Ricky Rubio

[toughguy]

$1 = about .70 Euro right now. It's been like that for a while now.

[PierBridge]

exactly....we hold his rights for the length of a rookie contract 3 or 5 years, even if he doesn't sign with us, then after that if we didn't get him here then I believe he would be able to sign elsewhere in the NBA........

Nope... we lose his rights if he sits out this year and at 18 years old he could easily afford do it. Probably won't happen but it is a possibility and we could lose him after one year.

[CrappiesNCats]

Originally Posted By: ozzie

exactly....we hold his rights for the length of a rookie contract 3 or 5 years, even if he doesn't sign with us, then after that if we didn't get him here then I believe he would be able to sign elsewhere in the NBA........

Nope... we lose his rights if he sits out this year and at 18 years old he could easily afford do it. Probably won't happen but it is a possibility and we could lose him after one year.

possible yes, but in order to do this he still has to pay his buyout which is probably harder to do without a job. and next year's draft is the deepest in a long time. he'd likely not increase his stock, especially if he sat out.

[ozzie]

I emailed the NBA with this question on what happens to Rubio if we don't sign him now......This would suprise me as we have drafted the rights to many overseas players that we still hold the rights to and I am sure we haven't signed them to a contract of any sorts.......and when David Kahn was asked about Rubio after the draft he had said that worse case scenario is that Ricky plays out his Spanish contract and comes to the wolves in 2 years when he is all of 20 years old.....so that gave me the impression that we hold his draft rights for a few years

[hartner62]

Have you guys heard anything about the overseas player we drafted last year?

[CrappiesNCats]

Have you guys heard anything about the overseas player we drafted last year?

Pekovic. said to have been a lotto player if he was in the draft. He's a bruiser, but not much for rebounding. His stats were ok, but he's one more full season away from coming over. He's probably more valuable as a commodity for a trade than if he plays for us

[PierBridge]

Good points CrappieNCats and Ozzie. I'm sure like DC said it won't happen.... but Mchale still lives in the state and Glen "napkin" Taylor still owns the Wolves so I tend to prepare for the worst...

[zepman]

Ozzie, I heard the same exact interview...didn't seem like Kahn was too worried about losing him after the draft or playing out his years in Europe.

[CrappiesNCats]

Ricky Rubio's Facebook Status Update: (real)

Estoy preparado para jugar en Minnesota esta temporada y estamos trabajando en la compra ahora. Gracias por todo su apoyo.

translation

" I am prepared to play in Minnesota this season and we are working on the buyout now. Thank you for all of your support."

[Scott K]

I am excited, get him signed!

[Scott M]

Sounds like another club team has jumped in, according to a spanish web site. Regal Barcelona is going to take care of the buy out and sign Rubio to a 6 year deal with an NBA opt-out clause in 2011.

[UdeLakeTom]

I really don't have a problem with him playing in Europe for 2 more years...that you make him roughly the same age as a college player coming out after his sophomore year. Two more years to work on his defense and his jump shot. The Wolves aren't going to go anywhere for those two years, and then we can get him when we are ready to make the big move.

[fishin58]

Is there any way we can blame this on Big Mac? That stinks big time if we never get him. Would we get a make-up pick?

[koonie]

I don't think we can recover the pick. We do own his rights as long as he plays pro ball though. In order for us to lose him he would have to sit out a year of ball and re-enter the draft. That is my understanding of the situation. It would be just our luck if we got screwed out of Rubio or the pick though.

[montanagriz]

I think we need to try and trade this guy. Frankly, I think the kid is scared that Johnny Flynn would eat him for lunch. From what I can tell the kid is soft, not sure of his decision to enter the draft, and not quite sure he's ready to compete in the NBA. How many other players have been drafted #5 overall and then said..nahh, nevermind, I want to go back to college for a couple more years?? Is that the kind of leader you want to run your team? If the guy had any kind of competitive bone in his body he would have been in Minnesota working out the day after the draft. If the TWolves were smart we'd start shopping him to other teams for future 1st round picks while his value is still high. But overall, this pick turned out to be a disaster in my humble opinion.

[PierBridge]

It's all about money in the end! I'm not too shook up about it he's 18 years and IMO not ready for the NBA. So 2 years of over-sea's ball should help him work on his weeknesses which are many!

