Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Fathers, Fernandez and shows on FoxSports

None of these links are probably strong enough to stand on their own, but when combined together they form a powerful post.

- Mike Tokito wrote a story about the relationship between Nate McMillan and his son Jamelle, who's a freshman playing for Herb Sendek at Arizona State.
The McMillan family decided that Nate would move to Portland, where he would be charged with rebuilding a struggling franchise, while Michelle, Jamelle and daughter Brittany would remain in Seattle.

Jamelle told his father that Portland was a great opportunity, but Nate, who never knew his father, realized the move would forever change their relationship.

"I knew it was the last time I would live with him, and that bothered me," Nate said. "But we talked about it."

Nate essentially was saying Jamelle, then 17 and between his sophomore and junior years, would need to become the man of the house, something Nate had to do growing up with no father, little money and five siblings in Raleigh, N.C.

Nate, who preaches responsibility and accountability to his players, now did so to his son.

"It came with more responsibilities that, ultimately, I'm going to have to face anyway," Jamelle said. "That definitely helped me out for where I'm at now, being on my own in Arizona."

Nate would have had a chance to see Jamelle play in Corvallis and Eugene this week, but the Trail Blazers leave tomorrow on a five-game road trip. Life in the NBA can be tough on the family.

- The legend of Rudy Fernandez continues to grow at an exponential rate. His performance in the ACB this season has lead at least two writers to proclaim that if they re-did the 2007 draft, Rudy would have gone much higher. So says Stan McNeal:
Without playing in the NBA, the Spaniard's stock has climbed. He's 6-6, Ray Allen-thin and likes to dunk. Is he ready to play meaningful minutes next season? "Oh yeah," says an evaluator who has scouted Fernandez this year.

And my main man, Bill Simmons:
At No. 8, unquestionably, the Warriors would take Rudy Fernandez because he has more value than anyone left on the board (and they'd just wait a year for him).

- Finally, make sure to check out Brandon Roy tonight on FoxSports' "In my own words." It airs tonight at 8:30 on whatever channel FoxSports is these days.

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