I thought I’d written about him for the last time this summer but he just won’t go away.Yes, he says he won’t report to the team. He’s daring them to suspend him.

This time he’s really overplayed his hand. The Blazers will probably be happy to do that. It’s much easier to be selective about trading him if this goes into the season and the team’s got him on the suspended list and isn’t paying him.

Rudy, my boy, that will not be a problem.

What is a problem, though, is that it’s entirely possible the Trail Blazers are once again going to overestimate the value of one of their players and end up not getting full value for him. For me, a middle first-round pick would have been fine at this point. Somewhere around 15 to 20 would have worked. I think they could have had that.

The problem is, Rudy’s value continues to diminish. Do not forget that his European options make it difficult for another team to take him on knowing that after just one season he might just bail and head back to Spain. I’m not sure you can expect another team to give up a whole lot knowing that he might just be a rental player for one season.

In the meantime, Rudy’s become quite the whiner. And that’s just no fun at all.

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As we get ready for the world championships, Rudy is still making it clear he wants no part of returning to Portland (tried to hit the translated link but it won’t let me, sorry. But it’s pretty easy to get one one the web somewhere). He says he’s frustrated and either wants to come back to Europe or be dealt to another team that plays the style of game that will take advantage of his skills. Mostly stuff we’ve all heard before.

But I thought this part was a little more pointed than some previous stuff:

P. Do you think that all were to blame McMillan? Have you made self-criticism?
R. Of course all the fault is not theirs. The coach holds the reins of the team and has to think about what is best for the group. That does it. It also has a philosophy of play and sometimes I did not fall. It is true that I have in front of Roy, who is a superstar and accumulated many minutes on the track. But I do not understand is that I have promised many things they are not carried out. I do not need someone telling me to go all day I’m very good or he sees me playing very well so that the end does not give you the role you expect. Those things hurt you mentally. Affect you because you said one thing and does the opposite. You start thinking about what you have done wrong, what is it that did not like … Accumulate all that and you just eat a headache to the point of not seeing you able to help the team and prefer to be on the bench.

I have to tell you, he’s going about this all wrong. It doesn’t have to be public. But at the same time, he does need to go someplace where he will play — and play his game. Otherwise, given how much money he’s losing by playing over here, he’s wasting time and money playing in the NBA.

Dragging this dispute into training camp would not be beneficial to anyone. In fact, it would be a big mistake for the Blazers that will only be a camp distraction — and it won’t become any easier to trade him later.

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Man, what a classic “dog-bites-man” story this is. I mean, seriously, is anybody surprised that Rudy Fernandez wants to be traded? Or that the team is trying to accommodate him?

Man, things change. And this is one of those times when the team definitely waited too long to deal him. A year ago this guy was thought to be a rising star and considered quite possibly to be one of the best young shooting guards in the world. Now? The Blazers will be lucky to get much for him.

I wrote a piece for Oregon Live last summer about Rudy and suggested the team should consider moving him. It’s worth a read just because it reminds us all how much we thought of the guy after his rookie season. And I may be the only one around who still believes he has a chance to be a very good NBA player.

All the reasons for Rudy to want out of here were easy to see coming down the track, like a freight train headed toward Portland. But man, I took a ton of flack for that piece and I ask that you take a look at the poll that accompanied it.

Nobody liked the idea. I was called an idiot every which way in the comments section of this blog. I know Kevin Pritchard didn’t like the idea because he told me so.

But these are the sorts of decisions that GMs are supposed to make earlier than fans. They’re the kind of decisions that are supposed to be made while a player still has value. I’m not sure Portland is going to get all that much for Fernandez, who seriously devalued himself with his work — or lack of same — in the playoffs last season.

There’s a lesson here — for fans, GMs and everyone else. And this is why general managers get paid upwards of a million bucks a year.

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More than you think.

