Rubio Allegedy Backed out of Agreement

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Kahn: Rubio not ready to jump to NBA




MINNEAPOLIS -- Timberwolves (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=min) president David Kahn says Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio has backed out of a deal to play in Minnesota this season.
Kahn says the Wolves negotiated a deal on Saturday night with Rubio's Spanish pro team and agent Dan Fegan to bring the 18-year-old to Minnesota this fall.

http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/draft2009/headshots/19272.jpg
Rubio
But Rubio informed Kahn on Monday night that he would prefer to stay in his homeland for two more years to better prepare himself for the NBA. Kahn says DKV Joventut has agreed to trade Rubio to Regal FC Barcelona, where he will play until 2011.
The Timberwolves selected Rubio with the fifth pick in the June draft. Kahn was aware that Rubio was under contract with DKV Joventut for the next two years and said he would be fine waiting for a season, or even two, before the prodigy comes to Minnesota.
But Kahn made three trips to Spain, including last weekend, in hopes of negotiating down an $8 million buyout that would allow Rubio to join the Timberwolves this season, bringing some excitement and pizazz to a team, and a ticket box office, that sorely needs both right now.
NBA rules limit the Timberwolves to contributing just $500,000 toward the buyout, meaning Rubio was on the hook for the remaining $7.5 million.
Yet just as the team appeared to be putting the finishing touches on a deal to bring Rubio to the NBA, Rubio came to Kahn with second thoughts.
"This morning I met with Ricky and his parents and told them that I understood Ricky's decision," Kahn said in a statement. "It was clear to me yesterday and in this morning's meeting that the pressure surrounding Ricky and his family to remain in Spain for at least two more years had only intensified as the summer wore on and was weighing heavily on them."
Shortly after Rubio was drafted, there was talk that he and his agent preferred him to play in a larger market to better take advantage of endorsement opportunities that would help offset the costs of the buyout.
In a statement issued by the Timberwolves, Rubio said he has every intention of coming to Minnesota in two years. The Wolves retain Rubio's draft rights for one year after his contractual obligation to Barcelona ends.
"The reason leading me to take this next step is to have a period of preparation to better take the challenge of the NBA in better conditions as a player," Rubio said. "The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to be my first option and I wish to play with them in the near future."
Regal FC Barcelona reportedly agreed to a $5.3 million buyout of Rubio's contract that will require him to stay in Spain for two seasons. After the 2010-11 season, Rubio will be able to leave for the NBA without having to pay a financial penalty.
The Timberwolves will hold Rubio's NBA rights as long as he is playing professionally. They also have rookie point guard Jonny Flynn (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3985), who was drafted No. 6 overall right behind Rubio, to take over while Rubio is in Spain.
Despite the last-minute change of heart, Kahn said he understood the decision.
"I also agreed with Ricky's position that two more years of competition in Spain and the Euroleague will only aid his development and that he will be much more ready for the NBA when he joins us," Kahn said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Shortly after Rubio was drafted, there was talk that he and his agent preferred him to play in a larger market to better take advantage of endorsement opportunities that would help offset the costs of the buyout.


What makes this little queer so fuckin special that he gets to chose what team he goes to?

[DPG21920]

What makes this little queer so fuckin special that he gets to chose what team he goes to?


Rubio said. "The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to be my first option and I wish to play with them in the near future."

[anonoftheinternets]

What makes this little queer so fuckin special that he gets to chose what team he goes to?

dont be so quick to believe everything the media says ...

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Just like Trevor Ariza said he was willing to take a pay cut to stay in LA. Talk is cheap, actions speak louder than words. Right now, his actions say that he could have resolved this buyout issue with relative ease and played for Minnesota this season. but he chose to stay in Spain because he won't get very many endorsements right off the bat in Minnesota.

[DPG21920]

Where does it say with relative ease? He would still be losing money for sure.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Where does it say with relative ease? He would still be losing money for sure.


My guess is the contract had a plan as to how his team would be paid the buyout. I'm sure Minnesota was more than willing and ready to max out his rookie scale contract to compensate.

[monosylab1k]

Right now, his actions say that he could have resolved this buyout issue with relative ease and played for Minnesota this season.

So you're saying Rubio has had 6 million dollars sitting around this entire time?

