Finally, something resembling an updated in the developing telenovela known as the Rudy Fernandez saga (I still don’t have a catchy Spanish name for it) as HoopsHype has a link to an interview Fernandez did with Spanish newspaper El Periodico. The entire interview, in Spanish, can be found here (I really wish I had paid more attention to Spanish class in 8th grade, *groan*). Anyways, HoopsHype has a translation of a key part and here’s what they got from it:

The new Blazers GM Rich Cho has confirmed there’s no chance for you to return to Europe. What do you think about it?

Rudy Fernandez: Well, if he has said that, then it’s true. I’m still a Blazer. Right now I’m not worried about what they say there [Portland], I’m only worried about what is said about me at the Worlds.

And you can see why I put the ‘kind of’ in the title, because even though Rudy speaks, he doesn’t say much to alleviate the tension surrounding this situation. It would have been nice to have seen a little more opinion or peered more into the mind of Fernandez but it’s understandable to see him play his cards close to his vest. Interestingly enough, this little nugget is in stark contrast to what Fernandez’s agent, Andy Miller said a few weeks back as far as strongly not wanting to be a Blazer.

I’m not sure what can be taken from this. The fact of the matter is that yes, Rudy Fernandez is still a Portland Trail Blazer and he should be focusing completely on the FIBA World Championships, whether that focus is on winning the title for Spain or improving his trade value. In two games at the Worlds, Fernandez is averaging 12. 5 points a game, 8 boards a game, 46.7% from the field (50% from deep) in 26.5 minutes of action. Spain returns to action today at 11 AM Pacific against Lithuania in a game which will be televised on NBATV and ESPN3.com.

And now to the final position in his off-season rankings over at Ball Don’t Lie of the top 30 players at each position, Kelly Dwyer ranks the centers. Blazer Greg Oden appears #11 on this list–same position as last year– and here is what Dwyer had to say about Oden:

These are quite a few injuries, for someone who has been playing on the NCAA or NBA level since 2006.

But they’re different injuries. Freak injuries. Not like Yao Ming or Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Bill Walton turning their feet into dust with repeated stress fractures. These are just things that have gone incredibly wrong.

So, I’d like to rank Oden higher. I really would. And while some might want to see him paired with Yao Ming around the same spot, it needs to be shouted that Greg Oden is not Yao Ming. He hasn’t had the same repeated injuries in the same spot. He’s injury-prone, yes, but only in the most literal sense of the phrase. If Oden stays healthy and can limit his fouls? He’s top five. Maybe top three.

The point on the injuries may provide some Chicken Soup to the soul of a Blazer fan, but it’s also true. As much as people want to compare him to Sam Bowie, remember that Bowie came into the NBA with injuries and they kept getting worse. It’s a fragile season for Oden because of the injuries he’s gone through, but nothing that can’t be overcome. He’s shown improvement when he’s been able to get on the court, and if he’s healthy should continue to move that way. For pete’s sake, this is a guy who according to John Hollinger had a PER only behind Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard–the cream of the crop as far as bigs in the NBA.

Yep...that boy good. He's like a one man Nation of Domination. (Credit: YardBarker.com)

Some classes in college, are easy and some are difficult and you generally figure that out within the first couple weeks are so (hell sometimes Syllabus day tells you all you need to know). There are those classes where you can do the homework and get points, do the quizzes, get the attendance, and you might have an A but you never truly know what your grade is until that first test.

Today was Team USA’s first test, and they passed.

I used that college analogy because it fits here: had Team USA lost this one, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. Just like failing that first test doesn’t mean you’re going to fail the class. It would have taught them a lesson and better prepared them for the real pressure cooker: the single elimination round. By passing, they have a better understanding of where they are at and know what to do in the future to get good results. And just like in college, sometimes you get lucky and the teacher gives you an answer or gives up free points. That’s what I’d call Huertas missing that free throw and Barbosa missing that layup.

