# Sergio not playing in summer league or olympics



## ehizzy3 (Jun 12, 2006)

what exactly is he doing then? i think he wont show any improvement, and then have his roster spot taken over by koponen


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## KingSpeed (Oct 30, 2003)

I'm sure this has been asked already, but is Rudy playing in the Olympics?


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

KingSpeed said:


> I'm sure this has been asked already, but is Rudy playing in the Olympics?



Oh I'm sure he is. I don't recall specifically but I can't imagine him not playing for Spain in this case.


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## BBert (Dec 30, 2004)

ehizzy3 said:


> what exactly is he doing then?


If he's smart, he's working on his shot.


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## ehizzy3 (Jun 12, 2006)

KingSpeed said:


> I'm sure this has been asked already, but is Rudy playing in the Olympics?


yes he is...i dont know if he is starting though.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

ehizzy3 said:


> yes he is...i dont know if he is starting though.


He was arguably the best player in his league this last year. I can not imagine him not starting. Heck, he'll almost certainly be the best player on his team.


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## ehizzy3 (Jun 12, 2006)

PorterIn2004 said:


> He was arguably the best player in his league this last year. I can not imagine him not starting. Heck, he'll almost certainly be the best player on his team.


well, pau gasol is better and so is calderon...so he is not the best player on his team..but he probably does start at the 2


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

PorterIn2004 said:


> He was arguably the best player in his league this last year. I can not imagine him not starting. Heck, he'll almost certainly be the best player on his team.


Yes, but a LOT of his fellow countrymen who will be on his Olympic team were playing in the NBA last year. Not sure if he'll start or not, but it's not a given.

BNM


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## KingSpeed (Oct 30, 2003)

Pau and Calderon are better? More experienced, yes. But better?


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## Ukrainefan (Aug 1, 2003)

If he's not gonna play summer league, I think he should be fulltime at one of those training academies where they work on improving your body, and also working on your weaknesses.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

ehizzy3 said:


> well, pau gasol is better and so is calderon...so he is not the best player on his team..but he probably does start at the 2


Right! Sorry, I forgot about the current NBAers from Spain. Still, I can' think of anyone outside of _maybe_ Navarro who might start at SG ahead of him? Even that seems pretty unlikely.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

KingSpeed said:


> Pau and Calderon are better? More experienced, yes. But better?


Yeah, they're probably better, too, though perhaps not for a lot longer.


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## ehizzy3 (Jun 12, 2006)

PorterIn2004 said:


> Right! Sorry, I forgot about the current NBAers from Spain. Still, I can' think of anyone outside of _maybe_ Navarro who might start at SG ahead of him? Even that seems pretty unlikely.


its hard to tell...i hope this helps rudys experience though...spanish posters, is he starting?


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

I know Juan Carlos Navarro was the starter on the 2006 World Championship team and Rudy came off the bench to average 9.1 PPG. Navarro was injured at the beginning of the 2007 EuroBakest tournament last summer and missed the first 3 games. In his absence, Rudy became the starter. Navarro played in some of the later games, but was not 100%. So, Rudy continued to start. If Navarro is healthy this summer at the Olympics, it will be interesting to see if he gets his old starting job back, or if Spain continues to go with Rudy as the starter.

BNM


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

Boob-No-More said:


> I know Juan Carlos Navarro was the starter on the 2006 World Championship team and Rudy came off the bench to average 9.1 PPG. Navarro was injured at the beginning of the 2007 EuroBakest tournament last summer and missed the first 3 games. In his absence, Rudy became the starter. Navarro played in some of the later games, but was not 100%. So, Rudy continued to start. If Navarro is healthy this summer at the Olympics, it will be interesting to see if he gets his old starting job back, or if Spain continues to go with Rudy as the starter.
> 
> BNM



Interesting. While the both might be considered "combo-guards" to some extent, Rudy certainly seems a better size for SG, unless Juan is longer than his 6'3" suggests.


