I know there have been lots of threads about Rubio and some who want him on the Rockets but last nights game was just eye opening. Rubio has been a bad basketball player for a long time IMO because he is such an offensive liability. But last night he was just plain awful IMO. Has he regressed even to the point that he is not even serviceable? Was last nights game an aberration? When I watch him play I laugh just a little at Minnesota because they gave him that big ass albatross of a contract which is guaranteed until the summer of 2019. Is that contract and that player even movable? He is owed 13.5 mil this season, 14.24 mil next season and 14.8 mil in 18/19 season all fully guaranteed. WOW. Anyway, I don't think there is any question he was the worst player (by far) to lace up his sneakers in the NBA last night. Thank you Ricky Rubio for your negative contributions to the Minnesota Timberwolves last night. I'm not sure the Rockets would have won that game without you and your blown lay-ups.
Well sadly that wasn't Rubio's worst game - he was actually 'decent' by his standards this game. He actually hit a few open looks. He has had worse games this season. I just don't see how some people think that he will turn out to be a good player eventually. He sure had great potential, there is no denying that, but has been playing PROFESSIONAL ball since he was 14-15 years old and this is his 6th season in the NBA already. I think it is somewhat delusional to expect him to improve his game in a major way 11+ years into his professional career. Sure he is above average defensively and a good passer, but because of him his team will always be at a disadvantage, when having to play 4v5 - teams just don't respect his shot and for good reason. He hasn't improved his shot, it might have actually gotten slightly worse this season. His coaches seem to be figuring this out as well - I don't know how often I have seen him on the bench during crunch time of close games, both in the NBA and on the national team.
This was the first game I have watched him this season but if what you say is true then all I can say is just WOW. I just never expected him to be as bad as he is now. I never expected him to be good but certainly not that big of a liability. To think we have Patrick Beverly for a fraction of what Rubio costs (in 2019 Rubio will make 14.8 mil while Pat will make 5 mil) and Pat is just a superior player to Rubio. Pat is not just better but he is absolutely superior to Rubio and DM locked him up on the cheap while the Minnesota GM gave away one of the all-time bad contracts that is going to continue to haunt Minnesota for years to come.
good player or not, he's a terrible fit for this team. anyone who can't shoot/score off the ball has no business playing next to harden.
No way we win last night if anyone else in the NBA take Rubio's minutes. I mean FFS we were able to have Ryan Freakin Anderson guard KAT because we were doubling off of Rubio no matter where he was on the court. How many layups did he miss last night, 4 or 5? He sucks at basketball.
It's hard for such a poor offensive player to be an effective starter in the NBA without also being a lockdown defender, which Rubio is not. Very glad he never came to Houston despite Morey supposedly wanting him.
if they did, they were wrong. he's become a good enough shooter to make defenses pay for doubling harden. i'd say these are the descriptions (in order of importance) to pair with harden: 1) scorer - a second go to guy would be so big for this team. its why crap guys like beasley and thornton looked so good here. harden can't do it ALL by himself. having guys like gordon pick up the slack is what keeps us in some games. 2) 3/D player (wing) or finisher/rim protector (post) - guys that can finish harden's plays. here's pat, ariza, capela, harrell etc... he makes them look way better than they are. we can sign them for cheap and watch them look like steals here! 3) shooters - even if they dont help the defense, surrounding harden with shooters makes him dangerous. 4) athletic wing defenders - players who can switch and cover for james on defense is a huge help. but they have to be able to cover the 1, 2, and 3. brewer and KJ fit here. players that won't fit: 1) post players - although in the playoffs it will help to have 1 (nene), we aren't slowing down to feed them the ball (dwight) 2) ball dominant play makers - its harden's ball. everyone has to get that. lawson, rubio, rondo, these guys will all look like trash next to james.
Read my post in the game thread ! I also see nothing special about this guy other than he can dribble and has a few nice passes every once in a while. It's amazing that he gets paid what he does when he's really nothing more than a backup pg
Rondo? IMO - - RR should be a steadying, positive influence on the court with such exciting young'ns. Instead, RR seems to be holding back their ability to actually flow and play. On D, RR is superglue on D? Uh, no. Not ever. That I have seen.
