tlongII
09-18-2009, 10:50 AM
http://portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=125328858091118200
Rudy Fernandez was a major factor in Spain’s 86-66 rout of France Thursday in the semifinals of the European Championships in Katowice, Poland.
The Trail Blazers’ 6-5 guard drained three 3-pointers in the first quarter to help Spain bury France and advance to a Saturday date with the winner of the Turkey-Greece matchup.
Fernandez had 16 points, five rebounds and six steals in 31 minutes. He has hit 6 of 13 3-pointers and averaged 13.7 points in Spain’s first six games in the tournament.
Blazer teammate Nicolas Batum had a rough outing for France, going 2 for 7 from the field and 2 for 4 from the foul line in totaling seven points and four rebounds in 27 minutes.
“Rudy has been a sparkplug in a couple of Spain’s victories,” says Portland General Manager Kevin Pritchard, who was in Europe to watch some of qualifying-round games. “Rudy and Nicolas have both been terrific, and it’s been fun to watch.”
• Pritchard also watched Joel Freeland, a 6-11, 250-pound first-round Blazer pick in the 2006 draft, play for England.
“He has really become a good rebounder,” Pritchard says. “We hope to have him with us in the next couple of years.”
Freeland, 22, has at least three years left on his contract with Gran Canaria of the Spanish League, but an out clause makes him a possibility to leave for the NBA as soon as the 2010-11 season.
• Pritchard says he continues to talk daily with Arn Tellem, agent for LaMarcus Aldridge, as they negotiate a contract extension for the fourth-year Blazer forward.
Aldridge won’t command a maximum salary as did teammate Brandon Roy, which creates a bit of a dilemma as the sides bargain for an extension. The NBA won’t set its salary-cap figures for the 2010-11 season until next summer. With a maximum contract such as Roy’s, the Blazers can simply mark down “max deal,” and it will be adjusted when the cap is set. With a non-maximum contract, an exact figure must be agreed upon.
“We’re in a little bit of uncharted territory,” Pritchard says. “It brings a new variable to the equation. The process is more complex.
“We value what LaMarcus has done. Arn and I have a good relationship. We’re going to work our butts off to get something done.”
The Blazers have until Oct. 31 to re-up Aldridge. If an extension isn’t signed, he becomes a restricted free agent next July 1.
• Portland’s signing of free-agent forward Juwan Howard means he’ll be competing with such as Travis Outlaw, rookie Dante Cunningham and eventually rookie Jeff Pendergraph for the backup power forward spot behind Aldridge.
Howard, 36, will also provide veteran leadership on a team that can use some of it.
“We feel like brings a presence to the team that we like,” Pritchard says of the 15-year veteran. "But let’s make it perfectly clear – he’s not coming in here to be another coach. He’ll compete for a spot. He still can play, and he’s in the best shape of his career.
“He does bring another veteran leader to our locker room. We know he’ll accept his role, whatever it is, but we want to him to be competitive and earn his spot, and he’ll do that.”
Howard’s signing gives Portland 14 players under contract going into the Sept. 29 start of training camp. Pritchard says it doesn’t mean the Blazers won’t sign another veteran front-line player. Among the candidates are Greg Ostertag, Stromile Swift, Jarron Collins, Othello Hunter and Loren Woods, all with NBA experience.
“We’re going to sit down and talk with coaches and staffs, put everybody up on the board and look at our roster,” Pritchard says. “We’ll extend some invites next week and hopefully round out our training-camp roster.”
Pritchard expects to bring 17 or 18 players to camp. Another possibility is Quintin Hosley, 25, a 6-6 small forward out of Fresno State who played in Spain last season.
• Pendergraph’s Sept. 9 hip surgery leaves him probably 2 1/2 months from being able to return to duty. That would mean if things go well, he could be back with the club sometime before Christmas.
“That’s better than we expected when he went into surgery,” Pritchard says.
• Patty Mills, the Saint Mary’s point guard who suffered a broken foot during the Blazers’ summer rookie camp, is recovering in his native Australia. The second-round draft pick will rehab there and probably won’t play again until next season.
