Shane Battier: A Hologram of His Former Self

As long as I'm getting into the habit of citing highlight impressario Jose3030, check out this clip of Carmelo Anthony making soup out of Shane Battier's brittle bones. 

That about epitomized how yesterday's Melo vs. Battier battle went (Anthony scored 42 points), if not Battier's 2012 season. The former "No-Stats All-Star" is looking like a "No-Stats Guy with No Stats."

Battier is shooting .389 on the year, and not hitting his customary corner threes (.341 from deep). His vaunted defense has not been validated by on-court vs. off-court numbers, and he's failing the eye test worse than Mr. Magoo on hallucinogens.

In short, Battier is no longer good at that which defines him, which is curious because he's only 33. That isn't young, certainly, but attributes like corner threes and defense are supposedly less touched by time, according to the NBA theory of relativity. It's a drop-off worth analyzing because it seems a little premature.