Rudy Fernandez Traded To Dallas

[MainEv3nt]

http://basketball.realgm.com/images/nba/4.2/wiretap/photos/2006/Fernandez_Rudy_por_090428.jpg

 

Rudy Fernandez will be traded to the Mavericks for Jordan Hamilton, with that pick being conveyed to Denver as part of the Raymond Felton for Andre Miller trade.

 

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/214327/Fernandez_Dealt_To_Dallas#ixzz1QAfU3vrd

[ballorama]

I like this move alot, a good 2 guard starting material. makes us better!

[Dr. Feelgood]

Thank god we got rid of Rudy, that's all I gotta say.

[MainEv3nt]

rudy rookie year showed alot of potential, since then he became horrible BUT i think it has somethin to do with portland killing his spirit lol. (no offense blazers fans)

[Dr. Feelgood]

I don't think him demanding a trade, us start hating him and wanting him out, then him saying "oh no, I like it here now!" is on us killing his spirit. We loved Rudy when he first came. He was the one that opened his mouth, was constantly complaining about playing time (which he was getting) and then demanded a trade. His brought it upon himself, lol.

[Oliver P]

His situation in Portland was not easy for Rudy though. The Blazers are stacked in the wings so it was very hard to give him the minutes he wanted, and honestly deserved. Of course he can be blamed for his attitude but it's still understandable to some extent.

 

So I'm happy for him that he's finally out of Portland. However I'm not sure that he's gonna be in a better situation in Dallas... I mean they have a lot of SG/SF too... Marion, Stevenson, Terry, Beaubois (he got the size of a 1 but is rather a 2, just like Terry) and Butler is gonna get back... Although I'm not too worried, cause overall, in terms of pure talent, Rudy is better than all those players. Except Butler but Caron never fitted really well in Dallas. Rudy has a true chance to become the starter in that team next year IMO. He's honestly one of the most talented players I ever seen and I know for sure that he can do better than what he's done in Portland so far (even though he has been quite alright there, he can be much, much better).

 

Besides I think that the Mavs should just try to trade Butler. Honestly Caron never fitted very well in that team, first because he's not a chemistry player (he played in Washington for too long..), and the Mavs were just better overall without him. But if he stays, well I think they should try to rather use him as a bench player. He could be useful as the player who can come off the bench to score when the team needs it. A la Jason Terry...

 

So right now it would be between Rudy and Stevenson for the starting spot. It's true that DeShawn has been surprisingly quite good this year with Dallas, and even hit some important shots during the playoffs and Finals but still overall Rudy is better than him everywhere. Except defensively maybe... He's a better shooter, passer, slasher, dunker, ball handler, etc... Everywhere. Besides, as good as he was this year, Stevenson wasn't as good a defender than he was supposed to be... So I would give his chance to Rudy as the starting 2. Especially that Dallas is exactly the kind of team in which he can play at his best, the Mavs style of play is perfect for him. So I'm confident for Rudy's future. And for the Mavs at the same time, they definitely can become even better with him in the team.

 

And I hope that Rudy will finally play at the level he should play anyhow, as he's one of my favorite players, I can't wait to see him as a Mavs.

[Real Deal]

Aside from him having trouble logging minutes, I have to point out that Rudy isn't that great of a player to begin with. When does he play defense? Getting a steal here or there isn't exactly defense, or else Iverson would've been considered an excellent defensive player. He can jump and is athletic, but what does he actually do with the ball? He has a lot of trouble hitting from inside the arc, and he's not on Korver's level shooting the three (or any elite three-point shooter's, to be honest).

 

I just don't see why many have fallen in love with his game.

[Warren2ThaG]

Aside from him having trouble logging minutes, I have to point out that Rudy isn't that great of a player to begin with. When does he play defense? Getting a steal here or there isn't exactly defense, or else Iverson would've been considered an excellent defensive player. He can jump and is athletic, but what does he actually do with the ball? He has a lot of trouble hitting from inside the arc, and he's not on Korver's level shooting the three (or any elite three-point shooter's, to be honest).

