Sergio Rodriguez back in NBA

[MarAzul]

Your wish is granted:

Great video once I turned the sound off. Thanks.

 

[chris_in_pdx]

I'm sorry, I miss Sergio and Rudy. I think they were done dirty here. Their games were still in development, the Blazers should have been more patient with them.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Except Oden couldn't shoot threes.

Or mid-range jumpers. Or fadeaways. And he had no footwork.

Embiid and Towns are going to be fun to watch for the next decade. Renaissance of the big man?

 

[Pinwheel1]

I watched the game last night. I thought Sergio played very well. The Euro pg's like he and Rubio play old school basketball. They run the team well and set their teammates up. But in today's NBA your PG needs to be able to take over and score when the game is on the line. Look at the playoffs last year: Kyrie, Steph, Westbrook, Dame, Parker, Lowry, CP3......Sergio is a very good back up though.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I'm sorry, I miss Sergio and Rudy. I think they were done dirty here. Their games were still in development, the Blazers should have been more patient with them.

I don't necessarily think they were "done dirty" here. It was just their fast paced, flashy, high risk, high reward, pedal to the metal style of play was a terrible fit in Nate McMillan's low risk, walk it up, turnover averse, 20-seconds or more, offense.

Sergio also had his opportunities elsewhere, but it took him several more years of playing in Europe to address the weaknesses in his game. He can now shoot the ball reasonably well, at least good enough opposing defenses can't just sag off him, guard the passing lanes and dare him to shoot. And, he's no longer a human turnover machine.

Not a big fan of Nate McMillan, but I can see where he was coming from with Sergio. His last season here, his third in the NBA, he still had a TOV% of nearly 25%. Do you really want a guy running your offense who coughs up the ball 1 out of every 4 times he touches it?

Six more seasons playing in Europe seems to have finally taught Sergio how to run an offense without committing senseless, unforced TOVs.

BNM

 

[andalusian]

Or mid-range jumpers. Or fadeaways. And he had no footwork.

Oden most certainly had footwork. You saw it in college and even in the NBA when he got a bit of run his 2nd ("rookie") season.

Embiid looks like what Oden looked like in College - he is thin, mobile and huge. Oden's problem was that he wanted to be as strong as Shaq after going down - and lost his fluidity.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I watched the game last night. I thought Sergio played very well. The Euro pg's like he and Rubio play old school basketball. They run the team well and set their teammates up. But in today's NBA your PG needs to be able to take over and score when the game is on the line. Look at the playoffs last year: Kyrie, Steph, Westbrook, Dame, Parker, Lowry, CP3......Sergio is a very good back up though.

They mentioned on the broadcast last night that the only reason Sergio is starting is because Jerryd Bayless is injured. Not sure how accurate that is, but it gives you an idea just how desperate PHI is for guards.

BNM

 

[MarAzul]

your PG needs to be able to take over and score when the game is on the line

umm, Why do you think it has to be a PG that scores when the game is on the line?

 

[PtldPlatypus]

His last season here, his third in the NBA, he still had a TOV% of nearly 25%. Do you really want a guy running your offense who coughs up the ball 1 out of every 4 times he touches it?

That's not quite how turnover percentage works. It's a comparison of turnovers to possessions used, which is really just shots and turnovers. So, for instance, it doesn't even factor in assists, of which Sergio always had plenty, or possessions in which he touched the ball but didn't use the possession. Per 100 possessions, he only had 5.4 TO/game his last year here, not significantly more than an average PG.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Oden most certainly had footwork. You saw it in college and even in the NBA when he got a bit of run his 2nd ("rookie") season.

Embiid looks like what Oden looked like in College - he is thin, mobile and huge. Oden's problem was that he wanted to be as strong as Shaq after going down - and lost his fluidity.

Eh, I was never impressed with his footwork. But to each his own, I guess.

 

[Pinwheel1]

umm, Why do you think it has to be a PG that scores when the game is on the line?

The PG doesn't have to be the only one who takes over, but the teams who have that option are doing well as of late. If you have a SG like Wade or a SF like Lebron (or both like Miami had) who have great handles, then that works too. But IMHO the best weapon is a player who is quick, can shoot from deep, can attack the basket, can pull up for a jumper, and who can pass if all else fails. PG's tend to fit that description best. With today's "no hand check rules", quick attacking guards have the best advantage. But hey if you have a young Dirk on your team...that works to.

 

[MarAzul]

who can pass if all else fails

Sigh! I fear that is the state of today's game. Something tells me it has more to do with a drop in the quality of coaching in general or some exceptional talent in the case of Kerr and Curry.

 

[Boob-No-More]

The PG doesn't have to be the only one who takes over, but the teams who have that option are doing well as of late. If you have a SG like Wade or a SF like Lebron (or both like Miami had) who have great handles, then that works too. But IMHO the best weapon is a player who is quick, can shoot from deep, can attack the basket, can pull up for a jumper, and who can pass if all else fails. PG's tend to fit that description best. With today's "no hand check rules", quick attacking guards have the best advantage. But hey if you have a young Dirk on your team...that works to.

Agreed 100%. Based on current rules and style of play, you need the guy who has the ball in his hands with the game on the line to be a significant scoring threat. It helps tremendously if he has the ability to create for himself, as well as others. It just makes him that much harder to guard. That's why UTA struggled to win close games last year and why Adelman would bench Rubio in the 4th quarter when he was coaching MEM.

BNM

 

[BBert]

I strongly felt at the time that McMuffin ruined Sergio. He was a joy to watch before he got McMillaned. I'd love to have El Mago coming off our bench.

 

[dviss1]

I'm sorry, I miss Sergio and Rudy. I think they were done dirty here. Their games were still in development, the Blazers should have been more patient with them.

Fuck Rudy Fernandez. He was NOT done dirty...

People seem to forget that he demanded to be traded. Soft bitch.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

 

[andalusian]

I strongly felt at the time that McMuffin ruined Sergio. He was a joy to watch before he got McMillaned. I'd love to have El Mago coming off our bench.

Eh. Nate had a reputation as a defensive coach, but he was not on the court playing or coaching for the other team when Sergio kept missing all them open shots. (Sergio flamed out in Sacramento and NYC as well).

Sergio was and still is a joy to watch - but he had giant holes in his game (shooting/defense) that sent him to the Euro leauge. It seems that he is fixed at least one of them (scoring/shooting) - to serve as an NBA PG.

 

[dviss1]

This is a Joel Embid video but there are a few good Sergio highlights.

 

[dviss1]

Why am I just realizing how U.G.L.Y. his form is?

That's probably the reason why he wasn't a consistent shooter.