If you told me a year ago that Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trailblazers would be talking about leaving the NBA and heading back to Europe to play ball just a year later, I would have told you that you were completely insane. Seriously. Why would Rudy even dream about leaving the NBA or the Blazers when he was one of the top rookies in the league and clearly one of the key pieces to the future success of one of the leagues best up and coming teams?
Well fast forward a year, the Blazers who are still considered one of the best up and coming teams but have been plagued by injuries to their front court, and have found themselves littered with quality players in the backcourt with not enough minutes or touches to please everyone. Between Superstar Brandon Roy, Andre Miller, Jerryd Bayless, Martell Webster, and Rudy Fernandez, there just isn’t enough minutes to go around in the backcourt. Rudy’s minutes are down from 25 to 22 and his ppg down from 10.4 to 8.4 this year. Although that doesn’t sound like a huge dip, you have to consider the context of the fact this year was supposed to be a ‘breakout season’ of sorts for Fernandez who is no longer a rookie and showed all the potential in the world last season as being a potential starter and go-to player this season for the Blazers.
Interbasket had these quotes from Fernandez on his season and the possibility of going back to Europe:
“Since the operation, I have not had any problems with my back. Yes it does hurt a bit if I get hit, but overall I feel fine physically. Maybe better than ever,” he explained. “Last year we had a different team and at least I had Sergio (Rodriguez) who understood my game. I have noticed a change this year. I don’t get the ball as much and the system is different. I guess I have to adapt to it. That’s it. Whenever I get on the court, I have to make the most of it. I have good games and bad ones. I must be more regular.”
Asked if the problem lies with head coach Nate McMillan’s style, Fernandez pauses before answering.
“It’s business as usual. He is a coach who makes things very clear and has his philosophy. I don’t always get it. I try to play the way he wants, but I don’t feel the trust that he had in me the first year,” he conceded.
And Portland’s glut in the backcourt and at the small forward position hasn’t helped him either. Minutes are hard to go by between All-Star Brandon Roy, Andre Miller, Fernandez, Frenchman Nicolas Batum, Jerryd Bayless and Martell Webster.
“It’s complicated and difficult to deal with,” Fernandez said. “In front of me I have Brandon Roy, a superstar player and we need him. My minutes have dropped but I have to be mentally strong and do my best to achieve my goals.”
Personally I hope that Fernandez sticks it out through this lull in minutes and consistency. It’s true that for his skill set, like many other players in the league, he fits better in a certain system (fast, up and down, energetic, passionate). But that doesn’t mean he can’t be one of the major contributors on a successful team in a different style of play than he’s used to. I would equate it to what Manu Ginobili brings to the table off the bench in San Antonio. His style of play is completely different than the Spurs as a whole, but Ginobili provides that change up spark off the bench that we all have come to recognize as crucial to the success of the Spurs organization.
But from a bit of a different angle, what are the Blazers thinking right now? If i’m on Portland’s management team I may need to have a conversation with Coach McMillan about Rudy’s role on the team. You can’t cater to every player’s complaints about playing time, but given what Fernandez means to the future of the team, and what we know he’s capable of doing on the court, you may need to make it work with him before you are sitting around holding the bag while he bolts back to Europe with a bitter taste in his mouth.
What do you think Rudy should do?
