Ser-Gi-OOOOOOOO

Here are quotes with links:

In Sunday’s late game, the Nuggets routed the Trail Blazers. Though Allen Iverson was brilliant (29 points, 11-for-21 shooting, nine assists), it was the spectacular play from new Denver guard Steve Blake and Portland guard Sergio Rodriguez that really stood out. Blake put up 25 points and three steals in his first game for Denver following its trade of Early Boykins to Milwaukee. Rodriguez had 23 points, 10 assists and three steals and proved his potential to be a starting point guard.

Rodriguez is averaging over 14 assists per 48 minutes played and is also shooting 46 percent. He is playing only 10.5 minutes per game and has taken just 91 shots in his 33 appearances, including his 11-for-14 shooting Sunday night.

The future is extremely bright for Portland, which features a large cast of young players. Guard Martell Webster, only 19 years old, promises to soon be one of the top perimeter shooters in the league with his impressive range and flawless shooting delivery. He reminds me of Steve Smith when he shoots. However, Webster is one-dimensional, as 60 percent of his shots have been from 3-point range, though he’s made an impressive 53-for-132.

(from RotoTimes)

He may be the youngest player on the Portland Trail Blazers roster, but he is far away from being a junior any more. Just a month into his NBA career, Sergio Rodriguez posted eleven assists, against the Hawks in just 28 minutes on the floor. He might not get those kinds of minutes often, but he is doing something right: every time Sergio steps off the floor, his team is statistically better off than when he entered. Soon there will be no need for him to nervously stretch his jersey any more.

(from HOOPSWORLD)

Its a good thing the Blazers got rid of Steve Blake. His career high 25 points helped Denver to a 109-93 win over Portland last night. AI had 32 and 9 dimes....Denver outscored the Blazers 41-17 in the third. Nice effort boys. Two Blazer starters were held scoreless, none had more than 9 points. Zach Randolph a stellar 1-12 from the field, with just 4 points. The lone bright spot for Portland was Sergio Rodriguez...23 points 10 assists off the bench. This kid has been inconsistent, but could really be something in the future...hes only 20.

(from TD Zone)

The newcomer is most comfortable in an uptempo game. He pushes the pace with abandon and has a knack for finding open teammates with both routine and difficult passes, which he somehow makes look easy.

Rodriguez has been remarkably effective in his limited NBA time. He dishes out an assist every 3.4 minutes, second in the league behind Phoenix’s Steve Nash (3.2). Teammates Jarrett Jack (6.3) and Brandon Roy (10.5) aren’t close. Rodriguez’s assist-to-turnover ratio (3.19) ranks seventh in the NBA and leads rookies.

The young Spaniard can shoot and he can score, but he has spent his first months as a Blazer passing up shots to set up teammates with a savvy beyond his years.

“I know I must shoot, to keep the defense honest,” he says. “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.”

Already, Rodriguez is about the most popular guy to play with on the team.

“He gets people the ball in the right places,” center Joel Przybilla 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.”

(from the Portland Tribune) You should go read this whole article.

And Sergio makes three?

Last week, there was speculation that Sergio Rodriguez might be out of the Blazers' rotation completely. But Jarrett Jack has missed the last two games after a car accident on Friday and Rodriguez has seen more playing time, not less, as a result.

Line of the Week Sergio Rodriguez (POR) 01.14 vs. DEN 23 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 11-14 FG

Sunday night, Rodriguez had a breakout performance. He entered the game late in the first quarter with the Blazers down by nine and they were down by 12 by the end of the period. Three minutes into the second, Rodriguez had two points and five assists. By the half, he had 13 points, three boards and six dimes ... and the Blazers led by seven.

Unfortunately for Portland fans, the home team could not come back from Denver's 18-0 run that started the third quarter. But Rodriguez's final line was the best we saw out of a rookie this week, and it could be what puts him ahead of Dan Dickau in the rotation when Jack comes back. And along with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland's future seems even brighter.

(from NBA.com Rookie Rankings)

(I know these probably don't look very good, but I just wanted to show a comparison of Nash's Hollinger stats and Rodriguez's. You can find these at Knickerblogger.com, here and here)