Sergio Rodriguez wants to leave Blazers
by makelele on Nov 7, 2008 7:25 AM PST
Email
PrintCheck www.marca.com, the spanish newspaper:
[Norsktroll translation]
Sergio Rodriguez’s agent asks the handover Portland
QUIQUE PEINADO Madrid
Sergio Rodriguez leads the NBA in assists per minute, a trait evident that, after a preseason in which he has demonstrated in the eyes of anyone who is a basis NBA deserves to play more. His agent in Spain, Jose Ortiz, openly calls for the transfer in an exclusive statement to MARCA.com.
Ortiz reflects on the three years of Sergio in Portland, which went from averaging 13 minutes as a rookie for the current nine (minutes), when his game has progressed a lot. “Any player in these three years who would have made a match to match the good days of Sergio would have played 30 minutes. When the coach makes probaturas in favor of giving minutes to players who play little, is never with Sergio,” For Ortiz, "McMillan does not like Sergio. Does not trust him. Any excuse is valid. For the player it is impossible to have confidence, because in three years, he has never known before a match what was his role, how much or when he was going to play, even if he was going to play or not. Neither knows why they are going to serntar failure, "he says.
A false second point guard?
Nate McMillan got tired of saying that in preseason, after the magnificent performance of Sergio (finished second in the entire NBA in assists in the ranking), was second point guard. “It’s a fictional situation,” said Ortiz. "The point guards are Roy and Blake. Last year, the second point guard [Jarrett Jack] played 28 minutes, 19 as a guard. What second guard of the NBA plays nine minutes like Sergio? None. Sergio has shown that he is ready if you have minutes, "he says.
Apart from a few minutes, has fractured. As in the last match, against the Houston Rockets, where he played two rounds of two and a half minutes until it appeared in the last quarter to help the team get a comfortable advantage. "Play the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, with two-stroke deaths and the break between the fourth quarter and in between. And then you play if you’re going to play later. How are you going to get rhythm or confidence? It’s impossible! " says the agent.
Confidence “that is no longer valid”
Ortiz wants to make clear that Sergio is delighted with the owner of the club, with the city, with the fans, with his colleagues … feels that they have bet on him and is grateful, but in the third year is not enough. Only wants to be treated in a natural way. If you’re wrong, stop playing. If you’re good, do it. He is frustrated by a situation that is anomalous. That shows that the best thing for the Blazers, for McMillan and Sergio is that he is transferred to an another team where treats him in a natural way. "
But why it renewed? That’s the big question. The agent believes “it is strange to continue in the team. Nate McMillan does not like or does not trust [him]. For his career is clearly prefer a different kind of foundation,” he says. “Sergio is what it is,” he adds. “He could improve his shot, defense and physical, and has done so. What can not be a basis of half pitch,” Ortiz said, while recently: "I just want an opportunity to start from scratch.
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Sergio needs to be gone...
Okay, KP, pull that trigger!
Those 3 shots he took last night? Not even remotely close… Now shooting under 30%…
FREE SERGIO -- Trade Him or Cut Him NOW!!!
I like El Clanko ... but that shot was so flat it made Sabonis look like a high-arch teardrop shooter.
El Clanko away!
Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.
http://www.myspace.com/y5k
by Y5k on Nov 7, 2008 9:59 AM PST up reply actions
Wait, what?
Sergio Rodriguez leads NBA in statistic of attendances per minute played, characteristic evident that, after one preseason in which has demonstrated to eyes of whatever it is a base NBA, deserves to play more.
What kind of stupid argument is that?
Any player who in these three years had made a party around the good days of Sergio, would have played 30 minutes.
Really? This is just silly.
yeah, it's more like
Sergio Rodriguez leads the NBA in the statistic of assists per minute played, a characteristic that is evidence that, after a preason when he has demonstrated to the eyes of anyone that he is an NBA point gaurd, he deserves to play more.
AND
Any player who in these there years had played a game to the levle of the good days of Sergio, would have played 30 minutes.
Most those translators are junk.
Sergio thinks he's a superstar because the Spanish media and fans think he's a superstar because he's Spanish...
……………………. Truth is, he is slow afoot (a la Blake), plays poor defense, can’t shoot a lick, but passes very well. Most of his assists have been easy, short chest passes to open shooters (Frye at the perimeter) or alley oops to Rudolfo — with whom he very definitely is closely attuned.
FREE SERGIO -- Trade Him or Cut Him NOW!!!
Portland's already invested too much in him...
I agree, they should trade him, along with a few other players.
you confuse me
you wanted him gone…then liked him now you want him gone again?
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:29 PM PST up reply actions
comparison to blake
i agree with your comparison to blake defensively (they are both enormous liabilities), but at least he’s a threat to dribble on offense. blakes 3pt% isn’t impressive enough to keep him around, but sergio may still develop a shot and can definitely help create the offense. we play one of the slowest games in the NBA, and just about every player on our team would rather take a jump shot than create offense, which is what sergio brings. also, doesn’t the fact that he’s so well attuned with rudy make him worth a few more years. frankly, i would be very please to see blake and sergio half equal minutes for a couple months and see who gets better production
Sergio cannot make layups. It's a problem.
It makes it plain to defenders that he’s going to pass. Penetration and speed separate him from Blake. Unfortunately that penetration means little when the D doesn’t have to make a decision.
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you're right that's why he doesn't get a lot of assists . .
oh, wait a minute.
