"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." http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2010/04/blazers-suns_i_am_not_brandon.html Nate is going to start the "Spanard" in game 3 though.
He's obviously frustrated but it's becoming more and more obvious he won't be with the Blazers next yr, might not even be worth trading to another NBA team, back to Europe with his buddy Sergio seems more and more likely IMO.
Poor Rudy. It's tough when you realize you're not as good as you thought you were. He has nobody to blame for his 2 shots. He's scared to shoot right now b/c he can't hit the broad side of a barn. The shots are obviously there if he wants them.
Rudy doesn't fit with Nate. It's really that simple. He is the anti-Brandon when it comes to style of play.
I'm not making excuses... but it seems to me like Rudy still struggles with the language. I dont think he can get his points across like he wants to. Combine that with the fact that he's struggling... it doesnt make for a good interview. Batum on the other hand has made huge improvements with his grasp of the language and culture. It shows in his interviews.
Rudy would probably fit well on a team like Phoenix. With a PG like Nash breaking down defenses and finding him on the perimeter, or going back-door for the lob. That said, when those are the only ways you can score, you are going to have a limited role on ANY team. He wouldn't be a 20 ppg All Star in Phoenix or anywhere else - he just isn't that good.
But Phoenix drafted him, remember? And sold his rights to Portland. No doubt Rudy is frustarted, I hope he can find himself and his game. We know what he can do and we are not seeing it. I don't blame him for being short with the a-holes who pass for sports media in Portland.
I still hold out some hope that he can hit some 3's, throw some alleyoops, or at least run around and make Nash work. He'd just rather pout, though, right now when his team needs him most. He's not going to get a bigger stage than this-starting in the NBA playoffs. Hopefully he can swallow his pride and give us some quality minutes.
Rudy isn't even making 1.5 million this year, maybe our (including me) expectations are too high? He's clearly as disappointed as anyone about his play so I think it's just frustration. For some reason I have a feeling he'll have a good game tonight. If he hits a few early, the crowd will get behind him. Here's hoping.
What does his current pay have to do with anything? He's on a rookie contract, if he plays well over time he'll get a huge payday on his next contract. Durant is on a rookie scale contract as is Collison, should they be playing worse because they aren't being paid as stars? Trying to figure out your logic.
Seconded. I don't think it's entirely Rudy's fault that he's struggling. It's not as if he's being treated like Brandon Roy (given the green light) because it's clear that Miller should have the ball as much as possible. And (as he says) he's not Roy, so that approach would be stupid. What you need to do with Rudy is treat him like Rip Hamilton - set a ton of screens and run him off them. That's not what's happening - he's being given the ball in one-on-one situations and asked to create. That's not his game. Criticizing him for that is a bit like criticizing Greg Oden for sitting out the playoffs.
"One thing is sure, this ain't his level. He's playing poorly and he's a good player" I am not so sure I agree with this statement. If your shooting is off you try to do other things to help the team, most of his "other stuff" seems more a liability than a plus, like his defense. I mean if he can't take advantage of Nash guarding him what else can we say?
That he was the 24th pick & traded on draft day for cash considerations and that he's a role player... I'm trying to figure out your logic in bringing up Durant? I think expectations should be slightly different...
What's difficult to understand about this story? From Rudy's perspective, he's being put in a position where his team isn't running any plays that make use of the skills that he does have (perimeter shooting and backdoor cuts to the basket) and he's embarassed and ticked about it. I suspect most any human being, particularly one who sees himself as a European star player, would feel the same way. Instead of slamming him for what seems a pretty normal reaction, I'm hoping that Nate makes some adjustments to use Rudy's skills in tonight's game. If we want the Blazers to advance, getting behind Rudy and helping him get his confidence back instead of bashing him would seem like a wise thing to do. I doubt he's in a Blazers uniform next fall, so it's not as if it's a longterm committment or anything.
the question is though, is he being told to sit in the corner. I see him running off some screens.. But a lot of the time he is just camped in the corner to spread the floor. So it could be pouting, or it could be him doing what he is told to do in the offense.