It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty but the Red, White & Blue prevailed. The odd part about this game against Brazil is its as if all of the concerns about this team coming in–interior size, pick and roll defense, experience, offensive ability, turnover–rolled together to create an awful storm which nearly bowled them over. Give all the credit to Brazil, they played a magnificent game, but Team USA could have helped themselves a lot more than they did. Brazil had an insane first quarter, shooting 14-for-21 from the field, 5-of-7 from three and scored 28 points on 19 possessions. While those may seem like numbers in a video game when the computer decides you aren’t winning, credit Brazil…their offensive movement was smooth, crisp and Team USA seemed to have no answer.

Problem #1 was pick and roll defense, something many were concerned with going in and something that was validated today. For some reason, for the majority of the game Team USA couldn’t put it all together. There were times where Lamar Odom was in no man’s land–not helping the guard and not putting himself in position to challenge the shot. Then there were times when he was there, but the guard couldn’t get back in time. Then there were other times when the helpside D sucked in just a little too much and Brazil found the open guy for a 3. It was almost like watching the Utah Jazz and the way they can pick people apart on the pick and roll. I now realize that this is where Team USA truly misses a ‘big’ center who can challenge opponents at the basket. Tyson Chandler didn’t play much, but when he did Brazil’s mindset changed. Instead of looking to score of their penetration they were looking to kick which made life a lot easier on Team USA.

Problem #2 was sloppy offense. Taking the first quarter and the first minute of the second quarter, Team USA had 7 turnovers…or as many as they had in 40 minutes against Croatia. As great as Kevin Durant was (27 points, main reason why the US was able to stick around), he can’t have 7 turnovers. Against a better team, 22 turnovers could be the death knell and some of those were just non-sensical. Not only that, but there was a little bit too much isolation offense for my liking for the majority of the game. Quick, contested jumpers can really hurt you in the international game because it’s either going to create a fast break opportunity for the defense or (even worse) you could end up having to play D for a full shot clock.

The good news is that Team USA was able to play different kind of styles in this game. From the jump, Brazil was the first team we’ve seen that was not afraid to push it right back at Team USA and play a faster game. To their credit, Team USA made the adjustments. Not only that, they were able to play a slower, smarter, half-court game in the second half to get the win. It wasn’t perfect, but showing that they are multi-dimensional and have that capability will be big in later rounds.

Durant, Derrick Rose and Chauncey Billups did the majority of the scoring, combining for 53 of the US’s 70 points. They need help, relying on Durant to drop that many could get this team in trouble. While he took some questionable shots, Billups was huge in the second half with the way he attacked Tiago Splitter. It was almost as if he took it personally. Rose was solid and sprinkled in some of his unreal athleticism. Lamar Odom has got to find a way to be more of a factor, because for the majority of his time out there he wasn’t. I thought Tyson Chandler did a phenomenal job in his 5 minutes of action, moreso because of the impact that he had on Brazil’s offense than anything he did in the box score.

(Speaking of Splitter, he looked solid and just looks like a guy who should be in a Spurs uniform. I don’t know if he’ll get the kind of freedom he had here, but he’s going to contribute for them from the jump.)

The starters had to do a lot of the heavy lifting tonight (all 5 playing 29+ minutes Durant playing 39), possibly because Coach K didn’t trust his bench or they didn’t perform. The depth that we had all fawned over the past couple games just wasn’t there. Russell Westbrook, Rudy Gay and Eric Gordon all were spotlighted as being great sparks off the bench before the game by Fran Fraschilla–they combined to score 3 points on 0-for-5 shooting and were a non-factor. I still maintain that Kevin Love is a major factor on this team–confirmed by Coach K picking him as the first big off the bench and one of the first subs–but this was not his match-up. He can rebound and defend in the post, but he struggled a bit in the pick and roll simply because guys thought they could finish over him. The bench has to be better.