Do you understand the whole buyout process?

[Spursfan092120]

What makes this little queer so fuckin special that he gets to chose what team he goes to?
http://silentarchimedes.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/eli-manning.jpg

[Culburn369]

Gee, I wonder how Kahn was going to go about slipping the other 7.5 million of buyout cash under the table. Last time ex-Celtic McHale tried to cook the books it cost the Wolves a whole boatload of Number 1's.

[Hornets1]

Gee, I wonder how Kahn was going to go about slipping the other 7.5 million of buyout cash under the table. Last time ex-Celtic McHale tried to cook the books it cost the Wolves a whole boatload of Number 1's.

:lolEXACTLY what I was thinking!:toast

[ducks]

john elway

[ChumpDumper]

Gee, I wonder how Kahn was going to go about slipping the other 7.5 million of buyout cash under the table. Last time ex-Celtic McHale tried to cook the books it cost the Wolves a whole boatload of Number 1's.As I understand it, Rubio was going to have to take out a loan to cover the bulk of the buyout. It made no sense from a financial standpoint for him to come over this season; and it made little basketball sense either.

Everything works out fine, except Kahn looks like an idiot.

[Amaso]

What do you guys think. Would it be a smart move for the Lakers to ship Farmar to the Wolves for Rubio. Allow him to develop for a few years over-seas, then bring him here once Fish retires? Could that be in the making?

that'd be a dream come true

[Culburn369]

What do you guys think. Would it be a smart move for the Lakers to ship Farmar to the Wolves for Rubio. Allow him to develop for a few years over-seas, then bring him here once Fish retires? Could that be in the making?

McHa, I mean Kahn would rather shoot McHa, I mean himself in the head before he'd do that, Luva.

[JamStone]

What do you guys think. Would it be a smart move for the Lakers to ship Farmar to the Wolves for Rubio. Allow him to develop for a few years over-seas, then bring him here once Fish retires? Could that be in the making?

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not serious at all and 10 being absolutely serious, how serious is this post?

[ChumpDumper]

What do you guys think. Would it be a smart move for the Lakers to ship Farmar to the Wolves for Rubio. Allow him to develop for a few years over-seas, then bring him here once Fish retires? Could that be in the making?I think it would be smart move for the Wolves just to play Flynn, Atkins and Brown this year.

[jack sommerset]

Smart guy! Somebody in this thread said something like "what makes this fucking queer ass faggot think he can pick any team he wants" He does and thats all that matters. Good for Rubio. Timberwolves fucking suck KAWK!

[Spursfan092120]

What do you guys think. Would it be a smart move for the Lakers to ship Farmar to the Wolves for Rubio. Allow him to develop for a few years over-seas, then bring him here once Fish retires? Could that be in the making?
Dude..that'd be as bad as the Gasol trade. You've got a rookie who is a Maravich in the making if he does some work on his shooting, for a perennial backup like Jordan Farmar? Come on...unless you think the NBA will screw the league over again, that ain't happening.

[spursfan1000]

What makes this little queer so fuckin special that he gets to chose what team he goes to?


He already has a contract in europe

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

http://silentarchimedes.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/eli-manning.jpg


One of the reasons I've got no respect for him.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

So you're saying Rubio has had 6 million dollars sitting around this entire time?

Do you understand the whole buyout process?


Yes I do. I understand his team has to somehow get 8.2 million dollars. I also understand that this article says there was an agreement worked out between Rubio, the Timberwolves, and his old team (meaning a payment plan had been arranged, or else his team wouldn't have agreed), and he backed out of it.

[TheProfessor]

Yes I do. I understand his team has to somehow get 8.2 million dollars. I also understand that this article says there was an agreement worked out between Rubio, the Timberwolves, and his old team (meaning a payment plan had been arranged, or else his team wouldn't have agreed), and he backed out of it.
T-Wolves can only contribute $500,000, everything else has to be his own rookie salary (probably in installments), endorsements, and whatever he gets under the table. Whereas the Spanish team can just buy him out in full, I believe.

I don't think this was necessarily an easy choice for Rubio, but he did what was right financially, and probably better long-term for his basketball career. In no way was he prepared to play in the NBA.

