Ricky Rubio: Coming to Minnesota

The 2009 NBA draft featured gifted stars Blake Griffin, DeMar DeRozan, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, Taj Gibson and James Harden. It also featured a prodigy point guard Ricky Rubio, the enigma from Europe who, as legend had it, was the next great point guard. Subtly, he was also the next "great white hope," and he fit the mould of the white baller; slight build, not supremely athletic, with high basketball IQ, hair like Steve Nash, and the stereotyping could go on and on. Conjugating aside, Rubio was an exciting talent who many believed could be the 2nd pick in the draft (Blake Griffin was a concensus #1).

But on draft night his unproven game from a North American perspective made him slip to fifth pick in the draft. It wasn't like Rubio hadn't faced adequate competition, he was a prodigy. As a 14-year old playing in the professional ranks in Barcelona, in his native Spain, Rubio excited scouts with his play. Rubio also showed his game as the starting point guard for Spain in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, helping Spain to a silver medal while matching up with Jason Kidd and Chris Paul from the American squad. The professional pedigree that this engendered made him a ready-fit player for the NBA hardwood who had already been playing professional basketball for years, but some feared that the transition from Europe to the NBA is more difficult than the NCAA to NBA transition. The Timberwolves and questionable, punching-bag GM David Kahn, selected Ricky Rubio in a hair-brained scheme where they had the fourth and fifth picks in the draft and decided to take consecutive point guards. Johnny Flynn went fourth, and Rubio went fifth.

Kahn said he was planning on playing the two young guards alongside one-another. Rubio meanwhile was blindsided that the Wolves drafted him after refusing to a pre-draft workout in Minnesota. Kahn, either courageous or incorrigible, decided "what the hell, I'll draft him anyways." This began a Steve Francis-esque standoff where the NBA team drafting has the right to draft any player who enters his name into the NBA draft, and the young diva baller who believes they're bigger than the game, and bigger than the team and can demand front-office decisions. This eventually led to a mutual decision to stay independent together, the Wolves retaining Rubio's draft rights and Rubio maintaining his begrudging stance on not playing a role in a rebuilding Timberwolves franchise, while the Wolves occasionally shopped his contract and entertained offers but ultimately waited Rubio out. They could afford to wait.

This attitude made him none-too-popular with a North American NBA audience who were already xenophobic of Euro influence in the NBA. After all, it was around this time that Josh Childress moved to Greece rather than accept an NBA contract, and Brandon Jennings had played a season in Italy rather than attend an American college and was also a cornerstone of this 2009 draft.
 

But news recently broke on June 2nd, 2011 that Rubio had reached an agreement to a buy-out from his Barcelona team and would be playing in the NBA next season. If there is a season, pending the outcome of a financial dispute between the owners and players.

Will Rubio have the influence on the NBA that was expected by some in 2009, and throughout the years of hype leading up to that fateful draft night? There have been whispery rumours that he has been slowed by injury and his development has stalled out. His range on his shot was something he made up for with his pass-first mentality and showmanship, but it now looks like a glaring weakness. He's not getting any taller or any faster, and his slow improvement while in his Euro bubble has many observers doubting the potential of Rubio in an NBA landscape dotted with young, talented point guard talent. What remains to be seen is if the Timberwolves with a #2 draft pick this year, plus Kevin Love, Mike Beasley, Wes Johnson, and a motivated Ricky Rubio, can climb out of the NBA's bare bottom basement they've been in the past two years. The Wolves also have a couple of other players once thought to be legitimate prospects, now seeking refuge on the "we'll try anything" Timberwolves. If it works, The Wolves will be a surprise this year, but I can also see this ending poorly. I wish the best of luck to both Rubio and the people of Minnesota, and may all this drama come peacefully to an end. - D.G.

NBAdraft.net profile of Ricky Rubio