Justin PhanofYahoo! Sports, a very talented NBA fantasy writer,writesthat Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum was starting to put it together prior to the All-Star break. ------------------------ You know how the Blazers front office had consistently said Batum was more or less off limits in trade discussions? This is exactly why. What he's managed to do this month and in his six games as a starter is 100 percent legitimate, and not just a byproduct of a few fluky, short-term statistical blips. It's a result of an extremely talented and gifted player finally living up to his potential and playing to his full capability. It's him finally getting past those sporadic moments of genius and stringing them all together on a consistent basis. ------------------------ That quote is part of an extended back-and-forth discussion of a number of players. There are some more thoughts on Batum if you hit the link. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter