Sergio and Portland. A look from Spain.

try “absurdly young” or “insultingly young”. Is that really colloquial Spanish? The grammar looks very much like English to me with mostly Spanish words. Great translation, thanks for the look at how Spain views the Sergio situation.

Oh yeah, first.

this is a very interesting take on Sergio’s current situation in Portland. It is sad because obviously people in Spain see potential in Sergio that has not transfered into his game here. Lack of minutes may be the problem, but even so, why waste the minutes on Sergio when he has not shown us anything impressive? I wish him luck wherever he ends up, hopefully he can stay in the NBA.

I love that line.

My favorite line was “a hurricane named Jerryd Bayless.”

I’m impressed with how much Juanma Rubio knows about the Blazers — much more than some U.S. journalists, for sure.

The author seems very knowledgeable of the situation in Portland, realistically assessing Sergio’s chances and why the coach doesn’t play him that much. But it reads like a lot of people in Spain don’t share that view. They feel like Sergio is so talented he should play more, and especially blame coach McMillan for this.

Is that impression correct, that a lot of people don’t understand why Sergio doesn’t play more and is not yet considered a rising star in the US which he was voted to be in the ACB? Did Sergio foster that opinion in Spain by complaining about not playing enough (I don’t think so, and it would have to be much stronger than in his last interviews)?

He is obviously very knowledgeable and tuned into what is happening in Portland.

One of your best ever in my opinion. I thought your translation was astounding, you have really picked up the English language and could probably teach me a thing or two at this point. That was a great read and Rubio absolutely nailed it, he explained the way I feel about Sergio better than anything I have ever read. Thanks a ton for sharing! You da man!!!!

Portland, the team in everyone´s lips.

If one wishes to explore in depth into the difficulties that Sergio will be facing in his third season in the NBA, it is first necessary to analyze the absolutely exciting prospects anticipated for Portland in the coming season. Almost unanimously, the Trail Blazers are one of the teams that the whole world wants to see playing. It is a young and talent-laden franchise, painstakingly reconstructed over several years through Kevin Pritchard’s excellent work and is considered a playoff team already and to be competitive for a championship in the mid-term. The playoffs look like a real goal for the coming season, given that last year, with Oden injured, they finished an even 41-41 in the extremely difficult Western Conference.

This year, a step back is expected from some teams, creating an opening for Portland, which in its past “Jail Blazer” days held no such bright prospects. But the “Jail Blazers” period has been deemed ended once and for all with Darius Miles’s departure and now Portland is represented by a young and squeaky-clean group — and people have started talking.

The Blazers have competition at the SF position, with Martell Webster developing and improving his shot (projected to start the season in the first unit), as well as the power of Travis Outlaw, who can additionally play PF t and could wind up the starter at the end of the season.

Quality is not absent either in the backcourt, rather the opposite; Brandon Roy is, in my opinion, one of the great players in the league (and he will be much better). No friend of gratuitous showiness, Roy’s game is an example of intelligence and elegance on the court. Roy has already has played minutes as PG, a fact which will harm Sergio´s playing time but will benefit Rudy Fernandez, who has raised expectations in the US with his performance in the past Olympics. At the PG position they have Steve Blake, a good player and a PG of McMillan’s liking. Jarrett Jack’s departure, theoretically beneficial for Sergio, coincides with the arrival of a hurricane named Jerryd Bayless. This number 11 of the NBA draft, whom many expected to go at a higher position, is pure ambition and a real physical talent with excellent scoring abilities. Bayless was the MVP in Summer League and is an explosive player who is earning McMillan’s confidence. In Portland many are already calling for him to start at PG, despite the fact that he is more a scorer than a distributor. Nevertheless, it seems this might make him into a good match for Roy, with the two alternating the theoretical roles of PG and SG.

As for Sergio Rodríguez …

Nate McMillan has been able to direct the successful transformation of the team with a firm hand, employing a style of play that I like. McMillan looks to me like a good teacher and a guy with clear ideas and a concept — into which till now Sergio Rodríguez has not entered. Because of this, many people have spoken from Spain against McMillan. But this honestly does not seem fair to me. For example, from my perspective, Sam Mitchell is a bad coach (in spite of having been a Coach of the Year). Mitchell was in charge of the Toronto´s setback in the past season, and his management of the situation between Calderon and TJ Ford was terrible, among other things. By way of contrast, McMillan looks like a good coach, though certainly I would wish that he had given more opportunities to Sergio.

The Blazers´ potential is scary. The roster is balanced and shockingly young, with one of the most promising inside games of the league: LaMarcus Aldridge (a player I like a lot and who is constantly improving) and Greg Oden, who didn´t make his debut last season and is expected to be a totally dominant center. If both Oden and Bynum develop as expected, their duels with opponents in the West should be memorable. In addition, they have help in the paint in the form of the hard-working Przybilla and the skill of Frye, another player who is developing. Frye did not start well in Portland after his arrival from the Knicks, but he improved in the last part of the season, demonstrating some of the great things of which he is capable.

