Rudy Is Not Every Day a Shooter

Rudy Fernandez is Spanish. That means that he isn't aware that when American professional athletes refer to themselves in the third person, they are mocked and skewered. It also explains why today's Oregonian quoted Fernandez as saying:

"Rudy is not everyday a shooter. He's defense. He's passes. He's assists."

Guess what? As a foreign national, Fernandez gets a free pass. Speaking of free passes, here's Fernandez getting an alley-oop from Sergio Rodriguez in the recent win against the Timberwolves.

As reported on OregonLive a while back, Fernandez was asked whom in the NBA he most wanted to go up against. The Spaniard singled out a fellow Spaniard.

"Pau [Gasol]. I've never played against him, only on the same team. I want to put points on your face."

Last Thing: In the first minutes of the fourth quarter against Orlando, Fernandez had three steals, two three pointers, and he drew a charge. Oh, and two assists. (Remember, he's passes.)

Outlaw Oops

You might say that I'm impatient for the NBA season to start. In anticipation of it, here's Sergio Rodriguez oop-ing Travis Outlaw on two consecutive possessions last year. (The reaction of the guys on the Blazers' bench is classic.)

Why Kevin Martin Is a Bad Person (Evidence to the Contrary Notwithstanding)

When Kevin Martin of the Sacramento Kings dunked on Greg Oden he won a $1,000 bet from teammate Mikki Moore. (The bet was on who would be the first to do so.) This is objectionable for two reasons:
1.) Gambling is bad.
2.) He dunked on Greg Oden. (Announcer: “Zzzz, blahblah—OH WHAT A MOVE!”)

ADDENDUM (10/28/08): The New York Times revealed that in the following game against the Clippers, Ricky Davis offered $500 to the first player who could dunk on Oden. It's a trend! Anyway, the Kings lost thanks to the Portland Armada of Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez.

Spanish Portland

Highlights of Rudy Fernandez's Sacramento game are in, including an eerily familiar alley-oop from Sergio Rodriguez. Further, both oops are carbon-copies of the one the two Spaniards executed last night against the Golden State Warriors just before halftime.

In less exciting news, Fernandez sprained his ankle and left the game last night, starter Steve Blake is out with a strained hamstring, starter Martell Webster is out with a broken metatarsal, Brandon Roy didn't play as he's coming off knee surgery... but at least it looks like Channing Frye will be back for the season opener. Oh, and Greg Oden rules.

Spanish Portland

The Portland Trail Blazers crushed the Sacramento Kings last night in an exhibition game. Though the game was not televised, there were numerous sweet assists from Portland's resident Spaniards, namely Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez. Stuff like this: