Every year it seems like there’s a point guard on a bad team who consistently puts up good performances to trick everybody into thinking he’s good. A few years ago it was Greivis Vasquez. Last year it was Ish Smith. This year it’s Sergio “Bearded Chocolate” Rodriguez. Hs ability to wring assists out of the limp dishrags we generously call his “teammates” ensures that he will flirt with being top ten in assists per game until he gets benched for Jerryd Bayless or something.
Do my friends in Spain even care about Bearded Chocolate anymore? He’s not exactly young (thirty, to be exact), so he might be approaching “washed-up” territory. Then again, Europeans are a very nationalistic bunch, and they won’t give up idolizing a player just because the player is getting up there in years. In fact, the idolization might only increase if the player is deemed iconic enough or is considered a savior of basketball in their country.
I’m pretty sure the Gasols would be iconic enough to be adored well into their old age. S-Rod? Maybe not. But I’m not in Spain so I don’t know. Maybe they all love him and his beard. Maybe they stay up at two in the morning to watch Sixers games live. I just don’t know.