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

I can't begrudge Rudy wanting to play for his country in the Olympics. I can, and do, begrudge Sergio sitting on his butt! The kid needs to go.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

Oldmangrouch said:


> I can't begrudge Rudy wanting to play for his country in the Olympics. I can, and do, begrudge Sergio sitting on his butt! The kid needs to go.


Either that or he needs to have pretty much the same conversation with Monty Williams that Webster had this time last year. Whether or not Rodriguez runs with it as well as Webster did would then be up to him.


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## axs31 (Jul 5, 2006)

He did occasionally start last summer. I seem to recall that the new coach of the national team is the same person who coached him on DKV last year, so I think it is quite possible he will start. Although his DKV teammate, Ricky Rubio is on the team too, so it might make sense to have them coming off the bench together.


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

PorterIn2004 said:


> Interesting. While the both might be considered "combo-guards" to some extent, Rudy certainly seems a better size for SG, unless Juan is longer than his 6'3" suggests.


Spain has Calderon starting at the point. Sergio used to be the back-up, but now they have young phenom Ricky Rubio (which is the REAL reason Sergio is not playing on the Olympic team this summer - he'd be their 3rd string PG). Neither Rudy nor Navarro will spend any time at PG. For years, Calderon and Navarro were Spain's starting backcourt. Calderon will still start over Rubio, but I think there may be a changing of the guard (literally) as Rudy takes over for Navarro at the starting 2. I think it's his time. It's not like Navarro is old (he just turned 28), but I think Rudy has passed him up. Guess we'll see.

BNM


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## axs31 (Jul 5, 2006)

Is it confirmed Sergio won't be in Vegas? Could it be that the team advised he stayed away, since they want to look at Koponen at PG (and now even Bayless)? They pretty much know what he brings, so I do not see how running the team in Vegas could change anything. I think it is laughable people are ready to make him the 15th player on the depth chart behind Petteri, who has not done anything. Sergio had a VERY promising rookie season for a 20-year-old foreign PG, his second season was a huge disappointment, but I am not convinced Pritchard is ready to give up on him.

My point is, people know nothing about the situation, but are ready to throw him out for the next project. Sergio was given a rough deal last season, and I think he handled it very professionally. In my eyes, he deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt on this one because of that. Now, Bayless' arrival makes it a little more difficult for him to get minutes again, but his chemistry with Rudy has to be factored in. I can see an occasional small ball lineup with Sergio/Bayless/Rudy at times, with lobs from Sergio to Rudy/Bayless, or from Rudy to Bayless.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

axs31 said:


> Is it confirmed Sergio won't be in Vegas? Could it be that the team advised he stayed away, since they want to look at Koponen at PG (and now even Bayless)? They pretty much know what he brings, so I do not see how running the team in Vegas could change anything. I think it is laughable people are ready to make him the 15th player on the depth chart behind Petteri, who has not done anything. Sergio had a VERY promising rookie season for a 20-year-old foreign PG, his second season was a huge disappointment, but I am not convinced Pritchard is ready to give up on him.
> 
> My point is, people know nothing about the situation, but are ready to throw him out for the next project. Sergio was given a rough deal last season, and I think he handled it very professionally. In my eyes, he deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt on this one because of that. Now, Bayless' arrival makes it a little more difficult for him to get minutes again, but his chemistry with Rudy has to be factored in. I can see an occasional small ball lineup with Sergio/Bayless/Rudy at times, with lobs from Sergio to Rudy/Bayless, or from Rudy to Bayless.



I've mostly been pretty supportive of Rodriguez. McMillan has _not_ played him to his strengths, though that's at least partly about the team -- one needs defense and rebounding to run and the team struggled there.

Still, Rodriguez could've had more time if he'd been better defensively _or_ offensively. His trouble was that he couldn't consistently hit an open jumper when teams sagged off of him. Thus, he became a liability at both ends.