First of all, I think it’s amusing that a defensive specialist, Bob Ociepka, is being added to the staff. Trust me, he’s necessary, even though Nate McMillan is supposed to also be a defensive specialist. The Blazers need huge defensive improvement if they want to do anything in the post-season. I just hope Ociepka can make an impact.

Buck Williams? He should do just fine, even though he’s not had any experience as a coach. He’s also not anyone who ever wowed anybody with his low-post offensive skills. But his work ethic and intensity are top notch and I believe it will rub off on his players.

Bernie Bickerstaff should make a good advisor to McMillan in team matters and I’m not really sure what his duties will be. Certainly, he’s not known as a great offensive mind.

And that’s the real disappointment in these moves — that the Blazers have not added anyone known as an offensive innovator. And all indications are that the Trail Blazers are going to continue exactly as they’ve been on offense — not setting many screens, not moving the ball or moving bodies well enough to get easy baskets. Not running. Ugh.

The second unit, always important to the way McMillan plays, is shaping up as nothing but defense. It will be extremely shy of firepower but will be loaded with stoppers. It will probably need to slow the game’s tempo to a crawl.

McMillan probably just wants to keep playing like he’s always played — relying on the three-point shot to keep his team’s offensive efficiency high. Brandon Roy will continue to have the ball in his hands all the time and the other players will wait around on the perimeter, spotting up for their chance to make an open three created by a double-team on Roy.

Don’t get me started again about this. It’s a strategy that is guaranteed to wear Roy down, to not work in the playoffs and to lead to low scores. Folks, this team is trending — because of acquisitions — toward being LESS powerful on offense and not more. The biggest acquisition of the off-season has been Wesley Matthews — a defensive player. The most likely player to depart? Rudy Fernandez? And Martell Webster is already gone. Two of the team’s best outside shooters!

Where does that lead this thing? There’s NO QUESTION in my mind that a deal must be made for a point guard who can make shots from distance. I don’t know if that’s Mo Williams — considered the most likely choice — or Jason Terry or whomever — but the only way this offensive system is going to work is for another Steve Blake to be found. Man, I can’t believe I just wrote that. (I also believe that point guard is NOT Chris Paul. Getting Paul would require the Blazers to do a complete overhaul on offense. And I don’t see McMillan doing that.)

With Webster and probably Fernandez gone, how are they going to spread the floor well enough for Roy — or Greg Oden, if he’s healthy — to have room to operate? Miller would not have room to get to the basket.  This thing isn’t going to work unless there’s one more shooter on the floor. Man, right now, there’s not even another one on the roster.

I assume, as I have now for weeks, that Rudy, Jerryd Bayless and Miller would go in the deal. There’s really no point of keeping Miller if you acquire a big-minute point guard — and the team that trades a point guard always needs one in return. Joel Pryzbilla’s expiring contract could also be used in this trade.

If something like this isn’t done, you’re going to see a real offensive mess again. It’s just not going to work. And all the new coaches in the world aren’t going to be able to repair it.

I still have a hunch they’ve got the framework of a deal already done, just waiting for Rich Cho to push the button. If not, they better hope Cho can pull a rabbit out of a hat.

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For some reason, The Oregonian did not have any interest in reporting on this story this morning. At times, I think they really don’t WANT you to buy their print product and would rather you find your news online somewhere.

Anyway, Wesley Matthews is a Trail Blazer, apparently, and the big question is what does that mean?

Well, as we said before, it portends more moves ahead this summer. Portland will be buying a backup for Brandon Roy at a very high price next season — $9.2 million. Which means Matthews is going to be playing a lot.

And it means there will be little or no playing time for Jerryd Bayless and Rudy Fernandez. Bayless is not a point guard — he’s established that. Fernandez is nothing but an off-guard — and one who has totally played his way out of the rotation here. So both are going to have to be dealt because neither is going to stick around for another season in a role where he doesn’t get significant playing time.

And it only makes sense that if you make any sort of 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 deal it’s got to be the big deal we’ve been waiting for here for a couple of seasons.

