Ricky Rubio has all the promise of the next great NBA point guard. Blessed with silky smooth moves and a flair that matches Spain itself, Rubio took the world by storm at the Olympic Games last year. Depending on who you talk to, he is the next Steve Nash or Pete Maravich.

A little background on Ricky Rubio:

Rubio debuted in the Spanish ACB League in the 2005-06 season with DKV Joventut. He won the FIBA EuroCup championship with Joventut that year. He led the Spanish ACB League in steals during the 2006-07 season. He also won the Spanish ACB League’s Rising Star Award that season. Rubio was also named the 2007 and 2008 FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Rubio

His success against the US (and other teams), made him a hot commodity in this year’s NBA draft. However, he has a sizable buyout clause from his current team, DKV Joventut, raising flags for some NBA teams. The Minnesota Timberwolves took the gamble and made Rubio the 5th pick in the 2009 Draft, knowing there would be some work to do.

  1. Try to negotiate a buyout
  2. Try to convince Rubio to move from sunny Spain to minus-temperature Minnesota
  3. Have a backup plan in place

So far, the T-Wolves have made little progress on #1. The NBA has clear rules for buyouts in the NBA collective bargaining. No more than $500,000 can be paid by any team to buy out a player’s contract. T-Wolves’ GM, David Kahn, has been to Spain twice this summer trying to broker deals. So far…nothing.

As of today, nothing has happened. Even if a buyout is reached, there still remains a question as to whether Rubio wants to play in Minnesota (#2). I think this is a non-issue, my self. Given the travel schedules of the NBA, you can live wherever you want. Lots of NBA guys have houses in other cities. To address #3, the T-Wolves drafted Johnny Flynn and Ty Lawson, two of the top point guards in the NCAA this year. For now, it looks like it is their team.

So where does this leave Minnesota? I think the best case scenario is Rubio signs a deal in Spain with a more favorable buyout. He plays there for two years, matures (he’s only 18!), and comes to the NBA ready to contribute. The list of washed out, young European imports is large. And while Spaniards have been enjoying far more success recently, most the the imports arrived in their 20s.

Regardless of what happens, Minnesota can take comfort in the fact that they maintain the draft rights and have a solid backup plan in place. Two years from now, if Rubio arrives with a greater skill-set, we may look back and say all this struggle was worth it.

Tagged with: basketball • Minnesota Timberwolves • NBA • Olympic Games • Pete Maravich • Ricky Rubio • Steve Nash

Filed under: NBA

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