He's Still Not A Hawk

[djcorley]

According to Hoopshype we still haven't signed Batista and he's still in negotiations with another team over seas.

I know some of you need your Batista fix everyday, so I thought I would provide it for today.

Does anyone truly believe he'll make us a better team?

Even a marginally better team?

I sure as heck don't!

[Nicholasp27]

nobody is saying he's our saviour

we just like the idea of getting guys who have some chance at contributing in the future (unlike lue/collier/delk who will not be contributing to our championship team)...if this guy can be had for 500k/year and can get 10rpg in 20mpg while providing good defense, then he'll be very helpful in the playoffs...we do need role players and cleanup players and defensive middle pieces...not just star swingmen

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

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According to Hoopshype we still haven't signed Batista and he's still in negotiations with another team over seas.

I know some of you need your Batista fix everyday, so I thought I would provide it for today.

Does anyone truly believe he'll make us a better team?

Even a marginally better team?

I sure as heck don't!

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God D@mn... What's wrong with us wanting somebody with

even the slighest bit of potential? Sheesh.

[WraithSentinel]

http://probasketballnews.com/pbnotebook_0826.html

[djcorley]

Come on Guys...Don't you think others would be after him if he was that good. I've seen some people write that he's a mid-1st round talent???? That's crazy.

Every team in the league would be after this guy if he was even close to being that good.

We have enough young unproven people. We need some vet leadership from some guys that can still play and help show our young people how to practice; how to play; how to win; how to be good citizens and leaders.

That's what we need. Not another unknow that we "hope" may turn into a good player someday!

We already have enough of those pieces. Time for some know commodities that we can count on.

[Nicholasp27]

a) we said around 20 in a WEAK draft, not in a normal draft

b) some teams will trade their firsts for nothing...some teams will give away their firsts for cash...so not every team is going for a #20 pick

c) some teams haven't scouted him as much as others and thus don't know enough about him to say he's a #20 in a weak draft

d) some teams are over the cap and have used all of their exceptions so can't take on more salary

e) some teams have too many bigs (detroit) to take on another project

[Guest Walter]

I'll extend the same challenge to you, truhawkfan.

Name one player post-HS averaging 15.6 RPG (or more) during a tournament or season. Any European league, FIBA non-junior league, NBDL, CBA, Olympic or world championship qualifying. Anything. Just one. One single solitary player. Unlimited time frame. Go back 20 years, 30, 40...This is not to mention Batiste's other statistics.

Yes, Batiste would make a difference for this team and more importantly appears to have potential at age 22 with only 5 years of basketball experience. Remember, this guy is from Uraguay. NOBODY scouts Uraguay! NOBODY EVER HAS SCOUTED URAGUAY! It is doubtful hardly any, if any scouts went to Uraguay's games unless they were playing Brazil or the US, assuming they went to the tournament at all.

http://www.fibaamerica.com/noticiasread_us.asp?r=JZBOOWBVDF

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SANTO DOMINGO (FIBA Americas Championship) -

The All Tournament Team was selected, the five elite players in the Championship were: Leandrinho Barbosa (BRA), Marcelinho Machado (BRA), Francisco García (DOM), Hector Romero (VEN) and Esteban Batista (URA).

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Barbosa is a 1st rounder, Garcia a 1st rd pick, Hector Romero JUST signed with Cleveland (and is 1st rd worthy although they were the only team rumored to go after him), Machado SHOULD have been in the NBA (and is first round worthy). Why is Batiste any different than his all-tourney counterparts? He's bigger, younger with more upside. Why is he any different? He even statistically dominated Tiago of Brazil who everyone would have expected to make the all-tourney team being that he is a projected lotto pick and Brazilian.

Batiste is a 1st rd talent with a 1st rd resume! Part of that resume is his potential at age 22 with only 5 years b-ball experience. The more unbelievable part is that Batiste was 1st team all-tournament despite not being from Brazil, being on the 8th worst team, and no American being on the team. You have to be d@mn good to get on the America's all-tournament team when you are from Uraguay, your team SUCKED, and the hemisphere's power didn't have one representative. Politics be d@mned, BAT-man can play!

...

I hope we have or do sign him. We NEED some talented bigs with potential and having traded away picks we could use something to cover ourselves in the case those picks are higher than we have hoped.

W

[Plainview1981]

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Come on Guys...Don't you think others would be after him if he was that good. I've seen some people write that he's a mid-1st round talent???? That's crazy.

Every team in the league would be after this guy if he was even close to being that good.

We have enough young unproven people. We need some vet leadership from some guys that can still play and help show our young people how to practice; how to play; how to win; how to be good citizens and leaders.

That's what we need. Not another unknow that we "hope" may turn into a good player someday!

We already have enough of those pieces. Time for some know commodities that we can count on.

