Rudy Fernández

[jugoplastika]

Hmmm, what to say...he scores every game 25-30-35 points in European team-oriented basketball, and it is now usuall when he scores 30 points.
Really impressive. Probably my favorite guard in Europe right now.
He has it all - offense, defense, jump-shot, he is slasher, he can jump&dunk, really fast, leader...at age of 21.
He is maybe new Ginobili, right-handed.
He lacks only a few kilograms ...as Neozyrus said previously.

[damelo]

Yep, but he still adjusts well to contacts... he made a few mid range jumper after getting fouled.

[Neozyrus]

I really think next step for him is the NBA. It's a shame that Joventut isn't in EL this year, they definitely have the level, well, you can't make an EL with 7 Spanish teams...
But, he has the game for the American league. He is ready. I just hope he'll stay a little more around here, and won't get behind Roy, or that those foolish NBA guys won't try to play him as PG, pr many things. I hope it won't be like Petrovic... But, he is just an enormous scorer.
i would say his career is already great... let's hope he'll stay few more years,in order for him to win it all.
I'm really in love with this guys...

ps: sorry Rikhardur, I missed your subject in the list.

He's going to the NBA next year, he said it many times, he said thet if he would like to continue in Europe, he would have accepted the huge offer that Barca did to him this summer. He said that he wanted to remain in Joventut one more year in order to put the team again in Euroleague and to help them to win a title again. He has already did one part (la Copa) and is about to do the other. Hes going to the NBA, i just hope he will get traded to another club, or that Portland fire McMillan and put another coach (Messina would be perfect ).

@jugoplastika: really nice avatar

[uhg80]

Blazers' GM Kevin Pritchard wants to sign Rudy for the upcoming season. It should be difficult due to Rudy's contract situation, though.

Here's the link: http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/...rylist=orlocal

[Neozyrus]

His contract situtaion will alow him to go whenever he wants, last summer he signed again with Joventut but with the condition that when he decided to go to NBA, the club wouldnt put any obstacle.

His NBA clause is about 400.000 euros, so he could pay it without problems.

[uhg80]

Ah, ok. Thanks for the info.

I even think he won't have to put in his own money. If I remember correctly, NBA teams are allowed to use 500 000 $ to buy a foreign draft pick out of his contract.

Anyway, good for him that he doesn't have to pull off a Navarro-like solution and lose a good amount of money.

Hopefully he will get a fair chance in Portland. Of course, Rudy is surely better than Rodriguez, but there's an allstar on his position...

[rikhardur]

Neo I think I know your opinion about him going to the NBA, but if he goes to the Blazers what's your stance on it? Would he actually fit the team and have a meaningful role there?

[Neozyrus]

To tell you the truth i would have prefered him to go to another team, the antecedents of spanish players in this team are quite bad till the moment . But the first tought that comes to my mind when i think about him in Portland is that i dont see it clear, there are too many factors implicated and so, too many doubts. On the one hand im really optimistic (as i was with Navarro last year) cause i've seen him doing so many incredible things in these years that i know he's prepared to do a great job there.., but in the other hand i see McMillan and his style, and , im sorry, but he has gained my distrust in many areas of the game: at the time of selecting the game style, sometimes with his attitude to some players during the games...etc

On the positive side, i truly believe that he can reach the level of Calderon or Navarro, and we all have seen the numbers that they had done when they played regullarly a good ammount of minutes. Of course that he will have to progress and adapt his game to the NBA style, but i really believe that that really wouldnt be a problem, he's still young, smart and incredibly talented, and his style of game is not so different that the one that many teams in NBA plays so....

If he went to another team, i would trust in Rudy with my eyes closed, he has surprised me so many times, and he has progressed (specially in shooting) so much since he came to the first team of Joventut, that i really believe that he's capable of becoming a huge player there, but it would depend a lot on how big will be the "coach's wall" in Portland, and thats my greatest fear about him in Portland.

