THE Link

I'm in the pro-Sergio camp, but I don't think it's unreasonable for him to accept the challenges that Nate has set for him to earn playing time. And if it IS part of a long-range approach (THIS is what the culture will be like here), then it's hard to argue, even though it's hard to see Sergio on the bench during Blake's dull stretches or Jack's ineffective ones...

Before we throw Jack under the bus, we need to realize that we're only 3 games into the season. Players go through slumps all the time, especially young players, and part of "development" is learning how to play through and play out of these slumps.

On top of that, we need to realize that our own impressions of Sergio might be blown out of proportion (and this is coming from a HUGE Sergio fan). Last year, he came out of relative obscurity to cement himself deep within our hearts as a fan favorite because he was our one player (2 if you count Outlaw) that would consistently push the tempo. We loved him for that and, most importantly, we wanted to see more of him.

The problem is, as Nate pointed out, that Sergio has flaws. Last year, he had the language barrier on top of the fact that he was a rookie point guard. This year, he has more experience, but the playbook is noticeably simplified when Sergio is running the show. We become an up-tempo team that uses the pick-and-roll as it's bread-and-butter. Period. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's just simpler than some of the rotations that the first line run.

Secondly, don't put too much stock in the predicted success of Sergio Rodriguez by ESPN.com and SI.com. I think Sergio will be an awesome, exciting point guard, but any player who averages 12.3 assists per 48 minutes is going to appear to be future star. I think the Wages of Wins article about future stars was a real eye-opener because 3 of their 5 "Future Stars" are no longer in the NBA... You can also think of it this way- If Josh McRoberts comes in and grabs 2 rebounds in 1 minute, he's carrying a 96 rebounds per 48 minutes average. Should he be predicted to be the next Dennis Rodman?

Thirdly, if we did add Sergio to the first line right now (or increase his playing time to `first unit' minutes), it's not difficult to predict some of the problems that we might have.

1.)    Sergio seems to have improved his jumper this summer but our sample size is limited because he hasn't really shot a lot this season and preseason. Opposing starters might just take their chances and let Sergio shoot all night, which probably isn't in our best interests.

2.)    As Nate pointed out and we mostly agree on, Sergio's defense isn't quite ready for `first line' exposure. None of our point guards have been all that intimidating on the defensive end, but the difference is, that Jack and Blake look comfortable in both man-to-man and our team defenses. Sergio looks a little lost, especially when we are in our Zone defenses.

3.)    And we can talk + / - numbers all day, but the bottom line is that NO team coached by Nate McMillan will result to simply "scoring more than their opponents." I don't know if you knew this, but when Coach McMillan sleeps, he doesn't snore. Instead, he twitches and mutters "Defense, Defense, Defense."

4.)    Sergio is also at a disadvantage because he doesn't naturally mold into an off-guard when Brandon Roy plays the point. I think they could eventually work this out, but as of now, either Sergio or Roy would lose something when they're both on the floor together.

Now, I'm not in love with Jarrett Jack either, but I think yanking him out after 3 rough games is the worst possible scenario in the BIG picture of our future dynasty. Jack has a lot of the physical tools to be a very good player in the NBA. He's thick, he's got some speed, and when he's playing aggressive, he's got a really solid offensive game. He just needs to get his swagger back, sort of like Matt Damon in "The Legend of Bagger Vance." Does anyone know if Will Smith is available?

I guess we really need to redefine the term "rebuilding." I don't think you can say that the Blazers are "rebuilding" in the sense that they are overhauling the roster and starting over. We've "rebuilt." Now, we just need to find out what still remains and develop that.

"I have talked with McMillan several times over the past year about Sergio, and his lack of playing time. At times, McMillan has become defensive, and I would say probably more than any other topic, the questions about Sergio tend to rankle McMillan the most."

Nate have been treating Sergio in a very special way, compared to others. He might still like him but he's been extraordinarily strict to his turnover. We barely heard his praise about Sergio. He deosn't substitute Sergio in a logical and consistent way. He is sending mixed message.

People aren't asking major minutes for Sergio. They are asking consistent sub pattern. They want to make sure our coach is giving players fair chances, motivating them, and encouraging them.

Last year I asked more PT for Aldridge. I was pissed that Nate gave Magloire all the PT but gave Aldridge some DNP in December. But from Jan. things were getting better. Aldridge didn't play major minutes but he could always get some PT and learned. That's what I want for Sergio. I need to make sure he'll be given fair chance.