Posts Tagged ‘Nicolas Batum’

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Stotts Pledges Full-Speed Attack

August 9, 2012  ·  9:18AM

Summer is the equivalent of Dec. 31 for lots of teams in the NBA, particularly those with new regimes. A new GM or coach comes in with the best of intentions. He might even dip a toe into the land of resolutions. Typically, those come in the form of vows for how his team is going to play.

With pace. Entertaining style of basketball. Score in transition. Force the action. Trust the players.

Then November hits, the coach can’t stomach the sight of another wild pass flying out of bounds and he stomps on the brakes. Overnight, 80 becomes the new 100 for that team in an attempt to choke off such mistakes.

It has happened countless times, so the challenge for new Portland coach Terry Stotts is to resist such cautious temptations and stick with the blueprint he laid out at his introductory news conference Wednesday, as covered by Jason Quick of The Oregonian:

These Blazers, Stotts says, will favor the three-point shot. They will play at a fast pace. They will be given the freedom to create, as long as they show trust in teammates to pass. And over-dribbling will be frowned upon.

Of course, all this will be attempted with a young and largely unproven roster outside of cornerstones LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews, so nobody on Wednesday was making any grand predictions about the playoffs or win totals.

Instead, the Midwestern son of teachers, and the longtime NBA assistant and head coach, predicted a season of instruction, and the successes will be judged not so much by wins and losses, but by the learning and the improvement.

“I think they are going to play an exciting brand of basketball,” Stotts said. “And the young players will improve. I think we will be better in April than in November. That will be the measuring stick. There’s not a player on this roster who is not going to try and make the playoffs this year … but my concern with this team, and especially the young players, is getting them better every day, and every month.”

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U.S.-Australia Game Blog!

August 8, 2012  ·  4:51PM

LONDON – In the interest of fair play and a drama-free evening here at North Greenwich Arena, we’re going to have both the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team and Australia sign a petition to stick to basketball and leave the rabbit punching to others.

After yet another sucker-punching incident at the end of the Spain-France game involving Nicolas Batum’s right hand and Juan Carlos Navarro‘s groin area, we’ve officially seen enough of the below the belt antics. Play ball folks.  Chris Paul and Facundo Campazzo kicked things off Monday night.

But there is Olympic gold (silver and bronze, too) on the line gentlemen. It’s time to cut out the flopping, the foolishness and the fisticuffs and just play ball. Kevin Durant and Patty Mills, two of the hottest scorers in the field, would appreciate it kindly.

We can do without the silly stuff. The winner of this U.S.-Australia game has a date with Argentina waiting on them.

We’re following every bounce of tonight’s final quarterfinal game (with our nearly every) play-by-play. Game tips off in 25 minutes. So get your predictions in now if you want them on the record …

– FOURTH QUARTER –

0.0: 119-86. See you Friday night. Maybe there will be a bit more suspense then … maybe not!

1:26: James Harden batting clean up tight, with seven points in the last 70 seconds. 117-84.

2:07: The U.S. is still firing, Andre Iguodala for 3. 112-84.

3:52: Okay, fun is over. Kobe finally misses one. But the damage has been done. He was scoreless at halftime and goes to the bench with 20. LeBron has a triple-double (what USA Basketball officials believe to be the first in Olympic history) and the U.S. is headed for a rematch with Argentina in the semifinals. The Boomers are going home. 107-80.

4:13: LeBron with the behind-the-back pass to Love for a dunk and the runaway. 107-80.

4:33: And again, for good measure. 105-80.

4:53: On the pull-up 3 now  just to show off. 102-90.

5:10: Kobe for 3. 99-80.

5:48: LeBron finds Kobe on the right wing for a deep 3 and a 96-78 lead.

6:16: K. Love with a little big boy basketball under the rim. Gets a rebound, fouled and goes to the line for two. But not before getting a standing ovation from the bench for his hard work. 93-78.

