nicolas batum

Casey Holdahl

Nicolas Batum took a shot to the nose from Monta Ellis in the third quarter of Friday night's loss to the Mavericks in Dallas. He didn't leave the game, though his nose did swell up noticeably, prompting some (myself included) to wonder if Batum had suffered a broken nose. After the game, Batum had an x-ray on his nose, which came back negative for a fracture. Despite that, there was a report citing Batum's agent Saturday morning stating that the 6-9 small forward had sustained a broken nose.

But today prior to practice, the team PR account tweeted that Batum had in fact NOT fractured his nose. Rather, he suffered a "nasal contusion" ...

Whether or not Batum is hindered by the contusion is not yet known, but according to the team, he will play in Sunday afternoon's game against the Rockets in Houston.

UPDATE: Batum confirmed that he did not suffer a broken nose after Saturday's practice in Houston, though he did say he heard a "crack" after  being elbowed by Ellis at the 8:03 mark in the third quarter of Friday night's loss. Batum had sustained a broken nose prior to being drafted and it's unclear if it was ever properly reset, which might be why there was some confusion as to whether his nose was broken Friday night.

"I already broke my nose before I got drafted," said Batum. "I received a big hit (from Ellis) on it, that's why it swelled up, but on the x-ray, the thing I have was on before that."

Batum was fitted for a protective mask Saturday morning in Houston, which he will try out Sunday at shootaround before deciding if he'll wear it in the game versus the Rockets at the Toyota Center. Batum said he asked for the mask to be either red or black, though with the NBA telling LeBron James to wear a clear mask rather than a black mask leads one to believe Batum's request will go unrequited.

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Nicolas Batum (nasal contusion) Expected To Play Versus Houston

Recently, Trail Blazers starting small forward Nicolas Batum told both Chris Haynes of CSNNW and Jeff Caplan of NBA.com that he felt that he was the second-best small forward and the Western Conference behind Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, and hence, he should be considered for the 2014 All-Star team (I made the same argument for Batum last year, for what it's worth).

And on a recent episode of the podcast-turned-NBA TV show, The Starters, J.E. Skeets, Tas Melas, Trey Kerby and Leigh Ellis debate whether Batum really deserves an All-Star spots, especially considering that voting for the roster is broken up by "backcourt" and "frontcourt" rather than by position.

Of course, this is a moot anyway considering Batum should probably spend the All-Star break letting his broken left middle finger heal.

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VIDEO: 'The Starters' Debate Batum's All-Star Worthiness

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers held practice today at their facility in Tualatin in preparation of Tuesday night’s game against the Kings in Sacramento (tipoff schedule for 7 PM on CSNNW and 620 AM).

Injuries, both returning from them and playing through them, was the big topic during the post-practice media availability. Some notes …

· After two months of physical therapy and two games with the Idaho Stampede, Trail Blazers rookie guard CJ McCollum will be on the active list for the first time in his NBA career Tuesday night against the Kings. There’s no guarantee that McCollum will actually play against the Kings, but he will be in uniform for the first time this season.

“I’m just trying to work my way back in now,” said McCollum. “I know I’ll be activated (against the Kings) but that’s just the first step in the process of trying to get acclimated with the team. It’s good to get out there, run with the guys. We had some five-on-five stuff, kind of test my legs out a little bit.”

McCollum averaged 18.5 points on 47 percent shooting in two games with the Stampede. His minutes were limited, but the goal of finding out how ready he was after not playing competitive basketball since breaking his foot in his final game at Lehigh in January 2013 was achieved.

“I thought I played okay,” said McCollum of his two games in Bouise. “I did some things well, didn’t shoot the ball particularly well but I’ve been shooting it well in practices, stuff like that, so not too concerned about that. I was just really focusing on different movements, testing out some different cuts and kind of seeing what I can get away with out there.”

McCollum says he feels like his foot is holding up well after he underwent a non-surgical ultrasound procedure to repair the a fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot.

“It feels pretty good,” said McCollum of his left foot. “I don’t notice it. I’m moving pretty well. None of the guys have noticed anything, any setbacks. I can dunk off of it and do all that stuff. It feels fresh. It’s been resting for a while.”

Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts said a decision has not been made as to whether McCollum will actually see the court in Tuesday’s game at Sleep Train Arena. Minutes have been hard to come by for any player outside of the Stotts’ nine-man rotation, so McCollum might have to wait for the right situation to arise before he makes his actual debut.

“I don’t know if he’s really ready to come back and play,” said Stotts. “I thought his two games in Boise were good, he’s had good practices. The decision will be made when it’s made. I think the most important thing is that we get a win in Sacramento."