Rudy Fernandez was a major factor in Spain’s 86-66 rout of France Thursday in the semifinals of the European Championships in Katowice, Poland.
The Trail Blazers’ 6-5 guard drained three 3-pointers in the first quarter to help Spain bury France and advance to a Saturday date with the winner of the Turkey-Greece matchup.
Fernandez had 16 points, five rebounds and six steals in 31 minutes. He has hit 6 of 13 3-pointers and averaged 13.7 points in Spain’s first six games in the tournament.
Blazer teammate Nicolas Batum had a rough outing for France, going 2 for 7 from the field and 2 for 4 from the foul line in totaling seven points and four rebounds in 27 minutes.
“Rudy has been a sparkplug in a couple of Spain’s victories,” says Portland General Manager Kevin Pritchard, who was in Europe to watch some of qualifying-round games. “Rudy and Nicolas have both been terrific, and it’s been fun to watch.”
• Pritchard also watched Joel Freeland, a 6-11, 250-pound first-round Blazer pick in the 2006 draft, play for England.
“He has really become a good rebounder,” Pritchard says. “We hope to have him with us in the next couple of years.”
Freeland, 22, has at least three years left on his contract with Gran Canaria of the Spanish League, but an out clause makes him a possibility to leave for the NBA as soon as the 2010-11 season.
• Pritchard says he continues to talk daily with Arn Tellem, agent for LaMarcus Aldridge, as they negotiate a contract extension for the fourth-year Blazer forward.
Aldridge won’t command a maximum salary as did teammate Brandon Roy, which creates a bit of a dilemma as the sides bargain for an extension. The NBA won’t set its salary-cap figures for the 2010-11 season until next summer. With a maximum contract such as Roy’s, the Blazers can simply mark down “max deal,” and it will be adjusted when the cap is set. With a non-maximum contract, an exact figure must be agreed upon.
“We’re in a little bit of uncharted territory,” Pritchard says. “It brings a new variable to the equation. The process is more complex.
“We value what LaMarcus has done. Arn and I have a good relationship. We’re going to work our butts off to get something done.”
The Blazers have until Oct. 31 to re-up Aldridge. If an extension isn’t signed, he becomes a restricted free agent next July 1.
• Portland’s signing of free-agent forward Juwan Howard means he’ll be competing with such as Travis Outlaw, rookie Dante Cunningham and eventually rookie Jeff Pendergraph for the backup power forward spot behind Aldridge.
Howard, 36, will also provide veteran leadership on a team that can use some of it.
“We feel like brings a presence to the team that we like,” Pritchard says of the 15-year veteran. "But let’s make it perfectly clear – he’s not coming in here to be another coach. He’ll compete for a spot. He still can play, and he’s in the best shape of his career.
“He does bring another veteran leader to our locker room. We know he’ll accept his role, whatever it is, but we want to him to be competitive and earn his spot, and he’ll do that.”
Howard’s signing gives Portland 14 players under contract going into the Sept. 29 start of training camp. Pritchard says it doesn’t mean the Blazers won’t sign another veteran front-line player. Among the candidates are Greg Ostertag, Stromile Swift, Jarron Collins, Othello Hunter and Loren Woods, all with NBA experience.
“We’re going to sit down and talk with coaches and staffs, put everybody up on the board and look at our roster,” Pritchard says. “We’ll extend some invites next week and hopefully round out our training-camp roster.”
Pritchard expects to bring 17 or 18 players to camp. Another possibility is Quintin Hosley, 25, a 6-6 small forward out of Fresno State who played in Spain last season.
• Pendergraph’s Sept. 9 hip surgery leaves him probably 2 1/2 months from being able to return to duty. That would mean if things go well, he could be back with the club sometime before Christmas.
“That’s better than we expected when he went into surgery,” Pritchard says.
• Patty Mills, the Saint Mary’s point guard who suffered a broken foot during the Blazers’ summer rookie camp, is recovering in his native Australia. The second-round draft pick will rehab there and probably won’t play again until next season.