This team should be able to run more, which opens up the game for him to shine better. However, the Blazers apparently really wanted to see him in Vegas and he's rejected that idea. It seems like he's picked up his ball and gone home, pouting. That might not be the case, but that's how it feels. So far as I know, he's offered no explanation for sitting out of Vegas and he's got to know the team is saying they're really disappointed so....


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

axs31 said:


> Is it confirmed Sergio won't be in Vegas? Could it be that the team advised he stayed away, since they want to look at Koponen at PG (and now even Bayless)? They pretty much know what he brings, so I do not see how running the team in Vegas could change anything. I think it is laughable people are ready to make him the 15th player on the depth chart behind Petteri, who has not done anything. Sergio had a VERY promising rookie season for a 20-year-old foreign PG, his second season was a huge disappointment, but I am not convinced Pritchard is ready to give up on him.
> 
> My point is, people know nothing about the situation, but are ready to throw him out for the next project. Sergio was given a rough deal last season, and I think he handled it very professionally. In my eyes, he deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt on this one because of that. Now, Bayless' arrival makes it a little more difficult for him to get minutes again, but his chemistry with Rudy has to be factored in. I can see an occasional small ball lineup with Sergio/Bayless/Rudy at times, with lobs from Sergio to Rudy/Bayless, or from Rudy to Bayless.


Sergio had about 1/2 a promising rookie season. Once other teams realized he couldn't hit a shot to save his life, they started sagging off him and playing the passing lanes. They also started exploiting him on the defensive end as well.

Sergio wasn't given a "rough deal" last season. He didn't get minutes, because he didn't deserve minutes. It's that simple. He has some major weaknesses in his game (shooting and defense). Unless he improves both dramatically, he will see his playing time further reduced. Blake, Roy and Bayless will all split minutes at PG. That makes Sergio 4th on the depth chart. His rookie year, he was competing with Jarret Jack and Dan Dickau for minutes at PG. The competition for PT has improved, but Sergio hasn't. Nobody's fault but his own.

BNM


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## axs31 (Jul 5, 2006)

I am aware of all that... By a rough deal, I meant that he would get yanked immediately after 2 missed shots, or that he would get rewarded with 6 minutes after a very good game. The whole double standard with him and Jack. Frankly, I think the whole Sergio thing has been discussed to death, both sides are repeating the same thing, it gets nowhere.

Is there a link though, that confirms he won't be in Vegas and that the team is disappointed, he provided no explanation, went home to pout etc. ?


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## Jayps15 (Jul 21, 2007)

It was covered earlier, but as far as Rudy starting I think it's still up in the air between him and Navarro but in my opinion I think Rudy's got an edge. His head coach for the last few years with DKV was just named the national team head coach, and last summer he filled in and started for a banged up Navarro and did pretty well. I think right now it's Calderon/Rudy/?/Gasol/Gasol for them, which should put them right at the top again.

I believe the US team is in the same starting group as Spain to, so for all the people that haven't seen Rudy outside of Youtube I'm almost positive there will be a Spain vs. USA matchup that would undoubtedly be televised here in the US.


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## nikolokolus (Jan 29, 2008)

axs31 said:


> *Is it confirmed Sergio won't be in Vegas? Could it be that the team advised he stayed away,* since they want to look at Koponen at PG (and now even Bayless)? They pretty much know what he brings, so I do not see how running the team in Vegas could change anything. I think it is laughable people are ready to make him the 15th player on the depth chart behind Petteri, who has not done anything. Sergio had a VERY promising rookie season for a 20-year-old foreign PG, his second season was a huge disappointment, but I am not convinced Pritchard is ready to give up on him.
> 
> My point is, people know nothing about the situation, but are ready to throw him out for the next project. Sergio was given a rough deal last season, and I think he handled it very professionally. In my eyes, he deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt on this one because of that. Now, Bayless' arrival makes it a little more difficult for him to get minutes again, but his chemistry with Rudy has to be factored in. I can see an occasional small ball lineup with Sergio/Bayless/Rudy at times, with lobs from Sergio to Rudy/Bayless, or from Rudy to Bayless.


