Just as the Trail Blazers crossed into the second half of the season, a welcome sight joined them on the road: Nicolas Batum. The one-time starting small forward is traveling with the team on its four-game East Coast trip in preparation for an expected return next week. Batum, who has not played this season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder on Oct. 30, says he is ready to make his """""""""""""""""""""""""""" season debut when Portland hosts the New Orleans Hornets on Jan. 25. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "I'm ready to play right now, I'm good," Batum said. "I'm in good shape, I can shoot pretty good. I don't know where I am in the game, because I don't play in the game right now, but I feel pretty good. We'll see next week." Batum has not been medically cleared to participate in live practices yet, but he went through portions of the Blazers' practice Tuesday evening in Philadelphia, mostly working in five-on-zero halfcourt drills. Assistant coach Monty Williams has been putting the second-year forward through rigorous shooting and conditioning drills for weeks and the Blazers wanted Batum to make this trip so he could reacclimate himself to travel and the team's schedule and stay in-tune with any changes the team makes to schemes and game plans. Coach Nate McMillan said he would like Batum to go through one or two practices before he plays in a game, and it's possible he will be cleared for live work this week. When Batum does make it back, McMillan could cement only one detail about his role -- that Batum will come off the bench. The rest, McMillan says, is up in the air. "He'll come off the bench, certainly, and we'll go from there," McMillan """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" said. "We'll try to get him some minutes, maybe at power forward, maybe at """"""""""""""""""""""" small forward. We just have to slowly work him back into rotation and go from there." While Batum's return will provide a much-needed boost in defense, athleticism and grit, it also will potentially create a new set of headaches for McMillan. After growing comfortable with a rotation and a style -- mostly out of necessity because of all the Blazers' injuries -- McMillan will have to return to juggling rotations and monitoring playing time. Martell Webster, the Blazers' starting small forward, is enjoying the best stretch of his career. Rudy Fernandez recently came back after an extended rehabilitation and Jerryd Bayless developed into a productive player after injuries forced him into a prominent role. Add Steve Blake to the mix and McMillan has decisions to make about playing time. "I can't sit here and say exactly what we're going to do because we don't know how it's going to work," McMillan said. "We haven't seen (Batum), so to say that he's going to be (at small forward) or he's going to be (at power forward) or we're going to play this lineup; you can't say that." One thing that can be said -- at least based on recent visual evidence -- is that Batum should return with a much prettier and possibly more accurate jump shot. Batum arrived in Portland with awkward form, pulling the ball above and toward the back of his head at the top of his shot, just before his release. His shot was flat and inconsistent. "The first day I got here, Coach Monty got on me about my shot," Batum said, remembering back to the 2008 summer league practices. "The first day I was here, I remember, he said, 'I'm gonna work on your shot. We're gonna have to change that.' So ever since he's worked with me." Williams and shooting coach John Townsend have taught Batum to keep the ball in front of him, with his hand in front of his face, as he releases a shot. Since he returned from his October surgery and resumed workouts with Williams, his shot has featured more arc and more consistency. Batum, who made 37 percent of his three-pointers last season, was nearly automatic while shooting three-pointers before a recent game at the Rose Garden. At one point during his routine, as he attempted shots from various spots around the three-point arc, Batum made more than 20 in a row, wowing the few who watched from the Blazers' bench. One onlooker, Blazers television color commentator Mike Rice, watched in awe. "Daaaaaang Nicky, you don't miss anymore," Rice screamed. Williams said he is pleased with Batum's development, but has made it a point to temper expectations. "We sat down and had a long talk and I said, 'Man, you could have a long career but that shot is gonna cause you some trouble. You want to get a shot that's respectable,'" Williams said. "And he's put the work in. It's good so far, but give me 18,000 (fans) and some stakes on the line, and then we'll see how far he's come." Of course, shooting ability was not what led Batum to become a surprise starter as a rookie last season. McMillan calls Batum a "glue guy" for the Blazers and, more than anything, they have missed his ability to defend a variety of positions, from All-Star point guards like Tony Parker to elite shooting guards like Kobe Bryant. Batum has a knack for making gritty, heady plays at the perfect moment; grabbing a timely offensive rebound or chasing down a fastbreak on defense and blocking an opponent's shot from behind. "That stuff, you can't put a value on that," said Williams, who pointed to a Jan. 5 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies and said Batum could have been a difference-maker by defending O.J. Mayo. Combine Batum with the improved play of Webster, Williams says, and the Blazers should have a formidable collection of forwards, capable of defending and providing offense. But Batum refuses to look that far ahead. He doesn't care what position he plays, how many minutes he gets or what role he assumes. After missing all season, he has one simple goal in mind. "I just want to be on the court, first, see where I am and after that do whatever coach wants for me," he said. "I feel really good right now. I think I'll be back the next home game." ------------------------------------------------------------ Batum回來了 .....T_T好感動 RankA真正的考驗才要開始 後場爆滿就是有人要坐板凳 而且Batum打PF......在開玩笑嗎 喔對 Roy對七六人的比賽會上場喔 --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.217.160.101 ※ 編輯: JerrydBatum 來自: 61.217.160.101 (01/21 02:01) ※ ksk0516:轉錄至看板 NBA_Fantasy 01/21 10:54