Tag: Rudy Fernandez (Page 4 of 4)

      NBA’s early season PER surprises

      November 10, 2008 /

      John Hollinger’s Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is a nifty way to compare players with vastly different minutes played. For an explanation, check out this article. A score of 15.0 is average.

      Here are a few surprise players that are filling the box score early in the season. All players are seeing at least 20 minutes of playing time per game.

      POINT GUARDS

      #8 Nate Robinson (21.33)
      15.0 ppg, 4.3 apg, 3.9 apg, 2.8 spg
      Thus far, Robinson is flourishing off the bench in Mike D’Antoni’s high-octane offense. He’s knocking down shots and is sharing the ball well.

      #11 Ramon Sessions (19.36)
      17.2 ppg, 6.2 apg, 3.6 rpg, 1.4 spg
      The 22 year-old Sessions is proving that his late-season run last year was no fluke. His fine play is making the Bucks’ decision to trade Mo Williams a lot clearer. It looks like he’s the point guard of the future in Milwaukee.

      SHOOTING GUARDS

      #4 Nick Young (23.33)
      16.6 ppg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 rpg, 55.4% FG%
      Yes, his line is thin (i.e. he doesn’t do much but score), but boy can he put the ball in the hoop. The Wizards are struggling, but Young is providing points off the bench.

      #7 Rudy Fernandez (21.31)
      13.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 42.4% 3PT%
      Usually, it takes rookies a little while to adjust to the NBA three-point distance, but Fernandez isn’t having a problem. He’s in the running for Rookie of the Year.

      #8 Roger Mason (20.96)
      16.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 52.7% FG%, 56.0% 3PT
      Mason is doing his best Manu Ginobili impersonation. It looks like the fifth-year player is starting to break out, and once Ginobili returns, he’ll give the Spurs a much-needed fourth scoring option.

      SMALL FORWARDS

      #2 Trevor Ariza (24.09)
      9.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.0 spg, 60.0% 3PT
      Ariza has been remarkably productive in limited minutes. He should be starting, but he needs to show that he has a consistent jump shot before Phil Jackson can use him to space the court for Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. For now, he’s bringing great energy off the bench.

      #9 Thaddeus Young (18.12)
      16.5 ppg, 4.3 apg, 51.9% FG%, 47.8% 3PT
      After a stellar yet underrated rookie season, Young is making the most of the extra 10 minutes of playing time. He has shown great improvement from long range and from the free throw line (74% last season, 89% this season).

      POWER FORWARDS

      #7 Luis Scola (21.87)
      13.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 56.7 FG%
      He did much of his damage last season with Yao Ming sidelined, so it’s impressive that he’s been able to increase his rebound rate.

      #13 Jason Thompson (19.71)
      11.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 59.6 FG%
      He’s not starting, but if he keeps this up, the Kings won’t bring the rookie off the bench for long.

      CENTERS

      #7 Nene (21.29)
      16.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.7 bpg, 66.7% FG%
      What is it with Brazilians and their one-word names? Nene is doing his best to make up for the loss of Marcus Camby. We all know that Nene is talented, but he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Maybe this is his year.

      #8 Josh Boone (18.60)
      9.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 55.3% FG%
      It’s Boone – not lottery pick Brook Lopez – that’s starting at center for the Nets. The team needs to rebound and he’s getting it done.

      #10 Spencer Hawes (17.67)
      12.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.0 bpg
      Hawes filled in admirably for Brad Miller, and it looks like he’s going to be a solid NBA center.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Celtics, Lakers prevail on opening night

      October 29, 2008 /

      I don’t think anyone is surprised that the Celtics were able to beat the Cavs on opening night, but given the fact that two of the Big Three – Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett – combined for only 19 points on 7-24 shooting, it is a little remarkable that the C’s were still able to get the win.

      LeBron was his usual self (22p/7r/6a), and Mo Williams had a decent debut with 12 points on 3-5 3PT shooting, but he only had two assists against four turnovers. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (15p) was the only other Cavalier in double figures. Outside of Williams, the Cavs were 0-10 from long distance.

      Paul Pierce led all scorers with 27 points and looks like he’s picking up right where he left off last June.

      On the West Coast, the Lakers dismantled the upstart Trail Blazers, 96-76. Kobe led all scorers with 23 points, while Portland “rookie” Rudy Fernandez posted an impressive 16 points in his first NBA game.

      In the Lamar Odom Bench Watch, he posted nine points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes.

      Greg Oden sprained his foot. X-rays were negative, but he’s going to have an MRI this week. I hope he doesn’t turn out to be just another injury prone big man.

