Tue Jul 1 22:08:54 2008

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Blazers sign international star

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Portland, OR (Sports Network) - The Portland Trail Blazers have reached an agreement to sign Spanish guard Rudy Fernandez.

Fernandez, 23, spent the past seven seasons playing for DKV Joventut Badalona in the Spanish ACB League, and is a regular member of the Spanish National Team.

"I am so excited about joining the Trail Blazers and the NBA," said Fernandez. "The whole staff did a tremendous job making me feel like a very important team member to them and made me forget about the economic issues because of the rookie scale."

Portland originally acquired Fernandez in a 2007 draft day trade. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 21.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals in 30 league games last season as DKV Joventut Badalona won both the ULEB Cup and The Copa del Rey. Fernandez earned MVP honors in both competitions.

"We are thrilled to finally have Rudy Fernandez in a Trail Blazers jersey," said Pritchard. "Rudy is a tremendously talented player who has achieved great things in Spain and Europe. His work ethic and character will fit well with the culture we've created here, and we're very excited to get him on the floor after the Olympics."