That deal has to be for a point guard. All other positions are covered and Andre Miller isn’t expected to be the player who will see this group through its window of opportunity. He’s too old. Plus, it appears the front office has bought into Nate McMillan’s vision that Roy has got to have the ball in his hands all the time and that the point guard has to be a big-time outside shooter. Miller will never qualify for that role.

I also believe there is probably already something in the works in this regard. If there isn’t, Portland will be seeking a deal out of weakness and not strength. I mean, everyone in the league now knows Bayless and Fernandez must be dealt, putting the team in a real position of weakness in any sort of deal.

I keep hearing Mo Williams is the target but I’m not sure how Houston matching the Cavs’ offer for Kyle Lowry affects any potential Portland deal. Everyone expects Cleveland, a real mess with the departure of LeBron James, to be active this summer in a frantic effort to rebuild. And the Cavs need players — a lot of them.

Jason Terry and Devin Harris also seem like possible targets. You may have more. I also don’t think a new GM needs to be on board for this to get done. Obviously, Portland has a structure in place allowing it to function in a workmanlike manner or the Matthews deal would not have gotten done.

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Well, to me, this deal is pretty incredible. Once again, the Trail Blazers overpaid for a free agent — front-loading a deal for one who could end up never playing for them. And yes, once again he’s with the Utah Jazz. And I do believe, after much hand wringing, the Jazz will match this offer sheet.

But how would he fit in Portland?

Not bad — if a couple of other things happen. First, Matthews is an outstanding defender with a nice upside. I could see him being very solid as a long-term replacement, should Roy go down with another knee injury. Kid’s got a lot of upside and could someday be a starting two-guard in the NBA.

But in the near term, he’s going to get a lot of money and you don’t give that kind of dough to a guy who isn’t going to play at least a lot of backup minutes. Which, to me, foreshadows other Blazer dealings.

We’ve known since the end of last season that Rudy Fernandez is history. He’s gone. I believe if Matthews ends up  in Portland, it also means Jerryd Bayless will be dealt. We already know Bayless is not a point guard. I figured if he played much this season, it would be as Roy’s backup. But with Matthews on hand, that has to eat into Bayless’s minutes.

I hear from all over that the Blazers are still looking to trade for a point guard. Andre Miller, Bayless and Fernandez would probably be included in that deal — just as they were in the ill-fated trade for Chris Paul.

This is shaping up to be one interesting summer of change.

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I mean, seriously, the Most Valuable Player in the league and the guy just checks out on you in such an important game? I just don’t get it. Hurt or not, don’t you have to see more effort than that? More resolve than that?

That was weak, man.

And meanwhile, the basketball world is alive with rumors. Now LeBron is going to Chicago — where he’s going to be coached by John Calipari or Phil Jackson? How in the world can this guy leave if he loses this series? Now THAT would look good.

And by the way, for me — I know Shaq played well last night. But I don’t think, ultimately, he works with LeBron James. While he’s posting up, he’s a big roadblock right in the middle of the lane, keeping LeBron out of there. James’ game is going to the basket — he’s still not a reliable and consistent outside shooter — and Shaq keeps him away from that game. Plus, you can’t run well with Shaq out there dragging  you down. Heck, Phoenix found that out.

All in all, a fascinating series, considering how awful most of the games have been individually.

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Yeah, I think Game 3 of this series Thursday night was worse than the first game of the Houston series last season. What a fiasco. And sorry, you aren’t going to read anything about gutty fourth-quarter comebacks here. If that’s what you came for, move on please. The Suns got so far ahead they quit paying attention for a few moments.

Dunks and wide open — and I mean WIDE OPEN — jump shots for Phoenix. And contested jump shots for the Trail Blazers. For. Ever. Or so it seemed.

I swear, at halftime of this one, Paul Allen, the Vulcans and the whole Trail Blazers roster should have been standing by the exits giving refunds to fans on their way out of the arena. I cannot remember seeing a home team go out and puke on itself like the Blazers did — uh, except that Houston game, of course.

