Subscribe Feed (RSS)Now he’s reportedly upset with the Blazers for chasing Hedo Turkoglu:
Portland’s pursuit of a certain player from Turkey has infuriated the Trail Blazers’ lone remaining Spanish player, Rudy Fernandez, to the point where he’d prefer to play in Greece, Russia or even Spain again, ESPN.com learned Tuesday.
A league source told ESPN.com that Fernandez has already been courted informally by European powerhouses Olympiacos, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and CSKA Moscow as word spread that the Blazers had become the apparent front-runners to land free agent Hedo Turkoglu.
And then this:
The Blazers have been made aware of Fernandez’s feelings, the source said. The source added that Fernandez has not formally requested a trade but has expressed his dissatisfaction with the way he was used by Portland coach Nate McMillan over the course of his rookie season. Fernandez averaged 26 minutes off the bench and scored 10.2 points per game, rarely handling the ball or acting as an offensive initiator — two of Turkoglu’s specialties.
Every time I write it, people want to skewer me, but the fact is, Rudy didn’t come over here to be somebody’s backup. He’s been a star his whole life. Long-term, as long as Brandon Roy is here, Rudy is never going to be a starting off-guard, which is what he wants to be. You might as well trade him now — because later you’re going to lose leverage if he stomps his feet and goes home in a snit.
Better to trade him while you have options than wait until he’s holding all the cards. You might get one more season from him where he’s content, but that’s going to be about it.
LATE ADD: The word around the league is that Rudy’s agent has made it clear to the Trail Blazers that if Turkoglu signs with Portland, it’s time to trade Rudy.
Tags: Dwight Jaynes, Hedo Turkoglu, Portland Trail Blazers, Rudy Fernandez
It’s like I said….This big $$ contract is going to piss guys off BIG TIME that took less money to play in Portland. No big suprise to me here.
This is a tough situation for the management to be in. Obviously we all hope Rudy can stay and fit in but I agree with you Dwight in the idea that he may not have a desirable spot on this team.
Good luck with this one Pritchard.
I’ve actually been wondering if the Blazers have a deal in the works that would move Rudy and Outlaw, because the intense pursuit of Hedo seems to leave little room for them. Maybe a deal for Harris involving Rudy?
Glad I didn’t buy the red Rudy number 5 jersey at washington square today.
Remember how careful Mom used to be about slicing the pie, so that all of them were the same size? Because it was all out war if somebody got the bigger piece. Yeah KP it’s kinda like that….
Wow you mean a player is complaining of not getting enough playing time?
Lots of players are used to being the stars Dwight…then they come to play in the NBA and they are quickly humbled…
If he wants to be a ‘STAR’, than he should play instead with one of those ‘european powerhouses’
Rudy is a good player and I agree his minitues should go up, but make no mistake this is Brandon’s team and oh by the way the next in line is Aldridge followed by Oden ect…you get the drift
Maybe he could be a star in a place like minnesota. However, on a championship level team he is the supporting cast
Reality bites
I think you make good points about Rudy. I won’t dispute them.
At the same time, this news is a bit baffling. I’m going to be surprised if this is true.
I like Rudy, but I’m not opposed to moving him. That said, I wouldn’t move him right now, not when you have rumors, accurate or not, that he wants out. I think there are still moves coming to address the logjam of players and dearth of minutes for everyone, so until we see what the final product is of KP’s summer planning, I think it’s premature to say we should do this or we should do that with a player that we weren’t talking about moving until now (well, not you, Dwight, but the rest of us.)
This is getting very entertaining! KP is effing up his one opportunity to take the team to the promised land and the “KP Walks on Water” crowd is going crazy watching the path to an NBA championship become less certain by the day.
Nice job KP, the only one that still thinks you’re a genius is….you.
given that turkoglu signs, there won’t be any cap space, so trading rudy brings back just another 1.3 million dollar player. if we were able to trade for an all star quality point, like cp3 or devin harris, there wouldn’t be the need to sign turkoglu, who wants to handle a fair share.
on the other hand, the blazers may placate rudy by telling him he will play with hedo and roy a fair amount, although that means rudy must guard a point.
at the top end, he should expect to play and shoot about as much as last year. batum, on the other hand has to wonder if he’ll play at all if webster returns as a back up. webster is untradeable after sitting out all year, so if he can run, he’ll get some minutes.
this really sucks. I don’t understand what the deal is with these spanish guys acting like this. We’ve seen it from Sergio, Rudy, Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, Calderon, etc. Is it just me, or are they overly high on themselves? I know they’re good, but wow.
