One of the more interesting tidbits of information coming out of the pre-draft workouts the last two days in Oakland is word that the agent for Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio is suddenly amenable to participating in interviews and individuals workouts with a select number of teams - the Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder and Kings. Sources told me that, at this point, Rubio's agent, Dan Fegan, is limiting the visits to the teams with draft picks 2-4.
8 months ago
Ziller
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Very odd.
If Rubio wants to avoid playing in Memphis or OKC why wouldn’t he work out for the teams drafting 5-10 in the hopes that one of those teams would move up for him?
I guess at this point I will have to assume that either (a) his agent is crazy or (b) he’s now okay with playing for either of those teams (I guess © both is also an option).
by cabz on Jun 3, 2009 12:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
My guess
And a complete wild-ass guess at that, is Rubio has always intended to make the jump this year and was trying to get an acceptable franchise (LA or Sacramento) to make a deal with Memphis to get the #2.
Now that there is a possibility (even a remote one) that Rubio doesn’t appear to be a substantially better player than the other available points in the draft – and that nobody’s ready to give up much to get the #2 – team Rubio is softening up it’s anti-OKC/Memphis stance.
Maybe I’m being influenced by the millions of draft rumors going around, but there’s a very real chance that Rubio slips down to the #4 or #5 spot. This might be their impetus for the change of course.
Rubio’s leverage (opting to stay in Europe) isn’t what it was a few weeks ago.
by otis29 on Jun 3, 2009 12:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think you nailed it on the head
It seems like a ploy to ensure Rubio doesn’t slip in the draft anymore. From an agents perspective, it seems that he is trying to guard against reducing his commission.
by nothingbutnet on Jun 3, 2009 2:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I feel that
the slipping in GMs minds has already occurred and this is just a way for them to insure the parties are talking so that the 2nd for 4th trade will def go down. we’ll take him and pay him 2nd pick money. I think I may be actually starting to believe that Rubio might end up a King. And that’s pretty cool, I just only like him like 5 percent more than I like Holiday.
by DustyG on Jun 3, 2009 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I thought about that too...
but why wouldn’t he work out for teams #5-10? Or any acceptable team/market willing to trade into the top 4 to get him? He can still tell them something along the lines of – ‘Financially, I can’t afford to come over from Europe for a few years unless you’re willing to trade up for me.’
If he’s trying to get an acceptable team to trade up for him, and surely there are acceptable markets outside of LA and Sacramento, it doesn’t make sense to shut them out of the loop.
by cabz on Jun 3, 2009 6:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bravo
Thank you, Ailene. This is what we expect. Finally telling us something based on your level of access that we would otherwise be unaware of. This isn’t supposed to be sarcastic, I’m honestly happy. As much I tear her down for crappy articles, I want to commend a good blog post.
Never forget: I am a complete idiot
by Exhibit G on Jun 3, 2009 12:56 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
You just met your Voison compliment quota for the year
www.mancancook.net
by vfettke on Jun 3, 2009 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think this takes care of the
“He’s only coming over for a top 3 pick” cry. Now, he’s only coming over if he’s a top 4 pick ;)
by LPKingsFan on Jun 3, 2009 2:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Seems to me
that the Rubio camp might have different motives for each interview/workout. That is, it seems just as likely that they could be trying to reestablish his leverage as it does that he’s softening his stance on playing for Memphis or OKC.
Maybe he goes to Memphis, reminds them that he can do all of the things on the youtube videos in real life, gets them talking about taking him at 2, and then comes out and says he’s still not going to Memphis. That might inspire some more interest in teams considering trading up.
Based on last year’s numbers (as reported by shamsports), the difference between being picked 2nd and traded to the Kings and being picked 4th by the Kings is about $3.83M. It may seem like a drop in the bucket to a future star, but it’s an important difference when you haven’t made a dime of NBA money and you have an outstanding $5+M debt to your old team.
by furious.d on Jun 3, 2009 2:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
^ I should've said
it’s a $3.83M difference over the first four years of the contract.
by furious.d on Jun 3, 2009 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I find it interesting
that Rubio won’t workout for the Clippers. Are they really THAT dead-set on Griffin? Maybe Dunleavy will put on a disguise and sneak into our workout up here.
by AnotherStupidSN on Jun 3, 2009 2:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Like a wig? He really needs a wig.
"Or, as Randy Jackson would say: Not feelin’ it, dawg."
-bench-blob- posting virgin.
by jjham15 on Jun 3, 2009 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm leaning toward
a very sophisticated agent, in line with the comments made by furious.d.
The other notion is a very unsophisticated agent who thinks that this is all he has to do to get what he wants.
Lower their expectations and rise to met them
by left hand on Jun 3, 2009 3:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
All very viable opinions so far.
