Bobby Medina: Internationally Known

Living in Portland and working for the Trail Blazers, I’ve become accustomed to people asking me if I know the players personally. Even though I get asked all the time, I’ve never quite certain how to answer.

On one hand, yes, I do know the players and, for the most part, they know me. But on the other hand, I don’t want to give people the impression that I’m hanging out at Brandon Roy’s house on a Saturday night playing Yahtzee and watching Simpson’s reruns (what, that’s not what you do on weekends?). My relationship with the players centers on my work, and I try to represent it as such when asked.

Here in Europe, I don’t have to worry about explaining those relationships, because as much as I’d like to report otherwise, I don’t get the sense that many on this side of the Atlantic even know the Trail Blazers are an NBA basketball team, let alone who the players are. I’m made a point of wearing Blazers gear out and about as much as possible and I’ve even tried to strike up a few conversations about the team, but so far I’ve been confronted with nothing but confused looks during those interactions, outside of Rudy’s and Sergio’s camps, that is.

But there was an inquiry about the team in Gran Canaria by Fernando, one of Sergio’s longtime friends from Tenerife, who wanted to know if I knew one particular member of the team. It wasn’t Brandon Roy or LaMarcus Aldridge or Greg Oden. It was a name that, up until then, I had never been asked about.

“Do you know Bob Medina?”

“Of course,” I replied, though he’s always been Bobby or Coach Medina to me.

Turns out Fernando, who works with Sergio on strength and conditioning in the offseason, is a longtime admirer of Coach Medina’s work, an admiration that predates Sergio’s arrival in Portland.

“I used to read a lot of Bob Medina,” said Fernando. “I have never speak with him but I think I have the same vision of (strength and conditioning) because I agree with a lot of the things that he says in his books and articles.”

Up until then I was unaware Coach Medina was a published author, and it’s rather embarrassing that I had to go thousands of miles away from Portland to be informed of that fact by Fernando. As fate would have it, a book co-authored by Coach Medina got Fernando, who is working on is doctorate in strength and conditioning, interested in field.

“The first I hear about Bob Medina was in a library years ago,” explained Fernando. “Since I began in basketball I have a clear idea and that idea was that strength and conditioning in the NBA must be special because you look at the players bodies and only see the structural view, they are different than Europeans.

“That’s the first time I start to have an interest about strength and conditioning coaches in the United States. I start to look in libraries if there were any books telling about strength and conditioning in the NBA and I find a book and Bob Medina is one of the writers. It’s NBA Power Conditioning. The first time I see him was in a photo when he was in Seattle SuperSonics with Gary Payton. That’s the first time I read about it.”

In speaking with Fernando, you can tell he has a passion for strength and conditioning in athletics, similar to that of Coach Medina. Fernando, pictured above, even bares a slight resemblance to Bobby. And both have a close relationship with Sergio.

“Sergio speaks very well of Bobby,” said Fernando. “He says he’s a great professional. Sometime maybe I will meet him.”

Don't Thank Sergio For Being A Friend

Talk to Sergio Rodriguez about helping Rudy Fernandez through his first season and you may find that he gets a little annoyed. Not because he minds talking about his friend and fellow countryman, but because he doesn't understand why everyone thinks he's done something out the ordinary.

"He would do for me what I have done for him," says Sergio. "It is nothing special what I am doing. I am in Portland for three years, he comes from my country, he doesn’t speak English well, I have to help with everything. That’s normal. That’s not a big deal."

Maybe not to Sergio, but I know it was a big deal for Rudy. Being the humble, kind and good-natured guy that he is, Sergio doesn't like the idea that he's some kind of saint for helping out a friend.

"Like everyone says, ‘You are helping Rudy,’" he explains in a slightly sarcastic tone. "I mean, anybody would do that. If you have a person that comes from your country who is now far away from that country with the same circumstances, you’ve got to help him."

I know Sergio feels that way, and we in Portland are lucky for it, but I don't think it's necessarily something that "everyone would do." In a business that can often feel self-centered, it's actually somewhat rare to see someone put the needs of others on par with their own. The NBA is full of egos, and I don't think anyone would blame Sergio for being a little resentful of Rudy's popularity, but that's simply not who he is.

As for how Sergio thinks Rudy will get along without him, he's got no concerns. In fact, he thinks it will probably be a good thing.

"He’ll be totally fine," he said. I think after one year it’s better for him to be by himself because he’s going to learn more English. He won’t have everything easy. He will have to be independent. He will have to listen more. I think that will help him.

