi. Batum is a foundational piece right now, making everybody better, and the continued shocking excellence of Reggie Jackson, the breakout of TMann, the steady growth of Big Zu and so much more, are all enhanced by having Batum in the mix. Should be fun. Salut!

By: osamu6238

osamu6238 — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 14:36:28 +0000

Hard to argue with anything said here. Definitely thought given the limited amount they could pay him, that he was the mostly likely candidate to move on. Getting him to stay, even if it cost them the full mMLE would’ve been an A+. Having him stay as a non-bird FA is something above an A+.

Agree with Lucas that it’s hard to credit to the FO too much, since really took him turning down probably a bigger salary and maybe a better short term shot at winning a title, to be a situation where it seems like he really enjoyed playing basketball again. What makes this signing even more special is it really feels like Clipper Nation had a huge role in bringing him back. So many times he referenced fans and the “battalion” and how he truly appreciated the love and respect we all showed for him.

It really feels like he was so down after maybe playing the scapegoat in Charlotte, and seemed like he fell in love with basketball again with the Clippers.