I would haven taken Evan Turner 1st

via basketsession.com

The draft was pretty eventful, especially for Portland, with a big decision taken before it began. That's when I learned that the General Manager, Kevin Pritchard, had been fired. I was sad because he's the one who brought me here. I owe my presence to him. He always helped me, always had confidence in me. So it definitely hurt me to see him leave and I truly wish him the best. But I'm sure that he will easily find a job.

I followed the draft with management, the trainers, video guys, and other people from the club in a room right next to the office where the directors were meeting for the draft. This year, I followed the NCAA a bit and it was a good draft, rather homogenous. I know that not many people agree with me, but I would've taken Evan Turner first. I don't really know why, but I prefer Turner over John Wall, it's a matter of feeling, I prefer to watch him play, I love his game. It's efficient, he scores 20 points but also has 6 assists even though he's a 2. He finished top scorer in his conference, most assists as well. And I also wonder what Arenas will do with John Wall. They want to get rid of him? I don't see them playing together.

I would've put Wall in Philadelphia. Washington could've given a 2nd.... well, 15th chance to Arenas, who remains a very good player, and put Turner at the 2. And Philly need a point guard, not a 2 or 3. That would've been logical to me. When I followed the draft, they told me no, John Wall should be #1, and as they had heard on TV, he was Magic Johnson in Gary Payton's body. It is true that he's very good, I'm not criticizing him. Aside from his commercial. If you haven't seen the Reebok commercial, watch it...

There were a few selections which surprised me. For example Hayward, I wasn't expecting to see him taken 9th. I saw him more from #15 on. Otherwise, I asked myself why New Jersey took Favors if they really want Boozer to come or another 4. Alright, you certainly have to prepare for the future. I thought that they would take Wesley Johnson. That would've given them Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Johnson, that's not bad.

So my personal mock draft was Turner, Wall and Johnson for the first three. I didn't even have Favors in my first 6. He has a good body, he's very interesting and has a lot of potential, but I didn't see him going so high. I hope that he'll make a liar out of me, and in any case he must not care about my opinion, with good reason!

Personally, I, like all the French, was also waiting on the selection of Kevin (Seraphin). I met him when I was coming back from the Adidas Eurocamp. He was going there, so we ate together Sunday night. I told him a bit what it was like and we talked. I think that he has the mentality to succeed. And he has the physique to succeed. Apparently, he weighed 280 pounds with 9% body fat. There aren't too many bigs with numbers like that. It jumps out at you when you see one.

After Kevin was selected, I stopped watching the draft. When I left, I was told that Webster was traded for Ryan Gomes. In fact, as I said, McMillan had told me that he was counting on me to play a bigger role next season. So I told myself that the trade was following that perspective.

Otherwise, we took two guards and got Babbitt. And of course I'm going to give him the translation of his name, don't worry :) OK, it's a bad joke, but that's normal. With Alexis we had a great time with Hasheem Thabeet. It's along the same lines of the terrible puns that I told you about with Ali [Traore] last summer. We asked him "You assume Thabeet?" We didn't explain it to him. But I did translate it for OJ Mayo. He must've explained it to him, so the next time, I'm going to get blocked 15 times a game when I go into the paint against him. You'll see in the Memphis-Portland boxscore: Hasheem Thabeet 8 blocks for, Batum 8 blocks against... In any case, Babbitt will get a few jokes. Besides, he's a rookie. When I saw Babbitt in Portland I told myself "no I can't do that. Fortunately Alexis isn't with me."

I was hoping that Kevin would come to us. Everyone in Portland was very enthusiastic about him, but we only had the 22nd pick.

pdf link - the article is on page 12.  As far as I know, l'Equipe haven't put the full interview up on their website yet.

via img.lequipe.fr

Nicolas Batum, the Blazer wing, started playing again on January 25th, with a more important attacking role.  At Cowboys Stadium, Nicolas Batum got an eyeful, as did everyone.  Just back on the court three weeks ago after an operation on his right shoulder and a half a season missed, the French wing took advantage of this break to evaluate his comeback, touching on his objectives for the Spring and his future with "Les Bleus."

