The Nobody-was-Hurt Locker

One of the side stories pertaining to Joel Przybilla’s return to the Blazers last week was Nicolas Batum giving up his corner locker to accommodate the big man. That space was Przybilla’s before he was traded to Charlotte, and he asked acting Blazers general manager Chad Buchanan that he get it back upon coming back to Portland.

Below is a conversation with Batum from last week regarding the situation.

Did you fight (Joel) for it?

“No. Last year, I was like ‘if Joel comes back, I’m going to give him his locker back. That’s his locker! I only came over because Patty (Mills) and Rudy (Fernandez) were there.”

You wanted to be part of international row.
“That’s why. I didn’t want to take Joel’s spot. That’s his spot.”

Did he talk to you about it when he came back?

“No. I said, ‘if Joel comes back any time in the next ten years, I would give his locker back. That’s his locker. When Joel signed here, I said to my girlfriend ‘I just lost my locker.'”

Note: Last year, when Nic moved into the corner locker alongside Mills and Fernandez, he told reporters “you need a passport to come over here.”