Boos were raining down from the crowd with 20 seconds to go in the first half and my only question at that point was, “What took them so long?”

How could one team have been so poorly prepared for a home playoff game two contests into a series? It simply cannot happen. Hell, Oklahoma City was down 0-2 to the Lakers and went home and beat them. The Bulls came out down 0-2 at home to the Cavaliers and beat them.

Look, I know Brandon Roy isn’t playing and that Nic Batum is hurt. I’m not saying Portland can win this series. I’m just saying — there are still some talented players here and all I ask is that they play hard and smart. But it wasn’t even close to that Thursday in either department.

That was all Portland could muster in the Rose Garden? Against the Suns?

Sorry, Blazer fans, but that’s a joke. And questions have to be asked. Serious questions about the direction of this franchise and the way it’s been handled. Questions like this:

– Is there any real system for playing defense? Suns coach Alvin Gentry did a great job prior to the series setting up the Blazers — talking about how great their pick-and-roll defense is. Yeah, sure, Alvin — and your nose is growing quicker than LaMarcus Aldridge’s reputation for softness. I lost track of how many times ill-advised switching on that pick-and-roll ended up with Portland big men guarding little guys — or trying in vain to guard them. The Blazers — since Nate McMillan got here — have not been able to defend a pick-and-roll. It’s like a bad joke.

– And about that offense. I mean, you just can’t expect, in the playoffs, to rely on jump shots. It’s been said over and over and it’s true. Especially when you really don’t have good shooters in the first place. It’s an isolation team and in the playoffs, when teams have time to really prepare for them, the Blazers are sunk. Dead in the water. They can’t get anything going unless one player simply carries them on his shoulders, the way Miller did in Game 1. No ball movement. No player movement. How many times have I said that over the last few years? One more time with emphasis — NO BALL MOVEMENT AND NO PLAYER MOVEMENT!

– Rudy Fernandez, what the hell is going on, man? If you want to get yourself shipped out of here, you’re certainly on your way. In fact, I was surprised he wasn’t on a flight at halftime. Those fourth-quarter shots? Seriously — do it while it’s still a game.

– Nothing quite says “choke job” like 12 missed free throws, does it?

– LaMarcus Aldridge, what the hell is going on, man? You going to complain again about seeing double teams?You aren’t “the kind of guy” who is going to shoot over double teams? Well, uh, when you make that kind of money, you’re SUPPOSED to get double-teamed. That’s kind of how it works. And that grandstanding little set-to with Amare Stoudemire in the third quarter? Yeah, right. The guy tries to elbow you in the chops and you make a big show of doing something — well, next time why don’t you just wait until the next trip down and throw one of those ‘bows of your own?

– Yeah, I know — all those injuries. Well, sorry — that doesn’t explain away that game. Not in the slightest. Not in ANY way. Forget about that excuse. I made this point before, this team overachieved only a little during the regular season. There are still talented players here. This team won 50 games during the regular season amid a season that, on the morning of each game, was favored to win 48.

– Jason Richardson? Uh, fellas, he can MAKE that shot, OK? Might be a good idea not to leave him open every FREAKING time from the three-point line, don’t you think?

– I investigated this personally and I can report to you that it wasn’t those new compost bins every 15 feet in the concourse that were responsible for that stink emanating from the Rose Garden. Nope.

– The Suns were really dumb to engage in any sort of physical altercations with Portland in the second half. I mean, let sleeping dogs lie. And I do mean dogs.

– Oh well, Saturday’s another day. if the Blazers can muster enough courage to show up, it ought to be a better game. Well, just about ANYTHING would be a better game, wouldn’t it?

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Some players feed off the crowd much more than others. In fact, I’ve seen players in all sports who were seemingly impervious to crowds — both friendly and hostile. I always felt Michael Jordan was that way. He was above it all.