You have just played ten games after three months out.  How are you doing?
I think that I'm at 85% right now, but it feels good to be back.  I was on the bench for 45 games, that's a lot.  I'm really happy to be back.

So was it the right decision to have the surgery?
The operation came naturally.  As soon as July we knew that it was a fracture.  It hurt, but I kept on playing.  I played in the Euros as well as training camp.  But you get beat up at camp.  Guys are playing for their contracts.  My shoulder got hit many times and the last shot I took from Greg Oden, two days before the start of the season, really hurt me.  That's when I knew that it was best to get it operated on.

With hindsight, do you regret playing in the Euros with France under such conditions?
No, I don't regret it at all.  The Euros made me more mature, bolder.  In the Euro League, with Le Mans, I was more subdued.  With France, I also wanted to stay to the side.  Playing with Tony (Parker), Boris (Diaw), Ronny (Turiaf), Flo (Pietrus) and having responsibilities made a mark on people here.  In the game against Italy, Tony wasn't playing, but all the others were and I was the one with the ball at the end.

How do you explain Portland letting you play in the Euros?
I don't know.  There was a one in a hundred chance of them letting me go there.  But still, I'd had the fracture since March.  And between March and July, I missed two games because of a sprained ankle!

So it would have been uncalled for if Portland made you miss the Euros when they hadn't done anything for your shoulder for a month and a half?
Yeah, I think so.  I just kept on playing without complaining.  It hurt but it wasn't unbearable, I managed to play.

As of today, is your shoulder fully recovered?
There's still a bit of soreness, but I've had two, three falls and it's fine, even if it hurt a bit against Utah.

Have you picked up your habits in the team again?
Not starting is helping me a bit.  In the second team, I have more offensive responsibilities than last year when I was starting.  Since I've been back, I've been on the court in money time.

What are your goals for the second part of the season?
I want to show that it isn't a lost season.  I'm only going to play 35 games but I want to play them well.  I'm no longer a rookie.  Now, I'm in the League, I want to do something here.

Collectively, will Portland have to battle to make the playoffs?
With all the injuries that we've had, we were almost forgotten this season when in pre-season, we were targeting the NBA finals!  But the team keeps on playing, we've had some big wins.  We beat Dallas twice, also San Antonio and the Lakers.  We're eighth, but Denver, in second place, is only four games ahead.  We're still in the running.

Let's talk about the French team.  Will you be at the World Championships in Turkey this summer?
I want to go, but I can't talk about it.  Portland knows what I think.

And Portland isn't inclined to let you go?
Given what's happened this year, where everyone is gone down one by one, let's just say that they're cautious.  Which is almost normal.

Could Portland give you the veto?
They could make me understand very clearly that, if I want to play next season, it would be best that I don't go.  Last year, I played 79 games, I did my job, they had no reason to keep me out.  Now, having already missed 45 games...

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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"Maintenant, on va chercher le titre !"

via www.ouest-france.fr

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Nicolas Batum reçu avec mention playoffs

NBA. The Sarthois has already succeeded in his first year in America.  Next step: the playoffs, in which Portland has every chance of competing.

The kid from Le Mans is no longer a child.  Nicolas Batum has become a man.  His goal is made up of three letters: NBA.  An acronym which, for the occasion, could be turned into: Nicolas Batum Adult.  Portland’s #88 quickly learned that the North American league was "a business.  You have to be ready for everything."

During the draft in June, Houston offered him a Rockets baseball cap, which he had to exchange a quarter hour later for a Trail Blazers cap.  The young Nicolas was disgusted.  At the start of the season, Portland’s coach promised him a starting position.  He began the season on the bench.  Oops!  Batum has had to put his feelings aside.

He's a quick learner.  The proof: In February, he wasn’t even surprised when he discovered that Portland management, though satisfied with his performance, negotiated with his knowing a possible trade to Charlotte.

Head of family

Batum is aware that he is but a pawn in an NBA galaxy in which he has discovered its enormity and rigor.  Fortunately, his lucky star is on the watch.

