He's getting 47% (yes)- 53% (no) voting on oregonlive from the fans. I voted him "no" for next season. http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2010/05/you_be_the_gm_rudy_fernandez.html
A couple of years ago Kirilenko lost his mojo and struggled badly deep into the year and the playoffs. There was a lot of talk to get rid of him. Eventually he pulled his head out of his ass and started playing again. There was lots of talk about him not being happy, talking about going back to Russia, blah blah blah. Sometimes these things can pass. But the player is the one that has to do it.
and then trade them away and see them excel on another team.... But it is the player that is the problem...right Nate? I don't think he was sandbagging, but I do think he was not going to try and force the issue offensively, which he should have. Look, all Nate uses Rudy for is to stand out on the three point line and wait for a pass...Way to go Nate, turning multi-faceted players into one trick ponies seems to be his forte.... Now get on the block Channing!
Rudy is not a multi-faceted player though. He can't dribble with his left hand, he has trouble creating separation without a screen and he's a terrible mid-range shooter. IMO, Rudy has been riding post Olympics hype for the past two years and without a player (Sergio) who looks for him constantly he's a pretty one-dimensional NBA guard.
Wow, the fans are speaking out. 61% (2032 votes) want rudy gone for next season. He only has 39% (1320 votes) in his favor.
Let me guess, 39% of the voter demographic was chicks who bring the Marry Me Rudy signs to the games?
Heh. Now thats a good one! Things are still not looking good. 41% (2,600 votes) say that he should stay. 59% (3,720) do not. I sure hope rudy see's this as the fans are displeased by his performance this year. Perhaps he will look at this and has an intense work ethic to bring the fans back for him. Or he is going to jump ship this offseason and go back to Europe.
You know that is bullshit.... Yes, he has weaknesses in his game, for sure, but I don't think we know exactly what Rudy really can\cannot do...and how could we? I mean, Nate pretty much pigeon holes his players into specific roles..... Good outside shooter, good passer, good at the rim, very good in the open court... Bad midrange? I don't know, I mean how many screens have we seen him curl off of for a mid range shot? How about none? 1v1 skills, not his forte that is certainly correct, suspect defender, I'll give you that... This is shaping up, once again, to be one of those players that POR sends out on the cheap, who turns out to be a much better player on another team....
Bullshit? No, I don't "know" that. In fact all of the things you say he is, aren't really backed up by the numbers this past year. His 2 pt % was an abysmal 39 percent and his 3 point shooting percentage of 36% was nothing to right home about for a guy who's main NBA skill apparently is his ability to hit the long ball. You also claim he's a good passer, well I do agree that he can occasionally make a brilliant pass, but an assist rate of 13% (nearly identical his first season) doesn't really seem back up this claim. Look I'm not saying that he's the worst player to every suit up for this team, but I think it's fairly apparent that he's not the guy with star potential some people assumed he possessed coming out of Spain, he's a role player who isn't particularly happy on this team and isn't as indispensable as people would like to think. And can we please get over the whole Jermaine O'Neal "this guy is going to be a star if we trade him" thing? Portland has parted ways with lots of young players, how many of them went on to become much better players on another team? Maybe a couple, but far fewer than you imply.
I don't know what you were watching man. One of the "plays" they run when Rudy is in is the old Reggie Miller run Rudy through the key and through a double screen for a mid range jumper. The problem being, Rudy can't take the physical contact going through the key and never makes it through clean. Maybe if he actually hit the weight room for the first time since being a Blazer, that might change. But what kind of pro athlete would do that? I mean, put out effort and lift weights to improve your body to an NBA level? Complete insanity.
I didn't say he was a star...I said he is a better player than he has shown here in POR, and that a lot of the reason for that was the asinine way our coaching staff utilizes him, and several other of the players on this team... He didn't have a good shooting year, but he had a back injury derail him and was yanked in\out of the lineup at odd times and frankly I think the way he was utilized and the way Nate ham-handled game minutes screwed with his head. Look the proof will be shown one way or another when he is dealt....I show as partial proof Channing Frye, who in Phoenix looks nowhere near the bench scrub he was in POR....Rudy will likely be the same... You tell me I don't know what I am watching and then don't even accurately describe that play? Way to go Hasoos..... Yeah they run him through screens, but not so he can take a mid range jumper off of a curl...no no no...so he can take a three from the corner....Yeah, that is efficient offense for you.... and furthermore, it isn't the physical contact on Rudy that is the problem...it is the PISS POOR screens that are set...I mean why even bother, if you can't even do it effectively? Too many in fact do, so acting like Rudy is an anomaly in this area is disingenuous....
Actually curling around a screen to take a three is 1.5 times more efficient than a long two, so ... why on earth would they have him come off of screens to take long twos?
I don't understand the "want gone" concept. "Want to trade for a better player?" Sure, that goes without saying. Don't need a poll for that. But the idea of just throwing him off the bus because he's some huge negative is silly.