Rudy needs to check himself. The Blazers took a risk on him, waited a year and then gave him quite a few minutes his rookie season. Now he’s going to try to dictate the direction of the team in his 2nd season? Sorry, that’s not the type of temperment we need in a player.
Time to explore a trade with NJ for Harris.
I really dont care what Rudy says, since I dont see him playing here much longer anyway. It just doesn’t maximize your assests to have such a talent behind BRoy. Especially when that talent can only play one position. At least BRoy can slide to PG or SF.
We should trade him to Memphis. Let him get minutes instead of wins for a few years, that should humble him.
I maybe the odd one out but I want Rudy to stay another year at least, trading for Hedo to me is not an option. The Blazers put out a ton of merchandise for Rudy enticing the fans, yes me too, to buy buy and buy. We bought and bought and now to have him gone in one years time is very sad. Frankly he is the most animated on the floor as well he gets the fans involved as well. I like the rest of the blazers too but to me he is a keeper at least for another year.
If they sign Turk, look for him and Rudy to be starters and Roy the PG…
KP is brilliant
@dwight do the nba sources explain why signing Turkoglu makes him so upset? is really minutes? did Rudy think he was going to be a SF for the Blazers? did he have eyes on trying to take that starting SF spot next year or something?
I guess my point is that if the Blazers trade way a SF or two (which it seems like they have to if they sign Hedo), then how does signing Hedo change Rudy’s situation at all?
Or is it simply a belief that Hedo will mean reduced minutes and clutch shots for Rudy?
I’m just a bit baffled at the logic. I guess I can no longer doubt the veracity, but I don’t get the reasoning about how Hedo signing impacts Rudy.
God portland fans are annoying. Listen to yourselves. Even one comment irked me in general.
“Portland took a risk in Fernadnez”
LOL… Comment of the year. Umm… Fernandez took roughly a 500% paycut to come here. Oh and he also had to spend 500K of his own money to come here…. in a backup role to Travis Outlaw none-the-less ….. So again, who took the risk?
Ego has nothing to do with this one. There are minutes that need to be played. Roy with 38 minutes a game leaves 10 minutes. Why do we not play Rudy the majority of minutes and find a BACKUP SF? If you say he is too small, why not try him at our gaping hole of a PG position?
The problem also isn’t with the Spanish players, as much as it is a problem with the coaches. Did you think Nate used Rudy effectively? Did he keep him in games when he was hot? Did he draft up plays for him?
Comon now Portland.. get off your high stick and open your eyes. Yep, it was Zach, Miles, Rudy, Sergio, Jack, Bayless, Von Wafer, etc… I will admit that is a troublesome list… but what do they all have in common? They all hated Nate.
So who do we have supporting Nate? Blake, whom has excelled by being given minutes at all costs. Roy, who is an all-star and knows no better. McMillian was also a childhood hero for him. Outlaw? Jury is out on that one, he hasn’t stated one way or another. LaMarcus? Sure, he kinda likes him….. Oden? Not said one way or another. Joel? Sure he likes him, he “got a chance” under him..
BUt the rest disklike him…
I think Rudy is going to be included in a package to land a PG. Dwight, you had this one pegged. Rudy played 26 minutes per game last season and I can’t see any scenario where he plays more than that in Portland. Portland better move him now. His value will only go down especially if his minutes are reduced. Time to act now KP.
I agree with Panama. There is a much larger picture to be seen here, and I don’t think it’ll come into focus until a couple of more moves are made.
It kills me when people mention Rudy as swinging to the 3 spot…if anything, he’s closer to a PG. A linup of Rudy, Roy, Turk, LMA, and Oden would be devastating on the offensive end. Yes the D might be lacking a bit…but I have to think that Rudy can stay in front of opposing PG’s as well as Blake. Think about the spacing involved. Both Turk and Rudy run the pick and roll FAR better than Roy…just due to the fact that they are much more willing passers.
This report is garbage. Fabrication. I can’t believe you people are biting on it. Fools!
