I do think he’s more talented than his playing time suggested. He’s a creative passer and an exciting player. I don’t necessarily take it as a bad sign that he was chafing at the situation he was in. At the very least it shows he wants to make it in the NBA. Say what you will about Beno, but he was better than his role in San Antonio as well.

Just keep working on that jump shot and defense, Sergio.

Rafer Alston has problems when he isn’t a starter. But as a starter he helped Orlando to the playoffs until SVG started jerking around his minutes for Jameer Nelson. There have been plenty of other example. Long term solution? Who know…but I think he can be a solid PG for this team as a part of the rebuilding process.

Even when he doesn’t give a crap, Beno is good enough to be a backup. Are we gonna showcase him early to try to trade him? Would he be involved in a deal that finally moves K-9? And that’s just our guard situation. By my count, we have 5 guys at small forward and 1 center. This is gonna be an interesting season.

that they’ll be targeting will be Marcin Gortat.

If Rodriguez really is concerned about his NBA career, he’ll make the most of his change of scenery. The pace of the Kings’ game should suit him better, and he’ll almost certainly get more minutes here. Since he only cost the Kings a few spots in the second round, it was well worth the risk.

Sure, we’ve got plenty, but let us not question Sergio’s TALENT. That’s right folks, we have acquired a very talented, pass-first point guard for a minimal cost. In addition we have stocked our backcourt, and perhaps lit a fire under Beno, who can be a very effective player when motivated – and playing for your job can be very motivating.

There is no downside to this, but we could very well have found the pass-first flashy point guard everyone wanted in rubio, at a steep, steep discount.

WE ARE SO VERSITILE IN THE BACK COURT ITS A CRIME.SO LETS SIGN A LOW POST SCORER AND WE GOT HUSTLE AND SCRAPINESS AT EVERY POSITION!!!!!P.S QUIT HATING AND START CONGRATALATING biT…….SSSSSSSSSSS

Westphal doesn’t HAVE to run the full-on Princeton offense if his players are better suited to play another style.

Adelman is long gone, and none of these players have had a head coach – ie the one doing the real strategizing – who have had experience running the Princeton.

We ain’t running it.

Things I like:
He’s a borderline virtuoso passer.
He’s fast, with good handle, and has balls, not afraid to shoot/score when the team desperately needs it most (sunk clutch FTs with no fear last season).
Like Rondo, teams know he’s a sucky shooter, which actually helps open up driving and passing lanes that aren’t there for guys who defenders feel they they have to stay home on.
His quick hands and intuition for the ball make him quite competent in stealing the ball.
He’s still young and showed improvement last season (could be skewed by his good chemistry with old pal rudy)

Things I dislike:
He’s too slight to defend, well, anyone, let alone the pick and roll.
He’s streaky, some games he’s amazing, other games, he makes risky passes that result in turnovers.
He is not athletically gifted.
Although he’s creative, he is not a gifted scorer and will miss lay ins too frequently.

Ben’s hyperbole is a little much, but it is what it is.

Sergio was a raising star in Spain.
He came to the Blazers à la Rudy, knowing he’d make at least twice as much staying in Europe, but he wanted to come because of the challenge.
19 year old playing with the pros in Spain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9vmcTN4Lc4

His style of play relies a lot on confidence. If he feels he can, he just takes over the game, he forces his rythm into everyone, which his teammates are used to, and his opponent usually aren’t. This makes him (if used well) an amazing PG off the bench, as he’s capable of turning a game upside down changing the flow of the game.
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPFEUA1pGeI

He knows how to play big games. He forced Spain into the World Championship’s final back in 2006. Seehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyxdHjrCl2c

When he came to Portland he soon became a fan favorite, even when he barely played (he had the likes of Dan Dickau or Juan Dixon over him in the rotation). 10 easy baskets were not enough for Nate at the expense of 2 TO.

He turned 20 the year he came to Portland. A young World Champion with great attitude who passed on the big money to come to the other side of the world to play with the best.

His teammates loved him, the fans loved him, but his coach was busy talking to the press about everything he didn’t like about him. Two different point guards, two opposite ways of understanding the game, and there he was Sergio, he knew he had to please his coach, so he kept practicing and trying his best to adapt his game to please his coach and have a chance, but what did he found? His minutes decreased by 1/3 on his second season.

And then during his 3rd season, after spending all the summer practicing to improve his weak spots, his coach benches him.

