Rudy to FC Barcelona?

Pair Rudy's contract with Joels and bring back something worth keeping around. Rudy is not what we thought he was going to be and while that sucks...it's not like we spent a lottery pick on him or traded a big name for him....we bought him. I'm sure there are teams out there that are willing to take a chance on him and give him the minutes he's been wanting...but it's not going to happen on this team...we're too talented and hes underperformed.

 

That's not particularly true. Sergio really didn't have a choice. Just like Rudy doesn't have a choice. They're locked into their rookie deals. There's no way to get out of them. It's not like European deals where since there's so many different leagues they've got buy out clauses built in, in case a team in a bigger league wants to sign you. You're locked in and that's that.

So it's this off-season where we'll see whether or not Sergio's really gonna try to make it in the NBA.

 

Thanks for clarifying that. I know the Blazers picked up some option on Sergio and thought it was last season he was with the Blazers. Does an NBA player get a say into whether a team can pick up an option for another year or is it if the team decides to pick up the option the player has to play with taht team (and therefore can't go to Europe?)

FWIW-I knew it was a far fetched theory

 

If Rudy wants to go back to Spain (or wherever) then it makes sense for the team to try and accommodate him as best they can IMO. Rudy is not an integral piece of the championship puzzle, and a malcontent in the locker room (whether he's doing his best to be a good soldier or not) can be more detrimental than whatever marginal benefit he might provide as a semi-useful backup to Roy.

I posted this article not so much because there's interest in Rudy back in Europe, but because it underscores just how lousy a fit he's probably going to be if he remains here. The Blazers should try to get whatever value they can for him in the NBA (via trade) before this eventually devolves into a situation where he makes a trade demand or instead gets to his restricted free agency year (next summer) and says "hasta la vista" ala Josh Childress. Leaveing the Blazers with nothing to show for it but three unhappy, wasted years and three million dollars blown to purchase his draft rights from Phoenix.

 

I think trading him to another NBA teams makes a lot more sense than letting him go to Spain. The thought of him playing for Spain next year is almost impossible to imagine, but I guess crazier things have happened.

 

he has? Do you have a quote or better yet a link you could share? As far as I'm aware it's just been a bunch of Canzano-esk speculation that he wants out of Portland as no quote exists or we'd have read it here 10,000 times. Certainly there are good minutes to be had for him in PDX... but no decent team is just going to give him (or anyone) 25 MPG+ if they're struggling physically and playing poorly.

STOMP

 

You follow the Blazers closely, do you think Rudy is happy? Because most of the things I observe or read really don't display someone who is happy to be in Portland.

Edit: eggers doesn't think he will be back either . . . but nothing in there about Nate.
Enjoy Rudy Fernandez while you can, Trail Blazer fans, through the rest of the season.

Because the Spanish sensation won’t be in a Portland uniform next season.

Fernandez will do his best to help the Blazers achieve success in the playoffs. Then he’ll be gone – perhaps to play professionally in Europe next season, perhaps to another NBA team via an offseason trade.

I’ve thought all season that Fernandez – a household name in his home country with the talent to be the starter on half of the teams in the NBA – wouldn’t be satisfied much longer as a backup.

Now I’m convinced. The 6-6 shooting guard is mired in a bonafide slump, lonely and looking forward to a return to his native country in the offseason.

“It’s a tough situation for me,” Fernandez confided Monday after the Blazers’ practice session. “I miss my family and my friends. Yesterday was a hard day. My (25th) birthday, and I was by myself.”

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=127054433978358000

Edit #2: more stuff

Portland fans had hoped Rudy Fernandez, who starred for Spain's national team during the 2008 Olympics, would help fill the void left by Roy earlier in the series.

Not only has Fernandez not come close to approaching Roy's 21.5 points per game, he hasn't even matched his own season averages. For the first three games, Fernandez averaged 7.3 points, compared to 8.1 during the regular season, and shot 35.3 percent, down from 37.8.

On Saturday, Fernandez played just eight minutes, making one of three shots for three points. And, in a hint that McMillan may have lost confidence in him, he did not play in the second half.

Edit #3; I have found a lot of stuff about Rudy not being happy from more than just Canzano (another below), but not much about Rudy not liking Nate, more about Rudy thinking Nate doesn't have confidence in him. I don't know if Canzano is putting all these thoughts in my head, but most of the stuff I'm reading on line by multiple writes says that Rudy isn't happy.

Fernandez has been both short and sharp with the media. When a question regarding the playoffs being his chance to show what he can do now that he is replacing Brandon Roy, Fernandez cut off the question.

"I am not Brandon Roy. I am Rudy Fernandez," he said sharply after Wednesday's practice.

What little he does say is confusing.

"I do not need 10 shots or 2 shots. Play free is what I can play, and I think my role is to open the space," he said. "For me, it's not important whether I'm a starter or not a starter. It's the ball. It's shots," Fernandez said.

