link

via www.basketusa.com

His shoulder having finally given way, Nicolas Batum is the biggest French absence of the start of the NBA season. While he's unavailable for up to five months, the Blazer's wing was willing to respond to Basket USA's questions to talk about his health and his team's condition.

Right off the bat, how do you feel after your operation?
It's alright... but five months pisses me off. I knew since August that I would need surgery one day or another.

Have you started rehab?
I started around 15 days ago. Three days after the operation because I didn't want to lose time.

It's the second major operation of your career (after having a broken foot 4 years ago). How did you react learning that?
Like I said, it pisses me off. But I have to deal with it, and the important thing is that I'm recovering well.

What do you think of the Blazers' start to the season?
The beginning was difficult with two losses at home but now we're doing well, we're progressing...

What is your opinion of Portland's big signing, Andre Miller?
He's an experienced point guard, which we needed to help Blake at the point. He's a good signing for us.

Do you think that Portland can stop you from going to play with the French national team this summer in Turkey?
I think that it could be difficult. To tell you the truth, I don't know after what happened last summer... We didn't really talk about it with Kevin Pritchard or Nate McMillan. Once I'm back, we'll see.

What time-line have you set for your return?
The doctors told me that I should return around March but I'm targeting the All-Start Break to come back and practice again. We'll have to see how well rehab goes.

Last question, what do you think about Le Mans' season so far?
They're doing well, they have a good team and they played well Friday night. It's really too bad that they didn't qualify for the Euroleague.

More great translations from Blazersedge reader #10.  

In this post he translates two of Nicolas Batum's blog posts, before and after Batum decided to have shoulder surgery.  Click through the jump for literally everything you need to know about this setback.  

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

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[Bumped to the main page]

A fantastic translation of an incredible interview that Nicolas Batum gave about Brandon Roy to BasketUSA.com. The original was in French and was translated for your enjoyment by the numerically-named "#10."

Click through to get a look at the inner workings of the Blazers locker room and a great snapshot of Brandon Roy the person, player and teammate.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

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edit - here's the video that the French doctor showed the Blazers:

interview from a few days ago

Nicolas Batum, how have you managed the trip to the US and back at your team's request, when the qualification campaign isn't even finished?
First of all I'm relieved by the problem with my shoulder, which we're now pretty sure is benign, but also a little frustrated because I wanted to be at the game tonight (France takes on Finland for the last game of group B). But I have a lot of confidence in the team.

What happened over there?
When I arrived in Portland, the osteopath of the French team was waiting for me with the Blazers' doctor. From the airport, we left directly to the hospital for an MRI. While I was taking the tests, our osteopath showed the Blazers' doctor the video from my game against Italy and talked with him. Leaving the MRI, the just told me that I could go back the next morning.

What was your reaction?
I was a bit annoyed because they made me spend 14-15 hours in a plane to take a 15 minute MRI and tell me that it was good...

We're you thinking you'd have to stay in Portland longer?
Yes, I thought that I would have to stay there at least a week. And in fact, I only stayed 21 hours there...

Patrick Beesley, the sporting director of the Bleus, explained that the video of your game against Italy had been very decisive (18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals for Batum)... Did you think about Portland while playing, telling yourself that you had to have a big game to show them that everything was fine?
To be honest, yes. I told myself that I had to have a big game to show them that I could play, even with my shoulder problem.

Do you understand the reaction of your club?
Yes, the club wanted to make sure that it was fine. On one hand, it's normal because they invest a lot in us. But at the same time, it leads to some weird methods at times. The most important thing is that everything is good now.

In the end, isn't it also a little gratifying to see that a team like Portland is counting on you that much after only one season in the NBA.
We'll look at the positive side of things and say yes. It shows that they're really counting on me for the next few years. It's true that it makes me a bit happy as well.

After your conclusive win over the Italians Friday night in Pau (81-61), you're already qualified for the final of the qualifiers, which will be played August 27th (away) and 30th (home). Between Bosnia and Belgium, who would you prefer to meet in the final?
Let's say Belgium, it's not as far.

It's also less dangerous?
That too (laughs).

When will you meet up with the Bleus?
I'm going to watch the game (against Finland) tonight on TV. Next, we have a few days off; it starts up again on Friday. While waiting, I'm going to rest at home with my family.

link

via basket.blog.lemonde.fr

How is your shoulder, Nicolas?
It's fine, I'm rejoining practice this afternoon (Wednesday), the tests confirmed the "instability" of my shoulder, but I got the green light from the doctors. Yesterday, I didn't practice, but it was only a precaution, we didn't want to take a risk.

You've been playing with this pain for several months. How has it developed since the end of the season?
It's simple, five months ago I was playing with only one arm! I couldn't bend my right arm, I ran with my arm hanging at my side. Whereas today, I'm playing normally, I've never even felt so good! We'll just have to see: I'm jumping everywhere, I'm running everywhere, I'm shooting three-pointers, I'm trying to dunk the ball all the time...

