Petro: Comparisons To The Rudy "Situation"

[ABM]

Good article..

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=128624976736954600

Rudy is Drazen Petrovic 20 years later.

That was brought to mind Monday when I watched a preview DVD entitled “Once Brothers” sent to me by ESPN Films................

.......................Several times during the ESPN documentary, Biserka Petrovic reiterated that Drazen had been dejected because he “didn’t play” with the Blazers. That isn’t true. During his rookie season, the 6-5 sharpshooter averaged 7.6 points in 13 minutes a game and played a key role off the bench as Portland reached the NBA finals. What is true is Petrovic wasn’t playing as much as he’d like.

“His time was going to come,” Adelman said then and says now. It wasn’t going to be soon, though, and Petro, then 26, couldn’t wait. To be fair, an offseason trade for Ainge pushed Petro even further from a starting role, which heightened his disgruntlement. And his agent, Warren LeGarie, exasperated the situation by demanding a trade early in the player’s second season. General Manager Geoff Petrie abided, sending Petrovic to New Jersey in a three-way trade that brought back Walter Davis midway through the 1990-91 campaign.

Petro was a starter immediately for the Nets, and in his first full season with them averaged 20.6 points and led NBA guards in field-goal percentage. The next season, Petro averaged 22.3 points and was named to the all-NBA third team. I remember interviewing him in New Jersey and was struck by how much happier he was, playing regularly for a team that was getting better in no small part to his contributions........................

 

[HailBlazers]

With Sterno acting like a hall monitor and these greedy Agents running a muck I would have to say a LockOut is impending

 

[THE HCP]

Very similar situations.

 

[e_blazer]

And his agent, Warren LeGarie, exasperated the situation by demanding a trade early in the player’s second season.

Exasperated? Come on Eggers, you're better than to use "exasperated" when you mean "exacerbated".

Oh, yeah, about the article...I think comparison is apt.

 

[hasoos]

Sort of. Petrovich was much better than Rudy IMO, and had much more of a beef because of it.

 

[Minstrel]

Sort of. Petrovich was much better than Rudy IMO, and had much more of a beef because of it.

Agreed. Fernandez came to the Blazers as essentially a good young prospect. Petrovic came to the Blazers as a legend...essentially the only player who could challenge Sabonis for the title of greatest European player ever. Petrovic had more ability and had more experience. He deserved more than being treated as a raw rookie who'd get a turn someday in the distant future. Fernandez got the minutes and role he deserved, in my opinion. He was a clear rotation player in his rookie season and then lost minutes in his second season when his play declined.

 

[LittleAlex]

Agreed. Fernandez came to the Blazers as essentially a good young prospect. Petrovic came to the Blazers as a legend...essentially the only player who could challenge Sabonis for the title of greatest European player ever. Petrovic had more ability and had more experience. He deserved more than being treated as a raw rookie who'd get a turn someday in the distant future. Fernandez got the minutes and role he deserved, in my opinion. He was a clear rotation player in his rookie season and then lost minutes in his second season when his play declined.

Did Petro score 100 points in a game in Euroleague play? I seem to recall him doing something crazy like that.

And yes, Petro is easily 3 to 4 times the player Rudy will ever be.

 

[THE HCP]

I'd like to see Rudy get 40 minutes a game so we could make a real comparison. Not instead of Brandon, but you know what I mean!

 

[SlyPokerDog]

[video=youtube;wgIlL0ih6wY]

 

[Minstrel]

Did Petro score 100 points in a game in Euroleague play? I seem to recall him doing something crazy like that.

He scored 112 points in one game. And had games of 40+, 50+ and 60+. He averaged close to 40 PPG in his top Yugoslavian league and over 30 PPG in general European tournaments.

 

[andalusian]

I got to see some of Petro's Cibona and Madrid games in Europe - that guy was a superstar. He was much better in Euro competition than Rudy was.

 

[jlprk]

The first 2/3 of the article is a review of the upcoming TV show. Despite the article's title, Rudy isn't mentioned in the first 2/3. (Maybe in the introductory line.)

Instead of similarities, I'll add some opposites.

Petrovic was like Roy, a volume shooter. Rudy is like Drexler, a slasher. Rudy needs a lot of passing to trick the defense, like Amare Stoudamire. Petrovic would just shoot it in your face even in a low-IQ game.

Petrovic played McMillan style and Rudy plays Adelman style. Each would have done better on the other's Blazer team.

You people overrate Petrovic. Because pros now play in international competiton, Europe has much tougher leagues now. He couldn't score 112 now. He became an NBA starter so fast because he went to the mediocre Nets, and because he had a hard-driving fundamentals coach in Bill Fitch. It took him great effort to average 20 ppg in the NBA, and he appeared terribly overexerted every game. He told a European friend that to get 20 in the NBA took him as much work as to get 50 in Europe.

He was a barely-adequate NBA starter, but would never have become "great" by NBA standards. If he hadn't landed on the Nets with slavedriver Fitch, he'd have been a 14 ppg starter on a bottom-half team, unless the team already had a good SG.