Bateer Appreciation Thread

[Dingster]

The thread to follow BF's favourite player. The reward is in the journey...

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...086&call_pageid=969907729483&col=970081562040

 

[Portmanteau]

I miss Stromile. Oh well...



FEAR BATEER

 

[Dingster]

and on his first game...

Fans also got to see the newest Raptor, six-foot-11, 319-pound Mengke Bateer. The centre from China missed on three consecutive long jump shots before connecting on a 19-footer, to the delight of the crowd. Bateer finished with four points and three rebounds in nine minutes.

 

[Portmanteau]

...and what a four points and three rebounds it was. Give him 48mpg and he'd be a 20/20 monster!

 

[thehardaway]

Time to draft him in hope he gets more minutes

 

[mattyc2422]

Bateer is the man.

 

[noogie_da_sheep]

he's that good, it made me go out and learn chinese ...can you imagine him and Shawn Bradley? such quality players they are...they'd be a nightmare for opponents

 

[TGR]

BATEER !!!! Revivng memories of Uwe Blab.

 

[Dingster]

More praise heaped on Bateer by the Raptors...

Raptors coach Kevin O'Neill was not going to play newcomer Mengke Bateer in Wednesday night's opening pre-season game against the Washington Wizards. Bateer arrived in Toronto on Sunday, straight from the Asian championships in Harbin, China, and, as of yesterday, was still suffering from jet-lag and fatigue.

For some reason, O'Neill decided to play Bateer for much of the second half against the Wizards and the big Mongolian, who plays for the Chinese national team, responded with a decent effort, scoring four points and picking up three rebounds and two personal fouls in 10 minutes.

Someone made the suggestion yesterday that the 6-foot-11, 314-pound Bateer received some quality minutes because O'Neill looked over at his hulking centre and decided, then and there, that he wanted to keep the big fella happy. Bateer seems like a very nice guy -- a nice guy who would not look out of place playing a heavy in a James Bond movie.

However, the simple reason why Bateer was put into the game on Wednesday was that O'Neill wanted to see what he could do, and the coach was quite pleased.

"I think he's a good player," the coach said. "He has got size, he can shoot, he has got good hands. If he can play without fouling, he can help us."

The Raptors picked up Bateer as a free agent in July. He played two seasons in the NBA, with San Antonio and Denver, and averaged more fouls per game than points. But O'Neill expects the native of Hangjing County, in Inner Mongolia, to put up some decent numbers with the undersized Raptors this season. His appearance on the ACC floor on Wednesday was greeted with a huge cheer. With close to half a million people of Chinese descent in the Toronto area, Bateer is expected to be a fan favorite this year.

"I was very impressed with the fans in Toronto, the warm welcome they gave me," Bateer said, through his interpreter Jimmy Chang yesterday.

Bateer was a natural for the game, standing 6-feet in Grade 1, but basketball wasn't the most popular sport where he grew up. Wrestling and horseback riding were one and two.

Asked if he participated in either of those sports, Bateer said he used to ride a horse. A big horse, he added.

 

[morpheus]

Originally posted by Dingster

.....was still suffering from jet-lag and fatigue....scoring four points and picking up three rebounds and two personal fouls in 10 minutes.

Watch out! Bateer is coming.

 

[mattyc2422]

Originally posted by Dingster
scoring four points and picking up three rebounds and two personal fouls in 10 minutes.

Clutch.

 

[Dingster]

The Raptors might have sucked scoring a pathetic 56 points at .275, but our man Bateer in two inspirational minutes hit his only shot....perfection!

 

[Dingster]

...and against LA, Bateer got 5 fouls in 11 minutes lulling Shaq into 5-15 from the line. The ultimate team player!

 

[coxon]

 

[noogie_da_sheep]

great picture... ...anyone know where one can find a life-size cut out of Bateer?

 

[Squeak]

On the Raptors bench for 47 minutes per night.

 

[mattyc2422]

Mengke is the unequivocal force of Canada.

 

[coxon]

Originally posted by Dingster
...and against LA, Bateer got 5 fouls in 11 minutes lulling Shaq into 5-15 from the line. The ultimate team player!

our man mountain also floored shaq in that game ~


its a shame he got a DNP-CD against yao ming the other day...

 

[noogie_da_sheep]

greatest picture ever!...it's now the background on my desktop

 

[mattyc2422]

Feel the wrath, Mr. O'Neal.

 

[Dingster]

The latest on our superhero.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=magicraptorstrade&prov=st&type=lgns