My Favorite Blazer

Column originally posted on March 10, 2012

November 29, 2007. That was the date I first heard of my favorite current blazer. I was discussing the upcoming draft with a friend of mine. These were his exact words: "Right now I'm hoping that the Blazers draft Nicolas Batum from France." I was shocked. I had never heard of this french kid. I wanted the Blazers to take a college player ready to play in the league, not another overseas prospect who might not come over to play for years. One of the greatest Blazer what ifs is, of course, the Sabonis question. What if Sabonis had come over when he was still in his prime when he was drafted by the Blazers in 1986? Instead he stayed in the Soviet Union until finally coming to the NBA in 1995. Would the Blazers have won those championships with Sabonis starting or backing up Duckworth? Imagine Sabas throwing lobs to Clyde and Jerome. This question has made longtime Blazer fans like me spend way to much time thinking about what could have been.

In the 2008 draft the Blazers ended up getting Jerryd "hard off the back rim" Bayless after a trade with the Pacers. Like most fans, I overlooked the deal they made with Houston to get Batum, who was taken 25th. We now know that the Blazer front office loved Batum and would have basically done anything to get him in the draft. The fans assumed that he would lounge on the bench and take notes on a clipboard during his first season. This couldn't have been less true. He turned into a starter and could have been the MVP of the team. We saw how the season started this year with Batum hurt. Mike Rice kept saying that the most significant injury this season was Batum not starting the year. And you know what, he might actually be right.

The thing I love most about Batum is that he understands how to play. That sounds simple doesn't it? These guys play basketball for a living, shouldn't they know how to play? We have all played a pickup game where there are always different types of players in the game. To name a few: the guy who doesn't pass, the guy who thinks he is way better than he actually is, the guy who complains about fouls every play, the sweaty guy, and the guy that "gets it". The guy who "gets it" is usually the best player on the floor. He knows all the fundamentals and totally understands how to play. Even though he could score whenever he wants, he understands that he should set up his teammates and play a team game. These players will do whatever it takes to win. They will guard the other team's best player because they love the challenge of shutting him down, they will crash the boards with force every miss, they will continue to run the pick and roll even though the roller has bricks for hands. This player reminds me of Batum. He might be the best all-around player on the team. He is shooting a ridiculous percentage this year from the field. He is the one guarding Kobe and Lebron all game. He understands when the team needs him to expend most of his energy on defense and sacrifice his offense for a game. And the best part about all of this? Batum is only 21. Think about how much better he is going to get. This is something positive to think about Blazer fans. Block out the injury woes and think about the future of Batum.

When talking about the Blazers with other serious fans, Batum always comes up. Casual fans love Roy and nobody else. To them, Roy could play an entire team by himself and still dominate. But the real Blazer fans understand the mystique and potential of Batum. They wonder why Martell is getting some of Batum's minutes. They admire how well he plays the game. These fans understand the game of basketball and they understand what Batum brings to the table. Batum is my favorite Blazer and he is slowly becoming as popular in Portland as Brandon Roy. Lets all hope that he is here for the long run.

Owen Reutlinger