7:49: LeBron in one corner turns and flings a one-handed dart to D. Will in the opposite corner and he swishes a 3. 90-75 just like that. LeBron erases so many of the U.S. deficiencies on both ends of the floor it’s not even funny.

8:32: David Barlow for 3 after an Andersen layup over Durant. 87-75.

9:16: CP3 with the step back 3. 87-70.

– THIRD QUARTER –

0.0: Wasn’t a particularly sharp 10 minutes for the U.S. But when you can lean on LeBron, Durant and even that Kobe fella, it’s tough to give up too much. 84-70.

22.1: ‘Melo converts the layup but misses the free throw off of a steal and break. 84-70.

1:02: One member of the U.S. press contingent (he shall remain nameless) insists that this team is primed for an upset but admits that he’s not sure there is a team left in this competition capable of pulling it off. Australia has the heart but not the horses. Doesn’t trust Spain or Argentina. “Russia might be the only team that can do it. And they have to get there first.”

1:11: Baynes comes back with an oop of his own. 80-68.

1:23: Durant on the drive and dunk. 80-66.

1:44: We’re back to LeBron just having his way with these poor bigs assigned to try to guard him. It’s not a fair fight when the U.S. spreads the floor and he attacks like this. Too easy. (lane violation on his second free throw) 78-66.

2:19: ‘Melo scores from 3-land on a tipped LeBron pass to the corner. 77-66.

2:48: Unsportsmanlike foul on Westbrook and he didn’t even swing on anybody below the belt. 77-66.

3:07: Matt Dellavedova with a layup off of the feed from Mills. 74-64.

3;30: Mills comes right back with a driving layup. 74-62.

3:38: ‘Melo at the line, the U.S. has calmed things back down a bit now. 74-60.

4:12: LeBron rebounds the Kobe miss from 3 finishes with the baseline layup. But misses the free throw after being fouled. 72-58.

4:37: Steal and another corner 3 from Kobe, 70-58.

4:53: Kobe for 3. 67-58.

5:30: LeBron sinks the first of two free throws, 64-58. But the U.S. needs the second unit to crank things up in here. They need a spark.

5:59: Andersen scores over Durant (3 fouls) in the post. 63-58. The U.S. yawned at the start of this quarter and now they are in a fight. 63-58.

6:39: Kobe sinks two free throws for a 63-56 lead.

7:27: Bryant shuts me up with a nice dime to Chandler for the dunk. 61-53.

7:42: Kobe steps on the line after he and Chandler go after a rebound and he snags it. This isn’t one of his finer performances. He was scoreless in the first half (0-for-4 with two turnovers and struggled to stay in front of anyone). He knows he’s struggling right now. He’ll crank it up, you watch.

8:01: Durant corner 3 to calm things down. 59-53.

8:23: Ingles with another 3. An 11-0 Boomers run and now we get what we were expecting. 56-53 just like tat.

9:11: Ingles sinks the 3. 56-50. We’ve got a game folks.

9:41: Mills with the steal and layup. 56-47 after five quick points from the Boomers’ best player.

A little Kiss Cam (and Prince on the loud speakers) for the second half warm up music. The U.S. is shooting 7-for-21 from deep right now, giving them 83 made 3-pointers and counting in this competition.

– HALFTIME –

The Red Foxes (Ukrainian dace team) didn’t make the move from the Big White Marshmallow to this new venue. There are some very disappointed members of the crowd who had grown fond of our usual halftime entertainment. I’m partial to the Heat Dancers myself. Someone send me a picture …

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Posted in London 2012 / Comments (35) /

Russia And Spain Into The Semifinals

August 8, 2012  ·  2:43PM

LONDON – Russia and Spain will square off in one Olympic semifinal, both of them having survived in quarterfinal action North Greenwich Arena Wednesday.

Russia survived a late Lithuania rally and held on for an 83-74 win behind Andrei Kirilenko‘s 19 points and 13 rebounds and some clutch shooting late from captain Sergey Monya. They led five players in double digits for Russia, which finished first in pool play from Group B.