[DPG21920]

Yes I do. I understand his team has to somehow get 8.2 million dollars. I also understand that this article says there was an agreement worked out between Rubio, the Timberwolves, and his old team (meaning a payment plan had been arranged, or else his team wouldn't have agreed), and he backed out of it.

The agreement could have been the team excepted a lesser buyout, but still an amount where Rubio would have to make up the difference minus 500K. He could have ended up making 100K this next year after it is all said and done.

Instead, he chooses to make millions, develop for 2 years and then come. What is the problem? You can estimate that since the Spanish team paid over 5.8M for Rubio's buyout, that Minny was not getting a much better deal, if at all.

[IronMexican]

http://silentarchimedes.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/eli-manning.jpg

http://nyprdiva.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/elimanningchamp.jpg

[Spursfan092120]

One of the reasons I've got no respect for him.
The only reason I have no respect for him. He's developed into a good quarterback...I just can't like him because of that..

[Spursfan092120]

http://nyprdiva.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/elimanningchamp.jpg
I know I know...not doubting the guy's talents...just saying it was a dick move.

[IronMexican]

I know I know...not doubting the guy's talents...just saying it was a dick move.

I just wanted an excuse to post the pic

http://www.fischler.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/giants-super-bowl-42.jpg

http://croatia.org/crown/content_images/2008/David_Deihl_super_bowl_victory_640.jpg

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2008-10-29-tyreecatch.jpg

http://www.bolditalic.com/quotulatiousness_archive/Superbowl42_Final.jpg


What happened that game is better than any Lakers title EVER.

[Spursfan092120]

lol...either you love the Giants or hate the Pats...I'm going with the latter.

[monosylab1k]

What happened that game is better than any Lakers title EVER.

I'm sure that isn't bitterness over your team getting ass raped by an obscure rule.

http://sheepy712.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/aacu003adam-vinatieri-game-winning-field-goal-2001-divisional-playoffs-vs-raiders-posters.jpg

[IronMexican]

I'm sure that isn't bitterness over your team getting ass raped by an obscure rule.

http://sheepy712.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/aacu003adam-vinatieri-game-winning-field-goal-2001-divisional-playoffs-vs-raiders-posters.jpg

I'm surprised you know about that play. I guess you saw it on ESPN or something after you became a fan.

[The Franchise]

john elway

Without the proven talent.

[monosylab1k]

I'm surprised you know about that play. I guess you saw it on ESPN or something after you became a fan.

Lakers fan talking about bandwagoning :lmao

[IronMexican]

Lakers fan talking about bandwagoning :lmao

Yeah, all my teams are in California, Mav-Pats fan.

[Sportstudi]

What do you guys think. Would it be a smart move for the Lakers to ship Farmar to the Wolves for Rubio. Allow him to develop for a few years over-seas, then bring him here once Fish retires? Could that be in the making?

David Stern, is that you?

[monosylab1k]

Yeah, all my teams are in California, Mav-Pats fan.

Why don't you root for the Clippers?

Lakers fan talking about bandwagoning :lmao

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

He was never ready for the NBA. He has not even been even a decent level Euroleague player, more like a scrub at Euroleague level.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

So you're saying Rubio has had 6 million dollars sitting around this entire time?

Do you understand the whole buyout process?

8 million

[duncan228]

Debunking Tall Tales Surrounding Rubio (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-debunkingtalltalessu&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews

Almost immediately after news hit that point guard Ricky Rubio would be staying in Spain by agreeing to a contract with Barcelona, word on the blogosphere spread that Rubio would be traded to the Knicks for David Lee and Nate Robinson. It was utterly bogus chatter and made little sense at any level, but still, it goes to show how easily the facts in a case like Rubio’s can be twisted and misunderstood.

What seems like a lifetime ago, Rubio was chosen by the Timberwolves with the No. 5 pick in the NBA draft. At the time, Rubio’s buyout with his Spanish team, DKV Joventut, was prohibitive—more than $8 million—and being challenged in court. The Timberwolves took the gamble knowing that Rubio might not be able to meet that buyout. His talent, though, made it a worthwhile risk.

That set up an epic summer of cross-Atlantic wrangling between Rubio, new Wolves president David Kahn (who made three trips to Spain), officials from Joventut and other European teams that were interested in signing him. It also set up a boatload of half-facts and myths around the whole thing. Now that the dust has settled, let’s debunk those myths.

