| 24 March 2011
Nicolas Batum already has plans for the summer, but right now his travel itinerary is stuck somewhere between stoked and the unknown.
Come July, the Portland Trail Blazers smooth small forward will be in France training with the French National Team to compete in the 2011 European Basketball Championship, simply known as EuroBasket.
From August 31st through September 18th, you can find Batum balling in Lithuania where he hopes France can “become great” in EuroBasket competition.
But when it comes to life after the French National Team and with the pending NBA lockout, Batum is as lost as everyone else in the league right now. Eventually, David Stern and Billy Hunter will inform the players when they can expect business to resume around the NBA, at least when it comes to next season. Until then a work stoppage is “very likely” with the league’s collective bargaining agreement set to expire on June 30, a few days after the NBA Draft.
Talk about throwing a wrench in your summer vacation.
“It’s scary to think about a little bit,” Batum told Beyond the Beat, when asked if the reality of a lockout is setting in.
“I don’t know what is going to happen next year. I don’t know if there is going to be a lockout or not. And I don’t know what I’m going to do next year if I go back to France and don’t play, if I play back in Europe, or if I just rest. I don’t know what is going to happen.”
Join the club.
Back in 2008 when Portland acquired Batum’s rights from Houston on draft night for the rights to Darrell Arthur and Joey Dorsey, the 6-8 Batum had no idea how his summer would play out. Honestly, there wasn’t a lot to write home to Lisieux, France about. His play at the Las Vegas Summer League was suspect enough to leave Batum certain that he’d be playing that first season in the European League as property of the Trail Blazers.
Now during his third season in Portland, he’s quickly become a corner stone for Portland to build upon.
Batum is just days removed from logging his first 20 point and 10 rebound game in his young career with Portland’s beat down on Washington at the Rose Garden. Over the last four games, he’s averaged 19.3 points, with 2.5 three-pointers in 34.5 minutes per game.
Still, with so much uncertainty lingering about next season and life without basketball in the league, is the European League calling Batum’s name?
“I don’t know if I would play overseas. I’d have to talk to my agent (Bouna Ndiaye) and see what is best for me. We don’t know how long the lockout would be,” Batum continued.
“Me personally, I don’t want a lockout. I want to play in the NBA, but I won’t know until September after I play with the (French) National Team. It’s a long process. I’d like to just come back and play but right now I don’t know. I don’t want to stay there and sit in my house and wait or workout by myself. I want to play basketball.”
As Batum waits to see how the lockout drama plays out, he’s looking forward to getting back together with the French National Team led by head coach Galen Hurley.
“Playing with the National Team will be huge for me -- it will keep me busy for all of the summer. It’s going to be a huge tournament.”
This is the third year Batum will be playing on the French National Team.
“I’m still the youngest guy on the team,” Batum laughed.
Apparently Batum forgot about fellow Frenchman Andrew Albicy, the 21 year old 5-10 point guard who is considered by some a possible prospect for the 2011 NBA Draft. Yet another reason why France could be a sleeper at EuroBasketb. Even still, Batum’s matured annually playing on the French National Team and it appears this year will be no different.
“I can remember when I first started playing with Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, Joakim Noah, and I was around those guys for the first time. I was in the starting lineup and Tony said, ‘Just play basketball. Everyone here is the best player on their team, so you just have to play.’
“People focused more on them so I had a little freedom.”
It worked. After his rookie season in Portland in 2008-09, Batum blossomed with the French National Team in the 2009 EuroBasket while battling a shoulder contusion. Cleared by Portland to compete, Batum and France finished 5th among the 16 teams. Last summer in the FIBA World Championship, France was without Parker, Noah, and Ronny Turiaf but made due with Boris Diaw, Alexis Ajinca, and a more aggressive Batum easily holding his own.
Ask the Spanish National Team about that one.
“Now, I’m just one more weapon on the National Team. I love that team,” added Batum, who averaged 12.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
France finished 13th overall among the 24 teams at the World Championship. It was a hard way to spend a few months of the summer, but this time around at EuroBasket in Lithuania, Batum remains optimistic about his teams’ chances.
It’s just too bad that hope hasn’t spread to the news about the lockout. Perhaps the long offseason will bring a win-win situation to Batum and the rest of game in the NBA as well.
“I love to play with France. We have a lot of good players, but we can become great,” said Batum.
“I can’t wait to play this summer with those guys.”
photo: spartyandfriends
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