On the pesimistic side, we could say that he's not gonna maintain this level forever,( i think that right now he's really near of being the best sg of europe), and if u add this to the typical problems that players have when they go to the NBA: a new country, a new team, a new style...that could give McMillan the perfect excuse to wipe him out. But also, being very pesimistic, we could think that in his case this adaptation could be even harder, cause till now he has almost always played in the same team, with the same coach and with the same style (even the style of the NT is quite fast and ofensive too), so that could make his "rookie wall" even bigger. (If he has Sergio there, his adapatation would be faster but if Sergio finally is traded, who knows how could that affect his adaptation and his perception of the team)

I would have prefered him to go to a team like Toronto, Cleveland, Orlando, Phoenix, San Antonio.., (I suppose every single european player would like to go to one of those teams). With the mentality and style of these teams im sure he could finish getting a pretty big ammount of minutes, and so, he could have more chances of showing what he's capable of to all the NBA. But in Portland, Detroit... with his style of playing and with that coach?? i really dont know. After 2 years of watching Portland's games, i just cant trust in McMillan.

And im sorry, but i cant forget the examples of Macijaukas, Jaskevicius, Herrmann, Udrih (before), Bellinelli, Spanoulis or even Sergio..and many others. I know he has other abilities that the these guys havent, in some cases he's more athletic, in other cases he has a better defense... but still i cant erase these guys from my mind, and watching that the coach is McMilan, a prioiri it would seem that he could be on his way on joining this group. But i really dont think that that will happen, i dont think McMillan is that blind or stubborn, but hey, at the end who knows, we have seen other great surprises there.

In a first look, u can see that Portland practices a game style that wouldnt be the best for Rudy, but imo his qualty is so high that allows him to fit in almost every single team in the world, even if he had at the beginning some problems of adaptation. But in Portland, i really dont think that he would have a meaningful role, at least for next year. One of the reasons for telling this, appart from the reasons (pesimistic) explained above, is that if we do a small anallisis on what could be his situation with the actual roster (without speculating on changes), it could be:

- His first rival would be Brandon Roy, that was ROY last year, and that has been all star in his second year, He's now untouchable. A really really tough guy to steal minutes. And Rudy right now cant play as a SF in the NBA so...
- Oden: a beast, the man that should be the reference in the paint, and so, he probably will get quite a lot of shoots too.
- Aldridge: 2nd option in the paint with a good hand and experience in the league.
- Outlaw: the all around player of the team, shoots a lot too.
- Jones: the 3pointer specialist, many balls finish in his hands in the attacks.

So imo these guys could easily be for McMillan better optons in attack than Rudy, so for next year ibelieve that he maybe could take the spot of Jack or Webster (or even Jones) in the rotation but no more. I dont see him higher right now ( I truly hope im wrong). His quality would give him a place in the rotation for sure, his shooting (defensive and even athletic) habilities are high above the media in Eurolegue and NBA and they will discover it in the next season as many people did with Navarro this one, but i believe that with all that roster, with the apparent preferences of Mcmillan for other players, with the radical changing of style (if Joventut isnt the most offensive team of europe he must be really close).. he wont be very high in the rotation.

[rikhardur]

Thanks Neo, I totally agree with your detailed explanation

[Neozyrus]

Rudy's interview in Marca:

This year La Penya seems to be finally this step above that allows it to try to win the ACB. Inside the team, do you see it like that?
Well, it is always complicated. There are many good teams, many pressure and the playoffs will be very hard. But it is true that to win La Copa gave us many confidence and that we are playing good.

Does it distract you that everybody speaks so much of the NBA?No, I have to be over it. There is a lot of speculatoin about it , but I am calmed. The policy that I have to follow is the one that I have followed till now. My team is the DKV Joventut and I am 100% with it.

In Portland the press speaks about 'Rudymanía' and your videos in Youtube are very followed there. What does it seem to you?
It pleases me a lot that the people of Portland are following me. But I try myself not to get obsessed. This of thing of Youtube is a great invention. I see many videos there and I like that the people see mine.