1. The Timberwolves bungled this. No way. The Timberwolves were handicapped from the beginning, because NBA rules only allow teams to put $500,000 toward a buyout of a foreign contract. Working against that limitation, Kahn did a heck of a job drumming up enough sponsorships and side deals to get Joventut to release Rubio from his contract. In fact, Kahn had the deal done—Joventut was prepared to let Rubio come to the Timberwolves. But on Monday, it was Rubio, not Joventut, who stopped the deal. He simply decided he wanted to play two years for Barcelona, his hometown.

Rubio is young and the Timberwolves will be able to bring him to the NBA in 2011. “He is 18,” Kahn said. “Depending what our circumstance is two years from now, depending on what the league’s circumstance is two years from now, I continue to believe that this was the best value pick we could have made.”

2. This draft pick was wasted. Possibly, but that’s very doubtful. Three times in the past 25 years, teams have used Top 15 picks on players who continued to play overseas rather than join their NBA teams. There was Knicks badge of shame Frederic Weis in 1999, and Magic disaster Fran Vazquez in 2005. But Weis simply wasn’t good enough for the NBA, and Vazquez was a head case who never really wanted to play in the league. If Rubio follows either of those paths, this draft pick will, indeed, be wasted.

But Rubio won’t follow those lines. A better comparison is the Kings’ drafting of Peja Stojakovic in 1996—Stojakovic was only 19, and he stayed on with his Greek team. When he did come to the NBA, he turned into a three-time All-Star. Rubio will likely do just fine by maturing in Spain and coming over in ’11. “I was speaking with coach (Kurt) Rambis,” Kahn said, “and he was talking about this, if he could make a list of reasons why (Rubio) should come now and a list of why he shouldn’t come now, it is pretty even.”

3. The reason Rubio stayed in Spain was because he doesn’t like cold weather. Perhaps this is an elaborate scam by Rubio to get out of playing in Minnesota—speaking before the draft, he repeatedly said that the NBA was his dream, so it’s odd that he would choose to put off making his debut in the league. But over the course of the summer, Rubio indicated he was willing to play in Minnesota and Kahn seems convinced it was merely a matter of maturity and family.

“I think it was a very hard choice all around for him,” Kahn said. “It needs to be viewed through the prism of an 18-year-old with a family in Barcelona, where he is going to be playing. He maybe felt he wasn’t ready to leave.”

4. Rubio is a lock to be traded. No. A trade is certainly possible, but don’t expect anything until Rubio is eligible to come over, and expect it to be on the Timberwolves’ terms. If Jonny Flynn becomes the next Chris Paul, then when 2011 rolls around, Minnesota has Rubio, a terrific trading chip, on its hands. If Flynn flops in his first two years, the Wolves can deal Flynn and give Rubio a shot. It’s a no-lose situation.

Kahn explained to Rubio that Flynn would now have the upper hand. “I did specifically mention that Jonny will be two years ahead of him by the time he comes over,” Kahn said. “If you looked at what would have been our depth chart to start training camp, (Rubio) would be the No. 1 point guard. Now if you look at it, it is possible he won’t be.”

And then Kahn said something that sums up the state of the Timberwolves and their Rubio affair: “There is so much that can happen in the next two years.”

[ginobili's bald spot]

Why don't you root for the Clippers?

Lakers fan talking about bandwagoning :lmao

Logic fail.

[Chieflion]

DoK hating Rubio is just hilarious. Rubio is like the number 1 challenge for Goran Dragic to become the number 1 Euro PG in the NBA, which is most probably why he is hating on him so much.

[Texas_Ranger]

Fuck Ricky Rubio

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Fuck Ricky Rubio

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

DoK hating Rubio is just hilarious. Rubio is like the number 1 challenge for Goran Dragic to become the number 1 Euro PG in the NBA, which is most probably why he is hating on him so much.


Um, Tony Parker isn't the best Euro PG in the NBA?

But aside from that, Rubio on a good day couldn't hold Dragic's jock strap on a bad day.