Free Sergio! http://www.freesergio.com
Sergio's assist rate did drop significantly between his rookie and sophomore seasons...
and I think that this is a big part of the reason why. After 1 year in the league, teams had better scouting reports on Sergio and realized that he did not shoot the outside shot well and did not finish well at the rim either. Realizing those things allowed the defenses to adjust and focus on countering what Sergio does do well (his passing). Sergio still gets assists at a good rate, but he would be able to get even more assists if he could become a credible threat to score.
by trk on Nov 7, 2008 9:49 PM PST up reply actions
I understand you like the guy and everything, and we do as well
but, seriously, you’re getting a lil carried away. The guy can penetrate at will. Yet, he can’t lay it in. How can you not see a problem with that?
Sergio’s one of my favorite players on this team, and one with tons of potential, but let’s not start thinking he’s a fully developed player. He’s got TONS of problems.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
Sergio Rodriguez leads NBA in statistic of attendances per minute played, characteristic evident that, after one preseason in which has demonstrated to eyes of whatever it is a base NBA, deserves to play more.
In English, probably something like this: “Sergio Rodriguez leads the NBA in Assists per Minute Played, further evidence following an impressive preseason that he is an NBA point guard, deserving to play more.”
FREE SERGIO -- Trade Him or Cut Him NOW!!!
Much Ado About Nothing
He may well get his wish. In about 40 more games. If Mac brings Bayless along, and Bayless can play those 10 minutes and add some defense, scoring punch, and put in 2 or 3 assists, then in the Spring, it could happen.
Google Translate version until one of our Spanish friends arrives :)
<a href=“http://translate.google.de/translate?u=http3A2F%2F”http://www.marca.com" target="_blank">www.marca.com2Fedicion2Fmarca2Fbaloncesto2Fnba2Fes2Fdesarrollo%2F1182233.html&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&sl=es&tl=en" target="new">Link
That didn't work too well, here is the direct copy with a few grammatical corrections
Sergio Rodriguez’s agent asks the handover Portland
QUIQUE PEINADO Madrid
Sergio Rodriguez leads the NBA in assists per minute, a trait evident that, after a preseason in which he has demonstrated in the eyes of anyone who is a basis NBA deserves to play more. His agent in Spain, Jose Ortiz, openly calls for the transfer in an exclusive statement to MARCA.com.
Ortiz reflects on the three years of Sergio in Portland, which went from averaging 13 minutes as a rookie for the current nine (minutes), when his game has progressed a lot. “Any player in these three years who would have made a match to match the good days of Sergio would have played 30 minutes. When the coach makes probaturas in favor of giving minutes to players who play little, is never with Sergio,” For Ortiz, "McMillan does not like Sergio. Does not trust him. Any excuse is valid. For the player it is impossible to have confidence, because in three years, he has never known before a match what was his role, how much or when he was going to play, even if he was going to play or not. Neither knows why they are going to serntar failure, "he says.
A false second base [point guard?]
Nate McMillan got tired of saying that in preseason, after the magnificent performance of Sergio (finished second in the entire NBA in assists in the ranking), was second base. “It’s a fictional situation,” said Ortiz. "The bases are Roy and Blake. Last year, the second base [Jarrett Jack] played 28 minutes, 19 as a base. What second base of the NBA plays nine minutes like Sergio? None. Sergio has shown that he is ready if you have minutes, "he says.
Apart from a few minutes, has fractured. As in the last match, against the Houston Rockets, where he played two rounds of two and a half minutes until it appeared in the last quarter to help the team get a comfortable advantage. "Play the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, with two-stroke deaths and the break between the fourth quarter and in between. And then you play if you’re going to play later. How are you going to get rhythm or confidence? It’s impossible! " says the representative.
Confidence “that is no longer valid”
Ortiz wants to make clear that Sergio is delighted with the owner of the club, with the city, with the fans, with his colleagues … feels that they have bet on him and is grateful, but in the third year is not enough. Only wants to be treated in a natural way. If you’re wrong, stop playing. If you’re good, do it. He is frustrated by a situation that is anomalous. That shows that the best thing for the Blazers, for McMillan and Sergio is that he is transferred to a computer [competitor?] where you are going to try to form a natural. "
But why it renewed? That’s the big question. The agent believes “it is strange to continue in the team. Nate McMillan does not like or does not trust [him]. For his career is clearly prefer a different kind of foundation,” he says. “Sergio is what it is,” he adds. “He could improve his shot, defense and physical, and has done so. What can not be a basis of half pitch,” Ortiz said, while recently: "I just want an opportunity to start from scratch.
This article makes me sad.
If his agent is pushing this hard, then it does indeed seem like his days here are numbered. I hope Sergio makes a statement contradicting what his agent said, but . . .
Free Sergio! http://www.freesergio.com
Did you see the way Rudy looked at Sergio when he was leaving the court in the fourth quarter because of a substitution?
Have you read that Nate surprisingly praised Sergio after the game?
The guy is surely depressed or desperate and they know it.
I think he might be a very valuable player, specially playing with Rudy. The problem is that Sergio may think that Nate is trying to involve Rudy in the game without him. Maybe Nate thinks Sergio cann´t play with Roy. If this is the case, I understand Sergio´s wish to be traded.
But in the team interest, IMO, we better keep Sergio.
Sergio + Rudy = 16
Sergio + Bayless = 16
Batum 8+8=16
everyone values sergio except
nate. its pretty obvious. yesterday it seemed like he trusted sergio enough to play him when it counted, but did not give him that many minutes.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:31 PM PST up reply actions
I love how the spanish press, players, fans & agents
are so delusional about Sergio’s “obvious” abilities. Nate wants to win and play a winning style…. Sergio just wants to play more. I know what is more important to me as a Blazer fan & it never is about one player.
Sometimes Sergio does play beautiful basketball, but I don’t think he can ever do it consistently.
i disagree
I think he can.