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Don't the Spurs have some players they signed that wasn't

a big name and they worked out? It's kind of like the draft... Sometimes players get the job done even though

most people didn't think they were good enough.

[Guest Walter]

I'm shocked we even saw a game. It must have been because we were looking at another team.

W

[djcorley]

All I'm saying is...if the guy was that good of a player then more teams would be after his....and to say that nobody does or ever has scouted Uraguay is crazy!

So basically you're saying that us and the Warriors are the first two teams to scout over there???

Excuse me if I have doubts that a young inexperienced player from Uraguay can come in and help us much. I just don't believe. I think he's a developmental guy and I personally don't think we need anymore developmental guys. We have enough.

We NEED some established bigs that have show the can produce at the NBA level. Not another guy we "hope" can become something semi-special.

That's all I'm saying guys!

[thesource966]

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All I'm saying is...if the guy was that good of a player then more teams would be after his....and to say that nobody does or ever has scouted Uraguay is crazy!

So basically you're saying that us and the Warriors are the first two teams to scout over there???

Excuse me if I have doubts that a young inexperienced player from Uraguay can come in and help us much. I just don't believe. I think he's a developmental guy and I personally don't think we need anymore developmental guys. We have enough.

We NEED some established bigs that have show the can produce at the NBA level. Not another guy we "hope" can become something semi-special.

That's all I'm saying guys!

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I second that

[Guest Walter]

& yes, I think NOBODY went down to the tournament to scout a Uraguayan player. Scouts may have gone down to see the U.S. or Brazil, maybe Venezuela and Argentina, but not Uraguay. Fortune had it that the US played Uraguay. Perhaps that's when a scout or two first saw Batsite, but realize Uraguay never made it to the medal round when most scouts would have been there to see a game with say both Brazil and the US.

Most scouts wouldn't have shown up until the medal round and wouldn't have taken in a Uraguayan game if they could help it. I think we just happpened in on this guy (although his name may have been familiar, he wasn't a draw himself I imagine) and were impressed and most other teams either were not yet at the tourney at all (if they were going to go there) and were certainly not interested in a game involving Uraguay.

W

[Nicholasp27]

how many teams were after ginobili, udrih, nocioni?

and sure, we'd all love an established big man...u got one laying around?

since we can't get a future franchise center (unless zaza really improves), we would rather have someone who has some potential to be good at one or two things, like rebounding/defense than some big stiff who will never be on a contender and won't help us in 5 years like collier

[Catapult]

Actually it is Uruguay not Uraguay

[Inside_Man]

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Uruguay - Batista signed with Bigua as he waits for a better contract - Sep. 8, 2005 - by Hector Lopez

Esteban Batista (208-F/C-83), who received an offer to join the Atlanta Hawks and Spanish teams, signed with Bigua last night, to play the Uruguayan League as he waits for a contract to play somewhere else, his agent Oscar Moglia said. Batista was the best rebounder of the last Tournament of the Americas, with 15.6 rpp and scored 18 ppp

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link

[Traceman]

I was hoping we would land this kid too but it is a little naive to think that the other teams around the league don't know about him. EVERY team scouts the Tournament of The Americas where had such an impressive showing.

In addition, apparently, there was more of a market for John Edwards than there is for this guy and I'm sure that there is a reason for that. Heck, Calvin Booth signed in WAS and Jahidi White and Hendu is about to sign for the minimum so if he is not as desirable as those guys, just exactly what are we so afraid we are missing out on?

[Guest Walter]

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EVERY team scouts the Tournament of The Americas where had such an impressive showing.

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I seriously doubt every teamm does scout the tournament of the Americas, but of the likely many who do, I doubt seriously many went prior to the medal games (which Uraguay was not a part of) or with any intention to see Uraguay play AT ALL.

I mean has anyone EVER heard of a player from Uraguay? Why scout them if they've never had anyone worth scouting? Brazil, the US, Argentina, those are different teams and precisely ones that made the medal round when scouts could scout two worthy teams and not one or none.

W

[Traceman]

[Traceman]

I think the international scouts from every team scout ALL players that play in international competitions from EVERY country, including Uruguay. If a guy slips though the cracks and does not get scouted, I think it is guys who don't get any PT on those teams. I find it hard to believe that the vast majority of teams don't know who Batista is and what he did in the FIBA tournament.

[Guest Walter]

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I find it hard to believe that the vast majority of teams don't know who Batista is and what he did in the FIBA tournament.

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...It's another to think so highly of him that you intentionally go out of your way to scout him in early, non-medal rounds when other teams who make the medal rounds and will play each other have 3 and 4 prospects each, considered better than Batiste at the time.

And of course teams know what he did in the FIBA tournament now. That doesn't mean they watched him play or scouted Uruguay. Just means they caught onto him now.

W