For those of us who have long suspected that there were non-basketball considerations responsible for Sergio's continuing presence on the Blazers' roster, there appears to be confirmation in today's Oregonian. 

It's laid out on page D5.  Apparently the team has an international marketing strategy based on the presence of Sergio and Rudy on the team.  The Blazers are even talking about staging an exhibition game in Spain next year.  

Granted, the Blazers must be holding out hope that Sergio will improve to the point that he can be an adequate back-up point guard.  I don't believe they'd keep him around strictly as a marketing tool.  Roster spots are too valuable for that.  But do you really think the team would have stuck with him this long if there weren't other factors in play?  I don't think so; there are too many talented point guards out there--guys who can do more than dribble & pass.  Sergio might still learn to score and defend, but that strikes me as a major long-shot.  Generally, a player has to show a lot more than Sergio has in order to stick with an NBA team for this long.  I've floated theories before: that Sergio was Paul Allen's pet project, and/or that Sergio was "Rudy bait."  But maybe this international marketing angle is the real explanation for Sergio's remarkable staying power.  The Blazers have to get into the black somehow, and they might view tapping into the global market as the solution to their fiscal woes.