[duncan228]

Rubio: NBA move too risky, complicated (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-timberwolves-rubio&prov=ap&type=lgns)

Ricky Rubio wants to keep playing basketball in Spain, saying a move to the Minnesota Timberwolves would be too risky and complicate his life.

The 19-year-old point guard was sent from DKV Joventut to Barcelona on Tuesday after the Catalan club paid Rubio’s $5 million buyout clause.

Rubio, the Timberwolves’ fifth overall pick in this year’s draft, agreed to a six-year deal that included a buyout clause that allows him to leave for the NBA after two years.

“Going to Minnesota would have just complicated my life a lot. It was a risk and I didn’t see it so clearly,” Rubio said. “My priority was the NBA and it was impossible for the Minnesota Timberwolves to pay my buyout clause, so I wanted to stay home.”

Timberwolves president David Kahn traveled to Spain three times to try to work out a deal and appeared to have secured Rubio’s passage to Minnesota less than 48 hours before the player changed his mind.

“When the season ended, I entered the draft with the intention of going to the NBA,” Rubio said Wednesday. “But some things happened that kept me from being ahead of the rest and I ended up No. 5, which I was happy with, but it didn’t allow me the chance to go to the NBA. I tried, but in the end it wasn’t to be.”

NBA guidelines limit the amount of money Minnesota could have contributed to Rubio’s buyout at $500,000. Kahn said a package of endorsement deals and sponsorships had helped make the NBA deal attractive enough for Rubio and Joventut to enter into an agreement on Saturday.

“They could only put half a million into it, and I think that the deal with Minnesota had too many obstacles,” Rubio said.

Rubio said he was still committed to going to the NBA, even though there is no guarantee the starting point guard spot will still be around.

“I won’t lie,” Rubio said. “My objective has always been the NBA.”

[DPG21920]

So why f*ck Rubio DOK?

Why are you hating on the guy? What did he do wrong? Did he shake hands with Nash?

[manufan10]

Ricky Rubio will not play in Minnesota this year. According to several (http://www.elmundodeportivo.es/gen/20090901/53776534607/noticia/el-joventut-acusa-a-ricky-de-haber-forzado-su-traspaso-al-barsa.html) reports (http://www.marca.com/2009/09/01/baloncesto/1251802942.html) and a statement from DKV Joventut, he will instead play for Regal Barcelona, which has negotiated for his rights.
ESPN's Chris Sheridan and Ric Bucher report (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4435861):

The news came as a blow to Wolves general manager David Kahn, who spent the past several days in Spain negotiating with officials from DKV Joventut, trying to present a worthy counteroffer to the one already on the table from Barcelona for the rights to the 18-year-old point guard.
Joventut had shown itself willing to accept a discount on Rubio's astronomical $8.11 million buyout, with FC Barcelona reportedly offering $5.28 million.
The Timberwolves' offer, which could include only $500,000 in cash under NBA rules, would presumably have revenue streams from Rubio's endorsement deals and his four-year, $15.2 million NBA rookie-scale contract ($3.27 million salary in 09-10, $3.51 million in '10-11, with team options for $3.76 million in '11-12 and $4.76 million in '12-13).
http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/0901/nba_g_rubio_300.jpg
At a distance: Ricky Rubio is further from the NBA than he was a few days ago.
(Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images) The Promises of a Young Man
You see those numbers up there? The amount he'd make in the NBA is much more than the buyout Barcelona will pay Joventut. I would need an army of international tax lawyers to confirm this (is his Spanish buyout an untaxed business expense that counts against his U.S. income?), but presumably, we can conclude that even after taxes Rubio would have had income playing in the NBA, even before endorsement income was considered.
Which means he lied to us when he said, in no uncertain terms, that he would play in the NBA for free (http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-41-141/Ricky-Rubio-Would-Play-for-Free.html) if his buyout was too much. He was, he said in June, that excited about the NBA.
Now, for whatever reason, things have changed. Can't say I blame him, he's a teenager and all, but this is precisely what I asked him about, and it's precisely what he said he would not do.
In a statement, Kahn sounds a little betrayed, too:

