By now, most basket-ball fans have probably forgotten all about Ricky Rubio, the Spanish phenom point guard who turned his back on the NBA to play in Spain. It wasn’t a diss to the NBA or the Minnesota Timberwolves who had drafted Rubio in 2009, at the time Rubio was too young and the NBA would have perhaps too big of a jump.
A few years later, Rubio looks stronger, he’s more confident in his skills and abilities and if you’ve caught any of his highlights while playing as a 14 year old for Juvenut, then you already know this kid is a natural. Rubio’s numbers and performance may have dipped this year in Barcelona, but his team won the Spanish league title.
At 20 years old, Rubio just feels like it’s his time. At a news conference at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium Rubio said, “I am going because I feel prepared…I want to play against the best players in the world.”
Rubio knows it won’t be all fun in Minnesota, “It will mean a change of mentality,” Rubio said. “Perhaps we won’t be fighting for the title, but we will have other goals. I am willing to do whatever the team needs to win as many games as possible.”
Get used to losing kid. At least for now, but with second pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and an allstar already in Kevin Love, the T-Wolves will have some pieces to build around.
Never too early Sportsbooks to get odds up on Rubio being rookie of the year, especially with how weak this draft is supposed to be.
