Jonathan Givony
Dec 14, 2009, 12:47 pm
The former Memphis Grizzly continues to trudge along playing for Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, having recently kicked off his 7th season with the team. This is a fairly amazing accomplishment in European basketball all things considered, as most American players consider themselves lucky to finish a single season with a team, let alone seven. While Batiste continues to put up points at a terrific per-minute rate on phenomenal efficiency numbers, its tough to see him getting anywhere near the same money he does in Europe at age 32, which is why hell be clearing his spot on this list for someone a little hungrier for an NBA opportunity.
Luis Fernández
May 14, 2007, 03:13 am
Mike Batiste is one of the very few American post-players shining at the top European level, having developed into an extremely solid guy who provides low-post and mid-range scoring, off the ball activity, rebounding, defense, and a nice knowledge of the game. He delivered in this Final Four for Panathianikos, combining for 27 points and 17 rebounds in the two games. At 6-9, featuring nice athleticism and good strength, he could eventually come back to the NBA as a power forward (he played mostly small forward in his previous NBA tenure).
Kristian Hohnjec
Dec 21, 2006, 07:08 am
The Euroleague player of the month in November, Batiste has really been on a tear this season and is Panathinaikoss first offensive post option, as well as the anchor of the defense in the paint.
Batiste had a solid rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002/2003 when he averaged 6.4ppg and 3.2rpg in 75 games.
Mike is a dynamic Power Forward, built like a tank, and loves to overpower opponents in the key. He is also a very good athlete who can get off the floor and finish emphatically. Batiste is a menace in the paint thanks to his physicality, but also has some reasonably solid skills, mainly in the low post. He has soft touch around the rim, and does a good job at moving off the ball and recognizing holes in the defense. Hes been able to hit the mid-range jumper with more than decent results this season also.
On the defensive end, Batiste is above average in man to man, but doesnt thrive in help defense. His main weakness is his size, 6-foot-8, while his wingspan doesnt appears to be phenomenal either. Batiste could be a useful rotational player off the bench if he chose to leave European stardom for a return to the NBA.
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