“Sergey Monya, our captain, is the face of everything we do, the face of Russia,” said Russia’s coach David Blatt. “He has played in every game for Russia in the seven years I have been with the team. He came up the biggest at the right time. He made the two biggest shots of the game and maybe of our career together.”

Spain had to survive France and some late-game licks to advance. They closed the game on a 12-2 run and won 66-59 to set up Friday’s semifinal matchup against Russia.

Nicolas Batum took a nasty swing at Juan Carlos Navarro, balling up his fist and swinging below the belt with 24 seconds to play. His frustration boiled over after his team’s inability to finish with a flourish, the loss itself and Spain’s “flopping” as France exited the competition before the medal round.

It was the second or third such incident of the competition, with Chris Paul of the U.S. and Facundo Campazzo of Argentina both taking swings (or at least Paul was accused of taking one) during their last pool play game Monday night.

“I just wanted to give him a good reason to flop,” an unapologetic Batum said after the game. He was called for an unsportmanlike foul but wasn’t ejected from the game. And as players from both sides shook hands, Batum was in the middle of the mix without incident.

He objected to Spain’s tactics afterwards, though, insisting that he Spaniards resorted to acting late with the game on the line.

“That’s not basketball,” he said, haven taken particular offense to the reaction of Rudy Fernandez after he was fouled by Ronny Turiaf in front of the scorer’s table moments earlier. “Sometimes, you have to give them a good reason to flop. And I hope I did.”

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Posted in London 2012 / Comments (59) /

Russia Beats Brazil On A Buzzer Beater, Spain Survives Great Britain’s Surge

August 2, 2012  ·  5:22PM

LONDON – The medals will be handed out when it’s all over, but Russia’s Vitaly Fridzon will leave here having secured at least one spectacular memory from this competition.

Fridzon knocked down an off-balance 3-pointer from the corner, on a brilliantly executed play with four seconds to play to cap a thrilling 75-74 comeback win over Brazil.

“Coach told me if I was open to shoot it,” said Fridzon, who had his legs taken out on the shot by Brazil’s Leandro Barbosa. “I shot it.”

Fridzon’s shot capped a furious comeback from Russia, which squandered an 11-point early only to see Brazil turn the tables on them late. Brazil point guard Marcelinho Huertas scored on a layup with 6.1 seconds to play.

Russia’s coach, American David Blatt, took a timeout after the shot from Huertas, and dialed up the perfect play.

“Good for him, really good for him,” Blatt said of Fridzon. “He made the coach look good. He had to catch and release the ball quickly. More important than the play was the execution. They executed it to perfection.”

Andrei Kirilenko led Russia with 19 points. Timofey Mozgov had 18 before fouling out late. Aleksey Shved, headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Kirilenko, finished with 17 points.

Barbosa led Brazil with 16 points. Larry Taylor added 12 and Nene finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.

SPAIN TOPS GREAT BRITAIN IN A NAIL-BITER

If that Russia-Brazil finish wasn’t wild enough, Spain and the host nation team Great Britain tried to top them in the first game of the evening session, with Spain escaping with a 79-78 win when Jose Calderon dribbled the final seven seconds off of the game clock.

Luol Deng hit an off-balance 3-pointer with seven seconds left to pull within 79-78 and somehow Jose Calderon was allowed to dribble out clock. Deng had four fouls and had facilitated the comeback and did not want to pick up his fifth (five fouls ends your game in international competition).

Deng finished with 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, another valiant effort in defeat for the best player on Great Britain’s team. Joel Freeland played a huge game as well, finishing with 25 points and making three of his seven shots from beyond the 3-point line, as well as seven rebounds in a head-to-head matchup against Spain’s superstar frontline of Pau and Marc Gasol.

Pau Gasol finished with 17 points and five assists and Marc Gasol 12 points and three rebounds, but it was Calderon who did the most damage for Spain. He knocked down the free throws down the stretch and had that heady play to finish the game. He led Spain with 19 points, four rebounds and two assists.

