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While he enjoys living in Portland and playing in front of the Blazers' passionate fans, Batum's agent claimed that his client grew disenchanted with the way he was used by former coach Nate McMillan. Batum was looking for more freedom to go to the rim on offense, and more of an opportunity to display his athleticism, which is why he was hoping to come to Minnesota and play in Adelman's more wide-open offense.
Batum, who is entering his fifth season and averaged 13.9 points and 4.6 rebounds last year, and the Blazers also hit a road block in January, when Portland declined to extend a long-term contract. The Blazers told Batum all along that they wanted to bring him back, but also wanted the cap flexibility to make other moves.
After missing out on center Roy Hibbert when their max offer was matched by Indiana, the Blazers appear to be moving forward with Batum, big man LaMarcus Aldridge, shooting guard Wes Matthews and rookie point guard Damian Lillard as they try to retool in the powerful Western Conference.
Olshey said he has been in constant contact with Batum, talking almost every day through the process and wasn't concerned about Batum's stated desire to play in Minnesota.
"He's always expressed a desire to come back to Portland," Olshey said. "His agent did what he needed to do, which is get him the best possible deal for his client. He feels like he did that. Nicolas got his deal, we got our player back and we'll move on."
In some ways, losing out on Batum will still help the Wolves. They have more than $14 million in cap room now, and are expected to announce agreements with former Blazers guard Brandon Roy and Russian guard Alexey Shved in the coming days.
Minnesota also is interested in Celtics restricted free agent Greg Stiemsma, Lakers power forward Jordan Hill and is expected to pursue Rockets free agent Courtney Lee and Bulls veteran Ronnie Brewer as contingency plans for Batum.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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