Ricky Rubio (18 yo) will skip the 2009 NBA draft. He doesn't want to go to the NBA without assured playing time. I guess from the article that he wants to keep improving his game in order to sign with a lottery team. Right now, Rubio makes something like 8k euros per month, and has a 6 million euros release clause in his contract, until 2011. He's in talks with Joventut in order to have a new contract and lower the release clause. http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/440193/0/rubio/joventut/nba/
Wrong forum...belongs in the NBA Draft one. But I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping the Kings would draft him.
He is doing the right thing.Playing in the NBA is totally different from the European leagues. He needs experience,and has to get physically stronger.
That's a wacky contract. He makes 100K a year but would require 6 million to get out of it. Talk about indentured servitude.
Smart decision. Unless he's made some kind of massive transformation since the Olympics he's nowhere near ready. Granted, asking a 17-year-old to defend Chris Paul is a cruel joke 99.9% of the time. I guess Rubio is good enough to be the exception. He's just not "NBA good" yet -- not good enough to be playing the "Guarantee me playing time, then we'll talk" card.
5th Pick? He was the top pg prospect of this year's draft (along with Jennings). I'd say Rubio, Jennings and Griffin were the top 3 drafts this year. Too bad he skipped, we could have had a Cp3/Deron rivalry lol. Oh well, maybe we'll implode next year and get him + a max contract free agent to go along with Yao Ming in 2010 lol
He isn't old enough anyway is he? I though you had to be 19......to be in the draft. Wasn't he just 17 in the Olympics? Did he hire the Chinese gymnastics coach as his agent? DD
Im confused. Can he skip the draft? That Iranian guy didnt get drafted but is that because he chose to?
I thought you had to be 19 by the draft? Because 19 by end of calander year means high school seniors could still declare as some of them would be 19. DD
High School Seniors? Wasn't the stumbling for declaring for the draft 1 year of college and not the age? If I remember correctly Bynum was drafted when he was only 18 years old....
I think Bynum was drafted right before Stern changed the rules. From what I remember, 1 year of college is required but there are exceptions for players from abroad. Rubio has been playing basketball professionally way before 18 so I don't see why he can't play now.