I’m wondering at this point if Rudy could be the piece to get us that upper echelon PG. Package him with Outlaw and Bayless(he won’t want to be a bench player). That’s not a bad package at all for any team looking for cheap talent with long term potential. I hate the idea of getting rid of Bayless and Rudy though man. This sucks…but I’ll forget all about it if we win a title.
As stated, Rudy played about 26 minutes a game last year and that’s with a lot of minutes where either he or Roy played small forward. Those minutes won’t be there if Hedo signs with Portland. Hedo will get 36 mins. a game and either Batum or Webster will get the backup minutes. And if they bring in another point guard, then Rudy’s going to be lucky to play 20 mins. a game. I don’t blame him for being upset. He cost himself a lot of dough by coming here.
I’d call Minnesota and offer Rudy for Flynn, or even better Rudy and Outlaw for Flynn and Kevin Love, though we may need to sweeten the pot with next years first, but the salaries work and it fills two big time needs.
Also works multiple ways for Minnesota making it more appealing for Rubio and helping to balance their roster (Love and Jefferson can’t really play on he court together)…..
If Rudy is really thin skinned and much more into minutes than a championship than I say good riddance….
More idiots post. Whatever.
BTW – Do you think the Blazers are going to trade Spain for Turkey for fan support and sales? Spain is a big market for NBA. Who is going to drive more revenue towards the team?
If this is even debated, SPain wins.
Dwight -
Who said that Batum/Webster/Outlaw/Blake will definitely be in Portland next season?
Spanish players are such divas! Your first year in the league, you don’t like your role, and so you bitch about it? I guess PDX has seen the last of any spanish players.
Or, even Baylees?
Mr. Jaynes, on this one you’re wrong. Fernandez is a playmaking guard. Passing, movement, outside-in, fast breaks … he’s a catalyst. Paired with Roy is the smart move. Roy with 36, Rudy with 30 and their other guard (PG) with 30. 3 guard rotation and no rocket science.
Fernandez is simply more valuable than Blake or Bayless. It’s Coach Mac’s job to make it work … and this is not a matter of chemistry. It’s not quite the Drexler/Paxson/Jordan scenario or the Petro or the Wallace/Grant/O’Neal, either.
Simply put: Roy and Rudy are the two best guards, are both playmakers, and should be in Portland for the long-term.
THE SKY IS FALLING !!!
THE SKY IS FALLING !!!
THE SKY IS FALLING !!!
The myopic views of Blazer fans are certainly entertaining…. But that is what you get in a one trick, small dog and pony show town….
Bumpity +1
why do all spanish player whine like little bitches about there contracts and there playing time. Cry me a freaking river rudy! you are way over hyped anyways. Ship his ass to memphis and let him enjoy those 10 fans a night.
BlazerMVP “BTW – Do you think the Blazers are going to trade Spain for Turkey for fan support and sales? Spain is a big market for NBA. Who is going to drive more revenue towards the team?
If this is even debated, SPain wins.”
THATS GOT TO BE THE DUMBEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD FOR KEEPING SOMEONE. YOU BETTER BE JOKING.
First of all, never trust the Spanish media, or any sources. Until we hear it out of Rudy’s own mouth, I call BS. He was probably having some early afternoon sangrias on some beach and got carried away.
The Spanish media is even more like the enquirer than ESPN.
If anything Rudy and his agent are just reminding the front office that when it comes time to collect his payday, he still gets a piece of the action. Paul Allen will quickly change the course and coordinates on his yacht, land in Spain, they will all be happy with a bunch of models on board.
There will be plenty of minutes if Outlaw, Blake, are shipped out. And Webster won’t be ready to go all out. I said all along last year it was silly to play Blake and Outlaw monster minutes over Rudy. Rudy must have held that against Nate.
Umm stupid comment?
Spain NBA fan base is 10x the amount of Turkey NBA fan base.
That equates to jersey sales, television numbers, broadcasting rights, etc. It in turn equals revenue.
Do you understand that one Hairy Larry?
Assuming we move Travis. Hedo could play PF minutes freeing up space for Rudy/Roy at SF
Oh crap,I would be sick to see Rudy go..
To me he is such an exciting player,and he can play so well
without the ball. He makes things happen,instead of standing around
waiting for the ball.