The good news is the starters should be able to get some rest and the bench should get their swagger back over the next two games. Barring a weird or wacky performance, they should steamroll over the bottom 2 in their group: Iran and Tunisia. A well deserved day off tomorrow before returning to the court on Wednesday against Iran…get your Haddadi jokes ready.

In case you missed Spain’s 101-84 beating of New Zealand this afternoon on NBATV, here’s a quick highlight of Rudy Fernandez going backdoor from the baseline, catching and jamming it home with a reverse dunk. Yes, Blazer fans, this actually happened today and is not old footage. The pass came from Ricky Rubio and was actually one of two times the players connected on this play during the game. Shades of the old Rudy/Sergio connection, eh? Fernandez had 12 points (4-5 shooting, 2-2 from deep), 12 rebounds (wow), 4 assists and 2 steals. Not too shabby if you ask this guy. Video courtesy of YouTube user DejanBody2010:

In case you missed France’s 72-66 upset of Spain today, check out Blazer forward Nic Batum’s monster dunk from late in the second quarter. Batum finished with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks (including an amazing but vintage Batum chasedown that I’m still looking for), 1 assists and 1 steal in Les Bleus victorious effort. Click below to appreciate Batum Nutella’ing all over Spain.

"When I start making shots, I don't just make shots....I BE STROKIN'." (Credit: YardBarker.com)

Team USA passed their first test in the 2010 FIBA World Championships, running away from Croatia on route to a 106-76 victory. The story of the game was simple: Team USA came out hot (7-0 run in first 2 minutes), Croatia answered and made it a tight first quarter, Team USA made the right adjustments in the second quarter and pulled away from there. Not much else to it if you ask me, but Team USA did look flat-out dominant in the final 30 minutes of this game. They out-scored Croatia 84-58 over the last three periods and shot 54% for the game.

I’ll admit the first quarter freaked me out a bit, for a couple reasons. It wasn’t just because the score was close, it was why it was close. Team USA came out with a lot of fire, tremendous activity on defense combined with crisp movement on offense. And then, when the second unit came in that kind of came to a halt. All of a sudden, Team USA looked a tad bit flat footed on defense, occasionally late on rotations, sometimes even watching Croatia shoot or get rebounds. Offensively they became a little more impatient than many should like, struggling to attack Croatia’s zone early, instead opting to take quick jumpers. It seemed as if bad habits were creeping in, the kind of habits that can kill you in international play. The kind of habits that have hurt the US in the past.

However, the beauty of this Colangelo/Coach K era of USA Basketball is those bad habits are gone. They make adjustments, they slow down, and they will their way to victory. Slowly but surely whenever Croatia brought that zone back the ball was moving more. Whenever Croatia tried to foul to slow fast breaks, Team USA executed in the half-court. It’s those little things that win you games in international play. Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant combined to score Team USA’s first 10 points of the 2nd quarter, giving them a lead they would never give back. I credit their play for Team USA’s win, however I think some credit should go to Chauncey Billups. Say what you want about Mr. Big Shot, but he definitely is having a large impact on this Team USA. His experience shows in the little things he does. He picked the team back up defensively, setting the tone by picking Croatia’s guards up in the backcourt and the rest of the team followed. Offensively, they looked better and more focused with him running the show. He’s much more important to this team than many believe.

The beauty of this victory (and this team) is it was truly a team effort, everyone played their role and played a role in this victory. Five players scored in double figures (Durant, Gordon, Billups, Gay, Westbrook) and no player scored less than 5 minutes. It just felt like everyone had a hand in the win and you could honestly point out what everyone did. Iguodala’s defensive activity, Odom’s work on Ante Tomic (Tomic went 4-10, didn’t get many deep post opportunites), Gordon’s shooting (incredible, 3-5 from deep), Westbrook’s speed, Granger/Gay’s versatility, Chandler’s size, Love’s rebounding and outlet passing (don’t sleep on him), Curry’s mouthpiece (rough game). Let’s not forget this is an ‘inexperienced’ team only turned the ball over 7 times. If everyone continues to chip in like this, Team USA is going to be a problem for everyone to deal with.