 

I just don't see why many have fallen in love with his game.

 

Portland won right, better then losing him for nothing!

[ChosenOne]

I don't think a change of secrecy will make any sort of a difference but for his case lets hope it does.

[Dr. Feelgood]

Aside from him having trouble logging minutes, I have to point out that Rudy isn't that great of a player to begin with. When does he play defense? Getting a steal here or there isn't exactly defense, or else Iverson would've been considered an excellent defensive player. He can jump and is athletic, but what does he actually do with the ball? He has a lot of trouble hitting from inside the arc, and he's not on Korver's level shooting the three (or any elite three-point shooter's, to be honest).

 

I just don't see why many have fallen in love with his game.

 

At least someone else sees that Rudy isn't anything special at all.

[Smitty]

I don't think a change of secrecy will make any sort of a difference but for his case lets hope it does.

 

 

I don't think a change of secrecy would help him regardless.

[Oliver P]

Aside from him having trouble logging minutes, I have to point out that Rudy isn't that great of a player to begin with. When does he play defense? Getting a steal here or there isn't exactly defense, or else Iverson would've been considered an excellent defensive player. He can jump and is athletic, but what does he actually do with the ball? He has a lot of trouble hitting from inside the arc, and he's not on Korver's level shooting the three (or any elite three-point shooter's, to be honest).

 

I just don't see why many have fallen in love with his game.

 

First of all, I never said that he was a great defender. It's actually his main weakness. Although he has the potential to become a much better defender and is already not that bad actually... Still has to work and improve his defense.

 

And you just can't judge him on what he's done in Portland so far. The fact that he's had some trouble in Portland, the fact that it's not the right place for him definitely explains why he wasn't at the best of his potential. In terms of pure talent Rudy is a fantastic player, again he's a very good shooter, passer, ball handler, slasher and dunker, I know that for a fact. And he hasn't shown all what he can do yet. And I definitely hope that he will in Dallas. I'm sure that he can at least.

 

Second of all, I can't talk about the others, but the reason why I fell in love with his game was because, contrary to many people here and maybe even everyone, I already knew about Fernandez before he went to the NBA. And watched him many times in Europe. And here Rudy was definitely among the best players.

 

In his first season with the Joventut Badalona (the only club he played with in Europe this for 5 seasons in a row) Joventut made the Finals in the Cupa del Rey (King's Cup in English) which is one of the major bball event in Spain. And, even if Joventut eventually did not win, Rudy was named MVP of the event, this at the age of 18 (!!). Youngest player to ever win a Copa del Rey MVP (was even younger than Gasol when he did).

 

In 2006, at the age of 20, he made Joventut win the Eurochallenge, which is one of the three major basketball events in Europe. He was again named MVP.

 

In 2006, again, he was named best young European basketball player of the year, thanks to the unbelievable performances he had in the Euroleague, in the FIBA World Cup with Spain and, as I said above, in the Eurochallenge.

 

In 2007 he made his team win the Catalan Basketball Cup (which Rudy and Badalona already won in 2005) and Rudy was named MVP of the event.

 

in 2008 he led Joventut to the Finals of the Copa del Rey again, and this time Joventut won the event and Rudy was once again MVP. Then he makes his team win in the ULEB Cup (one of the two best European basketball events), and is once again named MVP.

 

Fernandez has also been one of the top key players of the Spanish national team since 2004, and is even the second best player of the team right behind Pau. In the last Olympics he was even the best player of the team for the last two games of the event, the semis and ESPECIALLY the Finals against the USA. His performance against Team USA was just unbelievable, he even was the best scorer of his team with 22 pts in ONLY 18 minutes (couldn't play more because of foul trouble). And, as well all know, he even destroyed Dwight Howard during the game. It's first thanks to him that Spain almost beat Team USA that year.

 

So honestly it's hard to do better than that... Now Rudy has had some troubles and has clearly not played at the best he can do, not even close, in his NBA days yet. But it's just TOTALLY unfair to judge him only for that. And everyone who watched him play in Europe KNOW that he can do WAY better than that (even if, once again, he hasn't been that bad in Portland..).