He has made all kind of sacrifices to please Nate, he’s playing the opposite of his style, losing money and being away of his family and girlfriend just to find disrespect.

He’s just 22, but the way I see it, he’s wasted 3 very valuable years of his carreer trying to please someone who can’t appreciate his gifts.

I think he still has it in him, he’s putted all his effort on the Blazers, and he deserves what’s best for him.

He can still do things like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qKGWhHADlE#t=3m59s

Either KP did a mistake drafting him or Nate as a coach, and I’d say it’s the last one.

I’d love KP to do something for him, he deserves it, and now it’s the moment to do it. It’s very hard for a player getting signed as a FA after 4 seasons of barely playing, just give him a chance, here or anywhere else, the kid deserves it, he’s served well the Blazers, and he deserves a chance.

Free Sergio

someone will get traded next season, probably Nocioni, García, Udrih or even Martin.

so I’m worried because Martin is not as untouchable as it was before, Udrih is not a good PG anymore and he is less likely to move because of his contract; García hits the clutch three, so I don’t want him to go, he’s like our Derek Fisher and Nocioni I think is a great player and will be great to stay, but if he doesnt want to, he’ll be traded.

So much questions about the future can get you a headache.

Ziller, you say that Sergio is a poor shooter, but he had improved somewhat this year. He played a large, large portion of his minutes at the end of the first and third quarters, so he ended up attempting a large number of heaves. Taking those out, he was actually a 36% three point shooter. Not good, but not horrible.

He’ll be a decent role player in a fast-paced system. Good pickup by Sactown.

I would like to direct you all to Free Sergio. (not my site).

While Tyreke Evans will have to prove to the coaching staff, the fans, his teammates and himself that he can be an NBA point guard, Sergio Rodriguez is there.

Come on, man, would you have written that if the Kings picked Rubio? I respectfully disagree with this piece. All rookies have to prove they can play their designated position when coming into the league. That sounds like your still pouting over the fact Geoff chose Evans over La Espana Hype.

As far as I’m concerned, Sergio needs to prove he can play effectively at the one as well. There’s nothing from his tenure at Portland that convinces me to put him ahead of Beno or Tyreke at the start of next season.

Welcome to Sactown, Tyreke!!!

I think 75% of the folks on here are at “BARGAINING.”

Defending Evans as a more than solid pick shouldn’t be perceived as railing on anybody. Ease up on the condescension.

Well said.

I think the Sergio move was pretty great for both Portland and Sac. The Kings are obviously in rebuilding mode, and need help at many positions – Maybe Tyreke will be the PG of the future for you, but I think that with Sergio you’re getting at least a serviceable guy who (along with Beno) are fully capable of running the point until you figure out what you’ve got with Evans.

And there is an outside chance that Sergio will flourish in a new system. I think the “2 camps” in Portland are really just looking at flipsides of the same coin. Sergio was basically a bust for us. You can blame Coach Nate for keeping too tight a rein on him, or you can blame Sergio for poor work ethic, whining too much, and failing to adapt to the system. Personally I think it was more of the latter – at his BEST, Sergio is simply not the caliber of player you change your team identity just to suit his style.

I don’t think we expected the world out of Sergio – look at our starter! Blake is solid, but far from outstanding – yet he’s beloved by the coach, teammates, and fans. He worked on his outside shot so he could compliment Roy, and Blake had a career year from 3-point-land.

I guess I’m saying I wish Sergio the best. He’s probably grown up a lot through the process, and hopefully he’ll be valuable to the Kings.

Btw, Rip City is and always has been my team, but I lived near Sac and followed the Kings for years. I got nothing but well wishes for y’all!

I think KP moved Sergio specifically to you guys, for not much at all, because it could be a good situation for Sergio. It’s pretty much the only team in the NBA he has a shot to start at PG for.

I think he is a backup PG now, and likely forever. THAT IS STILL GOOD THOUGH. He is a pace changer who can really get lady momentum on your side. I never minded his turnovers, because they come from trying to get something going, and not from being lazy or careless. He is an amazing passer.

THE PROBLEMS— There are quite a few.

The biggest one to me is that he is bad on the pick and roll and has never gotten the hang of how to use a pick. It’s almost as if he is still used to the moving pick they allow in Europe. The big sets the pick, and Sergio always backs up to get a running start, and then the big is in the wrong place and the defender has moved and the pick is either totally ineffective or the big gets called for a moving pick (it happened much more than it should). Sergio often likes to move before the pick is set also, getting a cheap foul on the big.