Fernandez took only two shots in Game 2 -- missing both-- and when told his lack of shots was exactly the point of the questioning, he walked away.

"You took only two shots," Fernandez was told as he walked away. "Why?"

"I don't know," Fernandez said, smirking over his shoulder while throwing his hands in the air. "I don't know."

* * *

“For sure I talked to Spanish media, but sometimes the Spanish media people write what they want,’’ Fernandez said outside the Blazers locker room before the Toronto game. “But for sure, I want to play more. I am comfortable with you, I can talk to you right now, and for sure I want to play more. And for sure, sometimes I feel like the coach doesn’t trust me with my play. But I talk to coach after the All-Star break, and we talked together about the rest of the season. It was a good meeting. For both.’’

* * *

Since the operation, I have not had any problems with my back. Yes it does hurt a bit if I get hit, but overall I feel fine physically. Maybe better than ever,” he explained. “Last year we had a different team and at least I had Sergio (Rodriguez) who understood my game. I have noticed a change this year. I don’t get the ball as much and the system is different. I guess I have to adapt to it. That’s it. Whenever I get on the court, I have to make the most of it. I have good games and bad ones. I must be more regular.”

Asked if the problem lies with head coach Nate McMillan’s style, Fernandez pauses before answering.

“It’s business as usual. He is a coach who makes things very clear and has his philosophy. I don’t always get it. I try to play the way he wants, but I don’t feel the trust that he had in me the first year,” he conceded.

* * *
I would be happy to be on the team if coach (Sergio) Scariolo thinks I should be on it,” Rudy said cautiously.

Here is one that is more of a positive note:

Pritchard said guard Rudy Fernandez did not request a trade during an exit interview. Fernandez did express displeasure with his role on the team last season, though

 

I read the following as, I will give my loyalty to a team that will give me minutes.

 

I don't think Rudy is happy about how last year went in Portland, but I don't it has much to do with Portland or Nate or being in the States... I certainly didn't see any quote where he's blaming Nate. Dude struggled with injuries and probably his confidence too. His play suffered which of course this led to a lessor role. This same scenario has happened to countless other players. It's only normal for a talented young athlete to be frustrated when this happens... hopefully he's rational enough about matters to keep things in perspective. Regain his health/game and he'll regain the confidence of the coach and his 25+ MPG. If he's relatively injury free and improves over how he played as a rookie (which would be the norm), then he'll carve out an even bigger role.

I don't know if you've ever suffered a major injury or two but I can assure you it can be extremely frustrating to have your health in limbo. In my case (car accidents... blown out lower back) I had to wait out months of doing absolutely nothing before I could even start physical therapy. I wanted something/someone to blame but all I could do is be patient and believe the doctors that things would eventually come around to the point where I could begin to rebuild my body. Hopefully like me, this frustrating experience for Rudy (and Greg and Batum) will have him focused on doing everything he can to maximize his physical ability for his next opportunity. Facts being what they are, he's under contract in Portland for very little $$$ and they've little reason to just let him leave just because he's frustrated. From the club's perspective, doing so would set a bad precedent for future frustrated Blazers

STOMP

 

We clearly are not reading the quotes the same way. Rudy is homesick, frustrated with his role and does not beleive Nate has confidence in him.

many writers (not just Canzano as you first said) feel this way. I respect your opinion, but to say it is all frustration from an injury (Rudy claims he feels no pain) and that the frustration does not have to do with Portland (playing behind Roy), Nate (Rudy thinks Nate lost confidence in him) and the States (Rudy flat out said he didn't like the fact he spent his birthday alone) is not believeing what Rudy is saying. You wanted quotes I gave them to you and now you are saying don't believe Rudy?

 

I'm saying where's the beef? I feel like I've been offered up a plate of rice cakes as proof. I'm well aware of how sports stories progress from the local hack's speculations to "it's been reported" regurgitation's nationally. They have their story deadlines and provide most of the in their innuendo commentary between benign quotes... their job is to stir things up

-"Since the operation, I have not had any problems with my back. Yes it does hurt a bit if I get hit, but overall I feel fine physically."
I read this as his physical state is still on his mind. Being cautious/guarded isn't conducive to the free style of play he states to prefer. We often read of athletes having to learn to trust their knee (or whatever) following surgery... I know the same is true with the back.