Au contraire. The team would prefer that he play in summer league, but so far he has declined, this was covered by Jason Quick in an interview IIRC. 

If it weren't for Rudy coming over I seriously doubt Sergio would be here at the start of training camp, he's acting like he wants out (either to be waived or traded), and is doing anything but actually trying to make himself better.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)




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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

Sergio stated at the end of the season that he was going home to re-discover the excitement and creativity that he lost while stagnating on the bench as the Blazers showcased Jack for a trade for 2 seasons.

He will play far more basketball with his friends and old teammates than any Blazer plays at Vegas or Tualatin.

Excitement and creativity are what made him great, and sitting on a bench watching an inferior player make bonehead mistakes over and over has dulled and tarnished the brilliant sparkle his game brings to the court.

As our only true PG on the roster I expect he'll win the starting PG spot in training camp unless we waste another 1-2 seasons showcasing Blake and Bayless for trades.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

He can find all the creativity he wants..but if he still can't defend anyone or shoot past 8 feet, it won't matter.


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## Entity (Feb 21, 2005)

He may be blaming us for getting knocked off the olympic team. He may also decide to pull a Navarro if we waive him, although I'm not sure that he's ready to give up on the NBA yet. Either way, he's not acting like he's out to prove us wrong, not that he ever consistantly went above and beyond for us before.


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## Stugots (Apr 20, 2006)

What's the big deal re: Sergio, anyway? To echo what many have said in here, he's a bad shooter and a weak defender. He shouldn't be given playing time, as he hasn't earned it. He was completely outplayed by J.Jack and Blake, which is saying something. 

I know all the European posters and many here in PDX feel that he is the second coming, and maybe he is... of Dan Dickau.

Unfortunately he has a long way to go to get to Double D's level.

If Sergio wants to go back to Spain, I say "buh bye"

Bayless is going to come in and make Sergio an absolute afterthought, just watch.


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

Dan said:


> He can find all the creativity he wants..but if he still can't defend anyone or shoot past 8 feet, it won't matter.


If he finds the creativity maybe he can apply for Blaze the trail-cat's job. Or he can be the Blazer's team-artist and paint portraits of the rest of the team.


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## Peaceman (Jan 15, 2003)

Hopefully if Portland makes any more deals, he ends up being a throw-in like McRoberts. I can't believe anyone who watched any basketball last year would defend him and believe he deserved more time. Having great court vision is a real talent, but if you can't shoot, defend( by far the worst on the team), avoid costly turnovers, he should be thankful he has a roster spot. If the Blazers end up with too many players, i would have no problem if he ended up waived. With all the talk of Euro's being soft, Sergio fits that definition. I think Nate should sit him down and tell him you have Zero minutes next season unless you improve your shot or defense. If he doesn't play on Spains team, we need to tell him to get his butt into summer league or move him (trade or waive).


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## Jayps15 (Jul 21, 2007)

The way I see Sergio's situation is this, unless he seriously develops a shot or his defense he's no longer in the longterm plans of this team. 

As of right now I see the plans being to start Blake with Bayless playing good minutes to eventually take over, have Petteri sign and get time in the D-League to develop. When Bayless is ready start him and have Blake play a limited role(10-15mins) with a main 3 guard rotation of Bayless/Roy/Rudy, Petteri still in the D-league or as a 3rd string injury insurance. When Blakes current contract runs out evaluate Petteri, if he can be the 10-15min per night backup then let Blake walk, if not resign Blake to a reasonable 2-3 year deal and get another young player to develop into a backup for Bayless.

Sergio needs to work to get into that plan, and not choosing to work with the Blazers staff all summer long probably isn't a good step.


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

Sure is a lot of fuss over a guy whose 4th, at best, on the depth chart.

If he wants to even be on the roster for the upcoming season he should be over here working out with the coaches every day to improve on his weaknesses and he should absolutely be playing in summer league battling Koponen for that 15th and final roster spot. Anything less than this and he deserves to be cut and has no one to blame but himself. He can only play the "my best friend's on the team" card for so long. At some point, he has to show some improvement.

