| 17 June 2011
After a seemingly endless wait, that little cutie pie Ricky Rubio will be heading to the frozen tundra of Minnesota next season (whenever next season actually occurs. 2012? 2013?). Rubio, of course, is the Spanish basketball prodigy who has been playing professionally in Europe since he was barely a teen and who the Timberwolves selected with the fifth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. It was debated that Rubio (or his peeps) wouldn't want to play in Minnesota (can you blame him?) but he never actually came out and said that himself, and lo and behold he will be in a Minny uniform the next time the NBA throws the ball up.
How much of an impact Rubio will have in the NBA, however, is still up for debate, even more so now that Rubio is coming off his worst statistical season in a long while. But European basketball is a whole different animal than the NBA, and poor numbers in Europe don't necessarily mean poor numbers in the NBA (see Jennings, Brandon). Besides, Rubio's game is far better suited to the wide open, fast breaking NBA where he can set up the best athletes in the world with his magical passes. And while he isn't the best man-to-man defender, his quick hands and long limbs (6'9" wingspan) allow him to snatch plenty of balls from the opposition. Which brings us to his new team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Not exactly the most athletic and exciting team in the world (see Love, Kevin). However, surprisingly, Minnesota was actually a high scoring team last year, and in fact lead the league in Pace Factor (an estimation of the number of team possessions per 48 minutes). And with a dynamo like Ricky Rubio at the helm next year, that is only going to get better.
While it is probably impossible to live up to his immense hype (in this day and age no one really lives up to their hype, though), Rubio's experience, unique skill set and unselfishness should be a welcome addition in Minnesota. He'll be great in the pick androll, he'll make every player on the roster better, and he's only 21-years-old, so the sky is still the limit for him. Perhaps most importantly, despite being a child prodigy, he has a very good head on his shoulders and will be willing to work at his craft to get better. Yes, he can't shoot (more rebounds for you, Mr. Love), and he needs to get physically stronger, but Rubio will make the T-Wolves a force next season..... at the box office and the souvenir booth, that is (we got to be realistic here - they're still the T-Wolves, after all).
Until then, enjoy some Ricky highlights from Europe:
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