Battie

[peter delevett <pdelevett@amcity.com>]

Persuasive arguments. For the record, everybody, here are Battie's numbers
from last year: 

23 mpg, 44.6% FG, 70.2% FT, 1.1 BPG, .8 SPG, 1.5 TO/g, 3.1 PF/g, 0.9 APG, 8.4
PPG, 5.4 RPG (2.1 ORB). These are better or equal numbers to Trav's in every
category except FT % (Travis shot 78.6 percent, which one could argue is a
negligible difference) and assists (Travis had 1.4 dishes per game, but again
that's not that big a difference, or even really a key stat for a power player).

He's listed at 6'11, 240, but he's not really that tall; when he was drafted
the NBA reported he was 6'9, which was the main reason he fell out of the top
3. He could replace Popeye but I really doubt he could log starter's minutes
in the middle. He got paid $1.95 million last year and has 2 years left on a 3
year, $6.6 million deal that expires in 2000.  

I'll bet this "deal" doesn't ever happen, though. It could be just one of
those groundless rumors. Does anybody have anything more solid?


From: Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Trav

If Jerry West is willing to trade Battie for Knight, I would do it in
a hummingbird's heartbeat.  Knight couldn't have played worse than he
did last year, whatever his numbers may say.  I could forgive him his
infant's musculature, but he has no heart either.  He gave up on plays
all the time.  He was terrified to put the ball on the floor.  He
played like an old lady.  Tony Battie may be dumb, but he's
aggressive,  can flat out shoot the ball, run like a deer, and rebound
like a center.