On Saturday night, an agreement was reached between Dan Fegan, the agent for Ricky Rubio, Jordi Villacampa, the president of Joventut Badalona, and myself on behalf of the Minnesota Timberwolves to buy out the last two years of Ricky's contract with Joventut so that he could play in the NBA next season.
While the term sheet was being finalized Monday night, Ricky informed me that, despite considering us his first option the previous weekend - and, admittedly, after some back and forth throughout the summer - he preferred to stay at home to play for FC Barcelona, which earlier this summer had made a buyout offer to Joventut. He also reaffirmed that it was his intention to join us in Minnesota two years from now when he will be 20.
In a conference call Tuesday afternoon, Kahn added that he suspected Joventut would have slightly preferred making a deal with the Timberwolves, as opposed to losing a player to a crosstown rival. But it's clear in Rubio's contract that he would have to agree to any deal, and Rubio preferred going to Barcelona.
We sometimes write about how American teenagers (and their families) are unprepared for the responsibilities of professional basketball. Guess what! They don't have a monopoly on immaturity. I imagine a more mature Rubio would never sign a contract like his last one, that paid him so little but had such a huge buyout. I imagine he'd never again sour fans and waste the efforts of important basketball by saying one thing and doing another. I imagine he'd never again announce the launch of his ship to America while it is still tethered to the dock in Spain.
But these were the errors that are part and parcel of life's natural trial and error. People aren't born knowing how to be international superstars. In his mistakes, he's like many teenagers, and sometimes the system does a poor job of allowing such youngsters to be young, no matter where they're from.
http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/0901/nba_g_jflynn1_200.jpg
Here's Jonny: With Rubio in Spain, Flynn is poised to become the soul of the rebuilding Timberwolves.
(Nathaniel Butler/NBAE/Getty Images) An Educated Guess: Ricky Rubio's First NBA Team Will Not Be Minnesota
Everybody loves Jonny Flynn.
Seriously. He's small and dribbles too much. Those are lethal flaws for many NBA prospects. But Flynn has something uncommon: He blows everybody away when they meet him in person. He eats psychological evaluations for breakfast. He has sit down interviews with GMs for dessert. He is a leader.
I have to believe that, now that Sebastian Telfair and Ricky Rubio are out of the picture, the path is clear for Flynn to drive his way right into the hearts of the underdog Timberwolves and their fans. Kahn says the team will be looking for point guards, but in all likelihood Al Jefferson, Kevin Love, Corey Brewer ... even Kurt Rambis ... they are going to be in the foxhole with Flynn day in and day out for the next two years, and whether or not they win, the good bet is that he is going to win their devotion with his relentless tenacity and heart.
Two years is an eternity, and so many things can change. But assuming Flynn was worth a lottery pick, and assuming the Timberwolves are showing positive signs of improvement by 2011, I have to assume that Ricky Rubio will want to play somewhere else, where he has a chance to be the emotional nerve center of the team.
Rubio told me before the draft that making his teammates happy was the best thing about basketball. If his teammates are happy when he's on the bench, that's not going to be a good match.
Kahn says there are far too many variables to predict anything two years from now, but when I asked him about how Flynn success could change things, he agreed, to a point.
"Today when I met with Ricky, I explained that I can't predict the future. I did specifically mention that Jonny would be two years ahead of him now," says Kahn. "When we drafted him, I felt that, based on his pro experience, if you had a depth chart at training camp, [Rubio] would be the number one point guard. Now that you look at it, it's possible he wouldn't be. ... If Jonny were to develop as you describe, logically if Ricky were to come, he'd come as the backup."
Assuming Flynn is entrenched as the Timberwolves' starter by the summer of 2011, and assuming the Rubio camp will want to be traded to another NBA team, they'll have a ton of leverage to force a trade. They proved today that the lure of the NBA is not everything to them, and Rubio will always be able to make money in Europe.
Reassessing Draft Night
Here and there David Kahn is being painted as foolish for selecting Rubio fifth and then Flynn sixth.
He should have drafted someone who could actually suit up for his team, they say. He shouldn't have drafted two point guards and made the Rubios unsure about Ricky's role. He should have known that Rubio might fall that far and been prepared to realize the value of such a pick. He should have had a better end game in sight.
The truth, to me, is -- in that scenario Kahn's draft night is being judged short-term while it is really a long-term plan. (Not to mention, have you heard David Kahn talk? He is not dumb. Anyone could tell you that.)