Now maybe he is not made to play in the NBA. Maybe he's only made to play in Europe. It already happened to many European players. But, even if it was true, it still would be totally asinine to consider him as an "average' player because of that, it's just impossible to bypass the success that he's had in Europe. Jasikevicius for example didn't have a great NBA career (although I'm not sure that things would have been the same if he arrived in the league earlier... and played with a different team...) but he's still a terrific, a FANTASTIC player. His palmares in Europe is unreal. And he even destroyed Team USA all by himself in 2004... And if his last shot against Team USA was good at the end of the semis in the 2000 he would have done it twice. Amazing player, I don't care if he didn't succeed in the NBA, Jasikevicius is an amazing player and this cannot even be argued. Just like players like Oscar, Papaloukas, Bodiroga, etc, etc, etc... who never played in the NBA HAVE definitely to be considered among the best players of all time.

 

But anyway I am sure that Rudy can succeed in the NBA. He was just not in the right team, but he has everything a player wants to play in the NBA. Besides the reason why many Europeans usually do not succeed in the big league is because they are not athletic enough.. And it's not the case for Rudy. He's very athletic. Again I am sure that Rudy can succeed in this league, and now that he's in a team that fits his game more I expect him to have a great season. Rudy MIP next year ? It is definitely possible, don't be surprised if that happens... However if he doesn't succeed with Dallas, then I think that the best for him would be to get back to Spain in 2012... But I would be surprised personally...

 

I can't wait to see what he's gonna do next year.

[Real Deal]

All of that is fine (and I wasn't specifically responding to what you said, I've seen people actually praise Rudy far too much), but what he does overseas is completely irrelevant to me. Chinemelu Elonu put up a 20/14 game, is getting playing time, but he was also the 59th pick in the draft for the Lakers and will never see time on the court over here.

 

My opinions of players are always going to be based on what they can do here. I've had enough of these guys flying across the ocean, getting drafted, and then playing worse than some of our own OTR members would once they arrive to training camp. The things I said about Rudy, as an NBA player, have been true...and for the first two years of his career, he was actually fine with being in Portland, and he did have opportunities, and I didn't see the player some describe him to be. I see a one-dimensional player that is a liability on the defensive end. If he's not nailing threes, he can be the worst player on the court. Contribution-wise, what's the difference between Rudy and Eddie House? Hustle? That may be it.

[Multi-Billionaire]

Rudy definitely showed flashes he can be this dynamic scorer. I think the worry about inconsistent playing time affected his play.

 

He can be a catch and shoot guy, he can make plays for others, and if he really develops he can create havoc in opponent's defense the way Ginobili does. I think he needs security/ guarantee about playing time first before "deciding" he's gonna play right. He could be a big steal for Mavs.

[Oliver P]

All of that is fine (and I wasn't specifically responding to what you said, I've seen people actually praise Rudy far too much), but what he does overseas is completely irrelevant to me. Chinemelu Elonu put up a 20/14 game, is getting playing time, but he was also the 59th pick in the draft for the Lakers and will never see time on the court over here.

 

My opinions of players are always going to be based on what they can do here. I've had enough of these guys flying across the ocean, getting drafted, and then playing worse than some of our own OTR members would once they arrive to training camp. The things I said about Rudy, as an NBA player, have been true...and for the first two years of his career, he was actually fine with being in Portland, and he did have opportunities, and I didn't see the player some describe him to be. I see a one-dimensional player that is a liability on the defensive end. If he's not nailing threes, he can be the worst player on the court. Contribution-wise, what's the difference between Rudy and Eddie House? Hustle? That may be it.

 

Always going to be based on what they can do here ? Alright you're entitled to your opinion but I sure HIGHLY disagree with you about that.

