The Spaniard superstar of 23 years old, Rudy Fernandez, could be the surprise for this NBA season as he had a great start in the preseason with his new team the Portland Trail Blazers. 

Many though that the transition for Fernandez, from the European basketball to the NBA, could be a little hard for the Spaniard. However, he has shown to the crowd, teammates and coaches that he is able to play basketball in any part of the world.

During his first five games of the preseason, the Spaniard has done amazing things. Fernandez has surprised everyone; he has been the fourth scorer of the team with 12 points per game, he is also the third in assists with 4.0 per game and the team's leader in steals with 2.6 per game.

The Blazers fans are impressed with Fernandez's talent; he is just a complete player who can do anything, from scoring, passing, and dunking to defending. His efforts to help the team is a whole from start to finish; he is for the coaches and teammates someone who could be a key player for the beginning of this season 2008-2009 and quite possibly, the next Rookie of the Year.

Fernandez started his professional career with DKV Joventut in 2001, winning over the years not only championships but also recognized with personal awards as a key player. His best years so far have been the 2006 and this year 2008.

The Spaniard won the 2006 and 2008 Catalan League titles, the FIBA Eurocup 2006 and the 2008 Spanish King's Cup and ULEB Cup Championships. In 2004, he was awarded for the first time as the Spanish King's Cup MVP, and then in 2006 as the FIBA EuroCup Final Four MVP. Later, he was awarded with one of the most important awards, the Euroleague 2006-07 season's Rising Star Award. Moreover, this 2008 he was recognized as the Spanish King's Cup MVP, the ULEB Cup Final MVP, and the Catalan League Final MVP. 

Internationally, Fernandez has accomplished great things for the Spanish National Team; he led the team to the 2004 Olympics Basketball Tournament and to the 2006 FIBA World Championship, scoring 9.1 points per game and winning the gold medal. He also played at the 2007 European Championship, where his country won the silver medal. Recently at the Olympics in Beijing, even though Spain lost the final game against the USA team, they played in a great way and Rudy Fernandez contributed with 22 points, playing only 18 minutes.

As everyone can notice, even with Fernandez's young age, he has gained plenty of experience throughout the years and he has shown that he carries great basketball under his skin. Now with the Trail Blazers, Rudy will need to adjust certain things on his game so he can adapt to the energetic and strong U.S basketball. We all know this is not being a difficult job for Fernandez, since he has already shown in the preseason that basketball is basketball anywhere in the world and his experience will help him grow as a player in the NBA. 

Many are foreseeing a great future for Fernandez in the NBA and have faith that he could become a player that could make a difference in the league. We hope the best for this Rookie NBA player.