With Martell Webster injured, the ex-Manceau replaced him in the starting five that he has only left twice (last week, because of a problem with his left ankle).  "I am aware that it has helped me" he admitted.  Playing so much at 20 years old in the NBA isn’t so common.  "It reminds me a bit of Tony Parker," added his old associate, now the coach of Le Mans, JD Jackson.

The comparison is flattering.  And a bit false.  Parker developed at a position, that of point guard, where the responsibilities are more important.  He took advantage of this exposure to rise very quickly.  Batum, even if he has already crossed the 15-point mark six times, his foremost a defender in Portland.  He knows it.

His case is thus more similar to a Boris Diaw, with a major difference: Batum is progressing in a competitive team.  Ten days from the end of the regular season, the Blazers only have one game to win to reach the playoffs.  Or wait for a faux pas from Phoenix, the only team still capable of denying them the final phase of the season.

"It will still be close the last week" predicted Batum.  The Blazers will have to battle to the end in order to clinch a 4th place synonymous with home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.  "Batman" (one of his nicknames) will therefore play a little more in his new town, in which he with his mother and sister.  Adult, yes.  Solitary, no.  If Batum has metamorphosed, he holds on to his cocoon.  His arrival in the NBA also allowed for a suppressed familial trauma to be reexamined. 

In June, he affirmed, during medical tests, that his father, who he barely knew, died on the court from a heart attack.  NBA teams panicked, his stock fell.  The truth was reestablished (it was an aneurysm) and the incident was resolved.  A silence of 18 years with his mother was broken.  Without wanting to give him so much responsibility at a young age, she passed on to him the torch of the head of the family.  Whether it's regarding an orange ball or his family life, Nicolas Batum has grown up.  His development has yet to reach its peak.

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via www.ouest-france.fr

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via www.lequipe.fr

I’m more and more comfortable and offensively I’m attempting to do more since the All-Star Game (4.7 points and 4.2 shots before, 7.5 points, 6.2 shots after).  I hit the rookie wall in December, with five or six games without scoring (5 out of 6 games).  I was exhausted.  I hadn’t stopped since mid-August, since my arrival in Portland.  Now, playing in every game this season has become an objective for me.  Especially because I tell myself that if I miss a game it will really cost me.  At the moment, I have tendinitis in my knee, my shoulder hurts, but I play…  If you want to succeed, you know what you have to do.  And that’s to work.

via www.lequipe.fr

I work hard every day.  I must have increased my workload ten times over.  I worked like that my first professional season at Le Mans, two years ago.  But last year, unconsciously, I fell into a comfort zone.  Coming here, I started from zero all over again.  I’m better than I was last year.  Especially physically.  I’m doing everything all lot more quickly than before…  I’m compared more and more to Tayshaun Prince.  And even Scottie Pippen sometimes.  They’re great defenders, but also great players who can do a lot of things.  I don’t want to be limited to a defensive role.  Even if I’ve defended Wade, Kobe, LeBron, Tony and Nowitzki this year.  That’s my role.  From the 1 to the 4.  Except for Yao and Shaq, they’re all for me.  And I hope that that will allow me to make a big contribution to the French national team.  And I’ve already told the Blazers that this summer I’m going to play for France...  During the last days of the before the trade deadline, I had some big doubts about my future.  I often heard my name.  In fact, it was talked about a lot with Charlotte.  Portland's management told me that afterwards.  But we have a good chemistry and the decision was made to not change a winning team...  There's a lot of talent on our team.  But we aren't going to get ahead of ourselves: the objective is still to make the playoffs.  After that, we'll see.

via img.lequipe.fr

A bit more from other people about him playing for France

"I already told the Blazers that this summer I'm going to play for France" said Batum.  It remains to be seen what Portland, whom the FFBB (French Federation of Basketball) must contact, and Vincent Collet, who had launched Batum's career and gave him responsibilities at MSB (Le Mans Sarthe Basket, Batum's old French team), think of that.  "Vincent will speak with him, we know that he's interested and Nicolas is as well" explains Crawford Palmer, head of relations between the NBA and the FFBB.  "After that, there are questions about his rookie contract, knowing that a part of his salary is often linked to participation in the Summer League, where games will last from the 11th to the 19th of July" (the French team's training camp in preparation for Euro 2009 qualification begins... July 11th).  "We haven't contacted Portland yet.  We will see with the coach [McMillan] if there will be a way to release him, since he [Nate] also has two Spanish players in the same situation.  But before that we have to talk about it with Nico."  Charged with following "Les Bleus" before a meeting this weekend, Vincent Collet should then be able to identify which players are a priority, which could end up helping Batum's case.