 

Personally I give more weight to a player that succeeds in the NBA though. I think that it's pretty logical as the NBA is still, and BY FAR, the best league in the world. So if you do not succeed in the NBA it will be impossible to even compare you with the very best players of the big league. BUT by your logic what happens outside the NBA simply does not matter ? I'm sorry but that's an insult for all the talented players who played and play oversea... There is a margin between saying that the NBA is better and that the best players are the ones who succeed in that league and saying that overseas is irrelevant. Especially that, if the NBA is still definitely the best, Euroleague basketball is also definitely the second best league in the world and the level is still much better than most people in America think it is.

So it DEFINITELY HAS TO BE TAKEN IN CONSIDERATION.

 

And honestly saying things that some of those players play worse than OTR members and that Rudy is not better than Eddie House is totally asinine... Seriously don't you think that you're overreacting a bit ? You do not need to disrespect people to make your point, I think that you're a good enough poster to avoid sinking that low..

Now I agree with you that, judging him from what he's done in Portland, Rudy can be considered as a disappointment. You are right, he is so far. But as I said it's also unfair to judge him only for that. Just give him some more time... If he keeps playing that way in the next couple of years while playing with another team and so being in a more suitable situation for him, then I'll agree, but definitely not right now.

 

Oh and personally I never saw Eddie House do things like this :

 

 

Eddie House is just a shooter and nothing more. Rudy can do much better things on a court. And if we talk about his NBA days ONLY, well even if he didn't play to his potential so far he's already been a much, MUCH better player than House could dream of being. Rudy is much better than him in every single area. Everywhere. And by far. And even if you're talking about their shooting abilities only, Eddie is nothing more than a catch and shoot player. While, contrary to Eddie, Rudy can create his own shoot. The two players can't just even be compared.

 

 

By the way I would like to precise something. Cause as I am a European and my favorite player is a European (Dirk) I am sure that many people think that I'm saying all of this because of that (not saying that it's your case, but I'm sure that some people do). So I just would like to precise that I am in no way a fan of European basketball. That my favorite players are almost all Americans and the NBA is by far my favorite league. And I have always found more than ludicrous that some people thought that Euroleague was as good as the NBA (yes I heard some people here say stupid things like that). Or when Sabonis arrived in the league and said that the only difference between the NBA and Europe was that there were a couple of stars more in the American league (I am a huge fan of Sabas but that was definitely more than ludicrous). And I ALWAYS root for Team USA. So this is all coming from a basketball fan who is and have always been first of all an AMERICAN BASKETBALL FAN.

 

But I don't hate European basketball players (well sometimes maybe French players cause they're usually way overrated here, every time Mahinmi was on the court the French commentators were literally crazy in the last Finals and journalists didn't hesitate to call him a hero because he had a rebound and a hit a lucky shot at the end of the 3rd lol) at the same time, and I call a good European baskeball player when I see one. I do not judge players on their nationalities, but on the way they play. I want to be very clear about that.

[Real Deal]

BUT by your logic what happens outside the NBA simply does not matter ? I'm sorry but that's an insult for all the talented players who played and play oversea...

I never said anything outside of the NBA is irrelevant. I said that anything outside of the NBA is irrelevant when I'm evaluating NBA talent. That's two completely different things. If I want to know how well a guy is doing in the league, I'm not going to go look at his highlights playing for the Spanish national team.

 

A perfect example is Sun Yue. I have no idea how many people claimed he was going to be great. He even blocked Dwight Howard in the World Championships (or qualifying matches, can't remember). Big deal. The guy looked like Magic Johnson when he was playing for China. He was drafted by LA, came to camp, and was horrible.

 

Unfortunately, it happens a lot. International scouts are paid to judge players by what they do overseas, and predict how they will play in the league. My job is to look at what he is doing here, and say whether or not he belongs. What he does anywhere else, even in the D-League, means nothing to me.

 

And honestly saying things that some of those players play worse than OTR members and that Rudy is not better than Eddie House is totally asinine... Seriously don't you think that you're overreacting a bit ?

For one, we have/had a couple of members here that are college players, and I wouldn't be surprised if they actually played better basketball than some of the guys that are drafted, sent over, and are complete trash in camp.

 

Also, I never said that Rudy was not better than House, I stated that he contributes as much. He shoots the ball, and that's about it. If anything is different, contribution-wise, he hustles more than Eddie.