But mainly my point is: If you are arguing he should not have taken Rubio, you need to also argue who he should have taken instead. Stephen Curry? Maybe, but you still have the two point guard problem. The same goes for Brandon Jennings. On the wing, where the Wolves have real need, some people love Demar DeRozan, I guess, or Gerald Henderson.
There is no way the Timberwolves needed another non-center big man like Jordan Hill to sit behind Kevin Love and Al Jefferson.
The point: It was tricky. There was no low-risk proposition. You either take Rubio, widely considered to be one of the two or three best prospects in the draft, or you take ... someone with a higher probability of reporting to camp, but a lower ceiling as a player.
And close your eyes a moment and imagine Ricky Rubio, NBA All-Star. If ever that happens, people will then reverse engineer how he got there, and make somebody look like a genius. They don't hand out the rights to all-stars for free, though. What they do hand out for free, however, on draft night, are the rights to players who have chances at becoming All-Stars.
"I still believe this was absolutely the highest and best value pick we could have made," says Kahn. And it's hard to argue with him. Rubio could still be playing in twenty years ... hard to assess his career before his nineteenth birthday.
Whether it means waiting two years or five (Rubio has no obligation to ever come to the NBA) some NBA GM will probably one day benefit from the maturation of Rubio. Kahn is gambling that, either by getting him in a uniform, or trading his rights, it'll be him.
Every Pick is a Gamble
Like everything in basketball, getting Rubio's rights was a gamble.
But having him stay in Spain is not the same as losing all your chips. Now another team has dealt with Rubio's big buyout (replacing it, Kahn says, with a million-Euro buyout in 2011) while also financing Rubio's maturation. The Timberwolves gain a roster spot and cash to use on whatever else they please. He has also probably slightly increased the Timberwolves' chances of keeping their pick in next year's draft (it's protected if it's in the top ten), while offering flexibility to make more moves next summer (as Kahn has suggested (http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-43-41/Ripping-the-Timberwolves-Down-to-the-Studs.html)).
It might even be better for Rubio's NBA career.
"I was speaking to Coach Rambis as recently as yesterday, and he said that a he and a couple of people on his soon-to-be staff were talking about this, and he reported to me that if they could make a list of reasons why [Rubio} should come now and a list of reasons why he shouldn't come now, for our purposes. And that the lists were fairly even. ... He's still so young, the youngest players that was in the draft. ... He'll be 20 years old and two years developed further, I could think of a lot worse things that could happen to us as a franchise. ... This could be the better way to do it."
Rambis and Kahn don't intend to meddle with Barcelona's handling of Rubio, but they have made it clear that it would be great if a priority of the next couple of years were for Rubio to become a deadeye long-distance shooter.
If Rubio matures like that, his stock really will go up, and Kahn will once again look like a genius.
Kahn suggested on draft night that the Timberwolves were more than ready to wait for Rubio to make it to the United States when he could. The guess is that his value will rise, but it's a long-term play. Those plays can look foolish in the short term, but are generally smart -- even if they don't result in Rubio playing in a Minnesota uniform this season, or ever.
In the meantime, Kahn says we're in a waiting period where it may be better to focus on players not named Rubio. "I told Ricky today that he has to understand now that I can't be thinking about him," says Kahn. "He did understand that. It's almost like if a player were injured. You have to just kind of move on. And so tomorrow we move on, if not already today."


http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-44-2/Ricky-Rubio-in-Barcelona--the-Timberwolves-in-the-Cold.html

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

So why f*ck Rubio DOK?

Why are you hating on the guy? What did he do wrong? Did he shake hands with Nash?


I'm hating on the guy because I can't stand the hype around him that he only has cause of 4 highlight reel assists ESPN plays over and over again.

[carrao45]

Is it just me that thinks so or does Rubio seem like a major douche?

[lefty]

I have become a fan of Brett Favre.


Thanks Ricky

[exstatic]

Ricky made the right choice. He would have had to mortgage the first 4 years of his contract, It's only guaranteed for 2 years. If he gets injured, he's fucked. The NBA and the T'Pups will still be here in 2 years, and from what I understand, there is NO buyout on this new 2 year deal.

[TDMVPDPOY]

this turd has more hype coming into the league than rudy or watever shit you wanna bring up....