PORTLAND, Ore. -- With a style reminiscent of Steve Nash,
rookie Sergio Rodriguez is carving out a niche as an energizing
force off the bench for the Trail Blazers.
While Dan Dickau got the nod as starter after Jarrett Jack was
in a minor car accident, Rodriguez got some more playing time and
made the most of it.
Last weekend, he had a stunning 23 points and 10 assists in
Portland's 109-93 loss to Denver. In the Blazers' 94-76 victory
over the Cavaliers Wednesday night, he had nine assists and no
turnovers.
The 6-foot-3, 170-pound Rodriguez simply stymied Denver, which
clearly was unprepared for the Spaniard.
"The future looks bright for him," said Allen Iverson.
"You've got to take your hat off to him."
Coach Nate McMillan said he's pleased with Rodriguez's progress.
"Sergio has been able to control the tempo when we've used him
all year," McMillan said. "He's been giving us quite a bit off
the bench."
However, McMillan said he wasn't going to let one night change
his starting lineup.
"He does some good things coming off the bench, so we'll keep
him there," McMillan said.
Rodriguez was averaging 3.1 assists a game, ranking him second
among the league's rookies behind Kyle Lowry of Memphis with an
average of 3.2 assists. Blazers teammate Brandon Roy was ranked
third with an average of 2.9.
The Blazers reportedly paid the Phoenix Suns $3 million for
Rodriguez, the 27th overall pick in last year's draft.
He was rookie of the year in the Spanish Pro League in the
2004-05 season, and played on the 2006 FIBA World Championship gold
medal-winning Spanish National Team.
Jack was in an accident last Friday. He drove a car into a
parked semitrailer and suffered a slight concussion when he hit the
windshield.
Doctors were concerned because Jack couldn't remember exactly
how the accident happened. He did say he was sure he wasn't
speeding.
Jack had missed three games, and was listed as day-to-day. He
hoped to play in Friday night's game in Phoenix.<
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^DIXON'S AUNT:@ Sheila Dixon, the aunt of Trail Blazers guard
Juan Dixon, took office as Baltimore's first female mayor on
Wednesday.
Juan Dixon planned to attend her inauguration on Thursday,
before rejoining the team for Friday night's game against the Suns.
Sheila Dixon stepped into the job to finish the remainder of
Gov. Martin O'Malley's mayoral term, which ends in December.
The Baltimore native has held public office in the city since
1987, when she was elected to the City Council. She became the
first black woman to become City Council president, winning
citywide races in 1999 and 2004. In that role, she has chaired the
city's five-member Board of Estimates, which oversees all major
city contracts.
Sheila Dixon plans to run for a full four-year term as mayor.
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^FINAL NOTES:@ Zach Randolph, who is averaging 23.4 points and
10.1 rebounds a game, had a season-low four points in the loss to
Denver. He rebounded against the Cavaliers, with 26 points and 12
rebounds. "It feels good to bounce back," said Randolph, who said
the Denver game was possibly the worst of his career. "I was
trying to be more assertive, more aggressive." ... In addition to
voting for the NBA All-Star teams, fans can also select their
favorite dancers to the 2007 Las Vegas NBA All-Star Dance Team.
BlazerDancers fans can select from Marlene, Melissa and Ione. One
dancer from each club will make the team.