PARKER, BATUM LEAD FRANCE PAST LITHUANIA

Tony Parker scored 27 points, including seven of the last eight of the game, and Nicolas Batum 21 Thursday as France beat Lithuania 82-74.

Parker’s 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter sealed a 10-2 run that gave France the lead for good. Lithuania never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.

And that’s two straight impressive wins for France since their 27-point blowout loss to the U.S. in their opener. Much of that is due to Parker finally finding his rhythm after spending just 10 days in full preparation for the competition after a June nightclub incident left him unable, at the behest of team doctors, go through the normal process.

“I am feeling better and better,” Parker said.  ”I feel like I’ve found my legs again, but in the last game (against Argentina) I was already feeling better. I felt like the shots I was taking would go in. Today I felt in rhythm, I tried to be aggressive but patient without getting frustrated and wanting to do too much.”

Boris Diaw had a solid game with 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Ronny Turiaf finished with 1o rebounds.

Martynas Pocius led Lithuania with 18 points and Linas Kleiza added 17.

A three-time Olympic bronze medalist, Lithuania is 1-2 heading into Saturday’s showdown with the U.S.

GINOBILI LEADS ARGENTINA PAST PESKY TUNISIA

Manu Ginobili made sure a 40-40 halftime score was a footnote for the Argentina, scoring 24 points to help his team run away from Tunisia for a 92-69 .

He got help from his NBA friends as Carlos Delfino chipped in with 21 points and Luis Scola 20 as Tunisia simply couldn’t sustain their effort against a second straight team stocked with NBA players. The U.S. waxed them by 47 points Tuesday night.

Tunisia’s lead was 14 points after the first 10 minutes but Ginobili went to work in the second quarter, scoring all but three of Argentina’s 15-0 run that completely changed the momentum of the game. He knocked down a 3-pointer to start the second half and Argentina led the rest of the way.

Salah Mejri finished with 19 points for Tunisia. Mourad El Mabrouk had 16.

AUSTRALIA THUMPS CHINA, YI INJURES KNEE

China didn’t just lose the game to Australia, 81-61, Thursday morning. They also lost their best player to injury when Yi Jianlian took a lick above his right knee.

“He took a bang just above the knee, not on the knee,” said China coach Bob Donewald. “We’ll have to see how he is.”

Patty Mills led Australia with 20 points. David Andersen added 17 points for Australia.

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Posted in London 2012 / Comments (6) /

Durant, U.S. Rout France 98-71 In Opener

July 29, 2012  ·  1:35PM

LONDON – Those post-game hugs they got from First Lady Michelle Obama were well-earned.

Those post-game embraces from the First Lady brought more excitement from the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team than anything France did here Sunday at the Olympic basketball stadium.

The opener for both teams was supposed to provide a test for the gold medal favorites, and for all of about 10 minutes that theory seemed to be intact. But the U.S. Team cranked up after taking a 22-21 first quarter lead and toyed with France before finishing off their rout 98-71 in Group A preliminary round matchup.

Kevin Durant led the way with 22 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes of action, topping or tying for the top spot all three categories. LeBron James dictated the action without pressing to score too much, finishing with nine points and a game-high eight of the U.S. Team’s 27 assists. And Kevin Love came off the bench and bettered that efficiency with 14 points (on 5-for-8 shooting) in his 14 minutes and 18 seconds of action.

As good as they were after shaking off an 0-for-6 shooting start from beyond the 3-point line and their own sloppy play, France clearly wasn’t capable of pressuring the U.S. the way some believed they would with Tony Parker leading a team with eight other players with NBA experience wearing blue.

“They are going to be very, very tough to beat,” Parker said afterwards, stopping short of calling the U.S. unbeatable one game into the competition despite watching the U.S. lead balloon to as many as 29 points during one stretch.