His rookie year, he would connect with Jamall Magloirable for some easy baskets on the pick and roll. Since then, he doesn’t pass to the big rolling much and usually opts for the kick out for a mid-range jumper or a 3 point shot. That always bugged me too. His passes were always “good”, but not to the person we’d rather it go to. They were the more creative pass though…

He is a really bad shooter after a few years of work. His shot is really flat and while his percentage went up you can still tell just by watching him shoot that it is really off. He has reportedly worked very hard on improving it, but the results haven’t kicked in yet. I do trust he is working on it though, and if a dude works on his shot it should eventually improve. He’ll never likely be a good shooter though.

He isn’t athletic enough to be a good defender. He has a small frame that doesn’t do well against the few big PGs there are left (even though he has nice height), and he isn’t quick enough for the numerous small quick PGs of today. He also doesn’t use his body to impede the forward progress of the enemy guards. He can get totally lost in the defensive scheme and lose his man.

Like his shooting, he has made improvements on defense, but started from such a bad level that the improvement still isn’t enough. And unlike his shooting, I don’t expect it to improve much more than knowing where he should be, and when. Enemy PGs will target him as an easy mark and try to exploit his defensive shortcomings.

Playing behind Blake, I thought he got plenty of minutes. He is a backup; playing 12+ minutes a night is what backups play, even under a relatively mediocre PG like Blake. Sacramento is a fresh start and the PG spot is up for grabs, so I hope he capitalizes on the situation. I think the Spanish media helps him feel entitled for more minutes, and that he was getting screwed by Coach Nate. Spanish publications such as La Marca are EXTREMELY nationalistic and prone to blaming everyone else except for the player for why that player isn’t doing very well. Be prepared for it when/if Sergio struggles or is unhappy with playing behind a rookie that you guys need to develop.

He’s also a much bigger deal where he is from (the Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa), so all offseason he gets adulation and attention and told how great he is and that he is getting screwed, and then he comes to the NBA each year and plays back up minutes. For a young dude, that has to be tough.

I consider myself in the middle ground of the Sergio debate (though perhaps some of his biggest supporters may disagree). Unlike some, I think he is definitely a NBA point guard. He just isn’t good enough to warrant the CONSTANT attention and debate he spurred, and I think 97% of the debate stems from him being an exotique, a white PG, a Spaniard, and that he essentially plays a streetball freestyle game that one does not usually associate with Euros.

He inspires fervent devotion in his fans, which I admire. In response to this fervent devotion, others compensate the other way and hate him. I think neither emotion is accurate.

If we approach Sergio as a likely career backup with notable flaws but also some INCREDIBLE skills, we can get a more realistic vision of what sort of player he is.

To have a backup as talented as he is at creating shots for others, and the fan pleasing style he plays, and as young and already with 3 years of NBA experience with potential left to mine, getting him for a 2nd round pick PLUS not having to pay his salary is an amazing deal for you guys.

I hope he gets the shot he is looking for.

And if he is again a backup, I hope he accepts it.

Mortimer

Is the amount of mouths Sergio is going to shut with his game

He’s been forced to play to his weaknesses, and even then he hasn’t done a bad job. Playing to his strengths he can be a borderline allstar this season.

Seriously who has the time to write the quality and length of comments if they aren’t associated with the team.

Sergio is not a trouble maker as was implied in the post,

apparently he had lockerroom problems.

There are no locker room issues regarding Sergio. Really.

Ben seems to have long had an axe to grind on the subject, and he no doubt feels that Sergio has unfairly taken minutes away from his man Bayless.

While I’m on the subject of Blazers Edge people who are not Sergio fans, I would put Mortimer in that category, although he seems to want to be seen as Sergio supporter. Don’t know why. As one little example, he states above, “And if he is again a backup, I hope he accepts it.” This is disingenuous. There is no evidence that Sergio ever thought he should start on the Blazers. He merely wanted a predicatable rotation role, and a little show of confidence from the coach, as would be demonstrated by not yanking him out of the game at the first miscue. That is what McMillan did habitually with Sergio. His treatment of other players was noticeably more tolerant.

I hope you guys enjoy having Sergio on your team. I already miss him.

if things don’t work out for him in Sac Town (which I hope they do), I’d love to see him in Spain where he could play starter minutes. That guy is just flat out fun to watch.