Will Ricky Rubio Join the Wolves’ Point Guard Army?
I have to admit, it was fascinating to watch Ricky Rubio shift uncomfortably in his chair as team after team passed on him early in the NBA draft last night, as the most talked about player in the building clapped and pretended to be happy for the four other dudes who went ahead of him.
And then, it happened … the worst possible scenario for Ricky and his family.
David Kahn and the Timberwolves confusingly took both Rubio and Jonny Flynn (who’s even shorter) in back-to-back picks. Everyone assumed they would trade one of them — which obviously didn’t happen — before it dawned on us all: The Timberwolves drafted two point guards! Brilliant.
Rubio, judging by his reaction after the pick (and more tellingly, his father’s interview with Spanish newspaper Marca), may not be long for Minny. From True Hoop:
“Are you excited to go to Minnesota?” he was asked…”I’m excited,” he responded, “to come to the NBA.” He said his mother hated cold weather. He was asked about whether being picked by the T-Wolves might inspire him to stay in Europe. He said: “I don’t know yet. I have to think about that … I’m going to talk to my agent about that and we’re going to see.”
He also said he was very surprised that the team had drafted another point guard in Jonny Flynn. He evaded a question about whether or not he’d even come to the NBA — until the very end of the meeting with reporters when he threw in a line saying “I want to play basketball, and if they give me minutes, I’m going to come.”
It was reported that the Knicks and T-Wolves were possibly working a deal involving Rubio last night, but nothing materialized. Both Flynn and Rubio are expected in Minny sometime today; it’ll be interesting to see if both of them show up.
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I’m thinking Minnesota needs to trade Flynn or Rubio. Rubio going to the Knicks would be awesome! Maybe the Knicks can actually be exciting again!!
They are just basketball players! Who(m) cares whether they are labeled as point guards or guards. This isn’t the NFL!
While I wasn’t as high on Flynn, I love Minny’s night-Ellington is the steal of the draft (29th?!?)
but then again, I’ve heard Rubio is just all hype because he’s white and he really isn’t that good at all.
I am usually thankful for all Eboy brings to the site
———————–
Liar….
I am usually thankful for all Eboy brings to the site” Lets not get ahead of ourselves now!
You’re wrong about Kobe. Don’t forget Steve Francis either.
I’m not going to kill Rubio for his decision. I will be pissed if the media doesn’t kill him though.
You were calling Rubio white well before the Pau Gasol discussion.
Which is funny. Rubio is white, Gasol was not. They are from the same country, and there is not a big difference in color between the two.
And while you’re all at that,ignore ethnicities and just consider everyone either black or white.
Your ethnicity determines whether you’re black or white?
Explain that to me.
From my understanding, you can be hispanic and either black, white or neither. You can be Latino and be the same.
Black and white are separate from ethnicity, so it’s two different discussions.
However, it’s not really important. The important thing is that Jukai loves to randomnly interject racial arguments into discussions, and then pretend like he doens’t understand why he gets the reaction he gets.
Nobody else brought up Rubio’s color or race or anything of the sort. Jukai interjected it because he has a larger point he wants to make, but is unwilling to actually make.
If it bothers you that The Starting Five called Rubio “The Great White Hope” I would suggest going to the site, making your case and engaging in a discussion with the individuals. I’m sure Mike Tillery, Temple3 and the rest of the gang will be more than happy to explain to you exactly why they wrote what they wrote.
That seems a more useful approach then randomly throwing out sarcastic remarks about race on the Slam board.
I just found that thread. So, I take back my comment telling y’all to go talk it out.
What I’m curious about is the tone used here to discuss the issue.
If Jukai wants to have the same discussion he had at Starting Five here, then I think he chose to start the discussion in the wrong way.
Honestly, I think that Rubio is hyped because of his past accomplishments, his style of play and his skin color.
All three things contribute to the image of him and the comparisions writers make when discussing him. It’s obvious.
Do I think he’s overhyped, yeah. But I think all three factors contribute to that. Personally, it’s not a sin to be overhyped coming into the draft, it happens all the time.
However, I do expect to see Rubio CREAMED by the national media for being a spoiled brat if he starts pushing for a different trade already. The same way Steve Francis got creamed and Yi got creamed. That’s only fair.
I think it’s a mistake to say Rubio is ONLY hyped because he is white, and I think it’s a mistake to say that his skin color has NOTHING to do with the hype. Both views are simplistic.
I Really Wanted Flynn 2 Go to NY I’m From BL0 Gimme A Break
I think people like certain kinds of point guards, and often they are blinded to their flaws when they like them.
I’ve discussed what I see as Rubio’s flaws many times, and Jukai and I have disagreed on how serious they are. That’s cool. Everybody has an opinion.
