It deserves the own thread Pistol Pete resurection <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kjFjOC_d1FI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
He actually had only four defensive mistakes for whole game, for almost 30 minutes. Quite a nice result
Sucks that OHMSS got banned before this game. I wanted to see what excuse he would come up with as to how the "worst player in Europe" did surprisingly well in his NBA debut. Nice job by Rubio, but let's see if he can do this consistently.
he would just say that it goes to show how much stronger the Euroleague is in comparison to the weak NBA.
The level of defense is just not there, just goes to show you NBA IS NOT the bet league in the world...
My 2 cents: The Kings will crash at some point before the season is over. Wouldn't surprise me if they do fairly well the first 20 or so games, but at some point Westphal will lose control of the team and things could get ugly. While the T-Wolves will hit some very rough patches, I expect Adelman will right the ship eventually. If you want to see Jimmer put up shots, he may benefit with increased usage if/when the Kings implode. Rubio should be able to push the sorry Luke Ridnour aside shortly. IMO, the facade of him coming off the bench shouldn't last long but remember the Rafer vs AB situation a couple of years ago on the Rockets. Can you change teams up during the season? In the past, I thought that was the case.
Looks like he'll be fitting in just fine....but despite 90% of his passes bouncing, it doesnt seem like defenders are looking for the bounce pass.
From watching highlights you could compare him to Pistol Pete, but there will never be another Pistol Pete . . . who was one of the best dribblers ever, greatest scorers in history (good shooter, as well), and absolutely dazzling. Though, Rubio will avoid the bust factor, and turn into a solid pro with a few All-Star appearances. Like a rich man's Jason Williams (Not Jay Williams, from Duke) . . . who was not a bad player to begin with, but Rubio has many advantages over him.
While he clearly has a ways to go to develop an all-around game, he's definitely ahead of the curve from what I expected, has excellent court vision, great basketball IQ, etc. It's not just the 6 assists. It's that they were assists that truly created points out of nothing - as opposed to passing to a shooter who hits an incredible shot, or is wide open at the three (though I'm sure he'll get his fair share of those, too). And it's the 0 turnovers. And even though he didn't score a lot, he wasn't exactly jacking or anything. As he's had a ton of time as a pro, I'm curious as to whether or not he can ever become that Steve Nash type PG scorer that he appears like he should become. One would think he would have had plenty of time by now to work on his shot, or develop that mentality. Still, the Euro game is different. After he adjusts, he should become a better scorer. But if he wants to be a true HOF type player, he will have to develop a near 40% three point shot and some scoring aggressiveness... but he's still only 21, so plenty of time for that to happen. Add Love, Williams and Adelman, and they will be fun to watch.
Good observation. He had Derrick Williams on the break last night. Derrick was looking up top and looked to be in a decent position to throw down the lob. However, the defender was in position. It would have been a direct challenge. It wasn't the sure thing. Rubio evaluated the situation in a microsecond in his mind and flipped a 40 foot bounce pass. The defender, who was looking for the lob, never had a chance. And Williams got the dunk anyways. That's the magic of Rubio. His bball iq is off the charts, my friend.
It's not just bball IQ. As I noted, it's the zero assists. Which means, while it was potentially a smart pass, more importantly, it was a GOOD pass. Boucne passes of 5 feet can be difficult, the way the ball slides, the way bigs have difficulty handling them, etc. Rubio clearly has this skillset down like few I've seen in a while. So it was a smart pass... for him. IQ, plus the ability to do it, on time, so that the recipient is in a position to score easily, without turning it over... that's the impressive part. His pure point skills seem to put him as a better PG in the league already. A preseason game and 1 season opener might be a little early to say that, but he's looked like this consistently thus far. And I was one of the earliest doubters... but have been converted.