BNM


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

axs31 said:


> I am aware of all that... By a rough deal, I meant that he would get yanked immediately after 2 missed shots, or that he would get rewarded with 6 minutes after a very good game. The whole double standard with him and Jack. Frankly, I think the whole Sergio thing has been discussed to death, both sides are repeating the same thing, it gets nowhere.
> 
> Is there a link though, that confirms he won't be in Vegas and that the team is disappointed, he provided no explanation, went home to pout etc. ?



I haven't seen anything in print yet -- it's all been over the radio. I'll see what I can do, though -- I agree it'd be interesting to _see_ an official Blazers' take on it.


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## Hector (Nov 15, 2004)

axs31 said:


> Is it confirmed Sergio won't be in Vegas? Could it be that the team advised he stayed away, since they want to look at Koponen at PG (and now even Bayless)? They pretty much know what he brings, so I do not see how running the team in Vegas could change anything...My point is, people know nothing about the situation, but are ready to throw him out for the next project.


There are so many times over the years when I have seen a team which wants to trade a player, hint to the media that the player wants to be traded, when he had said nothing of the kind. After Sheed left we had to hear that he wanted to go, even though he had said so often that he loved Portland, his family wanted to stay, etc. With Bayless and Koponen to examine, it is in the team's interest to keep Sergio out of Summer League. He is a known commodity and they aren't. I agree that I'd like to see more than Jason Quick's typical negative gossip and innuendo.


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## chairman (Jul 2, 2006)

Sergo is still the best passer on the team. (Or at least a close second to Roy) Either way he has a skill that will come in handy with players like Oden, L.A, Rudy and Webster. His defense is far from pathetic as he anticpates very well. I have seen worse.

I want him in vegas as well, but not necessarily playing in the summer league. He needs to work out with the coaches and improve his shot as you all have said. But Summer league won't help that. But I am not ready to throw him under the bus just yet.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

chairman said:


> Sergo is still the best passer on the team. (Or at least a close second to Roy) Either way he has a skill that will come in handy with players like Oden, L.A, Rudy and Webster. His defense is far from pathetic as he anticpates very well. I have seen worse.



He does sometimes have decent to even good moments on defense, it's true. But then there are times when he's confused as to whether the team is play man-to-man or zone and where he's supposed to be on the floor. For all his other faults, Jack rarely made mistakes like those, which is part of why McMillan consistently took his chances with Jack over Rodriguez. Likewise, Jack had moments when he _could_ hit the broad side of a barn. Rodriguez? Not as many, anyway, at least this last season.

I still think Rodriguez has a chance to really be a player and I agree about his passing skills. I'm also glad that Jack's off the roster while I'm happy enough for Rodriguez to have another shot. I've got some more hope for him if he gets to be on the floor with players like Fernandez, Outlaw, and Oden. I'm just not very optimistic at this point.


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

chairman said:


> His defense is far from pathetic as he anticpates very well. I have seen worse.


If he anticipates very well - then his decision making is very bad - since he seems to consistently be out of place to stop his man or provide help defense...

He must be a master of knowing right from wrong who consistently chooses wrong...


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## gatorpops (Dec 17, 2004)

PorterIn2004 said:


> He does sometimes have decent to even good moments on defense, it's true. But then there are times when he's confused as to whether the team is play man-to-man or zone and where he's supposed to be on the floor. For all his other faults, Jack rarely made mistakes like those, which is part of why McMillan consistently took his chances with Jack over Rodriguez. Likewise, Jack had moments when he _could_ hit the broad side of a barn. Rodriguez? Not as many, anyway, at least this last season.
> 
> I still think Rodriguez has a chance to really be a player and I agree about his passing skills. I'm also glad that Jack's off the roster while I'm happy enough for Rodriguez to have another shot. I've got some more hope for him if he gets to be on the floor with players like Fernandez, Outlaw, and Oden. I'm just not very optimistic at this point.


