lol yes... (unfortunately I do recall the many post about JVG vendetta holding down V-spans greatness. ) I just wanted to point out the irony of his response to DD.
If the Rockets can somehow get this guy they should go after him, he is the next Jason Kidd type of PG. DD
Except that Kidd could actually score the ball, his problem was his outside shot, which was mediocre (low 30's) rather than Rubio-level (low 20's) . Rubio's problem is that he can't score the ball at all, inside or out. That and the fact that he keeps getting worse since 2008. He's one of those guys who would have been a lottery pick based on potential had he come out early, but then who stayed in college and ended up stalling out and having his shortcomings exposed. I guess Terrence Morris is a good exmaple of that. But hey at least he got the lottery pick part right.
Sam, Don't you think with his talent that once he gets to the NBA, he can really explode? I mean the guys mind is what sets him apart and all the NBA players that play against him comment on how good he will be in the league. DD
What in the last 4 years of regression in an inferior league has left you with the impression that he would progress in a superior league? It would be oen thing if he was dominating in Europe and no longer challenged, but frankly the guy has never even done that. His smarts don't mean jack when NBA players are allowed to completely disregard him as a scoring threat. Then he becomes a poor man's Rafer Alston.
DD, I'm surprised you are still so high on Rubio. From what's been commented here and on other articles I've recently read, the shine is clearly off and he's been exposed. For such a young player to flatline (or regress by some accounts) two consecutive years is a troubling sign. The compliments he got from Team USA players in 2008 also have to be taken with a grain of salt. What else were they going to say? NBA players also aren't the best talent evaluators around. Remember, Yao said V-Span reminded him of Steve Nash and V-Span was his own teammate. Rubio played two games against Team USA. Seems to me Rubio signing on in Minny in the face of a lockout is a sign of weakness and desperation. I used to think he was destined to be nothing special, but at least a solid starter for a good team. Right now, I don't know. But if he's instantly a top-5 PG like you said, I'll eat crow.
Rubio has no elevation whatsoever on his jumper... what an ugly shot. But hey, Shawn Marion has an ugly jumper too...
Regardless of how overrated some of you may think he is, he is a crafty player who can create plays. The only knock on the guy is that he can't shoot. Neither could Jason Kidd in the beginning of his career. He is a great passer and is athletic enough to drive to the rim and finish. I predict a career 12 ppg, 7 apg, not great, but nonetheless a solid pg who knows how to run the point.
Also, how many of you have watched his games in Euro League? You do realize even great Euro League players only play about 20 minutes a game. How productive can you be in 20 minutes, especially for a guy who isn't a true scorer? You have to also remember who he is playing with. The NBA has superior talent for him to work with and get better from. Not to mention he is a great defender. 2 steals in 22 minutes of play. You guys really shouldn't be calling him a bust before he even steps on an NBA court.
he's "crafty", there it is edit: also, he's no where near as fast as kidd, please don't make that comparison again
I hate how everyone keeps bringing up his euro averages, because Brandon Jennings averaged something like 5-7 points a game as well in his year in Europe, and what did he do his rookie year? Average 15.5 PPG 5.7 APG, he had a few very high scoring games, albeit he ended the year on a low FG % of 37.1%, but his 3pt FG was good for a rookie at 37.4%. It should be noted Jennings was coming off the bench much like Rubio is now and was getting around the same playing time. It's possible Rubio may have declined, but don't use euro stats as a basis for this, the game there is much slower(65-70 is usually the score of the winning team), he's coming off the bench, and getting less playing time over all. Also people are really ignorant about why he didn't go to the twolves right away, his Spanish club basically held him ransom from coming to the NBA by only letting him get out of his contract with a 6 million dollar buyout, it wasn't finanically feasible whatsoever for him to do that, so he had to wait. It has nothing to do with him not liking the cold or Minnesota or whatever, he isn't some entitled diva, he just didn't wanna ruin his financial well being just to be able to play sooner. He's an ideal uptempo PG in my opinion, it'll be interesting to see how he'll pan out, I'm not making any predictions about him as far as him being a star player yet, but I don't think he'll be worse than a solid player in the NBA, whether a starter or off the bench.
From Bill Simmons on PTI: Ricky Rubio could be compared to what Micha Barton was before... in 2006, she was a can't miss prospect. Now? Eh.
Interesting comparision. TMo has been a starter on many decent if not very good teams in Europe. And we know better than most about his NBA career...
True. He could have just compared him to himself. Once a can't-miss read... now just another company shill.
