Add Ricky Rubio to the list of Wolves draft mistakes

There may have been a few people who thought he could be an all star, but there definitely wasn't a general consensus among people that he would be, let alone the next Nash. In fact, many people just looked at his stats in the Euroleague and thought he would be a bust.

While he hasn't shown much marked improvement since his rookie year , he's still young a great talent . And he's not just a good passer that has court vision. He makes things happen. People who are harshly criticizing this guy probably just look at his shooting percentages (which I agree are abysmal) or maybe saw him against Phoenix when he played poorly down the stretch. He's the glue for that entire Wolves offense. They're one of the top offensive teams when he's on the floor and KLove shoots a much better percentage with Ricky in the lineup. The reason their record isn't good is because they have no interior defense and no bench help. They're also like 0-10 in close games this year so that's also a problem for them.

While I agree there's no way I would trade Lin and a first rounder for Rubio, it's not because I think Rubio isn't good. It's actually because I think Lin is pretty good in his own right and trading him and a first round pick in this draft isn't worth it. Couple that with the fact that Rubio absolutely needs the ball in his hands to run the offense and be effective, and with Harden controlling the ball, he would just be a slightly better Beverley.

 

I just can't understand how Kahn and the Wolves passed on Steph Curry TWICE with back to back picks in the 2009 draft. With both of those picks being other PGs. Had they have took Steph with one of those picks, along with Love, they'd easily have one of the best young combos in the league and a very bright future.

And another huge "what if..." What if they would have also drafted Paul George in 2010 instead of Wesley Johnson?

 

? You mean the year that Kevin Love was injured most of the time (only playing 18 games). And this year they have Kevin Martin vs Ridnour at SG, and Martin handles the ball more.

So, between Love and Martin being added to this year's roster, the Minny fan site can't figure out a reason why Rubio's USG stats might have dropped a tad. Man, they sound a lot like LOFs.

Also, like I said before, he's probably not facilitating as much in the 4th (because he's sucking in the 4th), and that's the quarter most fans tend to comment on.

 

Perhaps they can trade him for Sacramento-era prime White Chocolate Jason Williams.

Nah that wouldn't be fair to the Kings.

 

Lin looks like he's lost a lot of weight. Not that he's skinny but he looks a lot more muscular, so does Parsons for that matter. I wonder if their back spasms have anything to do with their work outs... either way, both of them look more confident driving to the basket, especially Lin.

 

George was a name but I dont think anyone expected him to become the star he is today - not like an all-nba 1st/2nd teamer

the more bogging thing was drafting Johnson when they had plenty of SFs and passing on DeMarcus Cousins

 

The Raptors should take a chance on him. Offer up Lowry straight up in a trade. Toronto have the players to make it a good fit for Rubio.

Worst case scenario they end up tanking in a year where the draft is worth tanking for.

 

Rubio: I'm just not having as much fun as it used to be

''I'm going to be honest. I'm not feeling comfortable out there," Rubio told The Associated Press after a light practice on Thursday. "I'm not being myself and the team is noticing. I just have to be back where I was, be myself. I'm working on that. It's something that's missing. It's tough for me, too." [...]

"It's basketball. I love it," Rubio said. "But I'm just not having as much fun as it used to be. I know it has to be professional. But I just want to have fun. It's hard to find it right now." [...]

More than anything, these Timberwolves need a leader. And in so many ways, Rubio fits that bill. His unselfish play makes teammates happy and his natural charisma can act as a unifying force. But Rubio is reluctant to be too assertive while he is struggling on the court.

"I would like to be a leader, but leading by example," he said. "That's the way I am. That's the way I've been playing my whole career. But when I don't feel comfortable, it's hard to be that leader. It's something that I just have to get back on track and lead by example out there, busting my ass and bringing energy every night."​

 

Rubio needs to be on a Mike D'Antoni team if he has any chance of turning his career around. He is a guy who excels at one thing and one thing only: run run run.

For his career to be worth anything, it's clear to me that he must become an excellent defender. He is never going to be an average scorer. He does seem to have the raw tools and IQ to be a good defender though and he needs to become a Rondo-type player because in this league one elite skill does not earn you a starting spot unless you're on a crappy team.

I feel bad for the guy, and hate D'Antoni and the Lakers but I would like for that to somehow happen. Adelman's offense tends to reduce the passing responsibilities of the PG and that's just not a good fit for Rubio.

Also, he is sounding really spoiled saying he's not having fun out there. He's a guy who has a couple of seasons under his belt. No one cares if he's not enjoying it. He says he knows he has to be professional, but we can see from his recent play that he is letting it affect him and that should be considered unacceptable by the Wolves.

 

D'Antoni doesn't just "run, run, run". His offense is built around a point guard that can get to basket, causing the defense to collapse and leaving 1-2 other players wide open. It is why Nash and Lin did well. The problem is that rubio cannot get to the basket.

 

Sounds like he's heading back to Europe once his contract expires.

 

Glad I was on record as saying Rubio was not all he was hyped up to be. He wasn't that great in Europe yet everyone wanted to make it out like he was the next coming. He has great court vision, I'll give him that but that's where his ability ends on NBA level.

 

I would agree except he wasn't setting the world on fire in Europe either. The argument by Rubio lovers was his game was much better suited to the NBA than Europe.

 

Lowry ate Rubio's lunch so Adelman benched him.

 

They were probably worried about Curry being J.J. Redick or Adam Morrison part 2

 

How ironic:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ZdmCoejjiBA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Hard to enjoy when you're consistently the 9th-10th seed.

 

Buy low...

The guy just turned 23, plenty of time to improve.

Good defender, great passer, and his 3% and FT% are promising.