[video=youtube;Ln1jsvm1h9c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln1jsvm1h9c[/video] Dude. -He did consider the idea of being traded from Portland or returning to Europe because he wants to play minutes. -He did say adding Turkoglu would create a logjam (6 players for 2 positions). -Thinks he showed enough last year to warrant a more important role next year. (I agree with this). -Regardless of where he will play next season, he will participate in the Eurobasket tournament this summer. I suppose his concerns with the possible addition of Turk were legit, but still, complaining this openly to the media about minutes? Yuck. I hate that. I wonder how this situation would have played out if Hedo didn't balk on our offer. Strike one, Rudy.
If he keeps this up, all of the Rudy love around here will come crashing down. Yes, Rudy did mention several times how hard all the PT was on him. And all he did was stand around and jack up 3pt shots. Rudy did NOT play that great last season. In fact, if we see a repeat performance next year, I wouldn't mind seeing him traded. 3pt specialists are not that hard to come by. And didn't he ever consider the fact that if we did acquire Turkoglu, that be getting rid of one of our other SFs? But by all means Rudy, next season, take a bigger role in the offense. I'd like to see you make more than 2 assists per game, and hit more than 12% of your shots from inside the arch.
Rudy is a bit like Hedo in that he can really create for both himself and others. I like the idea of giving him the ball more and letting him create.
Did you see the first point: -He did consider the idea of being traded from Portland or returning to Europe because he wants to play minutes.
So what? He wants to play and he sacrificed a great deal to come to Portland in the first place. I got no problem with anything Rudy has said. He's a clutch player and deserves as many minutes as he can handle.
So, the fact that he's already thinking about being traded or going back to Europe(assuming that translation is accurate) is NOT a good sign. Is he going to "demand a trade", like so many other whinny little assholes in the NBA. He got 26 minutes as rookie and had a hard time dealing with that physically. He gets to play a lot more in the NBA than he would in Europe, so what the hell is he complaining about.
He also said that he wants to play and not sit, just like every other NBA player. Not a big deal, and we need to move on.
I don't like hearing players bitch about minutes, but I do think that he deserves more time on the court.
I think the most interesting thing from that interview is that he's expecting a larger role. If we go into next season with the same roster, I don't see him getting his 26 minutes with Webster coming back and Batum improving. Manu Ginobili was satisfied with coming off the bench and averaging 27 minutes per game throughout his career, but I don't think Rudy would be okay with that. Especially when you consider that he won't be one of our "big three."
Nice logic there. That's like if someone says, "I love my mother and I want to bang my sister"....and saying that's not a big deal, because everyone loves their mother.
I watched Rudy play with DKV Juventut and with Spain. The way we used him was not how he seems to play best. Rudy isn't Martell; while he can be a spot-up 3 point shooter, that's not his highest and best use. Rudy is a playmaker. He can handle the ball, is a good passer and can drive to the hoop or stop and pop. He moves great without the ball and is terrific about faking one way and cutting to the hoop backdoor. I hope Nate watches more of Rudy playing international ball and figures out how to better use him next season.