It bothers me that all this talk is happening now when we’re still figuring out how pieces fit, though. Rather tactless.
We haven't done anything yet... but don't blink.
Agreed
I like how Serge is coming along this year. This seems like it was written in poor taste. Maybe it’s not really intended to get here, that it’s the agent drumming up a story for the Spanish media. I mean Spain has to have it’s own version of Drew Rosenhouse.
Word
a few flat shots but otherwise pretty good play from Sergio so far. No reason to dog him at this point. He does not hurt us when he comes on the court period. If he really does want to leave, it won’t be long. One thing Portland won’t accept is a player suting up who doesn’t want to be here.
You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you? Personally... I don't give a $hit about all that, because you know what, I can't learn anything from you, I can't read in some fukin' book. Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I'm fascinated. I'm in. But you don't want to do that do you sport? You're terrified of what you might say. Your move, chief.
This is my more "user friendly" sig -quote from Good Will Hunting (by mork) lol
Of course, that being said
I can understand his frustration. Really, he fits into the cap space well and has a ton of potential regardless of what anyone says. I don’t think it would be in Portland’s best interest to trade him right now. The part that I found most interesting was that he doesn’t know what his role will be on a given night. I could just imagine that, along with the lack of confidence, has to be stunting his potential. I don’t mean to imply that his potential would be filled if he had a solid role on the team, but this situation isn’t helping his development.
Ugh, responding to my own post. I feel like Timbo.
and I still can't understand..........................
…………………….what the point of all these dots are.
I'm pretty sure the main point of all those dots
is to annoy the freakin’ bejesus out of me.
Free Sergio! http://www.freesergio.com
by sergioFTW on Nov 7, 2008 9:29 AM PST up reply actions 3 recs
trout
didn’t trout ask for the same thing the last few years? wanted more minutes…more shots…yet he comes in to camp every year out of shape and never working hard. sergio works hard and shows improvement, and maynot be the best but he is clearly putting a good effort and is staying coachable, but is rewarded with less minutes but with a “promotion.”
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:33 PM PST up reply actions
You & I just see Sergio through different glasses. That’s ok. I know you are a true Blazers fan. If I’m ultimately wrong about him I will own it.
On a related note, I was very wrong about Rudy.
we may see things differently
i am trying to point out a double standard tho, and i think i have a fair argument.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 6:05 PM PST up reply actions
I'd try way harder than Trout. Where's my contract?
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
This can't sit too well with KP
Everything seems to be on the up and up, team chemistry looks good to very good (did you see how Nic hugged Brandon?), and along comes a Spanish agent and demands more time for his client to increase his value or even a trade.
problem is
by demanding the deal, it decreases Sergio’s value. Other GMs are going to “label” him as a whiner and KP won’t get much for him, unless he adds Trout or RLEC to the deal
We won't get much for him
UNLESS we add Trout or RLEC anyway. He’s got a tiny contract……..
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
agreed
we won’t get much for him…whoever picks him up is gonna get a hell of a distributer tho. the celtics should look at getting a better pg. rondo is kind of overrated i think.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:35 PM PST up reply actions
well not really
but rondo is overrated. pretty poor assist/to ratio for having 3 quality all stars on 1 team. i’m sure he is also jealous of pryzbillas free throw % as well being as tho he only shoots 62% from the line in his career.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3026
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 6:11 PM PST up reply actions
it was sort of my lame attempt at a joke.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 8, 2008 6:10 AM PST up reply actions
i still think KP values sergio
its just that nate doesnt. it seriously puzzles me how fast and athletic our team is, yet we choose to play in a style that doesnt fit “most” of our team. i understand slowing it down late in the games to highlight brandon…but early in games we should just burn teams out by outrunning them with our youthful legs and with our depth to stay fresh.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:34 PM PST up reply actions
The translation of this
was horrible. But to me this is an agent talking, not a player.
But this time I think that the Agent is saying what Sergio can't say...
He want’s an opportunity in the NBA and Portland (Nate) is blocking him.
I don’t think that Sergio is a great PG just because he is Spanish, (i reserve this opinion to Jose Calderón) :) ), but really, I don’t see a big difference between Sergio and Blake in terms of defense, Blake has a better shoot but Sergio, IMO handles the offense better, and I think that Sergio could be a real backup PG, but the problem is that he is not, cause a lot of PG minutes are played by Roy nad not by him.
I think sergio wants to move to other team where he can play consistent 15-20 minutes per game as backup PG to develop his game and eventually became a starter PG.
Sadly, in my opinion, pass-first PG’s have not their best moment in NBA, and Sergio is one of those PG’s, but when a team trusts that kind of PG you see the results in some time.
Remember the TJ Ford vs Calderón situation in Toronto.
Look I am a big time Sergio fan
and I want and believe he will end up avg 15 mins per game this year. Nate has played him more mins in just about each game this year so far. Sergio has to earn the trust he lost last year with his horrible play. So far he is doing pretty good, his shot looks better, his defense is better, and he can run the offense better. Howver he is not on par with Blake yet, Blake is a far better shooter, and runs the offense in a calm manner that steadys the team when another team makes a run. Sergio has yet to figure out how to do that, he is a ball of fire unsure of himself of when to speed it up and when to slow it down. He will learn, as he makes the right decision about 50% of the time now, but he needs to get better, and as he does he will play more.
As for his agent, I think it is just him postureing to the Spanish Media to keep his players name in the paper.
nate needs to stop making players play outside of their comfort zone
I want Martell to be a lockdown defender…but theres a good chance he wont. I want Channing to stop being so soft and develop a post presence….but thats not his game. For an uptempo pg, Sergio does a decent job at playing a half court game. Imagine if we played at Sergio’s pace, and on a team with a post presence how high his assist numbers would be. He has the highest assist/min ratio in the league on an offense that does not show his true talents.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:38 PM PST up reply actions
I understand him wanting to leave
but I think he has been treated fairly.
