I like the perspective ucatchtrout. I think a lot of people on this board (myself included) feel like we overpaid for Batum, but now that he is signed and on our team, we might as well think about what he can bring to the table.

And you are right, there is legitimate reason for optimism -- he has performed extremely well during the summers when he has been expected to take more of a leadership role for the French national team, he has had stretches where he has performed at a high level, he is only 23, he was thrown into the fire as a teenager in a starting role fresh off the boat with a limited role for much of his time as a starter (particularly when Roy and LMA were the focus of the team), and now there is no question he will be expected to perform at a higher level in a more prominent role. Let's also remember that many of us (myself included) never thought LMA would become the player he has become and I thought LMA had reached his ceiling as a "much better than average but slightly below all star level" and he has exceeded that for sure (though it's still in question whether he can lead a team to the promised land).

Part of this is me trying to talk myself into getting excited about the Blazers future, but maybe some of it will stick...

So Batum is complaining of a bad back for the game against the USA last Sunday, due to him standing too long at the opening ceremony. I just hope this isn't going to be an issue with him this season.

If you can't stand during a ceremony what's going to happen when he plays back to back games....

One game.
Today's was better.

With the Wolves, Ademan would've used him according to his skills/abilities. Across the stat board, Batum had a pretty good chance to earn a contract similar to what Tayshaun Prince had in his prime. With the Blazers, I expect a 23-year-old Batum to demand more of himself and to take on more of the load. I expect the team to do the same.

Unless Minnesota was offering great value in a trade, I think it was a good decision to keep Batum. He's still young and has time to improve. I like the Tayshaun Prince comparison.

Although, do you guys think we'll sign any big names next year? If so, who?

And what are your thoughts on Will Barton? I hope he gets a lot of playing time this year.

1. Will Barton may not be part of the rotation of 8 or 9 players this year, but he'll get some time. Most importantly, he'll get used to the number of games, good coaching at the NBA level, travel on the road, learn the playbook and work on skills/abilities ... and get stronger/thicker. He has the opportunity to use this year well. He looks like a player. Matthews, Williams and Barton will be an interesting competition. Can Williams or Barton become a backup PG/SG?

2. A significant trade could be made this year after December 15 ... the contracts of Matthews and Hickson together top $10 mil. Next summer, depending on trades and 1 year contracts? Anything from a value player up to a max contract could be cleared if one year contracts, rookie options, and Matthews' contract are cleared through trade, waive, etc. That's a ballpark estimate. [This is assuming the following players are kept: Leonard, Aldridge, Freeland, Batum, Claver, EWilliams, Barton, Lillard, and Price. Keep Matthews and around $10 million could be available. D69 has crunched numbers and will do so again.]

3. Specific players to go after next summer? UFA's are, to say the least, preferred. Excluding the Big Fish like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul ... more reasonable include but are not limited to ...
UFA targets: Bigs -- Josh Smith, Paul Millsap / Guards -- Tony Allen, JJ Redick
RFA targets: It's dicier, but OKC has to deal with extensions on both Harden and Ibaka ... I'd go after Ibaka.

^ Thanks for the response. I get the feeling that there might be a big trade looming. There are plenty of assets to get a good deal.

Regarding next year's free agents, I'd love Serge Ibaka. The league is becoming very fast-paced, and Ibaka could play center. And I'm a huge fan of Tony Allen (best perimeter defender in the league IMO). But I guess everything depends on how well everybody plays this year.

Batum will prove his worth hes still young and has room to grow if lilliards the real deal like i believe he is than batum will thrive

Blaze, you will get little (or actually no) argument from me on Batum's worth or upside. I am admittedly biased in his favor especially comparing salary, worth, etc. to other SFs (multiposition players) and he may be best as a SG. Others may point to evaluations suggesting Batum's advanced numbers on D are significantly less impressive than the mere impression of his ability to cover multiple positions and types of players. Or his disappearing at times. Or need for consistent play night in night out. Or improvement need on rebounding. Or ...

I see Tayshaun Prince 3.0
If he escapes being parked in the MacMillan corner, I see an extremely dynamic player for the core of four -- Aldridge, Matthews, Batum and Lillard. Aldridge may be the only sure thing now, but Batman is a stud.