NBA/FRA - Batum looks to apply French lessons in Portland

PORTLAND (NBA/LNB/Euroleague) - Nicolas Batum arrived in Portland ahead of today's opening of training camp with a bit of a predicament.

While he made it back to "The City of Roses" without any problems, the same could not be said of his luggage.

"I arrived last night and they lost my bags so I don't have any clothes or shoes to practice," he said laughing.

That might have been the kind of thing to frustrate the Batum of old, but not the new and improved one who is reporting for duty with the Trailblazers after one of the most enriching off-seasons of his young career.

Through his time with France's national team and with French side Sluc Nancy, Batum learned a number of valuable lessons and now is eager to put them into application with the Blazers.

"I tried to learn how to become a leader," the 23-year-old said of one of his major off-season objectives.

"Mentally I improved a lot. I grew up. I tried to play a lot more with the ball in my hands and I improved my ball handling a lot.

"I want to have the ball in my hands at the end of the game. I hope that I will show that with Portland this season."

Batum also is confident he is now capable of bridging a big gap that previously hindered him.

"I'm stronger now. Sometimes when I missed a couple of shots and made a mistake, I used to put my head down. But now I try to forget it and do something well," he explained.

"I'm very excited because it's been a long time. Seven months. It's good to be back. I can't wait to get started again."

For all that may lay ahead of him now with the start of 2011-2012 NBA season just two weeks away, Batum has plenty of good memories and experiences from his extended time away from Portland that he can look back on when times get tough.

He played a pivotal role in helping the French national team end a 12-year absence at the Olympic Games.

That bad run was brought to an end when Les Bleus reached the Final of EuroBasket in Lithuania, thereby automatically clinching a place in London in 2012.

Following that success, Batum signed on to play for Nancy during the lockout and spend a memorable two months there, showcasing his ever-improving versatility in both the French top flight and Euroleague.

While he is glad to return to the NBA, he has only fond memories of his stint in France.

"It was important for me to play in front of my family, my friends," said Batum.

"Nancy is a great city with some excellent restaurants. I had a great time there."

More than the quality of life, Batum enjoyed playing for Nancy head coach Jean Luc Monschau and it showed.

He was twice named MVP of the week in the Euroleague, posting averages of 15.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists in six contests in Europe's leading club competition.

More mature and more versatile, Batum now hopes to cement his place with the Blazers and a contract extension is one way to go about that.

"I'll discuss with the Blazers about an extension for Nicolas," said his agent Bouna Ndiaye.

FIBA