I don’t see him being better than a backup PG in the future and he has to improve quite a bit to reach the “backup for a contender” level. On the other hand scrubs like Beno Udrih are starters on some teams, so maybe he’ll be able to start somewhere else.
I don’t think he fits well with Nate philosophy and I’m on Nate’s side on this.
He’d probably be better elsewhere, but we have to try to get good value out of him.
If nate doesnt value him...
how will we get value out of him from someone else? His role as a backup has been a joke. The 3rd string pg got 15 mins in 1 game…sergio as the backup has still never gotten 15 mins. Nate at one point said he turned the ball over too much…Sergio fixed that. Nothing changed. His shot sucked and defense sucked…he is improving that…Nothing has changed.
I realize he doesnt fit nates philosophy…but KP has trust in him, the assistant coaches went to bat for sergio pleading nate for more pt, the local media, and hell even hollinger.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:44 PM PST up reply actions
when did this come out?
I feel like I read nearly the same thing this summer but it turned out that it was the author just tweaking quotes up to get more of a story than what was there. “I would like more playing time” —> “!play me or trade me!” Even if this was new I would take it with a grain of salt shakers.
Also, being a big fan of professional cycling this seems to be a weekly occurrence especially lately as people are trying to drum up controversy in the Lance Armstrong return by creating a feud between Armstrong and the current team leader.
Now that I think about it the US press is not much better
Xenophobic rant over.
Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.
I agree.
This article doesn’t seem to be asking for a trade. It’s more of the “play me more!” thing we saw over the summer, only via the agent this time. And it makes sense – at this point it seems taht sergio and the Blazers may not be a great match.
Ah, I don't know...
I translated the last one and it was definitely softer than it looked at first glance…this one is pretty point blank, albeit from his agent, not Sergio. He is definitely not talking hypothetically, like Sergio in the last one (See “If I continue to play few minutes, I would want to move on,” compared to this one’s “This proves that the best for the Blazers, for McMillan and for Sergio is that he is traded to a tema where he’ll be treated in a normal way.”) Pretty point blank.
“And he is much more clear and direct with his criticism of Nate: McMillan doesn’t like Sergio. He doesn’t show him confidence. He’ll use any excuse to sit him. For the player it’s impossible to have confidence becuase, in three years he has never known before a game what was his role, how much and when he was going to play, not even if he was going to play or not. Nor does he know for which fualt/mistake he is going to be sat.”
This one is WAY more to the point, and he is clearly asking for a trade.
Maybe
I just dont take anything from the Spanish media at face value after what has happened in the last few years in cycling. Not necessarily rational, but I will wait till this story gets around before I put much stock in it.
Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.
Sergio's right.
He does deserve more playing time. The offense flows noticeably better when he’s on the court. He’s not great on defense, but really with the way Steve’s playing nowadays, it’s not that much of a dropoff — playing against one of the teams with elite point guards is bad for our team no matter which of our guys are at the 1 right now.
Any other coach would be giving him at least 15 minutes per game. I don’t understand a lot of Nate’s decisions, but he clearly doesn’t want Sergio on the court whether he’s playing well or poorly. So if we’re not going to play him, then trade him.
My over/under for Sergio's bye bye
Last spring I put the over/under on Sergio becoming disenchanted with his PT and “requesting” a deal to another ballclub at “November”
right on schedule, gracias Sr. Ortiz
Go Sergio!!!
All you haters can shut it :)
It’s funny how everyone is jumping to the defense of Outlaw with trade talk, but it’s ok to judge Sergio after 5 games in. Give him some time. It has to be pretty hard to show what he can do when Nate gives him 6 minutes of playing time and pulls the plug on him the second he makes a mistake. He worked extremely hard this summer and has shown some flourish, however (again) he needs more playing time. As a back up point guard he SHOULD be getting 20+ minutes a game.
Rudy for ROY
Campaign 08-09
I like how Sergio played especially in the pre-season. That’s why it’s unfortunate his agent now starts tearing up old “the coach doesn’t like my client and never gives him the chance to prove it” wounds.
Sergio has proven he can play with consistent minutes and "trust"
Now that Nate has reverted to his old ways…Sergios confidence has gone downhill as well. If sergio goes…I really want him to excel and shove it in nates face.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:46 PM PST up reply actions
So we should use Sergio instead of Roy
This isn’t Blake V Sergio V Bayless. It’s Sergio V Roy/Rudy. He simply won’t win that contest. And that’s pretty much the end of it. He SHOULD be getting more minutes doesn’t hold any water.
If you wanna see Sergio play more, it will have to be on team witha weaker guard rotation. I love him, but that’s his postion on this team. If he’s more ambitious than his skill, let him seek a better relative position. I’ll still love him. It’s just that we can’t let him do it here. Neither can we say that he DESERVES that time here.
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Ok...still doesn't make sense
Jarrett Jack as our second point guard last season averaged over 20 minutes a game. With the second unit giving the starters rest for 20 minutes a game, Sergio should be running the point. There is no reason to have Roy in with the second unit. So tell me, how did Jarrett Jack average 14+ more minutes a game than Sergio has had as the second point guard with the only difference this season being Rudy on the second unit?
Discuss.
Rudy for ROY
Campaign 08-09
a considerable part of those minutes
were Jack playing 2-guard with either Blake or Roy. Sergio can’t play the 2 because he can’t shoot. Rudy pretty much claimed all of Jack’s minutes as soon as he got off the airplane.