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Nicolas Batum: "I was almost traded to Charlotte!"

via www.ouest-france.fr

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[Blog Batum] “J’ai eu un petit pincement au coeur”

I arrived in Phoenix Thursday night, right after our game against Golden State. With Oden, Rudy, and Brandon Roy, we arrived in a private jet (we don't overdo things here!) chartered by the president of the team.


D12 and Duncan at the Jam Session

My weekend started Friday with a meeting with the team from Intérieur Sport, a show from Canal+, which is following my for a week. Then, I met some people, including some from the French National Basketball Federation, who were in the same hotel. We made a quick stop at the Jam Session. It’s crazy, there’s too much to do! There are courts everywhere, video games everywhere, kids can meet NBA players: you can’t get bored there. For kids, it’s awesome.



And afterwards we left the room fairly early because I was commenting on the Rookie Game for Canal+. It was a really cool experience. It’s was funny doing that, even if at the beginning it was a bit hard because I didn’t really know when I was supposed to talk. But George Eddy and Bruno Poulain were really cool with me because they integrated me in the discussion. So it was really fun to do and I’m happy to have done it at least once.

During the opening tip, I was a little disappointed to not be playing. Especially since I spoke to someone from the NBA and in fact, I really almost made it. I was told that if there had been ten or 11 players, I would’ve been in, namely because there’s only 4 rookies that have been starting. But oh well, they only took 9. And I don’t know why. So I felt a twinge of sadness at first, but at the same time, looking at this rookie class… This year it’s ridiculous.

I thought that it was a good game, with a close first half. It wasn’t the Rookie Game where there’s +30 at halftime for the sophomores and it’s over. Here, it was close, the rookies were up 5 at half time. It was even a tough game: between Scola and Gasol, it was a Euroleague game. They thought they were in ACB [Spanish league], it was funny. They hit each other. Afterwards, I saw Gasol, I told him “you thought you were in the Euroleague with Scola or what?” He answered “I don’t know, I didn’t understand, he wanted to play hard, so…” Scola finished with 5 fouls.
Regarding Durant, I knew that he was going to have a good game, but to put up 46 points, 30 in the 2nd half... And he made 3 three-pointers in a row, when they were down 10 or 12, important three-pointers. It has to be said that he's good. We played him the Wednesday before the All-Star break and he was coming off of a series of 30-point games in February. With Travis Outlaw, we swore that he wouldn't get 30. In the end he scored 19 or 20.



After the game, I was at a little party at Steve Nash's house, it was nice. Saturday, woke up at 9:00 because I had a lot of things to do. I had a mini press conference with the French press at the Jam Session at 10:00... I finally got there at 10:30. After I went to see the practice for each conference. Quick practices, open to the public. It was more of a case of... they do three sprints, with high knees and heels-butt, they went over the plays a bit, and voilà. It lasted three quarters of an hour, an hour.

And between the practices, there was a guy from the Guinness Book of records. And there were lots of records tried. There's Devin Harris who broke the world record for crossing the court while dribbling: 3.89. There was a guy who spun the ball on his finger... except that he had two balls one on top of the other and he held it for 32 seconds. And at the end, the highlight of the show, the attempt on the world record for free throws in a minute, blindfolded. Shaquille O'Neal tried. We already know that for him with his eyes open, it's tough, so blindfolded... But in fact, the worst is that his shot had a better arc, better motion. But he made 4, when the record was 5. After there was Chauncey Billups who tried and he equaled the record.

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The short All-Star break is coming. I will be in Phoenix to watch the events, with Canal + [French TV station] who will follow me for the show "Intérieur Sport." The starting five chosen seems pretty logical to me. For the East, I just would have replaced Allen Iverson with Devin Harris.

