Rudy Fernandez Wants to Stay in Portland, Andre Miller Thinks He May Leave

DENVER -- One Portland guard wants to stay long-term with the team. As for another, he wouldn't be surprised if he's soon traded.

Flash back a year or so ago and you'd have thought the guards in that situation would be Andre Miller wanting to stay and Rudy Fernandez preparing perhaps to be going elsewhere. Now, the roles look somewhat reversed.

In an interview with FanHouse before Wednesday's 109-90 loss to Denver at the Pepsi Center, Fernandez said he is interested in signing a long-term contract extension with the Trail Blazers. Yes, this is the same Fernandez who was fined $25,000 by the NBA last summer due to his agent publicly requesting a trade.

"Yeah, yeah,'' said Fernandez, who had recently confirmed to The Oregonian he no longer wants to be traded, said about now also wanting to sign long-term with Portland. "Right now, I feel good here. I feel good in the city and the team.''

Fernandez, who is under contract for next season but eligible for an extension this summer if rules remain the same under a new collective bargaining agreement, was asked if he hopes to talk to team officials after the season about such an extension.

"Yeah, absolutely,'' said Fernandez, the third-year man from Spain who said he no longer has the homesickness he once did due to his family spending more time in Portland and who likes now how he's being utilized by Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan.

Meanwhile, it was Miller who said in December 2009, when his name was in trade rumors, that Portland is "where I want to be'' and he's "comfortable.'' He's no longer that gung-ho about sticking around.

"I don't really care, really,'' Miller said when asked in a FanHouse interview Wednesday whether his hope now is to remain in Portland rather than be traded. "You know what I'm saying? I would like to stay put, but it's a business and anything can happen.''

When asked if he believes there's a decent chance he'll be moved by the Feb. 24 trade deadline, Miller said, "Yeah. Yeah.''

"There's a chance,'' Miller said. "A lot of guys can get moved. Where? I don't know. At this point, hopefully it's not a team that's rebuilding. I wouldn't want to go back to like a Philly situation.''

Miller played with the mediocre 76ers from midway through the 2006-07 season until signing with Portland as a free agent in the summer of 2009. He said he's not bothered by his name coming up in trade rumors.

"I just take it as a positive,'' Miller said. "There's 30 teams, and I've been with five ... The main thing is just to keep contributing. Any team I'm going to be with, I'm going to take pride in.''

Miller also has played with Cleveland, the Clippers and Denver. He really hasn't wowed anyone since signing with the Trail Blazers, averaging 14.0 points and a career-low 5.4 assists last season and this season 13.0 points -- the lowest since his rookie campaign of 1999-2000 -- and 7.1 assists.

"I don't know,'' Miller said of whether he has any regrets signing with Portland. "I make the best out of my situation. I've been on the court contributing, trying to make guys better. Practice every day. Just keeping it professional. Whether it's a good or a bad decision, the decision was made.''

Due to all of Portland's injuries during Miller's tenure, he said the team never has had a chance to really show what it can do.

"Of course, when that happens, you got to think about rebuilding and making moves,'' Miller said of what the Trail Blazers might do. "When you have veterans out there and teams are looking for veterans, you just have to roll with it ... I'd like to say that, 'If I do get moved, hopefully it's to a good team.'''

Fernandez isn't thinking about going anywhere come the trade deadline.

"Yes, because I have more confidence,'' Fernandez said of why his trade demand has been rescinded. "I'm happy when I'm on the court and I play free and I play like when I played in Spain. This is a big chance for me. I'm going to stay happy.''

Fernandez said he and McMillan have had plenty of discussions, and McMillan has given him more leeway to drive to the basket after once preferring for Fernandez to be more of an outside shooter. Fernandez's playing time is actually down this season, from 23.2 minutes per game to 21.9, but he said his concerns had been more about his role with the team rather than playing time. His scoring average has remained the same at 8.1.

While Fernandez is under contract next season with the Trail Blazers, there's no guarantee he will be in Portland due to an NBA lockout perhaps threatening the season. Fernandez was asked whether he might consider playing in Spain next season if there is a lockout.

"It's a possibility if the lockout is a big lockout. It's longer,'' Fernandez said. "But I have a contract (with Portland). I don't like to play one month and come back to the USA.''

Meanwhile, Miller is wondering where he might be playing in one month.