If the Trail Blazers didn’t have one of the best records in the Western Conference, maybe McCollum gets a shot earlier rather than later. But with Portland playing as well as they are, it might be tough for the rookie out of Lehigh to find minutes in the rotation, but according to McCollum, that’s better than the alternative.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to play in the NBA and play on a good team,” said McCollum. “All that other stuff will take care of itself, the playing time, the health, all that stuff. When you do things the right way and you get your opportunity, you just have to take advantage of it.”

· On the other end of the spectrum, Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum practiced Monday after suffering an avulsion fracture to his left middle finger late in Saturday night’s loss to the 76ers. While the fracture is on Batum’s left, non-shooting hand, he says it’s still going to take some time getting use to playing with a piece of plastic taped to the top of his middle finger.

“The doctor say I’ve got wear (a splint) nonstop for six weeks and I’ve got to play with it ten weeks, so it’s different,” said Batum. “It’s kind of different, feels weird sometimes. This was my first time practicing with it. It’s my left hand, not my shooting hand, but I can shoot the ball pretty well but when I’ve got to catch it and dribble with it, it’s kind of different. It will be an adjustment for me but I’ll be okay.”

While Batum is listed as probable and said he will play on Tuesday, it’s hard to tell just how limited he is going to be by the injury.

“He had a good practice today,” said Stotts of Batum. “He went through contact, made some threes. He looked much more comfortable than actually I had anticipated. Obviously it’s bothering him, but as far as limitation, that’s probably up to him.”

Batum insisted that he would be able to play, though he said he’ll pull himself from the game if the pain becomes unbearable. The other issue is dribbling, as Batum said after practice on Monday that he wasn’t able to handle the ball with his left hand. Nevertheless, he fully intends on playing unrestricted minutes Tuesday night in Sacramento.

“It should be okay,” said Batum. “I can try to adjust my game. I dribble with my right hand anyway. I don’t really use my left hand right now so I’ve got to adjust that too, but we should be okay.”

And if it's not okay, Stotts says the team will be ready nonetheless.

"We'll have to make a decision, we'll talk about the best way to go, but as long as Nic feels like he can go, we'll plan on doing that," said Stotts. "Obviously if for some reason he's not able to play, we've got a lot of guys. We've got CJ and Will and Allen and Dorell, we have a lot of wing players. Obviously we're better when Nic plays, but in any event, we'll be ready."

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Practice Reports: McCollum Active, Batum Limited

On Dec. 23, Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum held a toy giveaway at Portland Parks &amp; Recreation (PP&amp;R)’s Charles Jordan Community Center in North Portland for many children that may not otherwise receive toys during the holiday season. Portland Parks &amp; Recreation partnered with Batum to provide space for the event, and PP&amp;R invited the hundreds of needy area kids to receive gifts.

Nicolas Batum: "Try to celebrate Christmas with a lot of people, try to give some gifts to some young kids in need. Just happy to do it."

Nicolas Batum: "It puts a smile on my face to see the kids, and their parents, too. Their parents are out here, too. It's Christmas time and we need to share this time."

Nicolas Batum: "When I was young, my mom raised us by herself so sometimes it wasn't easy at Christmas time. So now I've got a chance to have a pretty good life and an easy life, so if I can give back to some people in the community, I'm happy to do it."

Nicolas Batum: "I grew up like this, my mom and I and my sister. My dad passed away when I was three year's old, my mom tried to raise my mom tried to raise my sister and I by herself. That wasn't easy. For me, just too try to give back to people, especially kids, it's nice to do it. It makes you feel good."

Nicolas Batum: "The schedule is pretty cool right now. We've got like three or four days before the next game, so we have time to do these things, share time with our families, get some rest."

Nicolas Batum: "Maybe these kids are the next ones in a couple of years to be in the NBA or have good success in their life so they can do the same thing. Maybe I can inspire one or two kids to do the same thing in a couple of years."

Nicolas Batum: "When you're an NBA player, you've got a lot of free time, too. We play a lot, we get a lot of free time, too. You have to use this free time to give back to the community. And I love to do it. This is who I am. Put a smile on people's face, I need to see that some times."

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Nicolas Batum, Portland Parks & Rec Team Up For Toy Giveaway

The folks at ESPN.com have posted a ranking of the 25 best NBA players who are still under the age of 25, then they had three NBA experts, Amin Elhassan, David Thorpe and Kevin Pelton, write about their Many of the bigger names in the NBA have passed that threshold, but the list is full of the new wave of NBA superstars such Anthony Davis, Paul George, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, players who will be taking over as some of the biggest names in the league make their exits. Then again, if the 2014 NBA Draft class can live up to the hype, a lot of new names are likely to be on this list come next season.

This season, Damian Lillard is ranked at No. 8 after being ranked No. 21 last season and Nicolas Batum comes in at No. 16, which is unchanged from his rank on the Under-25 list last season.

