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Should Sergio Rodriguez And The Blazers Reunite?

ByChris St. Jean|
May 2, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; The portland Trail Blazers huddle up outside the locker room before taking the court in game six of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
May 2, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; The portland Trail Blazers huddle up outside the locker room before taking the court in game six of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Sergio Rodriguez, possibly better known as “Spanish Chocolate” to some and a former Portland Trail Blazer, is considering a return to the NBA this summer based on what his options may be, according to both Jason Quick of The Oregonian and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

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The (just barely) 29-year-old point guard played for the Blazers for three seasons from 2006 to 2009 before splitting time between the Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks in the 2009-10 season. Rodriguez returned to Spain at that point and signed with Real Madrid a powerhouse in the Spanish ACB league, which may be the best basketball league in the world besides the NBA.

According to Wojnarowski’s report:

"“Real Madrid’s Sergio Rodriguez, considered the top point guard in Europe, has plans to negotiate a return to the NBA in summer free agency, league sources told Yahoo Sports.”"

Sergio Rodriguez was a fan favorite among NBA circles when he entered the league in 2006, drawing comparisons to Kings guard Jason Williams due to his flashy dribbling and passing abilities and earned himself the moniker “Spanish Chocolate” in NBA circles.

At only 20 years old when Rodriguez joined the Blazers organization, he struggled a bit to adjust to the NBA game. His struggles on defense kept Rodriguez to very limited minutes in his first stint in the NBA. He also never really fit with what head coach Nate McMillan was trying to do. He did produce offensively in his limited role.

Rodriguez averaged 10.4 points and 8.3 assists per 36 minutes in his three seasons with the Blazers (according to Basketball Reference), but he never shot better than 32 percent from the outside and his lack of shooting combined with defensive deficiencies kept him from averaging more than 16 minutes per game for the Blazers.

In his final season in the NBA, split between the Kings and Knicks, Rodriguez was maybe most effective still at only 23 years of age. During that season, Rodriguez averaged 14.9 points and 7.3 assists per 36 minutes, he shot a career high 47 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range, and he even averaged nearly 20 minutes per game during his time with the Knicks.

But following that season, Rodriguez returned to Spain at only 24 years old, thought of by many as a failed experiment in the NBA. Since then, Rodriguez has grown into maybe the best point guard in Europe. Always a skilled playmaker and passer, it was his improved shooting ability that has propelled him from an NBA washout in 2010 to the Euroleague Player of the Year in 2014.

In his first three seasons, Rodriguez showed slow growth with his shooting ability and production in general for Real Madrid. But it was 2014 that put him on the map again internationally. During his Player of the Year campaign in the Euroleague, Rodriguez averaged 14 points and five assists per game and he shot a blistering 50 percent from the international three-point line on over 135 attempts according to Euroleague.net.

This past season, he followed that up by averaging 11.1 points and 5.1 assists while knocking down 38.1 percent of his long range shots (43 of 113). It’s clear when you watch Rodriguez play now, a seasoned Euroleague veteran at 29 (compared to when he entered the NBA the first time around, a 20-year-old with 14 games of Euroleague experience), that he is a far different and improved player.

Since the Portland Trail Blazers have traded away Steve Blake in their draft day deal to acquire Mason Plumlee, they have many options in free agency, but they also only have Damian Lillard and D-Leauge signee Todd Frazier as point guards on their roster. Backup point guard isn’t the priority with the possibility of losing 4/5’s of their starting lineup this summer, but it is a glaring need.

Of course, for any international player, especially one that is having so much success there, getting out of their contracts to have the ability to sign with an NBA team is always an issue. But according to Wojnarowski, it’s not believed that this would be a hurdle if Rodriguez decided he’d like to return to the NBA:

"“There is a buyout provision in Rodriguez’s Real Madrid contract, but sources familiar with the agreement say it will not be an obstacle to him signing an NBA deal this summer.”"

Whether or not the Blazers would be interested in trying again with Sergio remains to be seen, but he was long gone before the current front office group led by Neil Olshey and coach Terry Stotts were a part of the organization.

With Rodriguez’s passing skills, experience (he’s had tons of high pressure international experience including a seven-point, six-assist performance in 14 minutes against the United States in the 2012 Olympic Gold Medal game), and improved shooting, Sergio seems like he would be an ideal fit in Terry Stotts’ offense.

Next: Salary Cap Implications of the Mason Plumlee Trade

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