What treatment have you had?
At the time, we just did a few treatments, but because NBA games are so close together, I didn't skip a single one. On the other hand, I've been lifting weights since the end of the season to reinforce my shoulder and I think that's why it hurts less or even not at all. The pain simply returned because I took a hit. But my shoulder hurts like my knee would hurt if I had taken the hit there.

How has Portland management reacted?
The French staff transmitted the medical results and we're waiting for their response. I have no idea how they're going to react. There's never been a precedent for this, contrary to San Antonio where we know how it works. So I don't know what to expect. I just hope that I'm not going to have to go there and back like Tony [Parker]. After that, if they want me to come back, there are a few options, maybe I'll be able to play Friday and leave for the U.S. Afterwards. Kevin Pritchard knows that I'm doing well, I had him on the phone yesterday (Tuesday) and he even talked to me about my good statistics.

Despite everything, have you managed to concentrate on the game on Friday?
Of course! That's all I think about, my priority at th e moment is the French team before everything else. It's a decisive game because after Italy's win in Finland, we know that we can't slip up. If we lose Friday it will be a catastrophe. We know what we have to do, and we'll have the fans behind us, we're going to have a great game.

How are you preparing for the game?
The same way we prepared for the game over there. Why change when we won? Simply, we'll have to concentrate even more because they know that they still have a chance and they'll give all they've got. Especially after the loss in Cagliari, they'll be looking for revenge, so we know what to expect. But I think that they're afraid of us. We'll have to start out just like we did in Italy, hit them hard, give them a good beating here, and go to the final.

How do you react to Carlo Recalcati, the Italian coach, who's spending his time stressing the athletic qualities of the French players?
It's getting really annoying. Especially for the older players, I think, because they've heard that for a long time. Basically, it means that we're poor basketball players and that we're just athletes. We want to show them that we also know how to play basketball together and that our win over there wasn't just luck.

The group has had to cope with quite a few little problems since preparations began, how do you deal with it?
By being united with each other. But don't worry. Little by little, the team will be at 100% and then if we win against Italy, that could trigger the rest, because we know that we'll be able to beat Belgium, Bosnia, and Portugal in the final. After the Euros, if we're serious, we know that we can go all the way. We're aware of that, but we have to work and we can't relax.

Defending against Kobe, I was told “good luck”

Nicolas talks about what he has done since the end of the season as well as the playoffs. As a defensive specialist, he also takes a look at the job Mike Pietrus has done on LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

Since the playoffs finished, I've trained a bit, but passively it has to be said. During the three weeks following the end of the season, I didn't touch a ball. I really needed it, because since last August it's been non-stop basketball, 95 games... After a while it becomes hard, physically as well as mentally, and you have to take a little break. Especially because the elimination in the playoffs was frustrating. We had had a good season, we had succeeded in winning home court advantage, something which isn't easy in the West. And it's too bad that we messed up the first round, we could've won. It's true that the first game put us in a hole, losing by 30 points or so. We did learn during these playoffs, but it's good to take a break. Because we left exhausted and frustrated, and what's more we're watching the other games on TV.



So, during this time, I did some quick weight lifting, some running here and there, but it was really light. In fact in Portland, the coaches and the physical trainer told me to not touch a ball, to rest three weeks, even all of May. They told me: "run two or three times a week, lift weights two or three times, but very light, and be sure to rest, see your family, your friends, have fun." After three weeks, I started to miss basketball. Even after two weeks, in fact, but I couldn't play immediately because I was on vacation.

The first time (or so) that I touched a ball again, it was last weekend for a tournament, le Quartier Ouest. The first day, Saturday, I couldn't feel my lungs anymore, I had the impression that I was missing one! But it was funny, I met with some friends that I had played with in Caen, before I left for Le Mans. It was just to play together again, because it had been a long time. In the beginning it was for fun, but once it started, I wanted to win, so we were in until the final and we won. On top of that, in the final, we played against some of my friends, so it was fun.

Tonight as well I'm going to touch a ball again, but in a wheelchair! I'm going to be the sponsor of the club of Pont-L’Evêque, where I played when I was really little. Today, they're doing a tournament for kids, so I'm going to come, and after the tournament, they're doing a handicap game with the professional team from Le Havre against the first team of Pont-L’Evêque. And I'm going to play with them, in a wheelchair too. It's going to be hard!

I didn't touch a ball until this week, but I still followed the playoffs. They were balanced this year, with lots of good teams. It really was a good playoffs. The ones that beat us, the Rockets, were good afterwards. Too bad that Yao Ming got injured, they could've shocked some people. Aaron Brook surprised me, he had a good playoffs.

But the series that I preferred was the Lakers-Denver, it was great. I thought it was better than Orlando-Cleveland. Carmelo, except when he got sick, played at an impressive level. I'm really happy for him, because he has been criticized and I think that he's one of the most underestimated players in the league. He's not talked about enough. He's talked about, but I don't think that he's recognized like he should be. He defended, attacked, he was a true team player, whereas before some thought that he was only an attacking player, a scorer. He must've had 4 or 5 assists each game in the playoffs. He's a true player now, complete, accomplished in all aspects of the game. He's a true leader. I was happy because he's a player that I really appreciate.