What do you think of a pressing defense of: Sergio and Bayless and Outlaw or Rudy with any of Fry, LA, Oden or Batum? I can see this helping the smaller guards defense.

gatorpops


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## meru (Jul 2, 2003)

Lest we forget:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YcqJ1sBLfU8&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YcqJ1sBLfU8&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Hey, maybe Denver would like him? Send them a tape of the above to remind them (and send Utah a tape of Martell's 25 point quarter, too).

Also, the 8-assists-in-six-minutes game against Minny:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MPFEUA1pGeI&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MPFEUA1pGeI&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

I want Sergio to have a chance but he just isn't going to get it here. New York, Sacramento, Denver (or possibly Houston, although Adelman has changed his loosey-goosey ways there it seems) should be able to use him.


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

We really need to see if there is something we can extract from NY for him - he needs to play for D'Antoni. Ike and Sergio for David Lee? Sergio for Balkman?


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

gatorpops said:


> What do you think of a pressing defense of: Sergio and Bayless and Outlaw or Rudy with any of Fry, LA, Oden or Batum? I can see this helping the smaller guards defense.
> 
> gatorpops


I'd worry about the opposing team's SG launching away from the 3pt line, once they crossed mid-court, but you're right that there might be something to that for moments. And I'd definitely go with Outlaw, Webster, or even Roy over Fernandez at SF -- having Rudy at SF and Bayless at SG is _really_ small; quick maybe, but really small.

Meru, I was at that game, actually. It was pretty amazing and I was frustrated that McMillan didn't just leave Rodriguez in. Still, I agree with you that Rodriguez is unlikely to ever really shine in Portland unless A) he _really_ works on his shooting and/or defense and B) McMillan really commits to run, run, and run some more. I could see either one happening but enough of both seems unlikely to me.


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

meru said:


> Also, the 8-assists-in-six-minutes game against Minny:


The Denver game was good - but this sequence just shows you that nobody reads the scouting reports in Minni - since they are doubling Sergio on just about every play. If only the rest of the league had the same paper shortage that the wolves suffer from...


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## Iwatas (Aug 3, 2003)

If Sergio gets traded, that team will instantly become my second favorite. I am sentimental -- I like pure point guards, playing beautiful basketball. 

iWatas


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## chairman (Jul 2, 2006)

andalusian said:


> If he anticipates very well - then his decision making is very bad - since he seems to consistently be out of place to stop his man or provide help defense...
> 
> He must be a master of knowing right from wrong who consistently chooses wrong...


I was refering to his ability to pick off passes. Maybe he is cheating too much because he is often out of position. But none the less he gets a lot of steals and near steals because he anticpates well. But no doubt his defense needs improvement.

The point of the post that you ignored is that the guy can penetrate and has an uncanny ability to find the open man anywhere on the court. If he played with Oden and LaMarcus his assists would sky rocket and his TO would go down. You people think the other team will leave him alone to shoot. Let them. Sergio has the abilty to get to the basket. I am willing to bet that half the time he will find Greg or LaMarcus. The other half of the time he will shoot. Even if he misses them all, Greg would still clean half of them up.

I get that Sergio need to get better (as does all our players) but don't ignore the fact that he is a very good passer and often when he is on the floor with the SECOND team he makes things happen. Put him in with the first team and I guarantee he would have pretty good stats. Oh and if his man got by him, he would have some help. He just needs to work on his jump shot. A shot that he will only take 5 times a game, but still needs to improve. 

The problem with most sports fans is that every thing is an exteme. A guy is either great or he sucks. A team is either the champs or they are losers. There is nothing in between. We turn on players very quickly even though most of us don't know what the $%^& we are talking about. But still we are all experts. Sergio is not as bad as you guys are saying.


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

Iwatas said:


> If Sergio gets traded, that team will instantly become my second favorite. I am sentimental -- I like pure point guards, playing beautiful basketball.
> 
> iWatas


And if he goes to the Lakers?


