Rudy Fernandez: bad for the NBA?

[ballin]

I'll keep this short and sweet:

Have Rudy Fernandez's recent comments/actions potentially discouraged foreign basketball players from heading to the NBA?

The latest news suggests that he might refuse to play for the entire season in the hope that the Trailblazers will release him from his contract so he can go play ball in Europe. If I'm an international basketball player that's "the man" on a European team, starting and getting paid more overseas (and taxed less) than I probably could ever make in the NBA, what's my incentive to cross over? For instance, if I'm Ricky Rubio, I'm questioning whether or not I really want to come to the US, and whether or not I can succeed here if Rudy Fernandez couldn't. And that's BEFORE considering I'd be playing for the lowly Timberwolves.

Fernandez appears to be just another casualty in the long line of international/NBA crossover failures. I can't see this situation as being much of a marketing success for the NBA in their attempts to attract the best basketball players from around the world.

[thebirdman]

NBA is the best league in the world. Pretty much all professional players have the desire to once play in it. I think that Fernandez situation will have no impact on other european players in their decision to come over.

A decade ago international players where much more cautious about coming over because there was little confidence in non-americans in the NBA, now the situation is totally different. If you act like a professional on and off the court you will play and you will be respected. But if you act like Rudy noone will like you, whether that is in the NBA, Europe or in China. He is making a bad name for himself. He is the problem here, not the NBA or the blazers, I think everybody is aware of that...