The Spanish Armada is Sinking

So the newest rumor via ESPN is that Rudy Fernandez is outraged by the courtship of Turkoglu by the Blazers and that Rudy is on the verge of demanding a trade or going back to Europe.

For those not in the know... the previous latest rumor is that Portland is about to offer Turkoglu a 5 year / $50 million dollar deal. As for why Rudy is upset... basically he sees Turk's addition as a threat to his role on the team and I don't blame him at all. They both serve a similar purpose in terms of ball handling and shooting 3s. Even though Rudy averaged the 5th most minutes of any Blazer at 25 mpg last year, it's only natural to expect an increase in minutes from your rookie year. But if you add Turk's 30-32 minutes a game to Portland's already tight rotation, where are the minutes going to come from? That's not even considering the returning Martell Webster who will want 20+ minutes as well.

It's also worth noting that most Blazer fans reaction has been negative so far (judging from forum posts over at RealGM) calling him selfish and a whiner. It's really sad/shocking how fast some fans turn on their players. I mean, Rudy was a HUGE fan favorite last year among Blazer fans. And Turk at $10 million for 5 years isn't even that good of a deal. Those Blazer fans are gonna be kicking themselves in a couple years when Rudy is blowing up like an all-star on another team (on a rookie contract!) while they're stuck with mediocre Turkoglu at $10 mil per.

The thing is, Rudy probably sees himself as a starter quality player in this league and I completely agree with him. If the Blazers want him off the bench then he needs to at least get the Ginobili/Terry treatment. That means 27-28 minutes a night and be in the game in clutch moments. That's a difficult task with Roy and Turk ahead and Outlaw next to him on the depth chart.

I really do hope Rudy's situation works out and he stays a Blazer. IMHO, Portland GM Kevin Pritchard REALLY needs to condense that lineup. If he's so inclined to sign Turk, then go ahead, but ask Rudy to reserve judgment until mid-summer. By then, he needs to jettison Webster, Outlaw, and probably Batum as well for low usage guys. Straight salary dump if absolutely necessary. If not... trade him to Minnesota! Maybe that way we can see Rubio this year as well (new Spanish Connection).