Sergio Rodriguez is twenty years old. The youngest PortlandTrailblazer. He is he third pick of those Blazers, in this years in the NBA draft. He struggles to find playing time, as a rookie. Sergio has been a professional basketball player in Spain, since he was 14yrs old. His team there played regularly against teams from all over Europe.
He has always had his heroes of the game. He constantly attempts to model his game after several familiar names, NBA stars Gary Payton and Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and yes, “The Pistol,” he says, Pete Maravich.
He has acquired his own nickname since his playing days back in Europe, “Spanish Chocolate” he says is a takeoff on another player he has great respect for Miami Heat guard Jason Williams.
The team is noticing, the fans are noticing, and yes, after his performance the other night Allen Iverson had this to say, “He played great,” said the new Denver superstar, “If you can judge him off of tonight’s game, I mean, wow. It’s a long, grueling season, but if he stays with it, the sky’s the limit for him. This one will do a lot for his confidence. It’s a game that can make him feel good about himself and know that he can play and be successful in this league.” Thats is a high praise from the man who lives off praise.
Denver Coach George Karl was impressed too. Speaking of Sergio, he said that for twelve minutes in the second quarter, “He was a dominating player,” that, “He controlled their offense and our defense in the second quarter. He looks like he’s going to be a player", adding ,“We wanted him to go to the rim more than shoot a jump shot, but he’s clever. He finds guys open. A big part of NBA basketball is the pick-and-roll, and he seems to have a knack for it already, which for a young player is unusual.”
This is big, to be a rookie, struggling for minutes this is big. Lastly, former Blazer Steve Blake told reporters, “I was impressed with his court vision,” regards Sergio and his game. “He obviously understands the game, and he was knocking down shots, which made it easier for him to find open teammates. If he can consistently do that, he’ll be a very good player in this league.”
Sergio has found a philosophy that has worked for him, He says, “I know I must shoot, to keep the defense honest,” then “But I prefer an assist to a score. The most important thing is to play with my teammates, and that my teammates are happy with me. They have to have confidence in me. When you find this, other things fall into place.” It sounds like it is paying off incredibly well.
Teammates on the Blazers are often amazed at his unique ability. “He gets people the ball in the right places,” Joel Przybilla, the struggling center, says. “The first time I played with him in a pickup game, I called a couple of buddies and said, ‘He’s gonna be a player, man.’ He’s so unselfish. He’s so under control already. His future in this league is just unbelievable.”
Coach Nate has a dilemma, more and more fans in the city of Roses are being convinced that his style is suited for the game of ball movement. They pause and consider all the young legs that are being restricted by the half court offense, rigid, under discipline. The offense that value utmost the time of possession as most important, with an emphasis on defense.
Sergio is not quite ready for Nate. Sergio needs to work on his defense. Sergio will wait.
Can the fans wait?
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