Rockets showing interest in trading for Ricky Rubio?

Rubio would not be my first choice but there is not a lot out there.

His weaknesses are obvious:

1. Very poor shooter (has never shot over 38%)
2. Very poor finisher
3. He is fragile

His strengths are obvious too:
1. He is a very good defender with the size to cover PG and SG
2. He is a very good passer with a better than 3/1 assist/TO ratio
e. He is "okay" at getting to the line and is an 80% FT shooter

 

uhm yeah. It's like saying the sun will rise every morning. I have sources.

 

There's no real indication we're going after Rubio.

Now, I wouldn't be stunned if we got him. Minnesota traded away Chase Budinger. They might love to get their hands on Midwesterner Dekker to play the three for them.

Maybe Codman's "we're not done yet, and Adelman is still the common denominator, he knew talent, etc etc" might point to Minnesota players or former Rockets who played for him (Lowry).

But....this thread. Pure speculation?

EDIT: But since it is pure speculation, you could certainly do worse than Rubio with, say, Dekker + Tjones + Kpap / Prigioni (waive-able contracts)

If nothing else, he can get the ball in to our bigs. If (when) he misses an in-close shot, we have the bigs for putbacks.

 

What would actually(or close to) be the trade package we would offer for Rubio?

Even though he lacks certain skills we desire/need, the skills he does have I believe far outweigh the negatives and would still benefit this team.

Just imagine the fastbreaks we would have with just Rubio and Brewer. We were Top5(correct me if I'm wrong) in fastbreak points per game last year and that would increase with Rubio.

 

Rubio could help, especially as a playmaker off the bench and in limited times with Harden unless his shot improves. We complain all the time about the ISO ball and when people aren't moving on offense. The offense Chris Finch was added to the staff to install can happen with Rubio and his game would improve with better and smarter talent around him. He would also make our players look smarter. If you liked how Smith and Howard teamed up on the Mavs in the playoffs, then Rubio could help do the same in breaking down a defense.

All that being said, it's about cost. If Morey had been willing to give up Ariza plus our best assets, Rubio would be a Rocket already. Morey is only going to acquire him if the price is cheap as giving up all of your best assets should only be done for elite talents that you know will easily fit your team. Rubio is good but he still requires too much projection in terms of untapped potential to be worth the price Flip wants for him right now.

 

Is Rubio a better defender than Beverley?

 

My sources tell me a point guard cometh by the end of the summer or Dec 15th or next summer.

 

Sounds awesome to me. Anybody else think this outweighs his poor shooting?

Since when did having a bunch of great passers become a weakness?

I think this gets as many wins per year as cap space.

 

Minny could get more than what Morey would offer. The only possibility might be the kids kicking so much ass in Summer League that their value is inflated, but that's a laughable pipe dream. Right now, there's no better time to be a second tier star, and Rubio, warts and all, would command the interest of a lot of teams, and all it takes is one desperate GM.

You know what else is amazing? Rubio getting a full max after the cap goes up, and it's going to happen. Can you believe he's going to walk away probably earning 150 million in his career? Yet there are Euros content to stay in Europe? That tells me that they just don't think they're good enough. Llull must not have much confidence in his game to pass up the chance to earn the Big Bucks.

 

With Llull I think it's the whole "Big Fish, Small Pond" mentality. Why come to the NBA and be a corpse rotting on the bench or a super role player, at best, when you're the toast of the town/league in Europe?

 

Because without multiple shooters around him his lack of shooting kills spacing. Even considering his passing he is at best a neutral offensive presence and his defensive numbers are declining, and he can't stay healthy. What part of that sounds like an upgrade over Beverley - who is a capable defender and 3 point shooter?

I agree we need help at guard but I can't see how Rubio is going to improve the offense with the spacing issues he causes. His best case scenario is post big 3 Rondo minus the rebounding - good defense, good passing, bad spacing, no shooting

 

By most defensive metrics Rubio was better than last year's Beverley but not better than 2013-4 Beverley

 

The best thing about someone who is bad at shooting is that they can eventually get it going if they really care.

I prefer Rubio to Lawson for several reasons.

#1, he and Beverly could play in stretches together and our perimeter D would be incredible.
#2 he's a consummate professional, I hope he retires a Rocket.
#3 he seems very easy going and his game is silky smooth
#4 Lowry shot sub 30% in his first two years as a Rocket, something finally clicked and he became a stud. I think Rubio will put it together.
#5 Rubio doesn't seem like an EGO guy, Fegan is his agent and I think with him and Dwight on a team, they both will prosper, I'd love if Fegan became a friend of the franchise.
#6 he's got height, GSW showed that having 5 guys on the court with some height is a benefit. He can guard 1-3.