-"sometimes I feel like the coach doesn’t trust me with my play. But I talk to coach after the All-Star break, and we talked together about the rest of the season. It was a good meeting. For both."
This is Rudy making it clear that he's no big fan of Nate's? The coach did lose confidence in Rudy last year, but only after ample opportunities where he struggled and the playoffs loomed did those opportunities go away. I speculated that Rudy lost confidence in himself following his injuries... thats normal. Following a serious injury like back surgery, getting one's game back isn't automatic after the constant pain stops. We'll see, but I think he'll be a lot better physically and mentally the farther removed he is from this... unfortunately back injuries are often chronic, but hopefully those are in his past.

of course he misses his family and friends... is he supposed to answer a Do you miss your friends and family question that he doesn't? I miss my sister as she lives in Montana... I'd rather have had any one of my family members around for any one of my last 10+ birthdays... oh well. Like many of the rest of us, dude made a professional decision and now has to live by it. Unlike Rudy, most of us aren't multi-millionaires who can afford to fly our family members out to stay at our mansion and most of us don't get months off from our work to go visit them. I don't read the quotes you passed along as him crying in his pillow at night because he's so desperately homesick... I read it as normal. I can recall nearly identical quotes from Travis Outlaw and Tim Duncan among others. So what?

STOMP

 

The beef is there, you are choosing not to believe it or minimize it and exagerating what I say. For instance, when did I say he was crying in his pillow at night because he is so homesick . . . why mischaracterize what I say. Also, you take his statement and say "what is he suppose to say when asked about his friends and family." But he wasn't asked if he missed his friends or family, he asked how was his birthday and brought up no friends or family.

Another time you claim this is all Canzano, when I point out that isn't true and give multiple poeple saying the same thing (including eggers that has a pretty good rep on this baord), you then blame it on the media system.

You have convinced youself that Rudy is OK . . . that's fine, but not what many others posters and journalist think. Where is your "beef" to say he is OK other than your speculation (I was injured so this is what is going on, I have sister in Minny so I know how Rudy feels). Links to all this is about how his mood and answers are a reflection of his injury?

 

SO what? Well how about your analysis being all wrong. But of course if I say anything you will ask for a link so let me jsut quote Nate:

Since coming to Portland before last season, Fernandez has had to learn a new language and culture.

“I can’t even imagine going to a different country to play basketball,” McMillan said. “Honestly, I would never have done that. I don’t think I could have dealt with being away from my family that long, or being in a foreign country by myself.”

I would say that is differnt than Travis Outlaw, Tim Duncan and you and your sister . . . or do you not seee the difference?

 

To expand upon my previous post, I don't think Rudy would say that he doesn't care where he plays, if he wanted to stay where he is.

Players usually say how they love their current team, teammates, etc. He didn't even say that Portland will be his first choice a year from now when he's free. He just said he wants to change teams now if it will give him minutes.

It's true that he hasn't said anything negative, but he also hasn't said anything positive, and players always exaggerate the positivism. It's part of team spirit, just like saying you're definitely going to win a game when the odds are against you.

 

you didn't, and I didn't imply thats what you said. If he's just missing his family, who cares/thats normal

actually we don't know what he was asked as that wasn't included in the article.

At no point did I claim this is all Canzano, sorry. There are several gossip mongers in every sports town. Go back for a reread if you need to

I'm sorry that my points all seem lost on you as clearly you aren't coming close to following along with what I'm trying to say or even where my sister lives. I'll leave out the anecdotes and give it one more shot.

I'm not convinced at all that Rudy is physically okay, I hope he eventually is. Missing your family is normal. Struggling after back surgery is normal and a full recovery is not guaranteed. I am thoroughly convinced that he's under contract on the cheap and barring a favorable swap of talent becoming available, don't see much reason for the club to move him. As a buy low sell high proponent, now wouldn't seem the optimal time to deal Rudy and I certainly don't see any real benefit in just letting him walk. Dude has pretty much zero leverage at this point so barring the unexpected personnel upgrade, I'm hoping he gets himself right and plays his butt off next year for the PTB.

STOMP

 

Different from Travis, but not from Tim Duncan who did come to another country. But common to all other international players. Some adjust, some are never really able to. We'll have to see, and hope, that Rudy does.

 

you're taking your speculations far too seriously

I don't have to imagine it as I studied in Italy for most of a year (1993) when I was 24. I arrived by myself speaking only the most rudimentary Italian. I barely spoke to my family the entire year and was on a very tight budget. While it was lonely at times, that was hardly a deal breaker as it was an amazing opportunity to grow up and immerse myself in another culture. Hell, the birthday I had there passed without a single person even knowing... poor poor me

my school did feature a 6 to 1 girl to guy ratio which proved to be of some comfort The way I've heard Portland gals speak of Rudy, I don't find much reason to pity him as he lives out his stated childhood dream of playing in the NBA while making millions of dollars.

STOMP

 

just to share a little more about my year abroad, here's a link to the school I attended for two semesters and here's another to the amazing hotel in Greece I worked at the following summer

and a further birthday note... my Pops sent me 3 Schonely called Blazer game tapes he recorded that I listened to repeatedly. Maybe my favorite present ever

STOMP

 

So I guess your point is that Europe is awesome and Rudy should want to go back home? Makes sense.