[ozzie]

yep I couldn't care less if he stays over seas for awhile as he is still young. His stock should just keep rising in the next 2 years if he is as good as they say he is so we can sit back and let his stock rise and always have his rights in our back pocket if something better comes up in trade prospects.

[riversmallmouth35]

exactly what ozzie said. When we get him in two years I believe we will have a decent playoff contending team. Then with him added into the mix we will even be better off. And if Flynn works out like he is expected too we can trade him to fill a well needed hole, like a center.

We also should get a good pick next season since I don't see us improving to much this season.

[TR21]

Pierbridge is right, Rubio is several years from the NBA if at all. He's a terrible shooter, a marginal passer and undersized. Check out how he performed in the Olympics and not just against team USA. Players like him are a dime a dozen and those expecting him to improve his skills in 2 years and be a success in the NBA are only fooling themselves. What a wasted pick!

[Scott K]

You guys are nutz!! This kid brings the excitement of a Stephon Marbury, just not the Thug to go with it! Sure he needs work, but he is 18! How many 18 year old's go to the NBA and don't need work? Most get a few years in college ball to improve. Just consider his new contract his college ball. He will be a stud when he gets here, and he will draw people to the games!

[TR21]

Most of the studs that are 18 years old are playing against the pros in summer leagues, not some sub par talent in Europe. You want excitement? Go to a Globe Trotters game, you want talent draft a NBA ready player like Flynn and not waste your top pick on someone who obviously didn't want to nor was he ready to play in the NBA. You just don't waste that high a pick on a player with"potential" which everybody has in pro sports.

[Scott K]

All of the 1st round picks are players with potential! No rookies are proven talent in the NBA! Rubio may not be a super star, but he should be a good NBA player that will bring in fans, and that is what this team needs, even more then a couple more wins. If the Wolves don't start selling tickets, they wont be here any more. Have you been to any of their games recently? This team needs excitement!

[fishin58]

Like was said many times, this is a 2 man draft. When Ricky slid to us, it was a no-brainer. We picked up Flynn as a back-up plan, if everything went wrong and it did. Mac would have drafted some center from S. Africa instead of Flynn and then we would have nothing for sure So I guess we got that goin for us ......which is nice.

[PierBridge]

From a marketing or excitement angle it's a nightmare for the Wolves that's why Kahn tried so hard to get him. In the end like RR said the Wolves just couldn't pay his buy it. Nike and Addidas just wouldn't put up the money to appease Rubio!

[TR21]

I agree with the marketing angle, but winning brings fans to a game. Do all the behind the back passes and no look passes you want but a few ohs and ahs only goes so far, then you are still left with a losing team and the wolves have so far to go just to catch up with the top eight playoff teams. It would seem the Wolves should have done their homework before drafting Rubio.

[UdeLakeTom]

Kahn said...we didn't expect Rubio to be there...what would of the fans reaction been if they passed him up and drafted somebody else???

[ozzie]

from an article on ESPN by Chris Sheridan he thinks it won't be until the 2011-2012 season that we see Rubio for the fact that at that point he won't be stuck in a rookie scale contract and could sign for a minimum or more exceptance and he would make considerably more money!!

[koonie]

Like was said many times, this is a 2 man draft. When Ricky slid to us, it was a no-brainer. We picked up Flynn as a back-up plan, if everything went wrong and it did. Mac would have drafted some center from S. Africa instead of Flynn and then we would have nothing for sure So I guess we got that goin for us ......which is nice.

OMG! I completely agree with you! That's just scary.

[Scott M]

I think you'll see Kahn/Taylor pushing hard to close the 3 year loophole on rookie contracts to get Rubio here in 2 year rather than 3 when the next CBA is rewritten in two years (lots of talk about another lockout as the players and owners seem far apart right now). It's better for the T-wolves and the league to have Rubio here sooner rather than later.

They had to take Rubio and Flynn looks dynamite. I still would have rather seen them address their need at SG by drafting Curry with the 6th pick.

[Scott M]

Rubio's team won the Euroleague, his game is getting work much like players work on one aspect of their game in minor league baseball (in this case his shooting), he has gotten stronger...overall his value is increasing. I hope we only have to wait one more year.