Ortiz even says that in the interview above
Jack playeed SG for like 11 minutes, and almost always in the 4th Q. Rudy took all those minutes.
I think you’re not seeing our best rotations don’t necessarily involve Sergio. If you’re convinced he’s better than Blake, which would be a really premature assessment, there’s nothing I can say. Maybe he should switch spots, but Blake’s proved himself over seasons. You’re claiming Sergio’s proved himself in a preseason and a few games where he’s averaging 9:18. Blake’s white. Nate’s not racist. Sergio will play if he deserves it. It’s a pretty simple matter. Sergio’s within his rights to ask to go somewhere with less talent, so that he can play. But, let’s be clear; Sergio ‘deserves’ what he gets.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
Sergios rookie year
had practically all the best rotations involving sergio…i forgot the website that you can analyze each teams best 2 man, 3 man, 4 man, and 5 man lineups, but sergio was among all of them. Nate is just stubborn.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:47 PM PST up reply actions
What was the Blazers record his rookie year?
Who were the players he competed with?
I LOVE Sergio. I think he’ll blow up someday if he learns to earn not beg. Sergio feels he’s owed something. That makes the coach responsible. If the coach is responsible for his woes, he doesn’t need to do anything to change it (in his view, he’s powerless). If he doesn’t have to do anything, he won’t get better. Watch Bayless. THat kid’s looking for any indication of what makes an NBA player good.
I understand that Sergio’s looking for some guidance and a roadmap to NBA minutes, but those things don’t exist in real life. There are no silver bullets. Nate’s job is mostly to manage the team and help them win. Not to make Sergio a happy, better player. It’s Sergio’s responsibility to figure out what he needs to do. Every competitor must do this.
The funny thing is that it’s pretty simple. Sergio’s competing for minutes. First, he has to identify his competition. After that, the logic of competition says he should emulate them. Roy, Rudy and Blake all take Sergio’s minutes. What attributes do they have that Sergio lacks? Poise, confidence, stability and utter professionalism. Rudy hustles his butt of and plays SMART. He’s sneaky and ALWAYS looking for a way to contribute. If Sergio could only add a little of the spark Rudy has, he’d steal Blake’s job in a heart beat. I freaking guarantee it.
That’s the problem here, though, it’s Sergio’s responsibility to make himself better, for grind and grind and throw himself against the wall until he seeps through the cracks.
He’s asking for the very thing talented athletes dream of for the entire lives. The difference is, they’re not asking. They’re taking.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
by hobobob on Nov 7, 2008 6:06 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Stop the DRAMA Sergio! Or at least his agent!
As we have been told over and over and over, Portland’s first five games have been against five of the top 10 teams from last year. Of course Nate is going to coach these to have the best possible chance of winning. This is good practice, for coaches and players, for a strong run at the playoffs (hopefully). Nate also knows that these first 25 games will probably decide if we even go to the playoffs or not.
Sergio is doing much better than he ever has. Everything is better…defense, shooting, and intelligence. I believe once the Blazers get on a roll, he will get more minutes…but please tell your agent to shut his trap or you will be shipped to some team that will never win a championship.
Classless move by Sergio's agent.
Sergio should fire him. His agent is acting in a totally unprofessional manner.
I understand Sergio’s frustration. He must feel like he’s working his tail off, but still not getting the minutes he feels he deserves. That being said, Nate is paid to win games for the Blazers…not coddle Sergio’s agent. Sergio provides us with needed relief and a change of pace at point guard, but when Nate needs to put his best lineup on the floor in the crunch times, Sergio is not part of that. But you know what? Neither is Frye, Batum, or Bayless. And when Greg comes back, neither is Joel. But you don’t hear their agents crying to the press. Bottom line…if his agent wants Sergio to get more minutes, then tell Sergio keep working on his game. He is not going to get more playing time by the agent crying to the press. It only causes tension within the team. But what does the agent care, it’s not like he has to go to work everyday and face the people he is causing the tension with. He’s letting Sergio deal with that. Classless move.
totally agree
this statement, with this bluntness, at this point in the season is totally unacceptable. if sergio gave him the go-ahead for this kind of statement, it seriously diminishes my enthusiasm for him as a member of our team.
obviously our rotation is still totally up in the air and Nate, especially last night, was starting to show a little more trust in sergio . . . and then this. sigh.
Free Sergio! http://www.freesergio.com
I doubt Sergio gave him the go ahead with those comments
His agent just went rogue.
You don't think they talk regularly?
While I agree that the agent’s comments were inapproprate, to suspect he is not reflecting Sergio’s (confidential) feelings re: Nate McMillian is…naive
No doubt about it
I’m sure he is publicly venting Sergio’s feelings. I’m just saying I doubt Sergio thought his agent would publicly air them.
It's called "the internet"
He who vents in Spanish will get translated into English and be discussed on talk radio and chat groups until it gets back to team management
So, even if Senor Ortiz hasn’t voiced these complaints to KP (which I doubt) he has communicated them loud and clear “through the media”
Sergio
As long as this team belongs to Roy, Sergio will never get Minutes, Sergio is to uptempo for a system designed around Roy’s style of play and if those Gerald Wallace or Al Harrington rumors are true I think you can count on either of those teams having a desire to get Sergio thrown in as well.
this team is built for uptempo
with the exception of roy. remember when nate said we would go uptempo once we can start getting defensive stops and winning the rebounding battle? i’ve yet to see a block or a defensive rebound lead to an outlet pass for a fast break.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:49 PM PST up reply actions
Once Oden comes back and we stop playing top tier teams
We shouldn’t have to rely on Roy being in all the time, and the defense should create transition buckets. If that works, we could see him getting more time on a regular basis.
i really hope so
but by then we may not be prepared for uptempo.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 5:08 PM PST up reply actions
Rewinding TiVo,
I closely studied Sergio’s reaction to Roy’s shots with 1.9 seconds remaining and .8 seconds remaining.