"I haunt all of you in your dreams don't I Blazer fans?" (Credit: YardBarker.com)

We’re just a few hours away from the start of the 2010 FIBA World Championships, and I may be in the minority on this, but I’m pretty excited. As crazy as this NBA off-season has been, there hasn’t been that much excitement surrounding the event….at least in this country. It’s been stated time after time, but some European countries actually find the World Championships to be more prestigious than the Olympics, which actually makes sense considering the way other countries compare the World Cup and the Olympics. For one, it’s competitive basketball back on my TV screen. No offense to Becky Hammon and Diana Taurasi, but it’ll be nice to search elsewhere for my basketball fix (yes I’m a junkie).

The story of course is surrounding Team USA’s “B-Squad” attempting to bring home the country’s first World Championship victory since 1994’s forgotten squad won in Toronto. This year’s edition of Team USA hasn’t gotten a ton of fanfare for a couple of reasons. On one side, ‘World Championships’ have never meant that much in the USA. We’re a country that puts a lot of faith, support and importance on the Olympic Games. I mean let’s be real, the excuses for losing are already in place for Joe Schmoe if this Team USA falls: “We didn’t have our best guys. This isn’t the Olympics. We didn’t have any bigs, etc, etc.” The second reason is because of the lack of percieved ’star power’ on the roster from the mainstream. How do I know this? They didn’t pass the Mom test, aka she doesn’t see this as the “real” Team USA. And I know that something is popular once it gets my mom’s position…when she started asking me about Jersey Shore I knew it was about to blow up.

I like this Team USA for a couple reasons. One, they actually are just flat out likeable. Kevin Durant leads the charge (what a summer he’s had, looking great on the court, tough to stomach for Blazer fans eh?), Derrick Rose is emerging, Chauncey Billups is sweating and they just have a group of guys who I have found to be easy to root for over the summer. They seem to get along with each other, they work hard, and they represent the country. Let’s be honest: the only time Coach K is likeable is when he’s on the sidelines for the USA, not for Duke. Secondly, I like the formation of the team. This is a collective group that together molds together to be a good team. They are athletic, can run, have skillsets that can bring the best out of each other. More importantly, everyone has a role and has bought into it. Have you ever heard Andre Iguodala or Rudy Gay talk this much defense, let alone play it ? Exactly.

Team USA has the talent, speed and teamwork to do really well in this tournament. The questions surround whether they can do the little things to win tough games. How will they do against zones? Will their inexperience hurt them against raucous crowds? What about teams who want to slow down the game? How about the crazy international refs? What about teams who try to smash Team USA in the interior? (I still think Kevin Love is underrated on this team, understandable since he’s the 12th man but still.) None of us know the answers yet. I hope the Greece blowout didn’t send expectations through the roof–this team still has a lot of proving to do. We know they can, the question is will they?

That same formation of roles and buying in is the reason why I wasn’t so ’shocked’ or ‘upset’ about Rajon Rondo being the final cut or withdrawing. As great as Rondo is, I don’t think he was needed this year. In the international game, you need shooters, so you can see the value of keeping Eric Gordon and Stephen Curry. Not only that but I’ve really liked the way Derrick Rose has played and I think he and Rondo would almost duplicate each other on the same team.

As talented as this Team USA roster is, it won’t be an easy road to the World title for America. They find themselves in a group with tough, gritty European teams such as Croatia and Slovenia, a talented Brazilian team and a potentially crafty Iran. And then there’s Tunisia, bless their hearts for trying. Let’s not forget about the knockout stage which would require Team USA to win four pressure packed contests, potentially against powers such as Spain, Greece, Turkey or Argentina. I’m definitely excited to see what this Team USA team can do starting tomorrow, as should you too. At the very least, it’s some on-court basketball we all can talk about instead of constant streams of speculation.

