It seems to be received wisdom here (a) That Sergio has played his last game as a Blazer, and (b) That this is a good thing (okay, I and MARIS disagree) I have a few questions about this. Why do people think this? Why have people fallen out of love with Sergio despite the fact that he seemed to have improved in the minutes he was given, and was obviously a better PG and better trusted as such than Bayless? But most importantly: if you think he's gone - where's he going? Do you believe that he's just a bad fit here, but that he has value around the league, or do you seriously think that he's a scrub and will just be waived? Do you see him ending up back in Spain? New York? Sacramento? Who's going to replace him? Remember how much you love those Rudy alley-oops? Well, every single one of them was thrown by Sergio. Unless we're getting Rubio, count on exactly zero backdoor alley-oop dunks from Rudy next season. And who's our third string PG - a PG who can actually create, unlike either of our other two current "PGs"?
Get ready to argue with a brick wall. The Sergio hate around here is deep rooted and strong. Apparently he and Outlaw are the anti-christs of the Blazers right now (along with Webster), and apparently they staying in Portland will cause the Blazers to lose in the first round for decades to come.
Personally, I thought Sergio made significant gains this season. His consistent games finally outnumbered his inconsistent games which was a good sign. I'm thinking it's more him not wanting to accept the role that's available, or for that matter, battling with Bayless for that role. If that's the case, it's best we part ways.
If we assume that Sergio's 2nd year was an abomination and he was really really bad because of fit or whatever - let's really examine the claim that he improved compared to his rookie campaign? As a rookie - 12.9 MPG, FG% .423, A/36 minutes - 9.1, R/36 - 3.8, TO/36 - 3.2, P/36 - 10.3, PER - 14.1 Last year - 15.3 MPG, FG% .392, A/36 - 8.4, R/36 - 3.8, TO/36 - 3.5, P/36 - 10.5, PER - 12.9 Sergio did improve his 3P% from .282 to .325 - but overall - his production most certainly did not improve. My opinion is that Sergio actually is a better player now-a-days - because no-one knew how to play him (let him shoot, close the passing lanes) when he was a rookie. Once he was scouted - his production fell miserably (his 2nd year) - and he made an adjustment in his 3rd year and as such - he is better than he was in his 2nd year - but still not as effective as he was as an unscouted rookie. The real issue with Sergio is that in his 3rd year, his effectiveness is just not good enough - his shooting is still bad, his turn-overs have gone up and are really bad (25% TOV% is atrocious) and his defense is still very bad. I do think he is a bad fit here. I think he has some value around the league - but it has to be in the right system - he is not a good half-court player, he is only good passing on the break - my opinion is that unless he improves magically in defense/shooting/ball-protection - he is good enough to be a backup in a system like NY/GSW but no-where else. If he can improve the other aspects of his game - he could be a backup just about anywhere else - but I really doubt he will ever be a starter caliber PG in this league unless the magical improvements happen and he is in the right system. At the end of the day - Sergio does not like he wants to be here and he does not fit well in a half-court system and next to Roy/Oden - so - I suspect he is moved sooner or later.
I was just going by the good old eye ball test. I didn't realize his numbers were a step back. I did feel like he ran the team better than the other years. I've got to think that his affect on the team was more of a positive than before.
Sergio is a better player in my opinion as well - but he is still not as effective as he was as a rookie. That's not a good sign - either for Sergio in general - or for his fit with this team. His 2nd year was just awful - so the less said about it - the better.
it's the internet so I can say this, BUT a friend of a friend that cuts his hair says he is leaving, if i recall the country... Good sources huh? also there was this... http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2009/05/blazers-you-be-the-gm-sergio-rodriguez_2.html http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/5/16/877144/the-season-in-review-sergio http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/05/sergio_rodriguez_wonders_if_he.html ps cherry poppin' daddies here... ;]
Welcome, westnob. As for Sergio: I still have hope that he'll improve into a decent rotation player on a good team and I think there's a chance that he'll discover his perimeter shot a la Calderon and become a plus starter. Sergio has good size and one tremendous skill: court vision. Those things, if coupled with even average shooting, will serve him well in the NBA. Right now his shooting isn't good enough and he doesn't know how to compensate for his lack of quickness defensively. Ed O.
I had high hopes for Sergio this year. I thought his shot looked really good early on in the preseason after his work with Townsend. Then it just got progressively worse, and he went back to his flat ugly jumper. But he's got that one gift that you can't teach with his court vision that makes him special. I trust that KP will do what's right, but we can't go through another season where Sergio and Jerryd are battling it out for backup mins again. It just doesn't help either player.
I think Sergio is a good PG. I enjoy watching him play. But IMO Roy does not play well when Sergio is in the game. It doesn't make any difference what the reason is for this, the bottom line is they do not compliment each other. So unless Sergio is happy playing the 12 minutes Roy is out of the game, it is inevitable that he will be gone. Cause BROY is going no where.
Stats and subpar shooting aside there's something about Sergio that just doesn't pass the eyeball test when I watch him play. He's a helluva passer and if that were all it took to be a successful NBA point guard he'd be well on his way to the all-star game, but the fact is that he's still primarily a one tool player ... and I've thought it for awhile and said it in the past that if he could even become a solid 2 tool player (passing and defense or passing and a reliable shot) he'd be worth keeping around, but I haven't seen much improvement in 3 years. And quite frankly, the daily knob shine MARIS would lay on Sergio got really fucking old -- there's no logic or rationale behind it, but I went from mildly disliking Sergio because of his game to really disliking him because of having to hear about how he's the best young point guard since John Stockton.
All Sergio can do is pass.. but it is hard for him to get in those positions to pass since he can't penetrate well. I just don't seem him being able to run a team, ever. If he gets a decent shot then he could be an alright change of pace backup but nothing more than that. And I don't want him to be here while we are waiting, I'd much rather give Bayless a shot and see how that turns out.
I never thought Sergio would be anything in the NBA but a mediocre backup PG. Without Rudy here this year, he would be nothing. The only reason any Blazer fan likes him is because he threw up some good ally-oops to Rudy. Without those... what is he?
He would OK on a different team, but he will never be the point guard Nate wants. It is better for all concerned if he moves on. It's more a matter of fit then it is of ability. Sergio simply isn't good enough for the team to change the way it plays to take advantage his abilities.
[video=youtube;9qKGWhHADlE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qKGWhHADlE[/video] [video=youtube;WfpRfJflHmo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfpRfJflHmo[/video]
Probably pretty deep into this thread to make my opinion count for much but my thinking on Serg is that much of the "he's a goner" attitude has very little to do with people loving or hating him. The OP makes a good point about the Rudy alley-oops and general chemistry w/ Rudy. I think the overwhelming feeling around the Blazers in general though, is that an improvement needs to be made at that position and Sergio has had his opportunities. Whether its strictly lack of talent, brains, or just a bad fit in Portland, Serg will never be an answer at PG here. I think if he were perfectly happy being our 3rd pg and rarely seeing the floor then of course we'd keep him, but he clearly isn't. The answer may or may not be Bayless, but it's time he get his complete shot, so I think the sentiment is that Sergio should be moved for everyone's best interest. I think another thing to think about is that Rudy will likely not be a Blazer for too many years. As much as the female fanbase will hate this, the fact is that Rudy is going to be a starting SG in this league and he'll most likely not be ok coming off the bench for his whole career. Though people want to compare his situation w/ Ginobili's, there's one glaring difference. Manu isn't backing up a player who, in only his third year, is looking like he may well become a hall of famer.
