Blazers' Batum on disappointing season: 'Everybody has one bad year'

In the Portland Trail Blazers' season-ending loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, swingman Nicolas Batum scored six points in 43 minutes, shooting 2-of-12 from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point range. 

It would've been tough for the Blazers to survive any first-round series in the hothouse of the Western Conference playoffs without top wing Wesley Matthews, but Batum shooting 34.3 percent over the five mostly one-sided games didn't help. 

If Batum had been the Batum of years past, the Blazers might've been equipped to survive Matthews' season-ending Achilles tear. Instead, the 26-year-old Frenchman battled myriad injuries and posted the lowest per-minute scoring average, field-goal percentage and 3-point percentage of his career, as Portland cratered after a torrid half-season. 

After it ended, Batum was blunt in his assessment of the season. 

"Bad,'' he said, according to The Oregonian's Jason Quick. "My worst year.''

He also seemed prepared to shoulder his share of the blame for the Blazers' disappointing finish, particularly as he's the team's second-highest paid player, behind only LaMarcus Aldridge. 

"I understand that,'' said Batum, who signed a four-year, $46 million deal in 2012. "There were huge expectations. I felt we could do something special this season, collectively and personally. So I understand. Since I signed this contract, the first two years I was OK. This one, like I said, was my first bad one.  But I understand why people get mad. I'm the first one to get mad at myself.

"All I know is everybody has one bad year. You have to learn from it. Why? And how can I get better?''

Batum had an answer to his own question at the ready. One of his mistakes, he said, was over-extending himself last offseason, namely with his late decision to join the French national team for the FIBA World Cup.

"Last year, I didn't manage my offseason well,'' he said. "I didn't plan to go with the national team last summer, and when I did, I had already made plans to make appearances and camps. I didn't rest.''

Changing his offseason regimen may make a difference for Batum next season, but with Matthews, Aldridge and Robin Lopez all set to hit unrestricted free agency, it's unclear what the Blazers will look like. 

"I'm one of the rare guys on contract,'' Batum said. "But I hope we get the same team back.''