Click ‘continue reading’ for my wacky, unfounded and mostly fun predictions for the World Championships and more…

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From Ben Golliver of Blazersedge comes a money transcript of Blazer GM Rich Cho’s appearance on 1080AM The Fan yesterday. Cho touched on a number of topics including Rudy Fernandez, Greg Oden and even Joel Przybilla (or as I like to call him: the forgotten man). It’s a must-read if you’re a Blazer fan, so go over there and check it out (which I’m sure you have by now). Just wanted to pass along a couple of the more interesting quotes that caught my eye and share a couple opinions associated with them.

Where does Greg Oden stand?

“He’s continuing his rehab. I saw his rehab at the rehab place he’s at. After that he worked out on the court for a couple of hours. He’s progressing along fine. He’s not ready to play in a game right now. He’s working very hard. We’re pleased with his progress. He’s going to be fine.”

So he’ll be ready for opening night?

“I didn’t say that. We’re pleased with his progress and I don’t know whether he’ll be ready to play opening night or not. It just depends on how it’s coming. But we’re pleased with his progress and he’s working really, really hard.”

I guess it’s getting to that time where we have to start talking about Greg Oden. For one, it’s good to hear that Cho went out to visit Oden in an attempt to build a relationship with him. Also it’s nice to hear that he’s on schedule and progressing instead of taking steps backwards. My thoughts on Oden are simple: don’t rush it. It may be a contract year for him, but there’s no reason to rush him back on the court. The funny thing–and it’s a whole post on it’s own–is what can you realistically expect from Greg Oden? There’s no denying that in an odd way he’s the X-Factor for this Blazer team this season. They have proven they can win without him, however he’s shown flashes of brilliance and we could all agree this is a better team when he’s performing well. For pete’s sake, as much as I don’t like to put a ton of stock into Hollinger’s stats, he’s got Oden’s PER at 23.14–up there with elite company such as Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard. The skills are there, will the health be?

And I know the world is dying for another update on Rudy Fernandez, here’s a little on what Cho had to say on the disgruntled guard.

Are you still looking into trades for Rudy Fernandez?

“I’ve talked to a lot of teams. I don’t want to get into specific trade talks. The whole Rudy issue is out there so I will speak to it a little bit. I have been active in talking to a lot of teams.”

Would you consider releasing Rudy Fernandez’s rights?

“We won’t release his rights.”

Not even an option?

“No, that’s not an option right now.”

I don’t think there’s anything groundbreaking in what Cho said. He’s proven that he’s not just going to give Rudy up in a deal, simply to make a deal. I think that’s the right way to pursue this because at the end of the day, he’s either going to come back and help this team or he’s going to sit around and do nothing and lose money. Releasing Rudy would just be foolish, especially when you’ve tried so hard to get a good deal for him in a tough market. Like Cho’s thinking on this one.

Ok, ok, heating up may be a stretch but bear with me. Found this gem late last night courtesy of Beyond the Beat’s Wendell Maxey. It comes from Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe who has the following to say about the Celtics looking to fill their final roster spot:

One roster spot is still available, and everyone from Danny Ainge to Doc Rivers to back-seat general manager Paul Pierce has said that the Celtics need another piece — specifically, a shooter.

With reports circling about interest in fiery if disgruntled Portland guard Rudy Fernandez, Ainge acknowledged that he was pursuing trade options, though he wasn’t sure a deal would fall in place.

“We’re just continuing to explore available players and trade possibilities and see what sort of options are there,’’ said the Celtics president. “There are some trade discussions that we’re having. I don’t know the likelihood of those happening, but we’ll continue to not rush into something unless it’s something that we’re really excited about.’’

I don’t know how much can really be read into this. What I gathered is Boston has one more spot left, they have a bit of a void on the perimeter and a shooter would fit in perfectly. Say what you want about Rudy but on paper, it’d be a good fit for the Celtics, why wouldn’t they want him? As I’ve said before, I just don’t think Boston has that much to offer Portland–roster wise–in a deal. The Blazers have remained patient for a reason and that’s to get the best deal possible–an unpopular stance, but a smart one. The C’s look to be a top team out East which means even if Portland got a 1st-round pick out if it, they’d be looking at one in the 20’s. This looks to be a longshot.