On the first, the entire team was going bananas jumping up and down. Sergio just stood there for awhile, then started politely clapping.
On the second, once again the team was freaking out (especially Batum). Sergio was there again standing flat footed and had the curious reaction of pulling his shirt up covering his face.
I would liked to have seen a lot more enthusiasm from him, but I also think he has been beat down pretty bad by Nate. I’m in the camp with those who think he deserves to be getting maybe 15 minutes per game. As only 1 of 2 true PG’s on the team he’s an important piece for us — more so if Blake should get hurt.
I noticed that too
It stuck out to me that Ike and Shavlik seemed genuinely excited, and Sergio didn’t seem to care. Here are two guys who are new to the organization and only see the floor from the bench, and yet they’ve bought into the team (or are smart enough to make it look like they have) more than a guy in his third year with the same club, who’s in the rotation, and had already played a reasonable chunk of minutes in that very game.
I likewise noticed that
and I judged it harshly. I’ve been playing team sports my whole life, sometimes as the focal point and sometimes as nothing more than a bit contributor. But regardless of my role, if my team was winning, I never complained or pouted about playing time or how the coach decided to use me.
No individual is more important than team success, least of all a malcontent backup point guard with exaggerated feelings of self-worth. If Sergio can’t even get excited about a game ending the way last night’s did, then I’d like to see him gone sooner rather than later. A guy that doesn’t seem to care about his team’s exhilarating victory isn’t a guy that’s in it for the team.
by BlazersOrBust on Nov 7, 2008 12:08 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
That's one game
If it was a pattern, that would be another thing. Sergio played well. He was yanked and disappointed. Maybe he wasn’t up for a celebration at that point. I could maybe understand it, I’ve gotten in mindsets where I just wasn’t feeling like celebrating with other people due to personal setbacks. Granted, if this was a pattern it would definitely be concerning. All in all I don’t think that’s a good sign, and if that continues, that should be a serious concern.
I know it's just one game
but I think Sergio has established a trend of bad body language and negative media interactions from a team harmony standpoint. I felt like it was emblematic of a larger discontent with his individual role, not a one-shot deal, and that’s why it rubbed me the wrong way so much.
by BlazersOrBust on Nov 8, 2008 9:52 AM PST up reply actions
It's true and it's not
At what point does the organization stop cutting guys that don’t fit, and instead force them to conform the the culture? Purging is lame, I want to see some jiggy coaching.
Like I said above, and it says in the post
It’s Sergio V Roy. Who do you take?
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
Bad situation
This feels like a can’t win situation, hows Rudi viewing this? How are other players on this team viewing this?
How Mad is Coach right now? The only thing about this statement is it might take some pressure off KP when a trade does come down.
I could see 2-3 players agents making the same request in the not so distant future. I kinda wish we could make the blockbuster 3 for 1 trade right now and get the sf or pg of the future and be done with it, the trade deadline still seems like the best time to maximise our talent and get a great return on a player.
The "SF of the future" is already here
he’s wearing uniform #88
After upgrading the PG position, KP should be looking for a backup 4-5 who can defend, bang and rebound
In the long run, we will probably only be able to keep one of Blake, Segio, and Bayless
Roy and Rudy are both going to be playing major minutes at the guard positions, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for the point guards. I don’t think any of our point guards are going to be satisfied with 10 minutes per game, since they are probably all talented enough that they will eventually be able to significant minutes on other teams. Also, it is a waste of cap space to keep $4.25 million (Steve Blake’s current salary) players on the team if you aren’t going to play them much. That means that eventually we are going to have to choose one of them (at most), and trade the others.
Right now it looks like Sergio is the best point guard when Rudy is the shooting guard, and Blake is the best point guard when Roy is the shooting guard. Bayless is the best at scoring, but needs to learn how to create shots for others. Will Blake eventually be able to establish the same sort of chemistry with Rudy that Sergio has? Will Sergio be able to learn how to coexist with Roy and hit the open shot if his defender double teams Roy? Will Bayless be able to learn how to be a point guard at all? I think these are the important questions that need to be answered before we decide on which one will be our point guard. Also, keep in mind that it is also possible that none of them are our point guard of the future and we could end up trading them all.
I think Blake will make a great backup PG
But this team needs an upgrade at starting point guard. Better defender. Someone who can run the fastbreak. Someone who can penetrate, score, dish or get to the FT line. Blake can back him up
Eventually, Bayless could be that #1 guy, but the 2008-2009 team can’t wait for his development
Sergio is a much better 2nd unit PG on this team
Steve Blake on that 2nd unit would be a complete misuse of talent. A ton of players that can run led by the plodding Steve Blake. Steve Blake should be the first of the three to go.
Well, that could easily happen
If Blake was included in the deal for a veteran point guard
Another possibility is that the 2nd unit’s uptempo “style” could change if Sergio was dealt. Players like Batum and Rudy may eventually migrate into the starting lineup and the bench could be reconstructed with Blake, Joel, Martell, etc. Instead of an uptemp white unit you could wind up with a more veteran crew who run the setup offense
I’d like to see the starters run more, since they’re playing 75% of the minutes, anyway. Replacing Blake with a veteran PG who can run a fast break is the quickest way to achieve this. (But starting Sergio is not the answer)
That doesn't seem like it's going to happen.
