Yesterday, we reported (or, rather, re-reported) that Dallas Mavericks' guard Rudy Fernandez would use the NBA lockout to join Real Madrid for the upcoming Euroleague basketball season. Well, today it turns out that the reports from Onda Madrid may have been unfounded--some sources are reporting that the deal is almost done, while others are suggesting that the Spanish swingman (and FIBA star) will honor his contract with Dallas and come to Real Madrid after the upcoming NBA season.
This should shock no one. Onda Madrid, and much of the Madrid press in general, are famously quick to report rumor and hearsay.
One thing is becoming clear, though: Rudy does want to come back to Spain, and more importantly, to Real Madrid. Unfortunately, this is becoming a little bit like Basketball's Cesc saga.
Well, that's not entirely true: it's not like Rudy is a mega-superstar and captain of his championship-level team. Instead, he's a sorta-kinda-well regarded NBA bench player who brings a scoring punch off the bench (though he's been torn apart by advanced basketball metrics like PER).
It's possible that he'll start for Dallas at shooting guard this upcoming season, but again, I find that pretty unlikely--and that's assuming that there will even be a season.
While I see why this move makes sense for los blancos (we'll net tons in revenue from gate receipts and jersey sales, and might win a championship with him at the helm), I don't really get it on his end: other than his deep desire to come back to Spain, what other motives could he have? Is sacrificing an NBA career worth coming back to the Euroleague just because he misses his home (actually, maybe)?
Oh, and doesn't he kinda look like Jim from The Office in this picture: