size isn't just about how tall you are. and bulk isn't just about strength. You can be thin and still have strength. You can be bulky and be weak. Shane has the IQ, a good height, solid strength, and solid bulk to defend. He's solid all around, not super strong or super tall or super big, just solid all around, that along with his smarts and hustle help him make up for his lack of speed. That's about the only weakness shane has on D, speed. rubio's are speed and bulk...i'm not sure about strength...maybe that too....you can't really improve speed significantly when you're already a trained athlete and i dont see him gaining bulk, maybe not even strength...
RV6: If Pau doesn't need to bulk up why are you bringing him up? Thing is, Rubio is so thin right now, he can definitely afford to bulk up more without it affecting his agility. Pretty sure the rockets, Minn or whatever team trades for him would put him on a weight training program to gradually put on more bulk.
He did not work out with Sacro. The guy came and was sick to showcase so Sacro never had a workout with him.
WHere does this perception come from that Rubio is slow? The kid seemed awful fast in the Olympics, and in most of the footage I've seen of him. His ball handling skills and IQ alone make him a nightmare to deal with. On top of that he has GREAT size for a PG, and an exceptional wingspan. Wade said Rubio was a flat out stud, but for some reason people on this forum view him as trash. The kid is great. He has good form on his jumper, and loves the game of basketball, so the shooting will come and when it does he'll be a beast.
Meaning, we've seen it in baseball and football and track and other sports. I'd be shocked if all the NBA beef was natural.
Yep. Not comparing the two, but if you look at Jordan when he was drafted vs. when he hit 30, there's a huge difference from just that very thing.
I know it's hard for people to believe it when they can't see it, but just like in baseball where you've got five tools, in basketball (and ESPECIALLY at the point guard position) there's one tool that can trump all the rest--the brain. This kid was brought up with a mind for basketball, and that's why everyone is tripping over themselves trying to acquire him. The fact that he doesn't look like an NBA-level athlete means nothing; after all, the best PG in history who holds the NBA record in assists AND steals, by a wide margin, probably also owns the NBA trophy for "biggest resemblance to a regular guy". No I'm not putting Rubio in John Stockton's league, I'm just asking not to judge this guy by his physique and rather his play, his court vision which has manifested itself both in his passing and his ability to pick off the other team's passes.
Please Morey do not trade for Rubio. Ok he can pass, so what, the Rockets have a 2-4 year window to win a championship now and our needs is a shooter who can create his own shot, not a pg who can't shoot. I also feel that Rubio is overrated and he will turn out to be a bust.
I still don't understand this, would it be much easier if we just trade for King's 4th pick to get Rubio? King drafted a unproven PG tonight, so it's very likely they will bite if we offer them Brooks + pick + Cash...
I agree with you about the Brain part and that's why I like Rubio so much as well. Plus, he does seem to have the right attitude of continue to improve himself to the #1 PG..
Pete Maravich was injury plagued and on very bad teams, but had a Gayle Sayers-ish type impact. But yeah, Rubio reminds me of Pistol Pete, without uh... bullets. As far as comparisons to J. Kidd goes, I'll say this: J. Kidd would never have been picked to come off the bench for any team (especially at age 18, which, unfortunately, was when he peaked). Yeah, I get it, both players can pass and use excellent anticipation on D, but I highly doubt Rubio can be a consistent triple-double threat a la Jason Kidd. Kidd was blessed with a better body frame and much stronger hands.
Pau Gasol has gone from 220 to 260 since he joined the NBA. You are actually trying to tell us that an 18 year old kid won't bulk up? Come on. I gained like 80 pounds of muscle between age 18-30.
This is my assessment on Rubio: I believe the team needs, in order, a star swingman, a backup center, and a veteran point guard. Rubio does not fit our needs. However, I really do believe Rubio will be a Hall-of-Fame caliber point guard in the NBA. He may not dominate every single player he goes up against, but he will excel against most of them. He will have matchup problems against guys who are as big as him but stronger or more athletic. Right now, there's only a few of them (Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, and Deron Williams come to mind). Even studs like Chris Paul and Dwight Howard have guys that they struggle against. Only the best players in the game such as Wade, Kobe, and LeBron cannot be stopped. So Rubio may not be that caliber of player, but he can have a Jason Kidd type of career, be a perennial All-Star. Most point guards in the NBA give up several inches to him in height and reach, not to mention the ample space that Rubio will create with his see-plays-before-they-happen mental quickness and overall creativity. There are more great athletes in the NBA than there are guys who have the ability to make their teammates play at their best. That special skill is what made Magic so great. It's what makes Chris Paul so great. It's what made Steve Nash a two time MVP and why we want Nash in Houston. It is a very rare quality in the NBA that Ricky Rubio possesses. It's an extremely rare and special skill. If the guy has any other advantages, then that player will be at least a productive player. So what other reasons are there that point to Rubio being a great player? He is a prodigy. He has played professional basketball since he was 14. Prodigies rarely suck at what they were great at as a child when they grow up. He seems to be really focused on basketball rather than being a celebrity (what I believe to be Yi Jianlian's downfall) and loves the game and confident in his own abilities. He obviously has shown the ability to handle media pressure since a young age and that serves him well in big games and crunch time. He has natural leadership abilities, which is even better coming from a point guard with great ball handling and decision making skills. On the topic of his defense: Name one player in the NBA today who can shut down a Chris Paul, or a Deron Williams, or a Steve Nash. There are none. Point guards are too quick, the rules are too strict, picks set by big men are too strong, and set plays too effective for any point guard to shut down a great point guard one on one consistently. But there are ways for a point guard to make his mark on the game on defense. Stealing the ball. Disrupting the rhythm of the offense. A long point guard using his length to make it harder for the opposing point guard to see the open man and pass. This is exactly the style of defense Rubio plays. He may not be a shut-down defender, but for a starting point guard in the NBA he will definitely be above average to good. I admit he has weaknesses: poor shooter; lack of physical strength; lateral slowness; lack of hops; lack of straight ahead speed. But taking into consideration the totality of strengths and weaknesses of all point guards in the NBA, who is capable of exploiting Rubio's weaknesses and whose weaknesses Rubio will be exploiting, Rubio will be consistently among the best point guards in the NBA for many, many years to come. Whether or not we acquire him, it will be up to the gods, and Daryl Morey. But there is little doubt in my mind that he will live up to the hype.
According to RicBucher's tweet "For those who didn't watch our draft special - all 1 hour of it - I mentioned that Minn's #1 goal was to get Rubio. So forget any deals. So I guess no Ricky Rubio for nobody except Minny..
Ok guys. If Morey can pull these moves off we will be top 3 in the west this season. Rockets trade Tracy McGrady, Aaron Brooks, Luis Scola, and Chase Budinger. Suns trade Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa. _________________________________________________________________ Rockets trade Carl Landry, Brian Cook, Jermaine Taylor, and Sergio Llull. Timberwolves trade Ricky Rubio and Brian Cardinal. _________________________________________________________________ Rockets re-sign Ron Artest. Rockets sign Antonio Mcdyess with MLE. _________________________________________________________________ Starters: (minutes per game) PF - Stoudemire (36mpg) SF - Battier (32mpg) C - Yao (34mpg) SG - Artest (35mpg) PG - Lowry (24mpg) _________________________________________________________________ Bench: PG - Rubio (20mpg) PG/SG - Barbosa (25mpg) SG/SF - White (10mpg) PF/C - Mcdyess (24mpg) _________________________________________________________________ I would realy love this team.