Honestly, it would be better if Sergio was the backup, a player who has filled the potential that Bayless has would be the starter. If he makes it that far, I could see that being his role on the team. I hope I hope I hope.
agreed
if we had a veteran pg, there’d be no need for blake. agreed on running as well…nate has all the pieces to run, and even in games where we have rebounding advantages he still elects not to run when that was his main reason for not running last year.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:52 PM PST up reply actions
no one is asking for sergio to start
just a bigger role.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:52 PM PST up reply actions
I agree with everyone.
Yeah, it’s true.
1) Sergio is better this year.
2) Steve is better than Sergio.
3) We need Rudy on the floor even when Sergio isn’t.
4) We need Roy and Rudy to learn to play together so they can close out games.
5) Sergio would get more minutes on some other teams.
6) Sergio and/or his agent are jumping the gun and making selfish, inappropriate, and divisive noise.
7) We envision Bayless as the PG of the future.
8) Sergio is a crybaby with delusions of grandeur.
9) Sergio isn’t seen the same way by Nate as he is by some fans.
10) Sergio needs to be patient. A lot can happen over the course of a season.
Some observations: I watched closely last night and noticed that Sergio has tunnel vision when he is on the court w/ Rudy. He only sees Rudy. A couple of times he totally missed Travis in easy scoring opportunities. That combined with Two Deep’s observations about lack of enthusiasm makes me wonder about his team ethic. He has always seemed a bit self absorbed.
I also want to see Roy and LMA’s minutes reduced this year. If Nate could play the second unit together for most of the 2nd quarter, and some in the 2nd half, that would facilitate Sergio’s need for minutes, would give Sergio and Rudy time together, and would reduce minutes for our 1st teams stars. Then towards the end of the game we put a team on the floor that gives us the best chance to win.
by crakarjack on Nov 7, 2008 11:09 AM PST reply actions 2 recs
Excellent summary
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
Patience?
It’s his 3rd year in the blazers uniform. He was a guy clearly over the curve and his progression is stopped since he is a blazer. Nate doesn’t trust him, and he probably won’t trust him. I think it’s clear that Portland isn’t the best place for him. The better for all is to trade Sergio.
Patience if he wants to be a Blazer.
I am not arguing that a trade isn’t the best option. I am saying that he is very young, he has only been in the league 3 years, he only recently seems to have improved in the areas that would keep anyone from playing, it’s a long year, Nate is experimenting w/ Roy at PG (which may not work out), a running game is less likely until Oden is playing like we hope, Bayless may not work out, Sergio may become better than Blake, etc.
Nate doesn’t trust Sergio? You believe that because Sergio’s agent said it? Maybe Nate thinks that having Roy and Rudy playing together would benefit the team more than having Sergio and Rudy or Sergio and Roy on the floor. That doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t trust him. Last year he probably didn’t, which was because he is a great judge of talent and skills. These press releases probably don’t add a lot to a trusting relationship.
i believe nate doesnt trust sergio
bc he pulls him out of the game after 1 mistake.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 7, 2008 4:53 PM PST up reply actions
He's hit plenty of other guys for assists
More likely than not the tunnel-vision for Rudy situation are probably when Nate calls a Rudy play.
Free Sergio! http://www.freesergio.com
Color Crakarjack green... That about sums it up...
Unless ya want to add
11) This whole subject is pretty much academic, since Sergio will be gone by the trade deadline, one way or another.
FREE SERGIO -- Trade Him or Cut Him NOW!!!
Wow. Hollinger says the Blazers are blowing it with him
He basically says Portland plays plodding, old, slow, and jump shooting, and Sergio would be a great player in a different offense.
I’m surprised he called out the Blazers, but it makes sense.
I really disagree with your statement that the Blazers are "blowing it with him."
Hollinger doesn’t say that, he just says that he is not a good fit with our style. Basically, we need to either 1) trade him, or 2) come up with offensive sets that utilize him in a faster-paced tempo.
Hollinger was not denigrating the Blazers, just saying that, stylistically, he’s not a great fit.
"For the past two seasons it's been like, 'They're young, they're going to need some time,"' Roy said. "It doesn't feel like that this season."
Hollinger's article was fact-based, but very subtle
I definitely got a hint of “Portland’s not using a player as well as they could, and he’d do better elsewhere”.
Sure, it’s a gentle point, but it was not meant as a positive about Portland’s handling of one of their own players.
For Hollinger (who’s very stat-based), this actually felt like a minor call-out to the misuse of a player to me. I’d totally get why we see it differently though, and not saying either of us are right, just seeing it differently.
He didn't call out the Blazers,
he talked about their style of play. He can’t (and didn’t) criticize their style unless he would also criticize the Spurs, Pistons, Celtics, etc.
I was hoping he sticks around for the entire season
to ensure Rudy has a smooth transition. Then cut him loose.
Sergio’s erratic defense and outside shooting reminds me of the ‘in twilight years of his career’ player known as Jason Kidd.
when i get sad, i stop being sad & become awesome again. true story.
The major difference being that
Sergio is only going to get better at those things, Kidd is only going to get worse.
"For the past two seasons it's been like, 'They're young, they're going to need some time,"' Roy said. "It doesn't feel like that this season."
Yep. Opposite ends of the curve.
We know Jason ain’t getting better at this point. It’s just a matter of wondering about Sergio’s ceiling.
And yet his 3 pt shot looks sick this year. Just sayin
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
OH MY GOD! :O What a repercussion has create my post!!
The whole people read blazersedge.com!!
