Sergio Wants Out

[NBAMAN2006]

Ya. Bayless looks really uninterested.

I personally would perfer a Sergio/Roy PG rotation. Play Sergio when you want to run and Roy when you want to go half-court. I just dont really want to trade the kid. He always makes things happen.

If we had to deal him, I would target something like Sergio and Frye for David Lee. Then use Raef, Blake and Outlaw, along with a pick, to get a PG upgrade.

[UGotThrilled]

Rudy slapped his hands together is frustration when they subbed Sergio out last night because things had been going so well.

Also, in terms of PG, watch Bayless' body language on the bench....brutal. He doesn't participate in huddles, he's not up cheering like the rest of the bench and when teammates come to talk to him, he basically blows them off.

I didnt see that, but it makes total sense to me. Especially in hindsight. Rudy was lighting it up and we were killing them, then Roy comes in, and we go back to being an isolation team. Everybody wants to pin that on Nate, but I think that Roy has a lot to do with it. I mean, our players were running a great offense with Sergio on the court, so I hardly see why it is the coach's fault if Roy plays isolation against a player that he has never had much success against. I dont want to be too hard on Brandon, but he is going to have to play in a more creative way if he wants this team to be great. I say more creative as in trying different things on offense than just iso plays and pick and rolls. Maybe Rudy and Roy dont do well in the back court together, as they are both shooting guards. Also, maybe once they have played together a bit they will be more comfortable.

On a different note, I guess I forgot that Isiah was gone from NY. All of my ideas in the past were based off of New York being totally foolishly run. I really would love to pick up another spaniard because they are so much fun to watch. If that were Rubio, or Marc Gasol, or Calderon.....Any of those guys would be awesome. But I can see why Sergio is frustrated.

[Wizenheimer]

Rudy slapped his hands together is frustration when they subbed Sergio out last night because things had been going so well.

Also, in terms of PG, watch Bayless' body language on the bench....brutal. He doesn't participate in huddles, he's not up cheering like the rest of the bench and when teammates come to talk to him, he basically blows them off.

I didnt see that, but it makes total sense to me. Especially in hindsight. Rudy was lighting it up and we were killing them, then Roy comes in, and we go back to being an isolation team. Everybody wants to pin that on Nate, but I think that Roy has a lot to do with it. I mean, our players were running a great offense with Sergio on the court, so I hardly see why it is the coach's fault if Roy plays isolation against a player that he has never had much success against. I dont want to be too hard on Brandon, but he is going to have to play in a more creative way if he wants this team to be great. I say more creative as in trying different things on offense than just iso plays and pick and rolls. Maybe Rudy and Roy dont do well in the back court together, as they are both shooting guards. Also, maybe once they have played together a bit they will be more comfortable.

On a different note, I guess I forgot that Isiah was gone from NY. All of my ideas in the past were based off of New York being totally foolishly run. I really would love to pick up another spaniard because they are so much fun to watch. If that were Rubio, or Marc Gasol, or Calderon.....Any of those guys would be awesome. But I can see why Sergio is frustrated.

I think that is real accurate analysis. Roy is essential to the blazer's future. But some of his tendencies are going to have to change both in halfcourt sets and transition. Not every point in a game is best served by Roy's preferred pace.

The encouraging thing is that Roy has the IQ to modify the way he plays once he sees the benefit.

I hope.

[DaVoiceMaster]

Rudy slapped his hands together is frustration when they subbed Sergio out last night because things had been going so well.

Also, in terms of PG, watch Bayless' body language on the bench....brutal. He doesn't participate in huddles, he's not up cheering like the rest of the bench and when teammates come to talk to him, he basically blows them off.

I didn't see Rudy slap his hands, but I noticed Sergio went out and I said something to the TV, but then he back in a minute later so maybe Nate just wanted to talk with him or something? I dunno, maybe he ran potty? hahahahaha

I think NY would love to get ahold of Sergio. He's got that uptempo style that the coach loves. Too bad they have nothing we'd want in return. I would like to see Sergio get more time though at Blake's expense. The Blazers have some decisions to make. They just picked up Sergio's option which means they plan to keep him for another year. Blake has a team option for next season. The Blazers may need to decide sooner rather than later which PG they plan to keep next year cuz I don't see both sticking around. Frankly, Blake is $4 million next season, which cuts into our cap space. Just how important is that $4 million gonna be?

[ohmuri]

I love the team you are making in Portland, and as Rudy fits perfectly in your future plans and basketball style, Sergio just doesn´t. That´s all. Obviously Blazers are not changing their plan because of Sergio, he´s not good enough, but then the way you are playing makes him look worst.

Sergio´s play before arriving Portland had some very big holes (defense, outside shot and turnovers), but also had some brilliant things, his passing play and ability to break down defenses, all that at a very high speed and with lots of risks. That´s what made him special.

