Blazers Sign Spanish Guard, Rudy Fernandez

The Portland Trail Blazers reached an agreement to sign Spanish guard Rudy Fernandez, it was announced today by general manager Kevin Pritchard. "I am so excited about joining the Trail Blazers and the NBA," said Fernandez. "The whole staff did a tremendous job making me feel like a very important team member to them and made me forget about the economic issues because of the rookie scale. "My dream has been to play in the NBA and Portland is giving me this opportunity. I was amazed about everything that Mr. Allen, Kevin Pritchard, Coach McMillan and the rest of the guys did to show me how much they wanted me. Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, I can't wait to play with them. We will do nice things!"Fernandez, 23, spent the past seven seasons playing for DKV Joventut Badalona in the Spanish ACB League, and is a regular member of the Spanish National Team. "We are thrilled to finally have Rudy Fernandez in a Trail Blazers jersey," said Pritchard. "Rudy is a tremendously talented player who has achieved great things in Spain and Europe. His work ethic and character will fit well with the culture we've created here, and we're very excited to get him on the floor after the Olympics."Portland acquired Fernandez in a 2007 Draft Day trade with Phoenix that was finalized July 11, 2007. The Trail Blazers received the draft rights to Fernandez (selected by the Suns with the 24th overall pick) and James Jones in exchange for cash considerations.The 6-6 guard is coming off his best professional season to date in 2007-08, when he averaged 21.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.2 steals and shot 41.0% from 3-point range in 30 league games. DKV Joventut Badalona won both the ULEB Cup and The Copa del Rey this season, with Fernandez taking home MVP honors in both competitions.A longtime member of the Spanish National Team, Fernandez played a key role for his country in the 2004 Olympic Games (7th place), 2006 FIBA World Championships (Gold Medal) and 2007 FIBA European Basketball Championships (Silver Medal). He is scheduled to play in the 2008 Olympic Games this summer. With the move to Portland, Fernandez will become the eighth Spaniard to play in the NBA and the third for the Trail Blazers, joining Fernando Martin (1986-87) and Sergio Rodriguez (2006-present). Source: Portland Trial Blazers OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK Derek Jeter Joins "Gillette Champions" Ad Campaign - The Biz of Baseball MLB, NYC, Bank of America to Host Free Concert by Bon Jovi - The Biz of Baseball Fukudome and Braun in Tight Race for All-Star Game - The Biz of Baseball Oakley and MLB Properties Enter Agreement for Eyewear - The Biz of Baseball MLB Sets New Interleague Attendance Record - The Biz of Baseball Aw, Tapioca! Kozy Shack the Official Pudding of the Mets - The Biz of Baseball Ducks owner Henry Samueli Suspended by NHL - The Biz of Hockey NHL 2K9, First Officially Licensed Game by NHL and NHLPA for Wii, Coming this Fall - The Biz of Hockey Dion Phaneuf Selected for Cover of EA Sports "NHL 09" - The Biz of Hockey NBC Reports 6.8 Million Viewers for Game 6. Up 111% from 2006 - The Biz of Hockey Don Imus, "Pacman" Jones and Media Correctness - The Biz of Football 15,000 General Admission Tickets for London NFL Game Sell Out in 30 min. - The Biz of Football Papa Replaces Gumbel as NFL Network's Play-by-Play Announcer - The Biz of Football NFL Network May Partner Up With ESPN - The Biz of Football NFL Players Help Hometown Tornado Victims - The Biz of Football Recently Retired Strahan Joins Fox NFL Pregame Show - The Biz of Football Anheuser-Busch to Sponsor New Meadowlands Stadium - The Biz of Football Big Ten Network Nearing First Major Cable Deal with Comcast - The Biz of Football TNT Lands Full Slate of Sponsors For "Wide Open Coverage" Telecasts - Maury Brown's Biz of Sports Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. more...