Rubio is a top passer in the league, his scoring has not caught up to his other skills but he is a ++ defender and he's only 24. He's never played a full season on a good team and the Wolves went through great stretches when he and Love were both healthy. His health is my only concern and a big reason I think he can be had for cheaper than his worth. Morey loved him in the past and if he has a chance to get him, I think he will.

 

If we do acquire him I hope it's before the season.

 

People jizzing for Rubio on our team really don't understand basketball IMO. Beyond his obvious flaws (crappy shooter, crappy finisher, durability), he simply does not fit on this team, just like how Smith doesn't not fit when his shot is not falling. The NBA is currently gravitating towards spacing and shooting, both things that Rubio sucks at. Remember how teams just left Rondo at the perimeter and dared him to shoot? What do you think they are going to do to Rubio? It might make sense if Harden played more offball, but we all know how that goes. Players like Rondo and Rubio are quickly becoming dinosaurs in the evolving game of the NBA.

Our core is Harden and Howard. This means we need players that can space the floor. Rubio does not have that ability at all and when Harden has the ball, Rubio will be completely marginalized. In the right system, Rubio can no doubt become an impact player, but that is not OUR team. For OUR team, we need a guard that can handle the ball when Harden needs a breather or is off his game and can play off ball when Harden is handling the ball and in beast mode. THIS IS NOT RUBIO!

For those idiots trying to use Smith as an example of Morey picking someone who is anti-Moreyball, have you ever considered how we got him? He was WAIVED by the Pistons. We picked him up for peanuts. It was a low risk, high reward pickup. There was a reason why Smith cleared waivers. There is a reason that we still have not re-signed Smith and chose to re-sign Beverley and Brewer before him. Smith is a situational player who is worth it on a cheap contract. Any more money and he quickly becomes much less enticing.

Long post short, Rubio does not fit our team's composition. While his primary strength (playmaking) is something that we are looking for, his weaknesses are also the strengths we need for a player in his position. We simply cannot invest in a player who only fits half our needs and will be looking for a huge contract once his current one is over. Our best bet is to look for a player like Lowry or Dragic that we can trade for, but that will definitely cost us a player like D-Mo or Ariza.

 

You know, Rubio is already locked in for another four seasons. Can't leave unless you trade him. Won't stay if Morey doesn't judge him worth his demands (we are talking about Morey here).

Don't be so sure the whole world is going to kick down the door or outbid Morey (if he's interested; pure speculation, again). Minnie needs a 3 (Dekker). Maybe a backup 4? Cap relief for Rubio's contract, which they didn't want to give anyway (we got that, too)?

About Llull. If Morey lowballed him, why would he come here when we'll have gobs of money to offer in a year, and his buyout is even less? I don't entirely blame him.

Beggars can't be choosers. Morey often states on local Sports Radio, "Yeah, we're probably gonna have to make trades to fill holes on the team" (paraphrasing).

Morey (batting eyelashes): "Hi, Carmelo."

Melo: "Nope."

Morey (batting eyelashes): "Hi, Chris Bosh."

Bosh: "Sure, why not?"

Pat Riley: "Cha-ching! MO MONEY, MO MONEY, MO MONEY!"

Bosh (to ESPN; nose growing all the while): "Uh, I told Morey 'nope'. I never said I'd be there. What, he says I committed? It's a falsehood."

Morey (batting eyelashes): "Hi, LaMarcus."

LMA: "Nope."

 

Dragic aint' walking through that door. Lowry aint' walking through that door. The NBA is gravitating towards players who can guard multiple positions. It's an up and down game. Rubio isn't a shooter at this point but shooting can be taught and he realizes his weaknesses and will work on his game. You can't teach instincts, height or speed, things Ricky excels in. Instead of calling people idiots, have a reasonable conversation. Shaun Livingston averaged 18 MPG on a championship team, his 3pt is a lot worse than Ricky's. Let's not act like everything is so black and white. Morey is a leader not a follower and he will find new ways to win.

 

Rubio has been a pro for 8 years. He isn't going to learn how to shoot or make a layup all of a sudden.

 

I'm indifferent about Rubio. I'll take him at the right price, but god do I love the clowns that keep shouting that since Rubio can't shoot he doesn't fit our offense. LOL. You think beverly is any better in half court offense? We want to avoid half court offense. We want to run and play in transition which rubio is ELITE at. For the right price rubio would be a solid pick up. No he won't be some monumental acquisition that we need to gut the team for, but save me the he sucks argument.

 

Seriously so many people around here are only satisfied with getting players like Harden and Howard. Everyone else is garbage. Hate to break it to you but GS had 2 stars and won the ship. They won because they surrounded those guys with plus role players.