Says he wants to start practicing in 2 weeks and be with the team on the 4 game road trip starting 1/18. I'm anxious to see Rudy now that we are playing "small ball". The floor is spread more and shots are easier to come by (especially with Brandon and Bayless getting to the basket) This style of play is more suitable for Rudy's game. http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/12/post_8.html
Another quote: Note: Rudy Fernandez, who underwent back surgery Dec. 8, said he is targeting a return to practice in two weeks and has his sights on joining the team for a four-game trip that begins Jan. 18 in Washington. Fernandez said he has been pain-free while shooting free throws and during three 20-minute sessions on an anti-gravity treadmill. Blazers athletic trainer Jay Jensen said Fernandez experiences pain when twisting and has yet to be weaned off anti-inflammatory medicine, making Fernandez's two-week goal of returning to practice "optimistic."
Given that he he's still on anti-inflammatories constantly and can't twist his torso without pain I'd say two weeks is almost impossible -- I wouldn't be shocked if we're looking at 4 to 6 weeks.
I don't think Miller is going to be all that moveable this year, maybe somebody out there really covets him, but his deal is guaranteed for another year at nearly 7 million bucks. If a trade gets made I have a feeling Steve Blake is the most likely to be moved if for no other reason than he's an expiring 4 million dollar contract and he's a decent 3 pt shooter. Who knows though, ever since the last trade deadline, Pritchard has looked increasingly tentative and reluctant to part with anybody -- "too much depth" doesn't seem to be in his vocabulary.
Depth is great ... right up until the point where you add one or two bodies too many. Chemistry was in the toilet to start the season because of this phenomena, and while having some of these extra players step up and fill in the holes now is helpful in the short term, in the long term there's no way they are going to be able to carry everyone and see them all reach their individual potential. In many cases personal agendas will continue to threaten team stability until KP balances the roster not only positionally, but in terms of contract status (fewer rookie scale guys, more established vets) and skill-set (fewer offensively minded/finesse players, more defensive/lunch-bucket guys).