Nate´s plan for your team wants Sergio´s bright side to be far away from the court. I´m not criticising Nate, he just prefers other things, totally fair. But that way Sergio only shows his lacks and obviously Nate doesn´t trust in him. He has worked a lot to be what he isn´t, but he hasn´t improved enough, so I think both parts should realize it will be better to change. It´s not Portland´s time yet, you are still growing, and there is a rookie point guard that could be what you need in a future. Maybe playing him costs some wins this year, but developing him could add the last piece for a Champion team, so it won´t be a drama trading Sergio.

[magee]

I'm probably going to reiterate some points people have made, but this is how I see it.

Sergio is a true PG in the sense he wants to get everyone involved and knows how to. Point guards are suposed to control the offense and make sure everyone is in the right spots. They read the defense and act accordingly. This is what Rodriguez does. That's why he got six assists in almost 12 minutes. Times that by 3, which is starter's minutes for a good PG. That equals 18 assists.

His shot. It's improved a lot. He squares up a lot more instead of contorting his body so his right shoulder is almost parallel to the rim in a straight-away angle. yes, it's a little flat. Arc is not hard to add to a shot. Just look at what Roy had to put on to get that F-ING AMAZING SHOT OFF. That was sick. Back to Rodriguez. He took 3 shots. That's not a lot. Maybe he could drive it a little more and look for pull-ups, kind of like what Luke Ridnour did in college and still does.

His defense. Is horrible. Atrocious. Ghastly. It has not improved one bit. He's athletic. But he plays D like he did in Spain, where the help is supposed to show up at a certain time in the offensive player's drive. Problem is, in the NBA, guys like Aaron Brooks are given the green light on drive because of their speed and ability to find 3-point shooters when the bigs finally do come to help. Sergio rarely goes under the screen and forces the opposing PG to consider an open jump shot.

Now. What makes him so effective in Portland's offense? Chemistry. He has developed chemistry with everyone except for one guy: Brandon Roy. Why? He doesn't practice with him. Roy has been a starter from Day 1. Rodriguez, like Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez, Joel Przybilla, James Jones, Channing Frye, among others, have come off the bench. So he practices with them more. Roy is a traditional shooting guard like Clyde and MJ, where they don't need to move off the ball nearly as much because they can do enough standing in one spot and still have the defense on them.

Sergio runs sets when people are moving and there is only one, maybe two players standing still, and they are usually in the corner as a bail-out option. Roy is always on the wing waiting for the ball. McMillan used Roy HORRIBLY last night as the PG. If Roy is the point guard, he acts like the point guard by getting everyone involved. As bad as Sergio may be on defense, and he is really bad, he's great on offense because of the chemistry he brings to the table.

My take. Two options. Give him the starting spot for 5 games. Give him a chance and give him Blake's minutes. If they go 1-4 and he's horrible, then trade him. Give him a chance on another team. Let him showcase what he's capable of as a starter. He can dime it and when he gets in the flow of the game, he's money. He is a smart point guard who can read a defense. There's been what, two games in his career where he's played effectively? Denver two or three years ago when he scored 23 and had like 9 assists. Then the Hawks game last year where he scored 16. He was able to get into a flow. I can guarantee that the Blazers go 3-2 or 4-1 with him as the starter. He doesn't have to finish the game, but give him a chance to play 30 minutes for once. Or, a third time. And if he gets that chance and succeeds? Then Portland may have found their PG until we see what Bayless is capable of as an NBA PG.

Other option. Trade him. Letting him sulk won't make it any easier for the team and himself this season. Trade him for a young big man. Trade him for a shooter. Trade him for nothing. Just give him a chance on another team.

McMillan obviously doesn't like him as much as Pritchard. So those are really the only two options.

[PacificBlazer]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/11/pritchard_sergio_is_going_nowh.html

This is more about his agent in Europe than Sergio it seems (although of course he wants to play more.)

[UGotThrilled]

Magee's right, something has to be done, because the status..... Is NOT quo. If we trade him, Bayless will get his minutes, and all of the Bayless fans will be happy. Sergio should for sure play every moment that Roy is out. Unfortunately, it looks like thats what he does and because of it, he gets almost no time.

[PacificBlazer]

No offense to Bayless but at this point he should just deal with being on the bench and prove to Nate in practice that he can handle the PG position in the NBA. There is no way he can play SG on this team with Roy and Rudy, how could Nate cut their minutes? And frankly Sergio has been our best point guard and that is counting when Roy is playing there. Yes Sergio struggles on defense but so has Blake.

[52-12-7]

I hope we don't trade him, at least for now.
As good as Rudy is right now, he is five times better when playing next to Sergio.
I think we should limit Roy's duty as a PG, except for last few minutes of the quarter.
Roy has not looked good this year as a PG.
Whenever he brings the ball up, our offense becomes stagnant, and end up throwing a difficult shot against the shot clock in many possessions.

[d-train]

Blazers feel that Sergio is an asset at his salary, which is why they recently picked up his option. Sergio's happiness is up to him and these types of press reports aren't going to make him happy. If his desire is to be traded, he isn't going to help that happen by being a malcontent.

I feel bad for Sergio that his basketball career isn't going the way he wants. But, where is he going to find a NBA team that needs a player at his position more than the Blazers do. Look at what Rudy and Batum are doing to earn minutes with less opportunity than Sergio has. Sergio needs to open up his eyes and see he does have a great opportunity here in Portland and he is responsible for what he does with it.