Durant said the goal was simply to establish themselves and get into a flow for what they know will be a tougher grind as the days go by. The U.S. returns to action Tuesday night against Tunisia.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to discuss and dissect from this game. For one, the U.S. let their aggressive tendencies on defense get them into foul trouble. They piled up all of those assists but also cost themselves at times by trying a little too hard to make the extra pass, if there is such a thing.

“Yes it is,” Durant said. “And sometimes we do that. But that’s the beauty of this team. Guys don’t mind passing the ball, don’t mind sacrificing minutes and shots. That’s what makes this whole thing work.”

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Not Exactly A Fair Fight … But Close?

July 28, 2012  ·  2:57PM

LONDON – Anyone searching for the biggest difference between the basketball competition at the Olympics 20 years ago in Barcelona to now need only scan the rosters and check off the list of NBA players each team can claim.

When the Dream Team suited up they had twice as many active NBA players (11) than the rest of the field combined (five). Fast forward to the competition that kicks off here Sunday and there are 41 current NBA players (59 total when you count former NBA players) on the different rosters and just 12 of those players (we’re counting No. 1 overall Draft pick and Hornets rookie Anthony Davis, since he’s already signed his rookie contract) are on the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team.

In fact, when the U.S. tangles with France in their opener Sunday, it will mark one of at least several times when potentially all 10 starters on the floor are current NBA players.

“It’s a different world in that respect,” Carmelo Anthony said. “I didn’t really think about it like that.”

A different world with different factors that aren’t lost on U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski, an assistant with the gold medal winning team in 1992.

The U.S. team is facing a France team that boasts not only Spurs All-Star point guard Tony Parker, but also quality NBA players in Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum, Clippers forward Ronny Turiaf, Spurs swingman Boris Diaw and guard Nando de Colo and Wizards center Kevin Seraphin.

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Posted in London 2012 / Comments (15) /

Kirilenko Could Join Wolves’ Pack

July 25, 2012  ·  10:26AM

HANG TIME, Texas – You can never say that Timberwolves president of basketball operations David Kahn lets the grass grow under his feet. If he delivers on the rumor of sending Wesley Johnson to Phoenix as part of a three-team trade that also includes New Orleans, he’ll have dealt away five first-round picks in just two years.

More important, he could bounce back after losing out on the offer sheet to Nicolas Batum by bringing forward Andrei Kirilenko back to the NBA from Russia.

According to the relentless Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, there would be a sign-and-trade deal that sends Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick to the Hornets and also a lottery-protected first-round draft pick to the Suns.

The teams were still finalizing details, but sources said that Lopez, a restricted free agent, was returning soon from a vacation to take a physical for the Hornets. New Orleans had been working diligently for weeks on acquiring a center to play alongside No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis, and give Davis some inside support.

Kirilenko has a buyout in his CSKA of Moscow contract that allows him to return to the NBA. He ruled out the Brooklyn Nets and Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov on Tuesday because the Nets simply couldn’t pay him beyond the veteran’s minimum of $1.2 million, sources said. Kirilenko has been searching for a deal that would pay him in the vicinity of $8 million annually, and Minnesota could have the cap space to do so.

Minnesota is signing another Russian, point guard Alexey Shved, to a free-agent contract. The T’wolves signed Portland restricted free agent Nicolas Batum to a $45 million offer sheet, but the Trail Blazers matched the money to retain him.

Kirilenko, 31, is eight years older, but would fill many of the same needs the Timberwolves were chasing when they went after Batum. After playing 10 NBA seasons with the Jazz, Kirilenko spent last season with CSKA Moscow, where he was named Euroleague MVP.

It’s said that a two-year, $18 million offer with a player option for a third season could close the deal for Kirilenko. It’s a far cry from the $17 million he was paid by the Jazz in 2010-11, but would be money well spent for a Wolves roster that could use a defender on the front line.

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Posted in Free Agency 2012 / Comments (37) /

Despite high cost, Blazers likely to match Batum’s offer from Wolves

July 6, 2012  ·  7:25PM





HANG TIME WEST – The plan from the beginning was the right plan: The Trail Blazers would match any offer sheet Nicolas Batum signed and keep an important part of the lineup in place while they made significant additions through the draft and free agency.

