When the Portland Trail Blazers open their regular season against the Los Angeles at the Staples Center on Tuesday night, rookie small forward Nicolas Batum will have more on his mind than either starting or coming off the bench for Portland.
He'll surely be thinking of his Dad.
Henry Batum had a dream for his son – to play in the NBA. A 6-7 forward, Henry played 10 years professionally in France until a tragic event on the court took his life in his early thirties. Henry died at the free-throw line of a massive heart attack. Nicolas was only two years old. Now 19-years-old and a day before his first professional game, Batum's journey to the NBA – along with his father's dream – has always been at the heart of Nicolas' story.
"That story of his dad passing on the court obviously stuck with me. The only positive is that Nicolas was too young to have remembered," Jason Filippi, an international scout for the Blazers who resides in Italy, told HOOPSWORLD.
"He's showing what we envisioned and hoped, maybe just quicker than we thought. He's a good all-around player even though he's not a scorer mentality wise. This kid is just unselfish.
"I'd be lying to say if we expected this."
Long before Batum was a phenomenon in Portland, Filippi first noticed Nicolas in the summer of 2005 at a joint Nike-NBA camp, "Basketball without Borders" in Treviso, Italy. Batum was a shy, reserved 16-years-old then and Filippi said he took note of the lanky 6-5 kid because he was three years younger than the other camp goers. It wasn't until Batum sprouted to 6-8 during junior league tournaments that Filippi thought "this kid could be something special." In the summer of 2006, Batum led France to win the European Junior Championship - which was "very prestigious and competitive" - and was voted MVP.
Needless to say, all eyes were on Batum.
"The summer after he stared, I said this guy has huge potential - first round potential perhaps - maybe lottery potential. Our staff was well educated on him. From then on he was a priority guy in our scouting," Filippi continued.
Yet something touched Filippi off the court. He remembered how Batum carried himself away from the game once he blossomed with the French club Le Mans Sarthe during the 2007-08 season, particularly knowing the details that surrounded his father's passing. In his customary postgame tradition, Batum flocked to his mother – whom did not remarry – and his sister. It was clear, even then, that Nicolas "felt like the man of the house."
"That's something that really stuck. I saw so many good things. There were a lot of good things we noticed about him, just not as a player but as a person."
During this past June's NBA Draft, the Blazers did everything possible to obtain Batum (selected 25th overall), including acquiring him from the Houston Rockets for the draft rights to Darrell Arthur and Joey Dorsey. And despite a lackluster summer league in Las Vegas, Batum has certainly flourished since arriving in Portland.
"After summer league I was scared that I might play in the D-League (NBDL) or go back to Europe. So I just tried to keep working the last two months and working hard every day," Batum told HOOPSWORLD.
"I want it really bad. I just try and play my game."
When Martell Webster – who was poised to start for Portland at small forward – suffered a foot injury during preseason, Batum simply stepped up. He played unselfishly. He played smart. His played incredible defense, often blocking shots like a wily veteran on the perimeter. His offense was timely. It's no wonder head coach Nate McMillan has contemplated starting the French kid. Although fellow rookie Rudy Fernandez and Travis Outlaw have made their case, so has Nicolas. During seven preseason games, Batum averaged 6.6 points, 1.29 blocks (2nd on the team), 1.4 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game.
"The better the players are out there the better he gets," General Manager Kevin Pritchard explained. "He doesn't need the ball. He can go out there and defend. He's knocking down open shots and we're going to need that this year.
"He's not afraid. We like that about him."
The lights will be bright at the Staples Center on Tuesday night where the Blazers and Lakers will be nationally televised.
Kobe Bryant will be commanding the stage; Phil Jackson will be perched on his throne with Jack Nicholson smiling courtside. Greg Oden will make his long awaited NBA debut, same with Rudy Fernandez. Then there will be the wide-eyed young Blazers rookie from France taking it all in knowing his Dad would be proud.
"I think he is watching me," Batum told Sports Illustrated months before entering the NBA.
"I try to finish what he begins. I play basketball also for him."