A season for fighting against everything.

So the coming year appears to be very difficult for Sergio, who has to work harder than ever for a spot that it currently seems he does not have on the team — a position that will vanish if the season begins well for the Blazers without him in the regular rotation. Everything seems set against him. Bayless could be a sensation or he could be much less, at least in his rookie year. But already he´s more appreciated among the technical staff and the fans. Blake is currently set to be the starter and Bayless the second unit PG. Moreover, I contend, it is reasonable to think that Roy might increase his minutes as playmaker, depending on the Rudy and Webster´s performance.

Meanwhile, Sergio has defensive problems, a spectacular but erratic sense of floor leadership [???], inconsistency, and very poor shooting ability from distance. While it is true that his defense is not good and that in his few minutes in court he has alternated genius with errant decisions, McMillan has no other players with Sergio’s court vision. However, the Spanish player is in a vicious and very destructive circle, since his own confidence decreases as his coach withdraws it of him and his game degenerates when he tries to demonstrate too many things in the few minutes he has on the floor. A PG of his style needs precisely what he does not have: minutes, confidence, safety, and sufficient integration into the game to know the routines of his teammates.

It is also true that Sergio’s shooting percentage from distance is lacking, which reduces his value for an anticipated style of game in which outside shooters will get many opportunities due to the strength of the team in the key. With James Jones in Miami, Blake will be more important in this function. The past season’s statistics show that Blake missed 20% of his open shots. Sergio missed 40%.

At this point, Sergio has spent two very important years for his development as player on the bench and is no more than a prospect, for better or worse. He must recover from a bad season and his omission from the Olympic Games and turn these blows into motivating forces. He knows that has to work harder than ever from the very first day, and for this reason Blazer shooting coach John Townsend went to the Canaries this summer to work with Sergio, trying to improve his shot, giving it more arch and greater efficiency. Even with all these efforts, however, it is probable that Sergio won´t have many opportunities and that he is already out of the plans of McMillan, who has never had a special appreciation for Sergio’s game, unlike GM Kevin Pritchard.

Now in Portland they speak even more of Petteri Koponen’s progression, whereas the new Spanish pearls at which the whole world points in the NBA are Rudy, Marc, and Ricky Rubio, the latter of whom they are waiting open arms in America. The Blazers are even considering extending a contract to Shaun Livingston, the promising PG whose path has blocked by a terrible knee´s injury.

In face of all these circumstances, it is possible that Sergio should look for a trade if he wishes to play minutes in the NBA, or return to Europe, where he would also have to fight to recover the lost time. Honestly, I do not know what option is best for him. I do not know if he can develop his clearly evident potential and become an important player (or at least an active participant) in the NBA. It is difficult to say at the moment. Two years ago, my response had been positive and two months ago negative because I saw him doomed to return. This doesn´t presume that a return is either a step backwards or a surrender in his career, but rather a matter of seeking what is best for him. In any case, the waiting period is ending and this season will remove all doubt.

Now many people in Portland see Sergio as trade bait, or as a simple translator and guide for Rudy in his first season in Oregon. I have lost faith, but I continue to believe that still there is very good basketball player inside Sergio Rodríguez. Surely not in Portland — I do not know if in the United States.

I hope I’m wrong but in any case we will have answers soon.

————

I’m probably the only guy that thinks this, but I think Sergio is the 2nd string point guard at the start of the season. He has two years under his belt in Nate’s system, he’s improved, he has played with everyone on the team except Bayless, Ike, and Oden, and it is his position to lose.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Bayless will probably be the starter one day and Blake will slide to the back up, and retire as a Blazer. That means that Sergio will get squeezed out.

The way I see it happening is after a couple of months Bayless will be playing so well that Nate will have to give him more minutes. If Sergio starts the season as a back up, he’ll get enough playing time to re-perk teams interest in him and just as Bayless claims the second job, Sergio will be moved. Blake will stay the starter this year and maybe next year, then it is all Bayless.

Nate likes vets, Sergio has two years on Bayless, and Bayless is just a teen. Bayless is also more of a shooting guard than point guard. He’s not going to become a point guard over night.

Back in the day I said Rudy and Roy will be on the floor together and it turned into Rudy and Roy starting together. Folks said that would never happen since they are both shooting guards an neither of them could guard the other team’s point guard. Bayless can guard the other team’s point guard, but I think Rudy has better point guard skills. We all know Brandon can play the point too.

Lets say after the trade deadline, Sergio is gone (for a draft pick and not replaced with another player) and Blake goes down with an injury. Who will be the starting point guard then? My answer is Roy and either Bayless or Fernadez starts at shooting guard, based on the athletic ability of the opposing point guard.

Fun translation from an entertaining and informed blogger.

Thank you.

This has been my impression, as well. KP and his scouts liked Sergio’s game (read: potential) enough to draft him, but Nate and his coaches haven’t been enamored with Rodriguez’ contributions to the ballclub on the floor

Sergio was a run & gun Nash backup