Grow the team with Batum at 23 years old and set at small forward. Protect an asset. It made perfect sense.

But then came Thursday and news that restricted free agent Batum and the Timberwolves had agreed to a four-year, $45-million deal that can top $50 million with incentive bonuses. It came with the kicker that Batum and his agent urged Portland officials not to match.

And suddenly the end result was not so simple. Not the part about the request to let Batum go Minnesota. That is common in these situations, is usually rightly ignored by the original team, and in time becomes a forgotten part of a tangled negotiating process. Same thing with Eric Gordon and the Hornets – he has an agreement with the Suns, he said his heart is in Phoenix, and every indication is that New Orleans will match anyway.

It’s the other part. The one about Nicolas Batum averaging $11.25 million annually.

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Rick’s Tips: Waiver Wrapping

April 24, 2012  ·  10:17PM





The time for waiver watching is over, but we’re back to wrap up this season’s blog with my All-Waiver team — plus, my picks for the reality awards.

All-Waiver Team

C – Nikola Pekovic: Pek proved he’s a legit NBA center, averaging 13.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 26.9 minutes, while shooting 56 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the line.

PF – Ryan Anderson: The NBA leader in threes by a mile over second-place Jason Terry, Anderson was the Pickup of the Year.

SF – Ersan Ilyasova: Andrew Bogut’s broken ankle and eventual trade opened up 27.4 minutes per game for Ilyasova, who averaged 13.0 points and 8.8 rebounds with a shade under 1.0 in blocks, steals, and threes.

SG – Nicolas Batum: Speaking of fantasy gold, Batum was one of two players in the NBA this season to average at least 1.0 in blocks (1.0), steals (1.0), and threes (1.8). The other wears #35 for OKC.

PG – Jeremy Lin: Lin’s meteoric rise might go down as the top story of the 2011-12 regular season, and had he not gotten hurt, he might have passed Anderson for Pickup of the Year.

Fantasy Awards

MVP - LeBron James: I’m going with LeBron over Durant for two reasons: the Heat are 14-1 without Dwyane Wade (as of Sunday) and LeBron shot a career-high 53 percent from the field.

ROY – Kyrie Irving: The moment Ricky Rubio went down, this was Irving’s trophy, thanks in large part to sharp shooting from the field (.468), line (.872), and three-point line (.398).

MIP – Greg Monroe: I looked hard at Anderson, Roy Hibbert and DeMarcus Cousins, but settled on Monroe for upgrading in virtually every category, including scoring (9.4 to 15.5), rebounding (7.5 to 9.7), and free-throw shooting (62 to 74 percent), despite a meager minutes increase of 27.8 to 31.6.

DPOY – Serge Ibaka: Ibaka dominates the league at 3.7 blocks per game, while #2 is Javale McGee at 2.2. C’mon…the dude had a triple-double with blocks!

Sixth Man – James Harden: Duh…

COY – Lionel Hollins: I thought the Grizzlies were done when Zach Randolph went down in the first week, but thanks to Hollins’ leadership the Grizz have challenged for home-court advantage in the West all season.

Thanks for the eyes, basketball fans. See ya on the air and on the road during the playoffs, what a wild ride it’s gonna be…


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Rick’s Tips: Waiver Watching

February 20, 2012  ·  4:26PM





Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to All-Star week!

Think back to the five-month lockout for a second and realize that we were very, VERY close to A) Not having a season, and B) Not having All-Star weekend. Not a day goes by that I don’t appreciate the fact that we are now covering basketball instead of the business of basketball.

So enjoy All-Star weekend from Or-LIN-do and be sure to check out all the coverage on NBA TV, TNT and NBA.com.

Before we dive into the waiver wire, I have to tell y’all about a blockbuster trade I just pulled off in League Freak (12-team, 8-cat, head-to-head). I traded Danny Granger, Paul George and Serge Ibaka for Rajon Rondo and Andre Iguodala.

