Someone who is saying Rubio has to sign with the wolves, and that he must comply with the NBA rules, is actually changing the NBA rules as they stand now. What nonsense! Totally illogical.
I used the word rules, but didn't mean it literally. I completely understand that he or any before him are not breaking rules by what he's doing, but it is against the "spirit" of fair play (for lack of a better term). My point is that if you are going to allow players to do this, stop using the draft all together and allow players to sign where they want. I don't know about you guys, but watching a few teams dominate everyone else would turn me off of the NBA altogether.
Oh really? It's arguable whether or not people want to see some teams dominate. How about the players? Do people want to see some players dominate? Of course they do! How do you feel if all the players are more or less at the same level? Having good teams/players and bad teams/players is part of any sport. Bad teams are bad not because they are in small markets or the weather is too cold. Just compare the Clippers (LA) and the Knicks (NY) with the Spurs (SA) and Jazz (although I hate them as much as you do). That said, I agree that parity makes the games more entertaining. Rubio not signing doesn't make the Wolves a worse team. If their management is smart enough, they can make the best out of the situation. By drafting him alone, they already have the advantage over him as well as any other team.
people ragged on Steve Francis for years because he didn't want to play for Vancouver. I wonder if any of those same folks are giving Rubio a free pass on this.
i just feel it sets a bad precedent for the future draft picks who think they can do this all the damn time. i'm glad blake griffin has been extremely professional in regards to the clippers, given their pathetic history.
Because he is doing what he is ALLOWED to do, it is HIS CAREER !!! If you are 31, are you FORCED to take any job, or is it YOUR CHOICE ???? It is HIS choice not to sign an NBA contract.....if he does Minny owns his rights..... That is all that is going on here.......this is a contract/business discussion, both are playing by the rules. I can't believe the whining going on about it......Minny owns his NBA rights, nothing more, Rubio has the right to sign a contract playing elsewhere, but if he wants to play in the NBA, he has to sign with Minny....unless they trade him..... No big deal. DD
I also think less of those guys. This isn't a debate about "the rules". Of course no one has to sign a contract with the team that drafts them. They can simply choose not to play in the NBA. But to the extent that they intend to play in the NBA and choose to force a trade by threatening not to play because they don't like the franchise that drafts them, I think that's wrong. Steve may very well helped bring about the demise of Vancouver. He was such a dynamic player, so athletic and fun to watch. He would have sold a lot of tickets had he played there. And this is precisely what I'm talking about. That franchise was significantly hurt because Steve didn't want to play there and forced a trade. They didn't get back fair value, and a franchise that badly needed to inject some excitement into their team and shore up their fan base by putting an exciting product on the court was not able to do that. I just think it's low class. Do you think Blake Griffen really wants to play for the Clippers? There's plenty of players that would rather not play for the team that drafts them, but most swallow their pride and stick it out rather than forcing a trade and acting like babies. That's what this Rubio kid is. That's what Steve Franchise was (as much as I liked him as a player, it never changed the fact that the stunt he pulled with Vancouver wasn't right IMHO).
Ricky Rubio, Playing Minnesota Poker June 26, 2009 6:16 PM We have been teased. As NBA fans, we were told we would get to see Ricky Rubio, one of the most exciting players on the planet, evolve into greatness before our eyes. Now plenty of people are suggesting -- insiders around Rubio, the GM of the team that drafted him, the father of the player himself -- Rubio may be headed back to Europe for a year or two. Ricky Rubio You want me to play where? (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images) All this just two days after Rubio stared into the camera and said he wanted to come to the NBA so badly he'd play for free. Now, instead of elite basketball, we get to watch elite poker. Bluffs, counterbluffs and gamesmanship -- perhaps, as sources suggest, with all parties: Rubio, his agent, and the Timberwolves working together to find a new NBA home for the young point guard. http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4289042 this rubio kid is already a professional liar. he's gonna be interesting to watch off the court in the future.
You guys do know that Rubio gets about $97,000 a year to play in Spain and his buyout is in the MILLIONS of dollars, which he has to pay out of his OWN pocket. So, if he doesn't want to play in Minny.....he should do whatever is in his OWN best interests.... DD
Just wondering, what do you think about professional baseball? And the hundreds of players that each year choose college, jucos, or independant ball instead of signing with the team that drafts them? Do you think less of all these players?
Agreed! If people want to complain, they should complain the nba rules are not consummate. Actually, this is a difficult decision for Rubio. If he stays in EUR for two more years, it may mean he will delay to earn him MAX salary two years. That will be a big loss. But, if he come and play for the wolves this year, can he get enough minutes to develop? If not, he may be never able to earn the max salary. I think Flynn is more nba ready than Rubio, although Rubio may have more potential. If he come this year, he might play behind Flynn. I think Rubio's agent is negotiating with the wolves. If they agree Rubio to start at the pg postion and playing time is guranteed, he may come to play for the wolves this year. DD is right, this is all about business.
I don't have any opinion on the hundreds of amateur ball players that are ASSIGNED to minor league, juco, and colleges. the baseball draft produces hundreds of players a year that will never play in a single MLB game. do you have an example of a specific player (particularly a phenom drafted in the First Round) choosing to do so? what were his circumstances apples to oranges http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mlb_draft
i guess the high schoolers who came to the NBA that had to ride the pine and became stars must be rolling over their graves right now. i just hope minnesota sticks to their plan. let rubio stay over there. don't let him threaten you. flynn is NBA ready. play him first. in 2 years, rubio is 20. (or that is kahn's plan).
Well they are drafted by mlb teams and then after signing are assigned to either the major league club or one of the major league club's minor league affiliates. So are you saying that if the NBA had a deeper minor league system then you would be okay with similiar actions because players would be assigned? If Aaron Brooks had pulled a francis or rubio and threatened to go to europe if not traded, you would have been okay with it because he going to be assigned to the nbdl rio grande vipers his first year? As to your second question, hundreds refuse to sign with the team that drafts them every draft. I think Aaron Crow (#9 overall) last year was the highest pick that didn't sign and instead played independant ball. Do you feel the same way about Strasburg (who is major league really right now) right now as you do about Rubio?
From the wolves' stand point, Rubio's stock is high now. It will be hard to tell what will happen two years later. Like Scola, the spurs only got a couple of millions salary space for him eventually. And, although Flynn seems to be more nba ready, there is no gurantee for that he can develop to a star player. I don't think the wolves did a noble thing. They drafted two pgs. That is unfair to either of them.
Actually Baseball has different rules if a player doesn't sign they can be DRAFTED again the next year. J.D. Drew did this....as have several others..... You guys whining about Rubio are missing the point....he is doing what any good business person should do.....negotiate a better situation for himself. I suggest you all try it some time. DD
You are right, he has the right to stay over there and play. That's not been my argument. My point is that I think it's wrong for him to push for a trade to a different NBA team. If he had been picked by the Rockets, do you think he'd be pulling this crap about staying over there. No, he'd come here and pay his buyout and be happy to be in Houston. I'd love to have him, don't get me wrong even if he did force a trade to Houston tomorrow I'd love to have him. It's just not a good thing for the league. But you can't keep comparing this to you and I going out and getting a job. If you apply to get a job you apply directly to that company. He is applying to a league where no one but maybe the first pick knows where they are going to go. Once he serves his time, he gets that control.
