tlongII
11-14-2008, 10:30 AM
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/11/miami_recap_revelling_in_rudy.html
Lots of leftover stuff from Miami last night that I will go over today ... but let's start with this player you might have heard of by now ... Rudy Fernandez.
Think it's safe to say Portland is onto something with this kid?
In a word, Rudy Fernandez is fun. I know that's not a flashy or descriptive word, but I can't think of a better one. The kid is just fun.
So last night in Miami, after watching Fernandez do his latest magic trick - a 14-point fourth quarter outburst that included a little bit of everything - I asked Blazers coach Nate McMillan to complete the following sentence:
Rudy Fernandez is ....
I was expecting McMillan to say something along the lines of, oh, I don't know ... Clutch. Fearless. Entertaining. Amazing. A Godsend. At the very least - good.
Nope.
McMillan quickly said ... "Learning. Getting better. Still learning the game. A very talented player, but still learning the NBA game. Early, he had a couple turnovers trying to do some things a little too fast. But you know, he made some big shots, some big plays. I think the more time he spends on the floor and learns what we want to do he will be a really good player.''
He by no means ripped Fernandez, but I have to admit, I was a little taken aback. If there was ever a backhanded compliment, that was it.
I mean, outside of Brandon Roy, I don't know if there has been a better player for the Blazers this season.
Yeah, Fernandez made two turnovers. But all the great ones do, because they handle the ball so much and are constantly trying to create. Heck, Roy made three turnovers Wednesday - one of them when he dribbled off his leg in crunch time.
Shortly after his postgame address to the media outside the locker room, McMillan strolled through the locker room while I was talking to Greg Oden. As he passed by, I told him I was surprised he downplayed Fernandez so much.
"Yeah,'' McMillan said, revealing a somewhat sheepish smile. "He's aiiiight.''
After seeing/hearing that, it led me to believe McMillan was using a little Phil Jackson-like mind game in publicly pointing out the imperfections of Rudy's game after such a performance. In other words, 'Yeah, we all know you had a good game 'Rook. But I think you can be even better.'
Incidentally, Rudy is very shy in taking credit. He spent almost all of his media session deflecting attention to his teammates and praising the team as a whole. Pretty classy.
At one point, I asked him if he has always been accustomed to these fourth-quarter heroics - hoping he would draw back to his international experiences. Fernandez, anxious to get out of the locker room, smiled.
"I don't know,'' he said. "I'm just a rookie.''
If he keeps this up he won't be just a rookie. He just might be Rookie of the Year.
Lots of leftover stuff from Miami last night that I will go over today ... but let's start with this player you might have heard of by now ... Rudy Fernandez.
Think it's safe to say Portland is onto something with this kid?
In a word, Rudy Fernandez is fun. I know that's not a flashy or descriptive word, but I can't think of a better one. The kid is just fun.
So last night in Miami, after watching Fernandez do his latest magic trick - a 14-point fourth quarter outburst that included a little bit of everything - I asked Blazers coach Nate McMillan to complete the following sentence:
Rudy Fernandez is ....
I was expecting McMillan to say something along the lines of, oh, I don't know ... Clutch. Fearless. Entertaining. Amazing. A Godsend. At the very least - good.
Nope.
McMillan quickly said ... "Learning. Getting better. Still learning the game. A very talented player, but still learning the NBA game. Early, he had a couple turnovers trying to do some things a little too fast. But you know, he made some big shots, some big plays. I think the more time he spends on the floor and learns what we want to do he will be a really good player.''
He by no means ripped Fernandez, but I have to admit, I was a little taken aback. If there was ever a backhanded compliment, that was it.
I mean, outside of Brandon Roy, I don't know if there has been a better player for the Blazers this season.
Yeah, Fernandez made two turnovers. But all the great ones do, because they handle the ball so much and are constantly trying to create. Heck, Roy made three turnovers Wednesday - one of them when he dribbled off his leg in crunch time.
Shortly after his postgame address to the media outside the locker room, McMillan strolled through the locker room while I was talking to Greg Oden. As he passed by, I told him I was surprised he downplayed Fernandez so much.
"Yeah,'' McMillan said, revealing a somewhat sheepish smile. "He's aiiiight.''
After seeing/hearing that, it led me to believe McMillan was using a little Phil Jackson-like mind game in publicly pointing out the imperfections of Rudy's game after such a performance. In other words, 'Yeah, we all know you had a good game 'Rook. But I think you can be even better.'
Incidentally, Rudy is very shy in taking credit. He spent almost all of his media session deflecting attention to his teammates and praising the team as a whole. Pretty classy.
At one point, I asked him if he has always been accustomed to these fourth-quarter heroics - hoping he would draw back to his international experiences. Fernandez, anxious to get out of the locker room, smiled.
"I don't know,'' he said. "I'm just a rookie.''
If he keeps this up he won't be just a rookie. He just might be Rookie of the Year.