From the Hendo to the Wall vs. Nic at Night; A Trade at a Glance

Former Cats Crazies know exactly what I’m talking about when I say, “From the Hendo to the Wall”.  That was our battle cry for Gerald Henderson when the Cats Crazies existed.  If Hendo did something good, we would belt that phrase out.  Hendo, the last of the long tenured Bobcats/Hornets was traded this summer along with Noah Vonleh for Nic Batum, a career Portland Trailblazer.

Nic is coming off of a rough season where he played with an injured wrist.  His numbers were off of what he has put up every year aside from his rookie season.  First glance at those career numbers show you that Nic is 44.6% shooter from the floor, 36.3% 3-point shooter, 83.4% foul shooter, and has averaged 11.2 points per game.   What else does he do?  Nic averages 5.1 rebounds, 3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game.

I know you’re looking at those numbers and you’re scratching your head.  You’re thinking Hendo posted numbers similar to those, right?  Let me throw out career bests for Batum:

14.3 PPG

40.9% 3pt %

51.9% FG %

85.7% FT %

5.1 Assists

7.5 Rebounds

1.1 Blocks

1.2 Steals

So you are still wondering about Hendo’s numbers, right?  For his career, Gerald Henderson is 44.3% from the floor, 30.9% 3-point shooter, 79.4% foul shooter, and has averaged 12 points.  He’s also averaging 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.4 blocks, and 0.7 steals.

Here are the career best numbers for Hendo:

15.5 PPG

34.8% 3pt %

45.9% FG %

84.8% FT %

2.6 Assists

4.1 Rebounds

0.5 Blocks

1.0 Steals

These aren’t staggering differences, but for what the Charlotte Hornets were looking for, Batum is an upgrade for us in many categories.  Batum is a better shooter & rebounder, as well as a better defender.  Batum is 6’8”, which will translate into matchup nightmares for other teams on offense.  6’8” is tall for a SG, and we should be able to capitalize on it.  He’s also a versatile defender with his ability to guard anywhere from a point guard to a power forward.  He distributes the ball well, and with the addition of players to this roster, ball distribution will be key to score more points.  Our Hornets were terrible on offense last year, so the addition of Batum should bolster the scoring options for us whether it is him doing the scoring, or if it is him finding the open man to score the ball.

There may be some lingering thoughts about him and trying to compare him to Boris Diaw, a former Charlotte Bobcat.  I know that in Nic’s initial press conference, someone asked if he would be riding a Segway like Boris did.  In MY eyes, that question was “type casting” him to be another Boris Diaw.  His answer was snarky, as he said that’s exactly what he was going to do.  I like it.  I probably read too far into it by thinking the media was trying to stereotyping Batum into a category where “Frenchmen in Charlotte ride Segways” (lazy).  Fans were glad to see Boris go, as he was viewed as very nonchalant on the court.  I don’t believe that Nic will become a Boris 2.0.

Are you wondering about Boris’ numbers?

Here are his career best numbers while with the Bobcats:

15.1 PPG

41.9% 3pt %

49.5% FG %

76.9% FT %

4.9 Assists

5.9 Rebounds

0.7 Blocks

0.9 Steals

I have to say that these numbers are very similar to Batum’s career best numbers.  Just keep in mind that Boris’ role in CLT was very different from what Batum’s will be.  Also, there is so much more talent on this Hornets team than was on the Bobcats of the past (2008-2012).

So there you have it folks.  I welcome Nic Batum with open arms and I am looking forward to the upcoming season with him on the team.  I can’t wait to see how he fits into the team.  I also wish Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh the best of luck in Portland.

As always…

Let’s Go Hornets!