[Multi-Billionaire]

Rudy had games where he showed potential that he can be a future star. He can finish around the rim, he can shoot, he can create for teammates, he can go at the teeth of defense and disrupt it only few NBA players can.

 

Sun Yue? Never did anything in NBA, never showed he belongs/ proves to be a rotation player, let alone showed signs of being a star.

Edited June 27, 2011 by Multi-Billionaire

[Real Deal]

Rudy had games where he showed potential that he can be a future star. He can finish around the rim, he can shoot, he can create for teammates, he can go at the teeth of defense and disrupt it only few NBA players can.

Sounds like Smush Parker, dude. Parker could finish around the rim, he didn't shoot that poorly, he could dish off on a dribble drive, and he "disrupted" the defense when he attacked the paint because he was athletic.

 

Of course, I'm not saying they are alike, I'm saying that you can apply it to many players that aren't that great.

 

You are severely overrating Rudy. If he was as good as you say he is, Portland would still have him.

 

But, you'll see. We'll revisit this soon.

[Oliver P]

You are severely overrating Rudy. If he was as good as you say he is, Portland would still have him.

 

That's not a good argument though. Many teams have traded very good players in the past. Like KJ for instance. The Cavs traded him to Phoenix yet we all know what kind of players he became as a Suns... The Warriors traded Richmond to Sac Town and Mitch became a multiple All Star there. The Warriors traded most of their best players anyhow, as they also traded Tim Bug (who had the best years of his career in Miami and was even, with Payton, the best PG in the league there at the time) to Miami, Chris Webber to Washington (yes Chris clearly stated that he did not want to remain a Warrior but still that's another star they let go...) or Joe Smith to Phila (he was not a superstar but he was still a very good player). We can also mention Boris Diaw who became a much better player in Phoenix than he was in Atlanta. Or Jermaine O'Neal, the Blazers traded him to Indiana and Jermaine became a multiple All Star and one of the very best big men in the league in Indiana. Or Ben Wallace he was first traded from Washington to Orlando then from Orlando to Detroit before becoming one of the best defensive player in the league. I could go on and on...

 

The fact is that many teams have traded very good players and even future superstars in the past, this for different reasons, so the fact that Portland traded Rudy just doesn't prove anything at all. The reason why they traded him was because, as I already said, the Blazers are stacked with good SF/SG and they just can't keep everyone. One of them had to go. We can compare this situation with the Run TMC, they couldn't keep the three players together one of them had to go. But that doesn't mean that Mitch was not a good player and we saw in Sac Town how great he was. And of course the Blazers rather chose to trade Rudy because he never was comfortable in that team (even if he said he wanted to stay at the beginning of this season I doubt that he really wanted very much..), he was hated by many Blazers fans and they just accepted the fact that Rudy could just not stay any longer.

 

Also I want to precise that I don't expect Rudy to become a superstar or a great leader, a first option, I do not think that he will in fact. But I think that he has all what he needs to become an NBA star. A la Ginobili if you wish. I think he definitely has the potential to become as good as Ginobili (not saying that he will for sure but that he has the potential to).

 

By the way just want to precise that there is a major difference between the two international players you mentioned and Rudy. First Elonu only played two years in Europe so far and the least we can say is that he hasn't been terrific.. And is not even close to be one of the best players here. Then Sun has only played in the Chinese league so far and it's very important to know that this league is still very weak. Not even close to the level of the European leagues.

While Rudy is a proven superstar in Europe. That's a major difference.

 

But anyway yeah there's no need to speculate over and over about this, well just have to wait and see what he's gonna do in Dallas.

Edited June 27, 2011 by Oliver P

[Dr. Feelgood]

In my opinion, and I've watched Rudy play ever since he first became a Blazer, he showed flashes, he got playing time to show what he can do and I just think he's severely overrated. He got really pissy when we traded away Sergio after his rookie year...I just don't see it. Sorry. He's overrated in my opinion and I've been watching him ever since he got into the league.

[Art]

The mavericks are too deep for their own damn good.