Makes you wonder
Was KP envisioning a more uptemp team 3 years ago when he scouted/drafted Sergio? Then Roy came along and changed those expectations? Whatever the intention was when KP drafted Sergio, it’s pretty obvious to most everyone that Rodriguez needs a change of scenery
Once again, I recommend a deal to the Knicks. D’Antoni would have to love #11’s game
Estoy de acuerdo contigo, two4larue
His style is for Knicks, Suns, Heat…
We could really use a full fanpost to explain why...
“Brandon Roy” and “up tempo” are considered to be mutually exclusive.
Brandon seems to handle the break well when it’s available to him, and actually seems to be a decent fast-break defender as well. I don’t believe we’re a slow team in order to accommodate Brandon Roy.
I think we’re a slow team to accommodate Nate McMillan.
Bye Sergio
It was fun watching you play defense like a sieve for three years
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Nov 7, 2008 3:11 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Damn that's hate
A deal to the Knicks? You look at their roster lately? Who do you want in return? And don’t say Lee, he’s not leaving NY. Truth is, you’d all be whining the day after the deal when we get beans back for him.
Oden/Pryz
LMA/Frye
WebFoot/Trout
Roy/Rudy
Blake/Bayless
**Champs 08-09**
by BigCelPhone on Nov 7, 2008 4:33 PM PST reply actions
Wait...MAGIC beans?
’Cuz those are cool.
Maybe we can climb the beanstalk and find another backup for Greg Oden.
—Dave
Nice contribution
That got me thinking for a long time… but I think we might have to throw in Frye to get the magic beans.
these issues are all connected...
Hollinger’s argument appllies to Rudy Fernandez as well.
BRoy and uptempo are exclusive because Brandon has tailored his game to Nate’s style. Watch how slowly he moves when he’s bringing the ball up!
I think a trade is coming.
A trade involving Sergio and Rudy in a package might bring to Portland a good starter PG. But I don´t think it happens.
Sergio + Rudy = 16
Sergio + Bayless = 16
Batum 8+8=16
Rudy isn't going anywhere
Rudy has played 5 NBA games and the chemistry between Roy and Rudy is still embryonic. He is still mostly standing on the opposite side of the court and watching Roy play a 2-man game with LMA. That will change soon enough. I don’t believe we have begun to see what Rudy can bring to this team once he and Roy figure out how to play together. In the mean time, he is our 3rd leading scorer playing only 27 minutes a game (6th on the team) and shooting 48% (44% on 5.0 3’s per game) and 94% at the line.
Rudy is Best Buy gift card from our billionaire Uncle Paul. We don’t know what its limit is yet, but we know its going to be worth a lot.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Nov 8, 2008 1:13 AM PST up reply actions
I love Rudy's game
He’s my favorite Blazer at the moment. But a GMs job is to look at all options, and to consider team chemistry. And that has a lot to do with the coach. Also, if we really want to get a quality veteran PG, we may have to give up something more than our supporting cast. Rudy is not a natural 1. And neither is Roy. I agree that they may develop something great, but it is likely to create some real problems too, defensively for example.
My guess is that KP is looking at these personnel and PT issues and is looking to lose two, maybe three of our “project” guys for a proven PG or SF. I sure hope it’s the PG, because I love the project that is Nic Batum and think he can work in to Nate’s scheme. Also I think that our greatest need is at the 1.
Rudy is more of a challenge for Nate and Roy’s Blazers because, like Sergio, he is more of a dynamic type offensive player (No surprise that Sergio and Rudy play a similar brand of basketball!).
Obviously, it wouldn’t be our first choice, but if a solid veteran PG is a Rudy Fernandez away from coming to Portland, it wouldn’t surprise me if KP pulls the trigger.
Paul won't let it happen,
and neither would KP. Once upon a time there was a dead-eye European guard named Drazen Petrovic that could only get about 13 minutes a game playing behind a fellow named Drexler. So we traded him without even trying to play them together. Petrovic went on to average 21/22 ppg in 37/38 minutes the next two seasons for the Nets. Nate and KP weren’t here to see that happen, but Paul Allen was. Paul didn’t go to Spain to personally talk Rudy into giving up millions of dollars to play here, so he could make the same mistake again that he did with Petrovic. Rudy isn’t going anywhere before we get a long look at how good he may become in the NBA.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Nov 8, 2008 2:56 AM PST up reply actions
interesting....
thanks blazerfan for the background!
Call me crazy, but
If I had to chose between trading Brandon Roy or trading Rudy Fernandez, I would trade Roy.
Roy is basically an isolation player. He is at his best going 1-on-1 against a defender and driving past them. Roy is excellent at scoring in traffic, and if the defenders collapse on him he is good at finding an open shooter. Roy is good at what he does, but there are a lot of good isolation players in the NBA and I would actually like to see us moving away from this type of offense.
Rudy’s style is different. Rudy is already one of the best in the NBA at moving without the ball and utilizing his quickness and screens set by teammates to get open. Rudy is a top-notch shooter when he gets open, and he can make flashy finishes at the rim as well. Rudy makes spectacular post entry passes, and can start a fast break with his outlet passing. Rudy can frequently be seen on both the sending and receiving end of alley-oop passes. Basically, Rudy’s game is a joy to watch, and he has a lot of skills that are pretty rare in today’s NBA.
I think that the more team-oriented style of Rudy is more entertaining and will be more beneficial to this team in the future than the isolation style of Roy. This ream is going to have a lot of offensive talent in the future, and I don’t think that an offense that focuses on running isolation plays for a few players is the best way to take advantage of that. Additionally, Roy has a ton of trade value and Rudy has a ridiculously favorable contract that would give us a lot of flexibility in the future.
I think Rudy and Roy will be able to work out their differences and become an effective team. I certainly hope that they will be able to. However, if we are eventually forced to choose between the two, Rudy is the one that I would hang onto.
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