Tortimer

I agree we should really try to make the playoffs next year. I expect us to make the playoffs next year and not the 7th or 8th seed. I'm guessing we will be a 4-6 seed. I think playing Rudy might cost us a few wins but hopefully he can offset that with winning a few game by playing him and having Rudy develop and really helping us in the second half of the year. So, I don't think developing Rudy should be a reason for Nate doesn't play him.

I just think Rudy is a lot different then Sergio. He looks to have a good shot and is in a lot higher regard from everything I have read. I can see why Nate had concerns with Sergio especially his shooting. I'm even hoping having Rudy coming over will motivate Sergio to work harder on at least his shot.

Jayps15

One other thing to point out, those comments about Green weren't before the draft/summer league/or camp started. They were made in late September after the players had been in an extended training camp to bond and get ready for this year. Nate had watched Green in practice and seen him play scrimmages in person. Nate's comments on Rudy come after hearing a lot about him from Pritchard and the media, and probably watching a good amount of tape, but having never actually seen him practice/play in person. He likely won't see Rudy play in person until the Olympics (I think we're in the same group as Spain), and even then it won't be very in depth work.

Wait until the end of September when he's had a chance to actually evaluate Rudy before you bust him for his comments on him compared to what he said about Green.

andalusian

That is a spin, if there ever was one.

Jack lost playing time and starter status to Blake. The only other alternative at guard position was Sergio that played crap last year - and despite that - Jack actually played more minutes as a SG, not a PG - so you can actually say that he lost PG minutes to Sergio as well. If anything, Jack's loss of minutes and starter status show that Nate does not favor players based on skin color, which is your accusation.

It's a witch hunt, nothing less, nothing more - it is un-excusable given that the FACTS show that he did the exact opposite of what you accuse him of.

Masbee

Before people critisize Nate about this, I hope they look up Manu's minutes per game numbers for his rookie season.

mediocre man

21 mpg

He played behind Jim Jackson and Steve Smith.

Rudy has one player in front of him and can play 3 possitions

I would imagine Nate should feel comfortable playing him 25+ a night if Rudy is what we think he is.

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Oldmangrouch

Reality check: on a contending team, Blake and Joel are useful spare parts - not guys you play 40 MPG. Over-using them doesn't help the team now or later. How many coaches would give Blake more minutes than Nate did? Besides, limiting Joel's minutes actually kept him healthy for most of the season.

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nikolokolus

Let's look at this whole "Nate's a racist" topic another way, if Sergio was black would anyone say boo about Nate keeping his butt on the bench?

It's_GO_Time

The Manu problem could be the same problem for the Blazers. Manu (and fans) were upset he wasn't getting the minutes to develop and wasn't afforded the luxury to make mistakes.

To say Manu had to play behind a very aging Jackson and Smith basically means do you play the future of the club and let him learn on the job or do you play the old vets who will get the job done and less likely to cost the Spurs the game.

Fact is Rudy doesn't just play behind Roy. If he can play three postions he plays behind Roy, Blake, Sergio, Webster, Jones. Do you play what the future in Rudy or go with the more stable James Jones who is less likely to cost you a game?

With the pressure of making the playoffs this year, I think finding Rudy minutes will be an issue all season. (It was an issue for Sergio his first year . . . I wish it was an issue his second year but even the biggest Sergio fans had to sit back quietly given Sergio's play this year.)

Oldmangrouch

If Sergio had played NCAA ball, would he have even been a 1st round pick?

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southnc

Actually, Coach Karl (Denver) did play Blake big minutes quite a bit last year - especially when AI was hurting. If I remember correctly, Denver won often and Blake was averaging nearly a double-double during the AI injury stretch.

And that was a playoff team that lost to the eventual NBA champs.

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MARIS61

Of course not, since he'd be starting and we'd have made the playoffs this year.

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nikolokolus

I can only assume you've been sniffing glue ...

Hector

Every 3rd human lives in the Orient. To survive financially, the NBA must overcome its racism against Orientals. You notice how John Nash brought in Ha, then only 2 months after Nash was fired, the Blazers traded Ha? Why do you think they had to fire Nash first? He believed in his players, like Telfair and Ha. Notice how Mo Cheeks played Ha 1 year, but in Ha's 2nd and last year McMillan stuck his nose up in the air and got Nash fired so he wouldn't have to play the Oriental?

Last night after we sacrificed a calf and left the entrails next to it for the farmer to discover, my Wizard agreed that Nate should prefer his own kind. After the midnight service the deacons said I should yell this to the world through my shiny white conehat, but it's in the washing machine so I'm posting this to the world.