Concerning Portland, we're in a good rhythm, there's a good mentality in the group. Our month of January was rather good (9 wins, 5 losses). We found ourselves 4th in the Western Conference. We're the best rebounding team. That's no small thing. It proves our seriousness and our will to reach our objectives. We proved that we can be consistent defensively and efficient on offense, with plays that we're executing better and better. We even put up 47-19 on New Orleans [talking about the comeback]! We can be dangerous. We have 35 games left, it's up to us to keep our rhythm.

For my part, I'm starting to have more offensive responsibilities. I've played several games where I took six or seven shots in twenty minutes. Against Utah, they went in and I was able to score 16 points. As there are four rookies on the team, there's always one of us who shines.

In the airplane taking us from New Orleans to Portland, we discovered that Kobe Bryant had scored 61 points. I told myself: "Ah, about time." This year, he's been a team player with the Lakers. We were expecting the scoring machine to start up again.

Basket-ball - Nicolas Batum : « Je remonte la pente »

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The NBA is exactly how I imagined it. Everything is out of proportion. On road trips, we stay in unbelievable hotels, crazy stuff. And it's not a private jet for the team, but a private Boeing! At the time of the game in Los Angeles, we had a day off so, with Rudy Fernandez, we took advantage to go to Hollywood. We just did the tour but we saw actors in costumes everywhere, disguised as Spider-Man or Elvis Presley.

Concerning my performances on the court, I had a bit of trouble during the first games. It went better afterwards. I had two great performances out of 16 games, played in 24 days I think (30 in reality). Which gives you an idea of the rhythm. Now, I know that Martell Webster is going to come back. If he hadn't have gotten injured, I probably wouldn't be playing as much. I'm aware of it. Martell is a great player and he's going to bring a lot to the team. I'm not worried, I think first of all of the team and his return will inevitably help us. Whereas Greg Oden's absence at the start of the season had nothing to do with what happened last season. He simply twisted his ankle. Every basketball player has experienced that in his career. It just happened at a bad time for him, during the first game of the season. But he's coming back well.

The first month, I think that the team is at the level it should be at (10 wins, 6 losses as of November 28th). There were a few games we lost when we could impose ourselves, like against Phoenix or New Orelans, but globally, we're in rhythm.

The fact that we have four rookies allows us to share the burden of hazing. Jerryd Bayless is the biggest target. He's in charge of breakfast. Oden, as he was already here last year and was drafted first, is mostly left alone. And for me and Rudy, we play on the language barrier, pretending to not understand. I often say: "oh that's what you wanted me to bring? Sorry, I didn't understand."

I watched online live the game between Le Mans and Olympiakos. There was a curse, it's not possible! Losing so many close games... That was already the case when I was there last year. And it had happened the previous year. It could go either way, that's why I still think they can qualify for the Top 16 (ed. - advance past the first "round" of Euroleague games). But there's something! Somebody cursed the city, there's a sorcerer somewhere!

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So the language in this one is a bit, errr.... saltier than in the others, but I tried to find the equivalent in english.  If the profanity is a problem, I'll go back and add some **** or edit it, but the way I see it, it's Batum's fault, not mine!

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Nico finally updated his blog, and apparently there will be more entries this week.  I might have to get to those at the end of the week, seeing as it's finals and all, but we'll see.  Nice to see that he's a fellow Liverpool fan. :)

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la révélation Batum

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Not really the most positive interview, especially his comments on how the Blazers changed all their plans at the last minute.

link

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Two new articles on Batum.  The first one I just translated his quotes, the article itself didn't have anything in it that we don't already know.  The second one was especially hard to translate, hopefully I didn't misinterpret anything.

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longtime lurker, my first post so be nice! 

I've translated an interview and a blog entry from everyone's favorite new SF, Nicolas Batum.  My translation's a bit awkward at times, and sadly I don't have the "learning english" excuse the resident Spanish translator does, but hopefully you'll all enjoy it anyway.

edit - In case nobody has read them before, I just added a pair of older interviews beneath the first two that I'd already translated.

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