I was also impressed by the series that LeBron had in the conference final. It was crazy. In fact, I was impressed by the people that elevated their level. Nowitzki also had a great playoffs. And then there's Kobe, who was Kobe. He's in his objective since the beginning, he really deserves to win. As far as disappointments, first off there's our team, but also Boston, even if it was difficult with Garnett out. I didn't really have the time to follow their series against Chicago, I watched it vaguely...

At the heart of it, in the final, I saw Orlando winning 4-2. In particular, I thought that with their bigs, the Lakers couldn't defend Rashard Lewis. But what made the difference, in my opinion, was the Lakers' experience, just look at the last game (game 4). So now I see the Lakers winning 4-2. Orlando should win the next game and they'll lose game 6 in Los Angeles. I saw the rerun this morning and it's true that Fisher scored two very big shots at the end, and in overtime, Kobe was Kobe. I don't think that he especially forced it, he just wants to win. He carries his team and he wants to do well. He isn't forcing it like he did before. He wants to win this title. He takes lots of shots, but he had 8 assists. And he can't be too far from a triple-double. It's not forcing it to hog the ball, it's to win. That wasn't Kobe before, who forced it to score his 80 points. It's not easy to explain but for me it's different. He knows that he's the one on his team that can score so he takes shots. Even if Mike Pietrus is playing great defense, he scores 30 points anyway.

For that matter since the start of the playoffs, Mike is good, eh! And not only on defense, he also scores. He scored 15 points that night. Aside from the 2nd game, he's scored 14, 18, and 15. That's pretty good for his first finals. And then defensively he's been great. LeBron maybe put up lots of points, but he still limited him. He forced LeBron to play for himself, made him lower his head and the others stopped moving. So sure LeBron scored 40 points, but the others didn't score more than 10.

That's what you have to do against LeBron. For us, in Portland, that's what we do against him. "Let LeBron score 40, it's not important as long as the others don't score 20." If he wants to, he'll score 40 anyway. You have to try to limit him and make him shoot a poor percentage. But you especially have to cut off the others and give it your all against him. Anyway, that's what you have to do against these guys. Sure, you have to try to stop them, but the objective is above all to limit them more than to stop them, because they're so good... After LeBron, you can try to let him shoot, because his shot is less fluid and precise than Kobe's, even if he's starting to become better and better.

It's a bit different defending against them. For LeBron, I was told "stay back and avoid letting him in the paint. It's better to let him shoot." For Kobe, it's "good luck." Wade, for me, is different, he was maybe the toughest to defend. Well, no, in fact, you can't say that he's the toughest to defend out of the three because they're the three best players in the world. It's crazy how skilled Kobe is. Wade is too quick, his lateral quickness is crazy, in a thousandth of a second he puts his right foot on the other side compared with his left foot, you don't know how he did it. And LeBron, he hits you with his shoulder and you end up in the stands. To summarize: Wade too quick, Kobe too skilled, LeBron too physical.

In any case, watching the finals really makes me want to be there. I'm in the NBA, maybe I'll have the opportunity to play in the finals one day, it's even more motivating. Before I just sorta watched them, but now that I'm here and I see the team that we have, given that we'll maybe have the chance to play in the finals in the short or medium term, that really motivates me. But I'll still have to work. I'm leaving this weekend to workout in Dallas, where Alexis Ajinça and Mike Gelabale are working at the moment.

"I surprised myself"

Nicolas Batum, present at Roland Garros (the French Open), recounts his first season in the NBA, and talks about the NBA finals between the Lakers and Orlando as well as the future of the French national team.

Nicolas, what is your prediction for the final between the Lakers and Orlando?
I think that it will go seven games.  It's a very open final and that's why it's difficult for me to make a prediction.  But it wouldn't be bad if Orlando won.  After from Tony (Parker), Mike Pietrus would then be the second Frenchman to win an NBA title.

How do you judge Mike Pietrus' season?
Mike missed around thirty games in the regular season because of injuries.  But he's had a great playoff.  Against Cleveland, he had become the X factor.  Everyone is talking about it in the United States.  After LeBron James, he's going to have to take care of Kobe Bryant.

What did you think of your first year in the NBA?
I surprised myself.  I didn't really know where I was going with Portland at the start of the season.  In hindsight, when I see what I did... (Nicolas started 76 games in the regular season).  But I still have work to do.

This summer, the French team is waiting for you, to help recover and qualify for Euro 2009...
You could say that we're on alert.  Besides, the players are aware of it.  That's why everyone wants to come.  If we are serious, we can qualify for the European championship.

What is your opinion of Vincent Collet, your old coach at Le Mans that you will meet again with the French team?

Vincent is someone very open, he's very passionate.  He always talked a lot to me.  We still called each other regularly this year.  He's the coach who sent me into the professional world.  I owe a lot to him.

"Next year, we'll challenge for the title"

via www.ouest-france.fr

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Nicolas Batum: "In the NBA, everything is intensified"

keep in mind that the interview was conducted before Game 1

via 20minutes.fr

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