I have been desperately searching for a second guard all season, running through Chauncey Billups, Jameer Nelson, Brandon Knight, Paul George and Jeff Teague. All of those guys have had their moments, but none of them is the final piece to a championship puzzle. To wit, through eight weeks my squad is 33-31, good enough for fifth place. Not good enough.

My new starting lineup is: C Marc Gasol, F Josh Smith, F Andre Iguodala, G Rajon Rondo, G Stephen Curry, and sixth man Ryan Anderson.

While I like Granger, George and Ibaka, Granger’s 39 percent from the field is killing me, George is firing only 9.5 shots per game and Ibaka … and Ibaka … OK, I didn’t want to trade Ibaka, but you have to give to get in fantasy trades.

Sadly, I am not starting Rondo this week because I fear a one- or two-game suspension for tossing the ball at an official in Sunday’s loss to the Pistons. That said, Rondo is going to be fresh and frisky, and playing with a Boston-sized chip on his shoulder in the second half.

Rondo + chip = GOODIES!

I’ve always been a big fan of Iguodala and he’s having a strong all-around season, ranking 41st on the 8-cat chart with 12.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.1 threes, and 0.5 blocks. Bolstered by his first All-Star experience, and inspired by the 76ers’ push for home-court advantage in the first round, I see even bigger numbers from Iguodala in the second half.

Tell me what you think about this trade @NBATVRICK on twitter. But first, it’s time to hit the waiver wire…

Nicolas Batum

Hopefully you were watching NBA TV last Tuesday when Batum got the start over Wesley Matthews and went off for 33 points. Batum is averaging 22.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 threes in four games since getting the starting job.

Given the poor seasons from Matthews and Raymond Felton, and with Father Time creeping up on Gerald Wallace, the Blazers desperately need Batum’s offense and activity. And when you consider the fact that Batum is in a contract year … giddy up!

Nikola Pekovic

If you haven’t seen the NBA’s second-best revelation this year (behind Jeremy Lin), then you don’t know about his incredible size and strength, you don’t know he can beat most centers up and down the court, you don’t know about his soft hands and sweet feet, and you don’t know about his consistency. Allow me to break it down for you.

Pek is the Wolves’ new starting center and barring injury, there is no way Darko Milicic is getting his gig back. Last week in four games, Pek averaged 21 points on 58 percent shooting, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. In 11 starts this year, Pek is averaging 16.3 points (61 percent from the field / 72 percent from the line), 10 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 31 minutes.

Again, if you haven’t seen him, you’re probably thinking those numbers have to come back to earth. But take it from a Wolves’ fan who watches every game — Pek is already one of the best centers in the NBA and the 26-year-old from Montenegro gets better with every game.

Corey Brewer

Injuries have opened up an opportunity for Brewer, who has finally found a home in Denver. Over the last five games, Brew is playing 32.8 minutes and turning the PT into 14.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 steals, and 1.2 threes. Enjoy it while it lasts, however, because Brewer’s going back to the bench once Danilo Gallinari is healthy.

Isaiah Thomas

Can you tell the Kings are desperate? They are now starting the 60th pick in the 2011 Draft at point guard. But I’m not mad at Thomas, who rocked the No. 1 pick in the 2011 Draft (Kyrie Irving) to the tune of 23-8-11 in 43 minutes on Sunday. Word on the street is that Thomas is going to keep the gig, so pick him up and see if he can keep it up.

Gustavo Ayon

Not too many people know about Ayon, so strike while the iron is hot — and under the radar. Ayon is a 26-year-old rookie from Mexico with double-doubles in his last two games. At 6-10, 250 pounds, Ayon has legit NBA size and his hustle is leading to fantasy goodies. With Carl Landry and Emeka Okafor out with knee injuries and Chris Kaman likely to be traded before the deadline, Ayon is good to go for at least the foreseeable future.

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