On this team that is something that is badly needed.
What about the possibility of having a Portland future of PG (Bayless, FA, Blake, etc.) Roy, Rudy at the 3, LA, Oden?
Funny how people don’t want Turk because of his questionable D and then they turn around and want Rudy to start at the 3.
I can’t wait to read the first story from Dwight outlining how KP has completely screwed up Portland’s opportunity to build a dynasty. Nothing like watching KP and his bloated ego fall from the high horse in which he resides.
There’s really some fantastic racism going on here. Kudos.
I have been saying the same thing about Rudy for awhile now and I get skewered over at BE every time. Rudy is a valuable asset, but I don’t think we need a top 10 shooting guard as our backup at the 2 in order to win a title. I hope we can keep him, but I don’t think we HAVE to keep him.
One other thing – a backup shooting guard is probably the most fungible position in the NBA. Replacing Rudy with an adequate backup to Roy be a piece of cake, and if we can include Rudy in a package to secure a top flight PG that we could otherwise never attain through free agency, that’s a no-brainer.
People tend to forget that after KP and Nate had a meeting with Rudy a year ago, Rudy passed on offers (after taxes) 10x the rookie scale contract the Blazers could offer.
This franchise should show some respect for him, what he can do for the team and what he’s already done.
Show Rudy some respect? What? By not talking to the best FA on the market? That is your idea of respect?
Turk is an assest. If you are a savy GM, you sign the best assest, regardless. If Rudy is the man, he will get minutes regardless and maybe they move Turk next Dec for that PG we actually need. That isn’t even an option if you don’t sign him this summer.
Couldn’t possibly be that other NBA teams are fueling rumors like this because they want to lower Rudy’s trade value? Nah I mean those NBA GMs are totally transparent and honest and would never doing something like that…
How many people here would trade Hedo for Fernandez straight up? This has disaster written all over it. Fernandez is great and getting better. Hedo has reached his ceiling, and it’s not that high. What in God’s name is KP thinking? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
It is pretty obvious that if we bring in Turk then we have a major log jam and something has to give. Travis, Rudy, Martell, Batum, all coming off the bench at two spots. That is an untenable situation. All along we have been saying we have to move Travis when Martell comes back, because we won’t have room for all these guys. Now we have added another player that means two have to go.
Pritchard has already foreseen this and he will be moving two of them. This is why no deal happened at the deadline, these trades needed to wait until the FA period. Rudy easily has the most value so in all likelyhood he is gone. Too bad I really liked him, but times change.
Devin Harris? NJ just moved VC, and Harris is not going to win them a bunch of games and bring in the crowds. Rudy could do that. Rudy, Travis, and Ike Diogu’s trade exemption works just fine and dandy.
Judge,
we won’t be traidng Rudy for Hedo. You make it sound like signing Hedo means we give Rudy away for nothing.
If we do sign Hedo and trade Rudy in a package for a PG that is the trade we are making.
Say we trade Rudy, Blake and Outlaw for Devin Harris. A lineup of Harris, Roy, Hedu, LA and Oden, with Bayless, Webster, Batum, PF TBD and Joel as 2nd unit looks pretty good.
Even before this Turkoglu business, I was in favor of the Blazers streamlining their roster to clarify roles. As many people have pointed out, adding Turkoglu just worsens the log-jam on the wing.
I would like to see us stay out of the over-priced free agent market, and focus on this nine man core:
Blake/Bayless
Roy/Rudy
Batum/Rudy/Outlaw
Aldridge/Outlaw
Przybilla/Oden
After about nine players, any basketball roster starts to max out in terms of playing time and roles to fill. After that, you just start to accumulate disgruntled players, especially if they are young and iching to prove themselves.
Rudy is overrated – all he does is chuck up threes and play poor defense. He especially seems to have trouble defending bigger players, so putting him at the 3 position is asking for trouble (where he would be going up against bigger, and often quicker opponents).
If he truly is wanting more playing time, he won’t be content coming off the bench forever (which he will as long as Roy is here). Package him with Outlaw and Blake to go after Devin Harris. Andre Miller would be a mistake – his defense might be an improvement at the PG position, but his horrendous shooting would make some of the Blake naysayers eat their words.
I’m not buying it, although I’m sure Rudy did not appreciate the way we dumped Sergio.