Nicholas Batum Offered Near Max By Wolves

[longtime lurker]

Batum could be a good 3rd option on a contender but he lacks that competitor's heart. There's no fire in his game.

I think even that is a stretch. I mean is this guy even as good as Luol Deng?

[boozehound]

New max is like 4 years/55 mill man for players not previously on your team. Not far off if he gets the 50. Regardless it's a ridiculous offer.

actually 58/4. its pretty close. its clearly the position they need the most and hes a damn good player. overpaying? yes, but thats how RFA (which is pretty much every FA worth a damn not named williams) works. Its why ben wallace got paid 16 per for 4 years by chicago.

[boozehound]

I think even that is a stretch. I mean is this guy even as good as Luol Deng?

loul deng is much better than bulls fans (and fans in general) give credit for.

[04mzwach]

Wolves are making the playoffs for sure now. What a Summer so far! One of the best offseasons of all time.

[04mzwach]

This is just homerism at it's finest. Come on man. I mean for example I hate LeBron James, there is probably noone on this planet aside from rapists and serial murders who I would dislike more. However, I do not let my feelings allow me to make a biased statement regarding his talent; he's the top guy in the league no questions asked.

Back to Batum, I didnt call him a bust; I said he was the MOST OVERRATED player in the league. Rashard Lewis was overrated when he got a $19 million a year contract, doesn't mean he wasn't a good player... Like I said, Batum is a GOOD STARTER, and may even make an all-defensive team, but a star is something hell never be.

Nobody overrates Batum IMO. We're overrating him by giving him such a big contract, but the fact that we have Rubio and the multiple guys that we do have... I see him as an all star type of player on the Wolves just because of our roster. What he was able to do on that lack luster Blazers team is something that was pretty impressive for a guy that I never really thought much of. He's so tall and lengthy.
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The Timberwolves gave teams problems with their length last year. If we can somehow get just a little more athletic up front, we're going to be one of those teams you DO NOT want to see come playoff time. We may already be one of those teams though. Somebody give this guy a post game please. We're hiring Blazer players left and right now. If we acquire Brandon Roy, Batum and Jamal Crawford; the transistion with new players being acquired will come a lot easier and chemistry will be built a lot faster. The fact that Budinger was coached by Adelman is smart. The fact that the Wolves are bringing in players that know each other is smart. The fact that they're bringing in the position players we need while doing this is smart. Bye bye Beasley and Webster I guess. If Batum contributes to the actual starting roster which I think he will, he'll be worth both a Beasley and Webster.

[04mzwach]

I wonder what the Wolves will do with Williams now. It's getting pretty crowded for him not to play the 4 and that would be off the bench. Maybe there's a bigger deal coming.

[kumquat]

I think there are some rose colored glasses being put on by Wolves fans. Don't expect anything much more than what he was on the Blazers. He might have had two or three games in his entire Blazer career where I thought he was a $12mil player and I would have watched about 80% of Blazer games over the past 4 years.

[04mzwach]

The Lakers would like to bring back [COLOR=#000080]Jordan Hill[/COLOR], but they will have to fend off a number of other teams to do so.
According to numerous reports (see: [COLOR=#000080]this one[/COLOR] and [COLOR=#000080]this one[/COLOR]), Hill is also generating interest from the Timberwolves, Warriors, Magic, Heat and Suns.
Here's more from Dave McMenamin of ESPN LosAngeles.com on the Lakers chances of resigning the 6-foot-10, 235-pound power forward.

- Joe Kaiser

Dave McMenamin

"Even though Hill is unrestricted and the Lakers are over the luxury tax for next season, the Lakers hold partial Bird rights to him and can offer Hill a maximum of $3,632,450 a season for up to five years. Even though Hill is young and has shown flashes of brilliance in his three-year career thus far, he comes with a couple of question marks stemming from the MCL injury he sustained to his right knee last season as well as a pending felony assault court case. Those question marks, along with their partial Bird rights, figure to allow the Lakers to make a competitive enough offer that will be comparable with what the free-agent market will bear for him."

This guy may be able to help the T-wolves, although we're looking at Steisma.

[SilkkTheShocker]

I think there are some rose colored glasses being put on by Wolves fans. Don't expect anything much more than what he was on the Blazers. He might have had two or three games in his entire Blazer career where I thought he was a $12mil player and I would have watched about 80% of Blazer games over the past 4 years.

T-wolves fans are delusional

[B-Easy8]

Not sure why so many people are keen on this deal. Batum is the perfect fit for us but there is no way he is worth $12m, I wouldn't offer him more than $8m. Wes Johnson is basically supposed to be the same player. If he starts shooting well again then we will have to play either the 4th pick or the $12m man on the bench otherwise we would have no offence created by our wings.

[04mzwach]

The Wolves also called Boston restricted free-agent center Greg Stiemsma one minute after free agency commenced late Saturday night and brought him to Minneapolis for a visit on Sunday morning.
Los Angeles Lakers unrestricted free-agent power forward Jordan Hill — who played for Wolves coach Rick Adelman in Houston — is expected to visit on Monday while the Wolves still are believed to be pursuing a trade for Lakers star Pau Gasol.

Lots of deals floating around. +Roy, +Crawford

[FireDavidKahn]

Not sure why so many people are keen on this deal. Batum is the perfect fit for us but there is no way he is worth $12m, I wouldn't offer him more than $8m. Wes Johnson is basically supposed to be the same player. If he starts shooting well again then we will have to play either the 4th pick or the $12m man on the bench otherwise we would have no offence created by our wings.

The bottom line is, if Adelman wants a guy there is a very good chance he is worth it.

[ihatetimthomas]

Not sure why so many people are keen on this deal. Batum is the perfect fit for us but there is no way he is worth $12m, I wouldn't offer him more than $8m. Wes Johnson is basically supposed to be the same player. If he starts shooting well again then we will have to play either the 4th pick or the $12m man on the bench otherwise we would have no offence created by our wings.

"supposed" to be the same player is not the same as being the same player.

Wes Johnson has severly under achieved in his career. Batum has improved every singe year he has been in the league. He is a elite defender and has a really nice jumper. He instantly improved the Wolves D and improves the team. Is he worth all that money? No, but he is a glue guy type of player that could be a significant role player on any contending team. Plus he is only 23.

In the end RFA must be offered above their worth in order to pry them away. Blazers instantly match at 8 mil a year. I credit the Wolves for wanting to go out and try to make this team a playoff team bc they certainly are playoff contenders with him.

[ZenMaster]

People will be suprised by this minny team if they can get a 2 and a 3 that shoots +37% from the 3pt line while Rubio and Love stays relatively healthy. They're going to be one of the best offensive teams in the league.

[sacredcow]

Restricted free agent forward, Nicolas Batum, will meet with the Portland Trail Blazers this Thursday or Friday in Portland, a league source says.

http://www.csnnw.com/pages/landingbl...14&feedID=5212

My guess is he searched Minneapolis on Wikipedia and decided to get to Portland ASAP.