Have u spoken with Sergio Rodríguez lately?
Not, because I have been called him several times and have not managed to contact with him. For me Sergio is a model and it really surprises me a lot that the coach is not giving him confidence. Sincerely, I am afraid that McMillan does the same thing with me.

Will you go to NBA next year?
I havent decided it yet, that's the truth. I dont know if i will go now. When the season ends, we will see what is the better option.

Portland's press publishes that in two weeks Kevin Pritchard will be going to Barcelona to see you and test what you want to do...
Ah, yes? I did not know it, they have not said to me nothing at all. Well, if he comes you know that I will be very nice with him (he laughs), but I will not be able to say to him right now if next year I will play in the NBA. That's the truth. It is a difficult decision and I have to think it.

[Neozyrus]

Pritchard declarations:

" Rudy doesnt know Nate McMillan in person, but he likes what he knows about him"

" The plan has always been that he comes here for next season. It is for what we choose him in the Draft and that has not changed. What has changed is how is he playing this season. He is one of the best, if not the best player of Europe right now "

" Rudy wants to play in the NBA. I speak with him and with his agents every week. I am going to pass a lot of time with him in April and expect to go with Nate"

" If he is worried about coming here? Sure, but it happens to all the Europeans. But when he will be comfortable, he will have an opportunity to be a really special player "

" I can say to you that Rudy has confidence [of going to the NBA]. There is no doubt: next season he will play with the uniform of the Blazers, and will do some shots that you will say: ' I cannot believe that he has done this shot '. It will be our x factor ".

[rikhardur]

Rudy revealed that this summer he'll decide about his future. He also said that he'll only go to the NBA if minutes and an important role are granted.

[Neozyrus]

Yeah i heard thaose declarations too. It seemed to me that he was relly afraid of having the same situation that Sergio there. It seems that they have spoken lately.

By the way last week Paul Allen, the sixth biggest fortune of the planet and the owner of the TrailBlazers, went to Badalona with the only objective of watching Rudy play. He saw him score 30 points and being a true star in the last moments of the game.

"Yes i knew he was there but i didnt speak to him. He just wanted to watch me." ... " Of curse that in some moments you think that he's there watching you, but when the game begins you just think in what you have to do, adn you just try to do your best" ... "I know that if i go to the NBA, im going to lose money because i have a good contract with Joventut and being the 24th of the draft is not an advantage" ...

[geeup]

So the Blazers are going to sign Fernandez just to sit him on the bench?

At the SG/SF they will have Roy, Webster, and Outlaw. Jones wants to re-sign and McMillan highly values him wants more vets like him on their team. If they add Rush and Fernandez where's the playing time?

Rudy should ask for a trade to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets tried to trade up for him in the draft last year. In Houston there's no income tax, possible chinese shoe deal, and playing time.

Houston's GM has gone on record stating their priority is to add more offense and size at SG/SF. Currently they have 6-4 Luther Head filling that role.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/06/approaching_moving_day.html

Six draft prospects -- including probable lottery selections Brandon Rush of Kansas and Anthony Randolph of LSU -- were on hand for two predraft workouts Saturday at the Blazers' Tualatin practice facility.

Rush impressed Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan with his NBA-ready physique, above average shot, solid defensive abilities and versatility, and the consensus is that the junior from Kansas will be an immediate contributor in the NBA next season.

"He's ready-made for the NBA right now," Pritchard said. "He can come in and help a team right now. He can shoot it and he can defend. He's a spot-up shooter, which every team needs, and he can defend multiple positions. I think he can defend (small forwards, shooting guards) and maybe even a little point guard."

Added McMillan: "He's very athletic, competes, he can score ... I think he's a solid player. I think he's one of those guys that can see some time right away next year ... you can put him out on the floor because of his skill level."

Rush, who is a target for the Blazers at No. 13 according to at least one mock draft, said this was his 10th -- and last -- predraft workout. He planned to immediately return home to Chicago, where he has spent time preparing for the draft with a random sampling of NBA players and draft prospects, including USC freshman O.J. Mayo and Miami Heat veteran Dwyane Wade.

[damelo]

Or play Roy as Pg as it was announced... that's an option.