However, I think there are some things that should be obvious to everyone if you are approaching the issue honestly.
1. People take Rubio’s skin color into account when discussing his game. It’s why he’s compared to Nash and Pistol Pete, when, as I’ve said many, MANY times, his game is more Jason Kidd with less speed.
2. Rubio is trying to protect his own personal interests by forcing the right team to draft him. He’s protecting his interests much the same way BRANDON JENNINGS protected his interests by going to Europe. The difference is that people have accepted what Rubio is doing as a smart business, while they seem to have taken pleasure in savaging Jennings.
And by people, I mean the mainstream media folks that drive public opinion for 95 percent of NBA fans.
It’s cool that some of y’all have seen through these media attempts, but that doesn’t change the fact that these things have happened. I had a friend tell me that Jennings was constantly getting creamed by ESPN for not working out because he was in Europe. While Rubio’s refusal to work out was shrugged off in many ways.
I’ve heard Jennings killed for having disappointing stats, when it’s not PERFECTLY NORMAL for young European players to come to the League with piss poor stats, but loads of “potential.”
Basically, different standards are being applied to different players and that is galling to me.
Some folks don’t really care.
Allenp: I’m actually referencing, almost BLATANTLY COPYING, what Myles and Ryan and Izzo have been posting for a LONG time here. Me calling Rubio “the great white hope” isn’t even original and I didn’t start referencing the previous three mentioned people until speaking with Tillery and listening to his insane, xenophobic and and paranoid point of views. It’s funny how I offend you when I mention it, but the others don’t. I think the hype around his skin color is very, very nominal. Other previous white high-level draft picks got no hype. Rubio is so hyped because he’s a youtube SENSATION. But I also don’t like the word ‘hyped’ because Rubio has been working his tail off in a professional league for 5 years now and constantly producing. It’s way too early to say if he’s the next Jason Kidd, but it’s even EARLIER to call him the next Darko. It’s disrespectful to Rubio. I have hated Rubio’s GUTS for the way he has acted like he deserves a greater deal than anyone else in the NBA, but downgrading his skills because somehow the media is racist, that’s just insane.
Alright?
F*cking god.
Allenp: I’m actually referencing, almost BLATANTLY COPYING, what Myles and Ryan and Izzo have been posting for a LONG time here. Me calling Rubio “the great white hope” isn’t even original and I didn’t start referencing the previous three mentioned people until speaking with Tillery and listening to his insane, xenophobic and and paranoid point of views. It’s funny how I offend you when I mention it, but the others don’t. I think the hype around his skin color is very, very nominal. Other previous white high-level draft picks got no hype. Rubio is so hyped because he’s a youtube SENSATION. But I also don’t like the word ‘hyped’ because Rubio has been working his tail off in a professional league for 5 years now and constantly producing. It’s way too early to say if he’s the next Jason Kidd, but it’s even EARLIER to call him the next Darko. It’s disrespectful to Rubio. I have hated Rubio’s GUTS for the way he has acted like he deserves a greater deal than anyone else in the NBA, but downgrading his skills because somehow the media is racist, that’s just insane.
Alright?
F*cking god.
Also, many scouting websites and articles have compared his defense to Walt Fraizer and Gary Payton. To my knowledge, those dudes are black. I could be wrong though.
Where he diverges from Kidd in one aspect, like you said, is in the speed department. Kidd was ruggedly fast, Rubio isn’t. At the same time though, Rubio looks like he runs a good halfcourt offense, while Kidd’s teams have typically been dreadful in the halfcourt. It’s tough to access what the overall equation of Rubio will come out to.
Let’s recap.
You made a snarky comment about Rubio that was related to his race.
I pointed out that this is common with you regarding race in ANY discussion.
I also pointed out that you have readily accepted Rubio’s “whiteness” while you questioned whether Pau Gasol was “white.”
Are you saying that I’m wrong about any of those things?
I do not feel I’ve downgraded his skills, I feel like I’ve accurately presented them. You disagree.
You have attributed my assessment of his skills to my issues with media presentation. Apparently, you believe I lack the mental power to discuss to different issues at the same time.
Let’s see if I can change that.
1. Rubio is tall, with average to below-average athleticism, a nice, if not outstanding handle, and very little shooting ability. He has been great in a pro league that has a lower level of skill than the NBA and utilizes a very different style of play with different rules.
2. I believe that his inability to shoot, coupled with his lack of athletic ability, presents a problem. Are those problems insurmountable, I don’t know. But, as I have in the past, I challenge you to point to another point guard who lacked superior atheltic ability and lacked a jumpshot, who has been a success in the last 20 years. I could not come up with one, maybe you can.
3. I also think the change in rules and the general change in the level of play in the NBA will pose more difficulties for Rubio than people expect. Again, this is my opinion, not fact.