[magee]

Big difference between those two. Rudy proved in front of the entire world how good he is. Batum would not be playing if Martell were healthy. Sergio is playing behind a good vet. in Blake who has nice D but can't facilitate the offense. McMillan may feel like both Fernandez and Batum earned it mroe than Rodriguez has, but he also doesn't like the lack of D out of the point guard position that Rodriguez brings. Why? McMillan was a defensive minded point guard. Simple as that.

[Sinobas]

So far Sergio has dished out 15 assists in 46 minutes of total playing time. Not too shabby. But he's 3-11 so far from the field. Small sample size, but these numbers are consistant with his history. Blake isn't near the distributor that Sergio is, but he's shooting over 42% from 3pt range. So Nate seems to be favoring Blakes shooting over Sergio's passing. I personally think Sergio should get a bit more time, because he breaks up our stagnant offense. But Blakes timely 3pointers help too.

As to this article, Prichard said it's old news. Probably some Spanish paper trying to make a story.

[Fitz303]

Rudy slapped his hands together is frustration when they subbed Sergio out last night because things had been going so well.

Also, in terms of PG, watch Bayless' body language on the bench....brutal. He doesn't participate in huddles, he's not up cheering like the rest of the bench and when teammates come to talk to him, he basically blows them off.

Im sorry but thats absolute garbage. Bayless is always one of the first guys out there giving high fives, and in the replay of Yao Mings last second shot, Bayless was the furthest one out on the court with Frye. Bayless' body language when he gets taken out of a game is questionable, but during the game when hes on the bench, he has been very supportive

[d-train]

Big difference between those two. Rudy proved in front of the entire world how good he is. Batum would not be playing if Martell were healthy. Sergio is playing behind a good vet. in Blake who has nice D but can't facilitate the offense. McMillan may feel like both Fernandez and Batum earned it mroe than Rodriguez has, but he also doesn't like the lack of D out of the point guard position that Rodriguez brings. Why? McMillan was a defensive minded point guard. Simple as that.

Nate understands as well as any other NBA coach that you win by scoring more points than the other team. That means you need to play offense and defense. The only reason Blake is getting the majority of the PG minutes is he is the team’s best PG. Sergio hasn't even accomplished getting the minutes that Blake doesn't get. And, if you are a PG in the NBA and Blake is the only guy you need to beat for PT, you are in good shape.

[Yangsing]

That's great when Sergio is dishing out assists like the government handing out bailouts, but Sergio is also giving those points back on the defensive end frequently. That said, Sergio is fine in the backup PG role, he just needs more playing time.

I would prefer that the Blazers keep him for at least this season. As it already has been stated, Sergio and Rudy can read each others minds on the offensive end. Which gives the Blazers the ability to maintain leads or get back into the game when the second unit is in.

[JD45]

Rudy slapped his hands together is frustration when they subbed Sergio out last night because things had been going so well.

Also, in terms of PG, watch Bayless' body language on the bench....brutal. He doesn't participate in huddles, he's not up cheering like the rest of the bench and when teammates come to talk to him, he basically blows them off.

Im sorry but thats absolute garbage. Bayless is always one of the first guys out there giving high fives, and in the replay of Yao Mings last second shot, Bayless was the furthest one out on the court with Frye. Bayless' body language when he gets taken out of a game is questionable, but during the game when hes on the bench, he has been very supportive

Interesting issue. From watching on TV, I thought Bayless was supportive. Maybe watching the game live there is indications he is not.

[TBpup]

Im sorry but thats absolute garbage. Bayless is always one of the first guys out there giving high fives, and in the replay of Yao Mings last second shot, Bayless was the furthest one out on the court with Frye. Bayless' body language when he gets taken out of a game is questionable, but during the game when hes on the bench, he has been very supportive

Be careful when using absolute's like 'always'. I have seen it in person as have others and it certainly has not gone unnoticed in the Blazer organization...take that for what it is worth. I'm not saying he 'never' is supportive or 'always' is in a mood. Also, I'm glad he thinks he is good enough to be playing. However, his attitude right now is much like his game right now...more about him and less about the team. Believe me, if he would pass the ball even a little, he would be getting the few minutes that Sergio gets.

[Papercut]

People criticizing Sergio for his defense realize that Blake is also a tremendously bad defender, right? He is a major liability at the defensive end just like Rodriguez is.

I just thought Quick's line near the end of his post was funny, "who do you take minutes from: Roy? Rudy? Blake?" That's an easy question: Blake! I'm fine with Blake starting and Sergio being the backup, but I'd be MUCH happier with Blake averaging 20-25 minutes and Sergio getting 15-20, rather than the current distribution of Blake at 30 and Sergio at 10.

[JD45]

Update from Quick:

*UPDATE AFTER PRACTICE: Sergio is upset. He had a 20-minute sitdown with Pritchard, then spoke about his frustrations about playing time. He didn't necessarily ask for a trade, but he made it known he is having a tough time dealing with his situation. More to come ...