"Yeah Blaze, I know I'm fly" (Credit: YardBarker.com)

With around six weeks left until training camp and one of the wildest off-seasons I can remember is coming to a close, I pause to think about something. The Blazers have an odd off-season of their own, however this is one of the rare times I can remember an off-season where Blazer fans weren’t really throwing around the word ‘breakout’ like it was their job.

A little context for those who don’t know. Over the past few years of Portland’s recent ‘run at glory’ if you will, the Blazers have been known for their young talent and the potential they have. Over the course of the past couple years, some players have come of age, some have not, with a lot of ‘put up or shut up’ moments coming in between. Martell Webster, Travis Outlaw, LaMarcus Aldridge, heck even Sergio Rodriguez had the ‘b’ word attached to him. This year, when I look at the roster, I wonder who could we talk about a breakout year for?

I’ve narrowed the list to about 5 guys who could potentially have a ‘breakout’ season. Obviously guys like B-Roy, Andre Miller and Marcus Camby are off the list. For Roy he’s a superstar and the other two…well…they…are just old. The rookies are off the list because they haven’t been around enough to be judged to be ready to break out. I have about as much faith in Rudy Fernandez as an adult does in the Tooth Fairy. I don’t think anyone in the world knows what to expect from Greg Oden and putting expectations on him will drive people straight to Kells. It comes down to the following guys: Nic Batum, Jerryd Bayless, and LaMarcus Aldridge.

The last name on that list may surprise you, but I’ll explain later. I hesitated to put Wesley Matthews on this list–and almost did. But here’s the thing: I don’t know how a Blazer fan could say Wesley Matthews is going to have a ‘breakout year’ unless they subjected themselves to all 82+ of Utah’s game. He might have a real good year, but he’s not breaking out from any expectations we’ve had of him…because the majority of us don’t know what to expect. The other three have the potential to really change things up.

Starting with Batum, whom I believe should be at the top of this list. Yeah I know he’s only 21 and he has a ways to go…but boy the potential is there for him to have a real nice year. Despite only playing in 37 games due to injury, Batum improved the majority of his numbers from rookie to sophomore year. His PPG went up (5.4 to 10.1), rebounds (2.8 to 3.8), field goal percentage (44 to 51), three point shooting (36.9 to 40.9) and PER (12.92 to 17.31). Talk about efficient…in his rookie year his PER was with the Julian Wright’s and Al Thornton’s of the world. Now he’s knocking on Paul Pierce’s door (18.24). If he can continue to develop his offensive game and his aggression to go with his efficiency and defensive ability…watch out.

Technically in a way, Bayless has broken out, then be locked away, then was ‘FREE’d, then played bad, then was up and down, before looking great in the Phoenix series. Let’s not forget how aggressive he played during those 6 games, nearly breaking Rudy’s soul into pieces. Averaged 13, 3, 2, got to the line 4 times again and was nearly as efficient as LaMarcus Aldridge according to John Hollinger. With no Steve Blake or Sergio Rodriguez around, there will be none of that ‘locking Bayless up for the first few months’ jazz in the 10-11 season. He’s proven that when given time he can contribute, and with more time coming, who knows where his limit is? We’ll all find out together.

Now when it comes to LaMarcus…we’re not talking about your traditional ‘breakout’ year. As I mentioned yesterday, this is a guy that averages 18 and 8 year in and year out. He could potentially take his game to the next level, knock on 20 and 10’s door and maybe get some All-Star mentions. I think the LMA bandwagon would be a lot stronger had he gone through the Team USA process, but it’s ok. We all could see a more  consistent, stronger, meaner, post-oriented, LaMarcus Aldridge.

So I ask, who do you think could have a breakout year for the Blazers?