[jerb2011Participant]

How likely is it that Shane Battier will return? I would really like my Thunder to persue this guy!!! hemay be one of the more underrated players in the league, and of course you all know what he can bring.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

As a Rockets fan.. I really want him to come back but I wouldn’t put it passed the Lakers to go after him.

[rvan14Participant]

 Battier could be the missing piece for a lot of contenders. Great perimeter defender and can hit that corner 3. He reminds me of Bruce Bowen. We all saw what he did for the Spurs.

[swishh_23Participant]

  I agree with you guys but it kind of seemed to me like Battier may want to stay there in Memphis. It looked like he was appreciated for what he did, and he might enjoy being the veteran on the team and being able to mentor and help all the younger guys and teach them a lot of what he knows. It seemed like they had some really good team chemistry going there. He is in a pretty great situation in my opinion.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

I think we should resign him.  Give him a 1-3 year deal for a decent amount of money because we have to sign somebody anyway.  I actually want to resign him so he can play the ‘stretch 4’ which he did in the playoffs.  He rebounded well and had a nifty jump hook.  Not sure his one-on-one defense is there anymore but he is still a solid team defender.  He probably got tired by playing too many minutes.  Ideally he would play 12-15 minutes a night for us next year behind Rudy Gay at the 3 and some at the 4 when we go small.

He hit that HUGE 3 pointer at the end of game 1 against the Spurs that put us ahead, but he didn’t really shoot that well.  But, no perimeter guys on our team shot that well.  If he gets his corner 3 back then that would be really big for us.  If not, then he needs to take those spot up 15-18 foot jumpers that all the other veterans do.

Teams still have to respect his shot which is nice.  He is a good anchor on the bench.  With Battier, OJ Mayo, and Darrell Arthur our bench is pretty solid.  And Vazquez and Haddadi are getting better.  With Rudy Gay coming back we will move Sam Young to the bench to get even more scoring punch.  He gives us that combination of veteran presence, experience, leadership, defense, toughness, intangibles, rebounds, and jump shots that really, really works for us.

Another thing, I would HATE to see him sign somewhere else.  I think he is the kind of guy that puts contenders over the top.  He could really help the Thunder and be another glue guy/intangibles guy that would make the Miami Heat pretty much unbeatable.  On the Bulls he would be an upgrade over Korver and would be a bigger pain in the butt than Boozer on many nights.

I would also like to see him involved in the development of Xavier Henry.  Henry might have been the best draft pick we get for a long time so we have to get the most out of it.  We should treat next year like Henry’s rookie year and groom him to take over Battier’s role (good all-around player, 3 point shooter).

If we draft well and resign Shane Battier I really like our bench next year.  OJ Mayo is a prototype combo guard 6th man that really helps teams (Jet, Harden, Jamal Crawford).  Darrell Arthur is an active, athletic power forward who can rebound, block shots, hit jumpers, and play above the rim.  He would be another good power forward that teams play off the bench like Udonis Haslem, Nick Collison, and Taj Gibson.  Shane Battier is a good 8th man who gives you a good balance between offense and defense, and perimeter and interior play.  Vazquez is a good point guard with good size and a decent shot.  He is a good creator on offense and works well with OJ in the backcourt.  … he kinda has some Manu Ginobili and Jason Kidd in his game.  He is a great change of pace guy.  He had a good PER in the playoffs, around 18 or so which put him fairly high up.  Hadaddi is solid, has shown nice things and can block shots and dunk.  He needs more minutes.  Sam Young can really get after it.  He has good athleticism, a great motor, and a scorer’s mentality.  If he adds a jumper, then he would be great on offense.  He is already one of our better finisher’s around the basket.  He possesses a great pump-fake and a good post game.  A great 3rd or 4th option off any bench.  We still need a 3 point specialist and another center.  If Henry can be our 3 point specialist then that would be great.  If not, we might need to draft one.  Then we need a backup big man who can block shots, play above the rim, and bring some nastiness.  Basically a 21st century version of John Salley.

With Rudy Gay coming back, and with Xavier Henry being another option we don’t really have to hit a home run this offseason.  We just need to resign Marc Gasol, keep OJ Mayo, and resign Shane Battier.  We have one of the best true power forward-center combinations in the game, a great small forward with youth, talent, and athleticism, a solid and improving point guard, and a good defender at shooting guard with a bench that can compete with anybody. 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Next year, the West will be wide open with no true favorite with Dallas, LA, OKC, Portland, and Memphis all in contention and with the Nuggets, Clippers, Rockets, and Kings being spoilers.  The Spurs will still be there and could still win an opening round series given the right matchup. 

The Grizzlies have a good as shot as anyone at coming out of the West next year, so we have to spend some money and go into WIN NOW mode.  Shane Battier will help the Grizzlies if he resigns.  At worst, he won’t play for one of our rivals and come back to haunt us.  At best he is another guy on our team who can rebound, defend, and score 6 or 7 points a game off the bench.  And I really like him and Tony and Sam Young defending the likes of Dirk, Durant, Kobe, Manu, and Tyreke next year.  With Rudy back we will have three good 3 point shooters with Gay, OJ, and Conley.  Shane Battier would be another good 3 point shooter to add to that mix, plus you can play all four of those guys at the same time which is a huge luxury.  With Battier in the lineup you don’t need to rely on Sam Young, or Tony Allen, or Xavier Henry hitting outside shots.  Battier can be a big lift off then bench even without scoring a point, and if he gets hot from 3 he can be a real game breaker, unlike Peja who if he’s hot from deep he can really help, but if his shot is missing then he doesn’t really add much and is a big liability on defense.  Battier is a cross between the strengths of Peja, Korver, Nick Collison, and Udonis Haslem.  He can also make an emergency start or play 30 minutes off the bench.  Forms a great 8 man rotation with Conley, Allen, Gay, Z Bo, Gasol, OJ, and Arthur.  OJ can play the 2 and also some point, Shane can play the 3 and also some stretch four, with DA being a true power forward who has played the 5 and has enough range on his shot and enough speed to play some 3.  I liked him a lot for his post play/rebounding last year and he needs to develop a mid-range faceup jumper.  That could be his new offensive weapon.  And he would still be a threat for a corner 3 at the end of games.

 

[Mr. ChicagoParticipant]

As a Bulls fan, I hope we go after him. I doubt it, but I would be excited. He gives you that option to go big or small. I really respect his game, and he epitomizes a ‘team’ player.

[Author]

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