You are funny since they look about the same height. Was does it matter if calderon or rose is a slight bit taller than rubio? The difference is nothing. It seems like OHMSS hates rubio, and that's fine. We have not seen him play that much here in USA, and I myself am excited about this guy. He may not be worth a number #2 but to argue he sucks, and has no impact is simply wrong. I do not know of pretty much any euro players except the ones that are already here, and ricky rubio. Why do I know about ricky rubio? Is is because he sucks that we have heard about him? Or maybe it's because he has shown he can play? Think about it ,I know of NO ONE ELSE BUT HIM IN EUROPE? Why is that? I think the answer is he has shown he can play. Will he transition? I don't know. We all asked the same question of jj redick or adam morrison ,and sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesnt. it might take time as well. I think he will probably be no better than dragic, but until we get him out there it is speculation. You can't argue he hasn't looked good against elite US talent. Then you would be losing that argument. I hope he turns out good and can be an exciting passer. I think the NBA is hurting in the passing dept, and I long for the days of the passing you would see with boston and LA in the 80s.
I'd rather keep Lowry and Dragic can ably cover that position when Lowry sits and still has some untapped potential, imo. Lee can also play PG. The C and SF positions are far more concerning.
Anyone think Love has the potential to be the best PF in the league? If Rubio helps, Love could average 25/15... insane numbers.
That is a great point, with Rubio's elite skillset and Love's intelligence to match, they would be a deadly combo. DD
Nash took quite a while to get to the level he was on the Suns, and he was even a Senior coming out of college. We probably have to wait quite a long time for Rubio to be anywhere near as good.
The two point guards you mentioned were also drafted by teams that had veteran talent to compete for a title. Well not in Rondo's rookie season but his 2nd season which was his first year starting he had great veteran talent. Most of these athletic point guards you are talking down on are drafted early on teams that are in the lottery much like Rubio.
I know... but do you think if Tony and Rondo ended up on a lottery team at the start of their careers their play would warrant a max contract? I wouldn't think so... My main point is, I think it's okay for a championship PG to have deficiencies, at least enough so that the team would still have resources left to get other pieces. These athletic point guards... they may have all the package in the world... but their mindset on being the focal point is more of a disadvantage than an advantage... Those other PGs, who are more team mentality and less on individual achievements, those are the ones who really really help.
I'm not saying Rubio will ever be at a Nash level, but I think given time we could see him be a great playmaker, and that him with Love and whom ever else the T-Wolves can get, Minnesota might have a quality team in a couple of years.
Unfortunately... I don't think they will ever be a quality team (one that wins and gets into the playoffs) with their current front office. David Kahn is totally incompetent and will surround Rubio+Love with crap and Rambis is a joke. It might take them a Memphis Grizzlies type fluke to get into the playoffs, but they won't ever be contenders unless they get a new GM who knows the ways of winning and the formula for a championship team.
I love it when point guards who can't hit the broad side of a barn are likened to one of the elite pure shooters of all time in Nash.
You need a big man to win a Championship but as far as having a top pick and using it on a big man is overrated. Since 2000 big men picked in the top 5 of a draft Kenyon Martin Stromile Swift Marcus Fizer Kwame Brown Tyson Chandler Eddy Curry Pau Gasol Yao Drew Gooden Nikoloz Tskitishvili Darko Chris Bosh Dwight Howard Emeka Okafor Andrew Bogut Andrea Bargnani Lamarcus Aldridge Tyrus Thomas Shelden Williams Greg Oden Al Horford Kevin Love Blake Griffin Hasheem Thabeet Demarcus Cousins A lot of big men have been taken in the top 5 since 2005 and only a few you can all franchise player. Picking a PG high is probably a safer pick.
If they were on lottery teams they probably wouldn't. I kinda see what you're saying since there has been a long time since a team won a Championship with a PG as their best player. Looking at the way the league is today your best shot at winning is building around a SG/SF over a PG or a Center. The league is changing one of these athletic PG's will win one soon I think.
And of those PGs picked high, how many have led their team (or even been a part of) to a championship? Picking a big man is a better risk, even if the probability is low.
We will see if it has changed... but I doubt it. Seeing as how the Grizzlies dominated the playoffs with their big men. Big men are as important as ever.
None, but there have been way more big men picked than pg's and only 2 big man listed has gotten to the Championship with the team he was drafted so I don't see how that really proves to be a better risk. The 1 that did get there Kenyon Martin was basically carried there by a top PG in Jason Kidd. Sure Dwight made it 1 year but his dominance couldn't get his team out of the 1st rd this year.
I don't think it should be limited to only that. If those top drafted big men go somewhere else or are traded to a different team, why should they not be included? Because we are arguing the value of big men at the top of the draft here vs a PG taken... it is a team's fault if they cannot keep that player.
I mean it can be argued that they got as far as they could because of the mismatches they created and the defense they provided...
I viewed it that way because I am looking at it saying which position turns out well for the team that drafted them. Sure Gasol goes and wins a Championship with Kobe but for the team that drafted him he couldn't even win a playoff game. Memphis didn't keep him because they couldn't win a title with him. I guess we will have to agree to disagree on the drafting a big man at the top thing. We have two different ways of looking at it.
