He was out for the second game correct - where Rubio was 1-3 for 6 points with a few assists, a few TO and a few steals - I didn't find that "more than holding his own" against Paul.
Nice size. Well develop skill set for his age. Wonderful court vision. But I seem to read quite alot about his lack of speed.
Uh, read the whole thread....but yes it's going to be very embarrassing for me when he turns out to be a good player, when you book mark this thread and unveil my prediction, which is: I'm talking about his performances vs. the USA mens national team, in which he wasn't super-impressive despite Chad's memory lapse. The only prediction I'm making for his future is the one you see above.
am i the only person completely and thoroughly unimpressed by rubio? it's not that he struggled against the US, that much should be expected considering he was only 17 and going up against 2 future HOFers in williams/paul. it's the fact that he looks completely physically overmatched from a standpoint of athleticism and that's not something one can improve. i'm sure he will turn out to be a good, solid player eventually when his body fills out on the basis of his height/skills/poise/passing, but these top 3ish lottery projections appear laughable. he won't ever be good enough to warrant that high of a selection.
Most people overrate him because he entered the spanish league, ABC when he was so young. I've seen him alot and I don't see how he is supposed compete in the NBA against athletic guards with that body and physic. He barely leaves the ground while shooting and that's not gonna work in the NBA and kid barely dunks, he ain't athletic at all, how is that body gonna work day after day against the freaks in the NBA? And he isn't even dominating in Euroleague, how can a kid averaging 2.4 points, 2.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds this year in Euroleague think that he can dominate the NBA? His stats in the spanish league is slightly better though, he is averaging 9.9 points on 41.8% shooting, 5.7 assists, 2 steals and 2.3 rebounds. To compare, even though they're not playing the same position, Danilo Gallinari was far more impressive in the italian league and euroleague before leaving for the NBA then Ricky Rubio ever has been and everyone is bashing Gallinari, I can't wait to see what people at this time next year has to say about Rubio.
I think he should stay another year or two in Spain before he comes over. He's way too young and his body is not developed to handle the NBA. He is basically a high school senior in terms of his development. Rubio's a great talent indeed, but I think that he should first dominate the Euro league before he jumps to the next level. Young Euro players don't have a great track record in the NBA. We've had failures like Darko and Tskitishvilli (remember him?). Bargnani is just finally beginning to come into his own in his third year after a miserable first two years as the No.1 pick. The Euro players that have an impact on the NBA are usually veterans who's well established in Europe.
no, i don't think his size will be an issue. he's just a kid right now and will naturally fill in once he matures and starts lifting in the states. his downfall will be his lack of athleticism and there's nothing he can do about that. he looks extremely slow footed to me. and of course he barely jumps. if he pans out to be anything, it will be his height that saves him. but right now, i'm not too impressed and am pretty confused why this guy is being mentioned as a possible top 3 pick.
I've watched videos of him on Youtube cause I wanted to know the hype. He's not a bad passer and that's why they compare him to Kidd and Paul. But those weren't NBA games, and I know NBA teams will clog the lanes better than the Euro and Spanish players. The one and only thing I remember about Rubio in the Gold Medal game in the Olympics was him getting a Technical Foul near the end for screaming like a little baby about an obvious foul.
Good post. Rubio needs to wait 2-3 more years until he can make an impact in the NBA. Whoever drafts him isn't likely to get very much during his rookie contract. If I were a bad team, no way I would take this guy in the top 3 unless I thought the other choices were dogs. Only down the line when he's in his mid 20s will Rubio begin to make whatever impact he can. I think he will get thoroughly abused on the defensive end for quite some time. Very young, non-athletic players usually don't even make NBA teams, much less get drafted high. But if a good team lucks out and ends up in the top 3, he might be worth it because they can wait on him.
I'm not so sure about that, Rubio is already considered one of the best international players despite being very young and raw. I think out of all the positions, the pg requires the least athletecism. Look at Jkidd, Steve Nash and even John Stockton. If Rubio can develop a good midrange shot I think he's gonna be worth the top 2 pick.
It's crazy how many good PG's this league has been able to obtain... I don't know of an era that has had this many PG's at once... I wish the Rockets would be able to get someone but that is for a different thread.
nbadraft.net has him at #2 right now. I would seriously consider taking him second, but only because it's going to be a weaker draft class this year. I'd be happy if the Wizards could get him and move Arenas to the 2-spot. Of course I doubt he'll play much his first year.
Don't let the international games vs the USA team fool you. . . didn't such NBA stars as Carlos Arroyo, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and even our own beloved Vspan score well against the US teams? Foreign scoring pgs (exception of tony parker) do not translate their game well to the NBA, but passing/defense is more universal, and by all accounts those are Rubio's strong points.
I don't really mind. If we can keep both Brooks and Lowry then IMHO we're pretty set at the pg slot. They are not exactly superstars, but I think Brooks and Lowry are already pretty good pgs, and if we can get a superstar wing then we're pretty much set.
Arroyo's game wasn't an elimination game with a medal on the line. Don't lump that in with the games of Spanoulis and Jasikevicius that were for all the marbles.