Here's what the panel, which breaks down who the player is, what he needs to improve upon and how he projects for the next few seasons, had to say about Lillard ...

Some interesting analysis there, particularly from Thorpe. I've noticed as well this season that Lillard does seem to hold onto the ball for a beat longer than maybe he should on drives, presumably in an attempt to draw fouls. Thorpe's observation that he'd be better off attacking the rim rather than trying an acrobatic finish is as he's coming back to the floor is seems like sound advice. And yes, it's hard to think of a player with a better step-back jumper than Lillard.

Lillard is ranked directly behind Kyrie Irving at No. 7 and ahead of DeMarcus Cousins at No. 9.

Here what Elhassan, Thorpe and Pelton had to say about Batum, who will turn 25 in a few days on Dec. 14 ...

Again, some insightful comments from Thorpe. I noticed earlier in the season that Batum was throwing way too many pockets passes in the pick and roll that had little to no chance of finding the roll man, usually Robin Lopez. But he seems to have refined that a bit as the season has wore on and has found a nice comfort level working as a point forward. I'm also curious if Pelton's WARP and SCHOENE projections have any variable for coaching, as Batum's growth seems to have accelerated under the tutelage of Terry Stotts.

Batum is ranked behind Michael Carter-Williams at No. 15 and ahead of Harrison Barnes at No. 17.

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Damian Lillard, Nicolas Batum On ESPN's NBA '25 Under-25' Rankings

porbmatzat

It's probably worth noting that the five players ranked above Batum -- Josh Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, Kevin Durant and Lebron James -- four are all-stars and legitimate league MVP candidates . Batum is also one of just three small forwards on Kamla's list who play in the Western Conference (Durant and Kawhi Leonard being the other two), which brings up the question some (myself included) posed last season: Is Nicolas Batum the second-best small forward in the West? If he removes all doubt from that debate, maybe Batum punches a ticket for the 2014 All-Star Game in New Orleans.

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Kamla: Nicolas Batum Is A Top 10 Fantasy Small Forward

UPDATE: LaMarcus Aldridge underwent an MRI on his left knee Thursday in Los Angeles, which came back negative for damage. He will not play Friday night versus the Clippers.

The Trail Blazers took part in a light practice at the Lakers' facility in El Segundo on Thursday as they prepare to play the Clippers Friday night at Staples Center (7:30 PM tipoff on NBA TV and 620 AM). Nevertheless, there are two noteworthy items, both pertaining to injuries, to come from Terry Stotts' brief comments to media.

-- First and foremost, LaMarcus Aldridge missed Thursday's practice with soreness in his left knee and was being examined by doctors somewhere in the Los Angeles area.

Stotts had no other details on the injury. Aldridge's status for Friday's game against the Clippers is unknown, though considering the caution the team has exercised with regard to injuries during preseason, it's fair to assume he'll only play if feeling 100 percent.

And for what it's worth, Stotts said the starters and regular rotation players didn't go through much activity aside from some light running and weight training anyway, so Aldridge likely wouldn't have done much even if he had attended practice.

-- The only regular-season starter who did go through practice was Nicolas Batum, who participated in four-on-four contact activity for the first time since suffering a concussion on October 8. Batum said after practice that he felt no lingering affects of the concussion that has kept him on the sidelines for all the first game of Portland's preseason schedule. Batum still has to clear all of the NBA's concussion protocols by a third-party doctor, but he's optimistic he will be available for Friday's game at Staples Center. If he is, Stotts said he would likely return to the starting lineup.

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Practice Report: Aldridge Has MRI, Batum Expects To Play

Quick update from Tualatin before the team flies out to Salt Lake City for tomorrow's game against the Jazz (tipoff at 6 PM on 620 AM).

-- Nicolas Batum is close to close to being cleared for full-contact practices after suffering a concussion on Oct. 7. Batum was able to participate in some of the team's practice on Tuesday, though in very limited fashion.

"I worked out by myself for 45 minutes. Everything went okay, so I'll do some non-contact practice with them," said Batum. "I didn't do five-on-five but all the (rest) of the practice I've done with them."

Batum will travel with the team to Utah, though he will not be available for Wednesday night's game. Batum said he must first go through a full practice with the team, which he hopes to do Thursday when the team is in Los Angeles preparing for Friday's game against the Clippers. If he is able to go through Thursday's practice symptom-free, it's possible he suits up Friday night at Staples Center.

-- CJ McCollum, who broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot on Oct. 4, is "back east" with Chris Stackpole, the team's Director of Player Health and Performance, according to Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. While Stotts didn't say why McCollum was "back east" he did say there would be an update some time Tuesday afternoon. One assumes the update has to with repairing the bone in that foot, be it through surgery or other means.

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Practice update: Batum Close, McCollum Update Forthcoming

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