Those are the ways I’ve “downgraded” Rubio. I’ve made the same arguments over and over again. I could be horribly wrong, I could be right.
What I don’t appreciate is the insinuation that my opinions are formed soley by the problems I have with racism in the media and in general.
Those are my points, show me how they relate to race.
Jason Kidd was throwing alley oops when Steve Nash was riding the bench. Alley oops are his specialty.
Kidd was running the pick and roll, in Dallas, in Phoenix, in Jersey, long before Steve Nash captured America’s fancy.
EVERY SINGLE PASS STEVE NASH HAS EVER THROWN, HAS BEEN THROWN BY JASON KIDD BEFORE.
Steve Nash’s style of play and his skill set really do not resemble Ricky Rubio’s. They are not similar players in the way they run a game, or their talents.
I think you have a point about Rubio and Kidd in the halfcourt.
My only argument would be that none of Kidd’s teams, before Dallas, were really constructed to succeed in the half court. The players around him, like in Jersey and Phoenix, didn’t really have the skill sets for half court offense. So, the teams ran a lot.
Jesus… I’ll speak with less syllables, but I don’t have any hand puppets to explain this to you in the proper way to make you understand
1- I “accepted” your definition of Gasol being a “white guy.” I asked other people, read up, and yes, Spanish guys are considered white. So I now consider both of them white. You were RIGHT. I even said you were right. I have no idea why you keep bringing this up.
2- You are correct in all your assumptions. What you do not get, coupled with what I have said, is:
a) You are not giving Rubio credit for what athletic skills he does have, which is immense change of speed, great lateral quickness, and underrated strength which has allowed him to finish at the basket (I know Europe is much weaker than the NBA, but as anyone with eyes can see, Rubio realizes this and has been putting on muscle).
b) I guess it’s impossible to learn how to shoot. It’s a skill you have to be born with, along with height and reach. I mean, Lebron never learned how to shoot, right?
If Rubio NEVER DOES get a shot, he will probably fall into a starter-but-not-really-all-star catagory of player. That goes without saying. Yet, Rubio’s jumpshot has shown VAST improvement every year for the exception of last year, when HE HAD COMPLETELY BROKE THE WRIST IN HIS SHOOTING HAND AND COULD NOT PRACTICE HIS SHOOTING. Is this a bit of an excuse? Yes, it is an excuse. But stop making it seem like Rubio will never learn to shoot. Can we ask Tony Parker if it’s ever possible to get an NBA-level jumper?
But let’s put that all aside for a second: my main concern is your constant prattling about Rubio being overhyped. Once again, this dude worked his TAIL off in a professional league when some kids were balling in Middle School. Hype and ability to succede are totally different. Ask Telfair about that.
3) FINALLY, Jason Kidd may have done all the passes as Steve Nash has done, but they are done in a totally different style. Kidd is very straight forward with his dribble, he will usually mislead a person with his body motion and eyes, while Nash misleads his defender with his confusing dribbling patterns and quick hands. There’s a totally differnet buildup, and a totally different way of doing it. RUBIO PASSES MORE LIKE NASH. Look up youtube videos or something, just stop making up your own opinions.
A lot of the times in the halfcourt, Kidd brings the ball up, gives it to a wing player and then circles away.
Look, I don’t h@te Rubio… He’s a little annoying, but I don’t h@te him. I certainly don’t want him getting frostbite now
BUT this kid is hyped up more than even Brandon Jennings is, while being really irrational about this whole draft. He doesn’t want to play for OKC? Who the heck wouldn’t want to set up Westbrook, Durant, and Green? He doesn’t want to play for Memphis? Who the heck wouldn’t want to play with OJ Mayo in the backcourt?
Shat, even Yi Jian Lian PLAYED his first year in Milwaukee. He wasn’t happy but he stuck with it.
Now Rubio is talking about going back to Spain? If this guy has worked so tremendously hard to get where he is, why in the world would he throw it all away just because of ONE LOCATION? If he was truly willing to play in the N-freakin-B-freakin-A he would *hypothetically* have sucked it up and persevered for four years, by which he would be able to finally choose where he wanted to go. I agree with Allenp: his attitude this draft SHOULD leave an indelible mark with the media. Its fair.
Anyways, I can’t wait to see what Demar Derozan, Brandon Jennings, and even Jordan Hill can do this year!
By the way, I’ve hearing a lot about how apparently Mike Bibby is Nash’s equal. And this from “experts”. I think Nash is over-rated but come ON.
I’m not on Nash’s nuts like you, Jukai, but I’m not a hater either.
So why should he buy out himself out of a contract for millions and millions just to play someplace he doesnt want to be let alone play? How stupid is that? why the ?&%$ should he?
WOULD YOU???? definitely n-o-t!
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