Others, though, benefit greatly from a friendly and raucous crowd. Portland’s Rudy Fernandez is one of those. I wouldn’t be surprised, if the fans stay with him, if Rudy has a bounce-back game tonight. He’s due — a much better player than he’s shown so far. But if he doesn’t start attacking Steve Nash tonight — early and often — he’s going to have to find a seat at the end of the bench for the rest of the series.

I have no idea what’s going on with this guy but it’s looking like one big pout from him so far. Why? I have no idea.

I would also expect Nic Batum to play. Maybe not a ton of minutes, but I bet he does. And that will help, quite obviously.

But what about LaMarcus Aldridge? Well, a lot’s on him, too. I know he’s facing some double-teams. Yeah, that happens. But it’s no excuse for not playing hard. For not going to the boards. For not contributing. He’s got to stay out of foul trouble, run the floor, rebound and get to the spots on the floor where he can score. It appears to me the Suns have been pushing him outside the places where he’s most effective with his jump shot. If that continues to happen he’s not going to be productive.

Man, if LaMarcus would start this game by throwing an elbow in Amare Stoudemire’s chops, he’d get a three-minute standing ovation. Sorry, that was just a dream. Ain’t going to happen.

All in all, I expect a real emphasis from the Blazers to come out strong at the opening — just to erase memories of that mess in Phoenix Tuesday night. Portland needs to immediately establish a defensive tone and regain control of the tempo. That’s extremely important against the Suns — who, as we’ve seen, are so much more comfortable playing fast.

Portland is going to have to ugly the game up a little bit. This game can’t be pretty for the Blazers to win it. In other words, bump and grind on defense, get after the Suns on the boards, slow things down, get to the foul line, make it a physical battle and then win that battle, get back in transition to cut off cheap baskets — in general, just muck the game up.

And fans, you’re really going to have to bring it. This is Portland’s Super Bowl week — the biggest sporting event of the year in this city is always the NBA playoffs. This can be the best homecourt advantage in the league and it’s going to have to be every bit of that to impact the veteran Suns. I mean, it’s going to take a lot to disrupt Steve Nash.

It ought to be a fun night.

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Well, Trail Blazer fans, at least they don’t tally NBA playoff series the way the idiots running soccer do it. You know, those “two-game playoff” series where they carry over the score from one game to another to determine the winner.

You lose a game by 1 or by 31 here and it’s all the same. Doesn’t matter.

I think more than getting clobbered in the game, the thing that really mattered Tuesday night in Phoenix was that Nic Batum injured that pesky shoulder. That will have more impact on this series than the margin of victory Tuesday.

But a few more observations:

– Man, Rudy Fernandez needs to PARTICIPATE. I mean, PLAY, man! He’s so reluctant to take a shot it’s embarrassing. Seriously — what’s up? You’re not any help if you don’t make shots. And to make them, you have to take them! Guy looks frightened.

– LaMarcus Aldridge was doing his best Clifford Robinson impersonation. You remember Cliff, right? He was legendary in his playoff impotence. Guy shot 43.8 percent from the field in a long NBA career. And 35.6 percent from three and 68.9 percent from the foul line. A very good defender and a distinguished player. But in a whopping 141 playoff games, Robinson made just 39.3 percent of his field goals, 29.8 percent of his threes and 62.9 percent of his foul shots. Man, that’s a Heimlich Maneuver poster right there. And yes, I hope LaMarcus’ 39.3 percent shooting and 3.5 rebounds-per game in this series is just a two-game fluke and not an indication of Robinson-esque problems in the playoffs to come.

– Phoenix was crazy good. The Suns will come back down to earth Thursday night. But Portland has to find a physical match for the Suns’ energy.

– Now THAT’s the Marcus Camby offensive game I remember from previous seasons.

– Andre Miller is going to have to assert himself more against Grant Hill. Don’t let the ball denial keep you away from the ball — and work him a little harder on defense so that perhaps he doesn’t have the energy to make every shot he takes.

– All in all, you write this game off and move on. Forget about it. The Blazers still have the homecourt advantage and my guess is, they’re going to be very difficult to beat in the Rose Garden.

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