      There was one other game on the docket. The Bulls welcomed back Bucks coach Scott Skiles and pasted his team, 108-95. Derrick Rose (11p, 9a, 4r) was impressive in his first NBA game.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      2008 NBA Preview: #13 Portland Trail Blazers

      October 21, 2008 /

      Offseason Movement: The two big additions this offseason were Rudy Fernandez, a versatile Manu Ginobili-like Spanish wing and Jerryd Bayless, a University of Arizona combo guard dripping with potential. In addition, the team will get Greg Oden back from an injury that knocked him out of the 2007-08 season.
      Keep Your Eye On: Rudy Fernandez
      Based on his play against Team USA in Beijing, I think Fernandez is ready to contribute now. He might be a little short (6’5”) to play small forward, but if the team elects to put Brandon Roy and Fernandez on the wing, they’ll be a formidable duo. Fernandez has a nice jumper and is athletic enough to take it to the rack. (He even dunked on Dwight Howard in the Olympics.)
      The Big Question: How quickly will the Blazers mature?
      A quick look at the team’s core reveals the Blazers’ biggest fault, and maybe its biggest strength: Roy (24 years-old), Oden (20), LaMarcus Aldridge (23), Bayless (20), Martell Webster (21), Fernandez (23), Travis Outlaw (24), Channing Frye (25). They are young. This group could be destined for great things, but it’s a matter of experience and maturity.
      Outlook: Bright. Kevin Pritchard has done a wonderful job remaking this roster in short order. The coup was landing Brandon Roy, who turned out to be an All-Star caliber guard. Obviously, the addition of Greg Oden (assuming he pans out as expected) should give the franchise two stars to build around. And even though the team currently has a huge payroll ($81 million), a good portion of that ($38) is being paid to guys that aren’t even on the team anymore. The Blazers project to have a ton of cap space in the summer of 2010, when a number of stars will hit the free agent market. In fact, aside from the fact that Portland is not Brooklyn, the Blazers might represent LeBron James’ best shot at a championship. (Don’t worry, Nets fans, I don’t think that Portland is a big enough of a market for King James.)

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Redeem Team wins gold

      August 24, 2008 /

      The U.S. men’s basketball team accomplished its goal of winning a gold medal by defeating a feisty Spanish team, 118-107. I give credit to NBC for airing the game live even though it was on at 2:30 AM on the East Coast. It’s too bad that they didn’t plan to air it again later in the morning, because it was a great game.

      With Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in foul trouble throughout the first half, the game was tight but Dwyane Wade came off the bench to score 21 points in the first two quarters to lead the Americans to a 69-61 halftime lead. Spain continued to fight back throughout the second half, eventually cutting the lead to two on a Rudy Fernandez long ball with 8:13 to play. It was gut-check time for the U.S.; they had allowed Spain to get back into the game with a combination of sketchy shot selection and poor defense and once again it looked like the Americans would be plagued by fractured play.

      But down the stretch it was Kobe who took control, scoring eight points and dishing out a couple of assists over the next five minutes to build the lead to nine. Spain cut it to four with 2:25 to play, but Wade hit a clutch three to push the lead back to seven. Carlos Jiminez missed a wide-open three (after just knocking one down) that would have cut the lead to three with 1:33 to play, but Bryant hit a tough shot in the lane on the Americans’ next possession to effectively put the game out of reach.

      Defense had been Team USA’s calling card throughout the Olympics, but save for a couple of key stops, they just didn’t have it tonight. Luckily, they were able to knock down their three-pointers (13/28, 46%), which is something that has hurt the U.S. in the past. Wade led all scorers with 27 points and had four steals. Bryant chipped in with 20, including those eight crucial points in the fourth quarter. LeBron James played a solid all-around game, posting 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

      Spain was led by Pau Gasol (22 points), Fernandez (21) and Juan Carlos Navarro (18). They were playing without Raptors’ point guard Jose Calderon, who was sidelined with a groin injury. (Fernandez joins the Portland Trailblazers next season and he looks like a star in the making. He’s just 23, stands 6’6″, and has a great jumper. He also handles the ball well and attacks the rim. He is starter-quality, but may come off the bench behind Jerryd Bayless and Brandon Roy.)

      Hats off to Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski for putting together a team capable of winning the gold. For the most part, they set their egos aside and played together, which is necessary these days to have success at the Olympic level. Every player knew and played his role.

      Now where does the program go from here? It will be interesting to see if USA Basketball pushes forward with the same philosophy or, with this success, if they get lulled into a false sense of security. I’m betting on the former, but you never know.

      NBA, The Olympics

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