You be the GM: Our panel weighs in on Nicolas Batum

Continuing with our companion piece to the You be the GM voting, today our expert panel weighs in on Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum:

GM Panel: Ask the Experts

Henry Abbott: Nicolas Batum is great, and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. But is he the golden child? He has been treated as such ... he's the player the Blazers refused to put into trades. He's every GM's "guy they have their eye on." He's the one the team traded up for so the other smart teams, namely the Spurs, couldn't nab him. He's a long defender with some offensive spice and just the right amount of mean streak. (Remember when he helpfully reminded Pau Gasol how many times he had dunked on him?) With his length and ability, he has the potential to be a starter on an NBA championship team. But that would mean playoff series shutting down an elite scorer. That would mean great production on offense from few touches -- which is tough when you're making only 35 percent of your 3s. That would mean being the most intense player on the floor. And for my taste, he is too often the opposite. I love his potential, but can't wait to get past that phase, and into the part of his career with his about high PER and killer defensive highlights. He's valuable as hell, but still nowhere near what he could be.

Ben Golliver: Nicolas Batum should be voted Most Valuable Trooper for playing it cool as he went from starting small forward, to reserve small forward, to starting small forward, to reserve small forward over the course of the season. One of the clear building blocks for the future, even though his immediate upside was compromised by the Gerald Wallace acquisition.

Wendell Maxey: Is this even a question to bring back Nico Batum? Okay, so his play in the postseason was a bit touch and go at times and there's been some concerns around his overall offensive game and tendancy to shy away from big shot moments (aside from that money tip against San Antonio). But ask any GM around this league about the guy and watch their eyes light up. Nic's basketball IQ is insane and it shows on both ends of the floor, despite him being more known for his swarming defense. Two things for this offseason: bulk up a bit and get more aggressive putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the hoop. Other than that, Batum is forever back in white, red and black.

Kevin Pelton: For the first time in his career, Batum took a step backwards in his development this season. Unable to keep up his lights-out shooting from the second half of 2009-10, Batum was somewhat less effective and saw his role muddled by the arrival of Gerald Wallace in Portland. Still, Batum logged 2,500 league-average minutes at age 22, and that's a meaningful accomplishment. He remains a fixture and a player who could start for the Blazers for a decade.

Mike Acker: Nic is a no-brainer. Keep him. This season Nicolas started to come into his own as an offensive player, which only ups his value. If he is going to be a steady feature off the bench next season he needs to develop a larger repertoire of perimeter moves and get a little more sure with his three-ball. That being said, Nicolas is a key to the franchise going forward, whether as a starter or as the sixth-man. Maybe the only scenario in which I would trade Nicolas Batum would be straight up for Dwight Howard.

Sean Meagher: Following the end of the season Nate McMillan mentioned roster imbalance, saying, among other things, the Blazers have two starters at the small forward position in Gerald Wallace and Nic Batum. While Batum has started more games than not, he appears to be the perfect first man off the bench for Portland as long as Wallace is here. Dallas has Jason Terry, a guy who could easily start, as its sixth man. And the same is true for Lamar Odom, the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, in Los Angeles. I don't see why with a little increased consistency and intensity Batum, who is just 22, couldn't fill the same role for the Blazers. As they say, it doesn't matter how you start but how you finish.

What do you think? Cast your vote and post your comments about Nicolas Batum.

The panelists:

-- Previous panel: Armon Johnson