Ricky Rubio is finally joining the Minnesota Timberwolves

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   Stevennix2001posted 13 years ago

   Well after a series of bad luck, the timberwolves are finally getting the player they drafted a couple years ago.  Ricky Rubio was drafted 5th overall by the Timberwolves, but he was still under contract to play for his Spanish basketball team.  Sure, they could've bought him out, but the buyout fee was over 6 million and according to the collective bargaining rules in the nba, the wolves are only allowed to contribute 500 grand to buy out his foreign contract, as the rest would have to be paid out of rubio's pocket.  Therefore, he elected not to play for the wolves even though they drafted him a couple years ago. 
   
   However, the fee has gone down considerably to around 1.5 million; which is manageable.  The timberwolves are looking actively for sponsors to make up the difference through endorsements for rubio at the moment.  However, for all you t-wolve fans out there, it looks like you guys have something else to be excited about.  Not only will you be getting the 2nd pick in the draft, but you'll be getting one of Spain's top point guards next season. Isn't that wonderful?    anyways, here's a link for more details:
   
   http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6617479
   
   What are you're thoughts on this?

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   LakeShow Tposted 13 years ago

   Haha. I've been joking with people about this, so I think it's funny to have the thread started here. There has been so much hype about this guy over the last half-decade that it's hilarious. And I admit I totally bought in after seeing his flashy ball-handling, creative passes, and the Pete Maravich comparisons. Even after seeing him play in the 2008 Olympics and the flop he was there, I wanted the T-Wolves to trade up to draft him a few years ago because of his upside potential. It turned out that he fell to us because other teams were afraid he would stay in Europe for a few more years.
   
   Well then, just like everyone else, he didn't want to play for the T-Wolves and had several excuses, such as wanting to be in a larger market, and my favorite, he did not want to have to live in Minnesota's cold climate. He basically turned out to be a primadonna kid.
   
   I saw Rubio play in an exhibition game against the Lakers and he was quite underwhelming. He went on this season to average a less than stellar 6.5 pts, 3.5 asts, and 3.2 rebounds per game this season. And in addition to all of that, Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings, who played against Rubio in Europe, dissed Rubio and basically said he sucked.
   
   All together, I hope the T-Wolves trade him, but if not I'll be interested to see what he can do here. He may add some excitement and some rare attention to the T-Wolves. I do think he could be a good piece for the young T-Wolves, who will now really be able to play at a rapid pace.

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      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Well I think he just finally broke down and signed because with the way collective bargaining agreements are looking between the players and the league, there's really no guarantee that Rubio would be able to sign for the guaranteed money he was probably looking for if the owners end up having their way.  Therefore, I think he just signed because he saw this was his only chance to get at least some guaranteed money rather than take his chances after the new cba rules.

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   optimus grimlockposted 13 years ago

   i think they should trade him to the kings or the cavs

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      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, that's a great idea.  Maybe they should try to package Rubio as part of a trade to get the Cavs number one pick.  I doubt the Cavs would trade their pick, but it's worth a shot.

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         LakeShow Tposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Good idea, but not going to happen. In fact, the Cavs, Suns, and Wizards are all rumored to be trying to acquire that #2 pick from the Wolves.
         
         There have also been rumblings about a Pacers/T-Wolves deal that potentially involves Rubio/Beasley/ and the #2 pick for Danny Granger and other unnamed pieces.  As a T-Wolves fan, I'd pass on that due to Granger's arthritic knees and because Derrick Williams reminds me a bit of a younger Danny Granger (who doesn't shoot as many 3's of course)

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