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## blue32 (Jan 13, 2006)

I'm c00l with Blake/Bayless/Sergio/Koponen rotation. 
specially if someone gets hurt.


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

chairman said:


> The point of the post that you ignored is that the guy can penetrate and has an uncanny ability to find the open man anywhere on the court. If he played with Oden and LaMarcus his assists would sky rocket and his TO would go down. You people think the other team will leave him alone to shoot. Let them. Sergio has the abilty to get to the basket. I am willing to bet that half the time he will find Greg or LaMarcus. The other half of the time he will shoot. Even if he misses them all, Greg would still clean half of them up.


I most certainly did not ignore that fact as you can see in the following post:

http://www.basketballforum.com/port...ets-more-minutes-then-sergio.html#post5569485


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## meru (Jul 2, 2003)

andalusian said:


> The Denver game was good - but this sequence just shows you that nobody reads the scouting reports in Minni - since they are doubling Sergio on just about every play. If only the rest of the league had the same paper shortage that the wolves suffer from...


Of course the Denver game was earlier - his rookie year (and watching it reminds me of how much more I like our roster now - no more Dixon or Magloire!) - has he really gotten worse? In the Denver game, when they sagged off him, he hit jump shots. He CAN shoot, but is his confidence shot? He needs a Doc Rivers more than a Nate McMillan...

The other point is, it's not just about scouting reports. Players probably aren't thinking of scouting reports in a running game where they're back on their heels - they don't have time to. If we ran more, Sergio's value would go up. Will Nate try to get the team running more now the main players have been together for a couple of years? I can understand playing slow-down ball when you've got all young kids who will make a lot of mistakes otherwise, but Nate coached a running team in his good year in Seattle, didn't he?


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## Peaceman (Jan 15, 2003)

B-Roy said:


> And if he goes to the Lakers?


That would be awesome! More turnovers, less defense, but most likely, someone to hand Kobe a towel and take a roster spot.


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

meru said:


> The other point is, it's not just about scouting reports. Players probably aren't thinking of scouting reports in a running game where they're back on their heels - they don't have time to. If we ran more, Sergio's value would go up. Will Nate try to get the team running more now the main players have been together for a couple of years? I can understand playing slow-down ball when you've got all young kids who will make a lot of mistakes otherwise, but Nate coached a running team in his good year in Seattle, didn't he?


While there are no doubts that Sergio will be better in a running system - I disagree with the idea that players are not thinking when the pace is faster. The better teams sure know what is happening and I am willing to be that there is no way in hell that you would see the Spurs or Boston or tons of other teams continue to double Sergio the way Minni did in this sequence.

This was, without doubt, a really bad stretch of Minni players not paying attention and the Minni coaching staff watching KG om TV thinking they still have him on the team or something...


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## chairman (Jul 2, 2006)

meru said:


> Of course the Denver game was earlier - his rookie year (and watching it reminds me of how much more I like our roster now - no more Dixon or Magloire!) - has he really gotten worse? In the Denver game, when they sagged off him, he hit jump shots. He CAN shoot, but is his confidence shot? He needs a Doc Rivers more than a Nate McMillan...
> 
> The other point is, it's not just about scouting reports. Players probably aren't thinking of scouting reports in a running game where they're back on their heels - they don't have time to. If we ran more, Sergio's value would go up. Will Nate try to get the team running more now the main players have been together for a couple of years? I can understand playing slow-down ball when you've got all young kids who will make a lot of mistakes otherwise, but Nate coached a running team in his good year in Seattle, didn't he?


Nate keeps on saying he wants to run. Bayless was the last one to quote him during one of his interviews. I don't see why he would keep saying it if it wasn't true. It's not like he is recruiting anyone. I guess we will see.


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## Hector (Nov 15, 2004)

PorterIn2004 said:


> But then there are times when he's confused as to whether the team is play man-to-man or zone and where he's supposed to be on the floor.


Language problem. His language IQ is disquised as his basketball IQ. His teammates yell to each other what's coming up and he's in his own little Spanish world. I wonder how good Rudy's English is, or Koponen's, or Batum's...