"I think Rudy loves Portland and Portland loves Rudy. He’ll be fine. He wants to play like every player. He wants to play, he wants to win and he wants to have fun. Those three things are principle factors for him and for everyone. He can play with everyone. He understands basketball. He will be fine. "

Video: Sergio Speaks From Gran Canaria

Click here to watch an interview with Sergio Rodriguez from Gran Canaria. Rodriguez discuses his three seasons with the Trail Blazers, the draft night trade that sent him to the Sacramento Kings, what is most important to him as a basketball player and what he'll miss about Portland.

In Gran Canaria

The trip from Mallorca to Gran Canaria proved much easier than the trip from the United States to Mallorca. The travel time is about five times shorter, but I was thankful nonetheless.

Only got about three hours of sleep last night thanks to the lingering effects of jet lag and a few loose ends at work, so I was hoping to catch some sleep on the short flight from Palma to Madrid, then even more sleep on the longer flight from Madrid to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

First plan worked perfectly. I crashed out before the fasten seat belt sign had turned off and awoke in the middle of decent into Madrid. I was hoping to repeat the performance on the next flight, but as soon as I saw 40 or so preteens all wearing the same shirt and standing in line for the flight to Gran Canaria, I knew my prospect of getting some solid air snooze was destined to be thwarted. I found no respite between the constant seat kicking and the overemphasized screaming ever time the plane hit the slightest bit of turbulence. No big deal though. I'd be doing the same thing if I were in their situation. Live it up ninos.

After a nap in the hotel, it was off to the lobby to meet up with Sergio Rodriguez. Serg, despite the fact that he's no long a Trail Blazer, has been very accommodating. As KP noted on draft night, Sergio has been a big part of our franchise over the last three years, and I feel like I owe it to him to tell his story here in Gran Canaria.

It's amazing how different life on one island (Mallorca) is from another (Gran Canaria), at least as it pertains to my pursuits. To my eyes, Mallorca was a sleepy, old world paradise. Gran Canaria? Far more industrial, a city of the world. Granted, I stayed in a small town in Mallorca, and currently I'm in Las Palmas, which is the hub of Gran Canaria, but the differences are valid nonetheless.

It's also worth noting the camps have a completely different feel as well. Rudy's was relatively small, about 100 or so kids. An intimate experience in a small town. Sergio's camp tops out at over 300 estudiantes, something Rodriguez is quite proud of. He's got corporate sponsors. Kids chant his name when he walks in. It's no better or worse than Rudy's camp, just different.

Saying 'Adios' To The Spanish Armada

When talking to Rudy about his first season in the NBA, Sergio Rodriguez’s name comes up a lot, and with good reason. He was Rudy’s closest friend on the team, his running buddy on and off the court, countrymen and teammates for the Trail Blazers and the Spanish national team. Sergio the lob-throwing half of the “Spanish Connection,” later dubbed the “Spanish Armada,” with Rudy playing the part of the easy gliding finisher.

But Sergio’s most important impact on Rudy likely came off the court. Sergio’s ability to help Rudy traverse his first year in the United States might have been Rodriguez’s best assist of his career. His guidance and friendship played a huge part in allowing Rudy to surpass expectations in his first foray into the NBA.

“In Portland, I think it’s important that Sergio helped me a lot with the transition for the first year,” said Rudy. “But LA, Brandon, Joel, Travis, everybody help me for the transition for the team.”

But while LA, Brandon, Joel and Travis are still Trail Blazers, Sergio is now gone, off to the Sacramento Kings in a draft night trade. The Spanish Armada, for the second time in history, was sunk, or at the very least, docked indefinitely. After having taught him so much in his first season, Sergio’s departure imparted a final lesson on Rudy: That the NBA, as they often say, is a business.

And even though he’ll readily admit he’s going to miss his compatriot, Rudy, true to form, is taking a positive approach to the situation.

“I think it’s an opportunity for him to play in Sacramento, play minutes,” said Rudy. “For me, for sure, I’m am not happy Sergio is going to another team, but it’s basketball. It’s sports. Right now I am focused. For me I’m happy right now because Sergio is happy.”

As for his life post-Sergio, Rudy says he’s ready for the challenge, with a little help from his friends.

“I think (I’m ready). I can tell for sure when I come back to Portland, but I think so. Right now I am focused in my work in Portland with my friends, because LA, Brandon, Travis, Martell, Greg, Bayless these are big friends with me, too.”