With trade talks dying down for Rudy Fernandez, one question pops out: What is Portland going to do if Rudy stays?
During this offseason, Portland got two players who play Rudy's small forward position, Wesley Matthews and draft pick Luke Babbitt. Matthews can also play shooting guard and back up Roy.
Currently, the Blazers have three players besides Rudy at his position: Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews, and Luke Babbitt.
Batum, who is expected to get 25-30 minutes is the expected starter, while backups Matthews and Babbitt are expected about 24 and 20 minutes respectively.
That is, if Rudy leaves.
It would make sense for Batum, Matthews, and Babbitt to get those minutes because they definitely deserve that much. But if Rudy stays, he would deserve similar minutes and might force others, or himself, to take on a more limited role.
I'm not saying he would make the Blazers worse, it will just make other players unhappy with their time in Portland. Fernandez is definitely not going to be with the team after next year because they have a first-round pick overseas, Victor Claver, who is also a small forward.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Joey Colombi
How Will Portland Trail Blazers Use Rudy Fernandez If He Stays?
August 10th, 2010 by Joey Colombi Leave a reply »
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