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Hector said:


> Language problem. His language IQ is disquised as his basketball IQ. His teammates yell to each other what's coming up and he's in his own little Spanish world. I wonder how good Rudy's English is, or Koponen's, or Batum's...


Rudy's is fine, Kop's is fine, and who cares about Batums.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

Dan said:


> Rudy's is fine, Kop's is fine, and who cares about Batums.


Batum's should be fine as well. That said, it seems to me that Rodriguez is fine there, as well -- he does well enough in interviews. Besides, the language used in basketball hardly requires full fluency. I'm not convinced it's a language issue.


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## Entity (Feb 21, 2005)

When you're doing a job, you don't need to have a huge vocabulary, and it certainly doesn't take as long as two years to know what you want to know. I can tell you that from experience.


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

meru said:


> Lest we forget:
> 
> Hey, maybe Denver would like him? Send them a tape of the above to remind them (and send Utah a tape of Martell's 25 point quarter, too).


That Denver game was definitely the high point, by far, of Sergio's NBA career. The reason he was so effective in that game is simple - he was hitting his shots. He scored 23 points on 11-14 shooting. Denver had to actually guard him and couldn't just back off, play the passing lanes and dare him to shoot. If only he could become a average shooter, he'd be a much more effective player.

BNM


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Basing a players worth off of one really good game is kind of stupid. See: Darius Miles 47 point game.


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## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

Dan said:


> Basing a players worth off of one really good game is kind of stupid. See: Darius Miles 47 point game.


Also, against Denver. Am I starting to see a pattern here?

Didn't George Karl coached teams used to be known their tough defense? I guess it's more about personel than coaching. On a team with AI and Melo, the focus is going to be on offense. Defense, not so much.

BNM


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## graybeard (May 10, 2003)

I'm hoping that Sergio bypassed the summer games because he's in Spain working on foot speed drills and practicing thousands of jump shots per day. I haven't given up on him yet. Last year's summer league didn't do him any good, maybe it's time for him to just get some individual workouts in.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

graybeard said:


> I'm hoping that Sergio bypassed the summer games because he's in Spain working on foot speed drills and practicing thousands of jump shots per day. I haven't given up on him yet. Last year's summer league didn't do him any good, maybe it's time for him to just get some individual workouts in.


He _did_ say at the end of the season that his intent was to spend a bunch of time with his friends trying to rediscover the the fun of the game. I wish him well in that.


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## Genjuro (Jul 17, 2002)

You guys need to trade the kid. He's worthless for the Blazers. He can't share the floor with Roy, as both need the ball to be effective. He will only ruin his career staying another year in the bench, and you will lose the already low trade value he might still have.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Genjuro said:


> You guys need to trade the kid. He's worthless for the Blazers. He can't share the floor with Roy, as both need the ball to be effective. He will only ruin his career staying another year in the bench, and you will lose the already low trade value he might still have.


Good points, but he also can't shoot or defend.That is what will ruin his career. We had him once before, his name was Omar Cooke, Sebastian Telfair and most importantly, Frank Stallone.


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## Genjuro (Jul 17, 2002)

Dan said:


> Good points, but he also can't shoot or defend.That is what will ruin his career. We had him once before, his name was Omar Cooke, Sebastian Telfair and most importantly, Frank Stallone.


Well, indeed he needs the ball on his hands because he can't shoot or defend. So, without the ball in his hands to create game, which is the only input he can provide, he's completely useless. Therefore, I guess we basically agree.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Genjuro said:


> Well, indeed he needs the ball on his hands because he can't shoot or defend. So, without the ball in his hands to create game, which is the only input he can provide, he's completely useless. *Therefore, I guess we basically agree.*


We do. He's great at creating offense for others, but has no offensive game for himself. If he could at least be a half decent defender, and a 45% shooter from the floor, he'd be worth keeping for a long time. I think he can get to that place, but I don't know if he will.


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