It’s out of this world that Rubio would consider only working out for the Kings but I don’t like the idea of him strutting his stuff in front of other, better positioned, potential suitors. Mocks like DX have Rubio going at number 4 because of his stance of not wanting to go to micro-markets like OKC and Memphis. This offer to work out seems like a backtrack on that line of strategery.
As soon as teams start getting a good look at this guy and reports of his workouts hit sites like DX and the blogoshpere his popularity is going to shoot way up again. Just like it did for guys at the Draft Combine.
Teh Dego Dagger
by BPaoliano on Jun 3, 2009 4:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I know that this news sucks
but I hate it when agents manipulate their players into going somewhere, even if for some reason they actually WANT to come to us. If a team before us really wants Rubio, enough to pick him and keep him, that team should have the right to keep him.
Another reason, potentially, for limiting the workouts to those teams could be to have a situation where a trade down with Sacramento is the only way to get Ricky here but in the process he (and Fegan) get more money from Rubio being a higher pick.
Father of the "Natt this!" movement.
by Aykis16 on Jun 3, 2009 6:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I think what Fegan is trying to get a team below Sacramento
to submit a deal to jump up and get Ricky.
Evil Cowtown Inc: Screwin' Suckaz over since Nineteen Eighty-Five.....
No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
by pookeyguru on Jun 3, 2009 6:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Minnesota and Golden State both come to mind actually
Evil Cowtown Inc: Screwin' Suckaz over since Nineteen Eighty-Five.....
No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
by pookeyguru on Jun 3, 2009 6:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Which is odd since they are such poorly run franchises
www.mancancook.net
by vfettke on Jun 3, 2009 8:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
and Memphis has Conley
so we get Rubio :)
by Brian5517209 on Jun 3, 2009 7:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Or...
OKC falls in love with Rubio and trades up Westbrook for #4 – I’m not sure anyone else is that high on Westbrook, but I would definitely do that.
by cabz on Jun 3, 2009 9:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
No way OKC trades Westbrook
even if they pick Rubio.
Father of the "Natt this!" movement.
by Aykis16 on Jun 3, 2009 9:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
well wtf then they'd just be a bunch of greedy d***holes
by Brian5517209 on Jun 3, 2009 10:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Having Rubio and Westbrook
is a nice problem to have in my opinion.
Father of the "Natt this!" movement.
by Aykis16 on Jun 3, 2009 10:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I disagree...
unless they think they can get more than #4 for one of them. Playing the two together wouldn’t be pretty.
by cabz on Jun 4, 2009 12:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Westbrook
IMO, would go #2 in this draft behind Griffin.
Why would playing both of them be so bad? Both have good size, able to defend all but larger 2s. Both are known as (at least) good defenders. The only reason I can think of is that neither is a good shooter right now.
by DustyG on Jun 4, 2009 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And that's a BIG reason.
Having a back court that cannot shoot would be a huge liability. Perhaps either or both can develop a shot, but I just don’t see them as an ideal pairing.
As far as Westbrook going #2, I’m not sure about that. #3 possibly, because OKC obviously fell in love with him the last time around, but it’s not like he was a can’t-miss prospect.
by cabz on Jun 4, 2009 11:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well
It wouldnt be ideal, but it’d probably be one of the better backcourts in the league. And you’re talking about trading Westbrook now if I’m not mistaken, not Westbrook from this time last year.
I understand that you are looking for evidence to support the notion that we could somehow get Westbrook, but I dont think it is much of a possibility—especially for the reasons you are citing.
But you are right to lust for Westbrook, I think. He’s one of my favorite players. I dig the whole Thunder squad actually, and I was hoping that if we didn’t get Griffin that they would.
Here’s to the hope that there’s some draft day trade swapping and we make out like bandits!
by DustyG on Jun 5, 2009 10:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wait a second
Why would they trade for #4 when they have #3? They give us Westbrook and draft both Rubio and Harden or DeRozan?
by furious.d on Jun 4, 2009 10:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not saying that they would do it.
Just that I don’t see Westbrook/Rubio as an ideal pairing. Westbrook hasn’t proven he can play the 2, and Rubio obviously cannot do so in the NBA, so that’s a big gamble to take when a few pretty good SG prospects are still on the board. If nothing else, pitching that to OKC is worth a shot.
by cabz on Jun 4, 2009 11:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Really?
Rubio. Westbrook., Durant, Green and Chandler(Or whoever) would be fun to watch. They’d average like thirty assists a game and Durant would drop 28 a night.
by mattym on Jun 4, 2009 3:47 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
the second pick for grizzlies
if rubio wants to come to memphis , that would be ok ,but i agree with the poster that we need thabeet,also i found out that tyler hansbrough is actually longer than blake griffin , we could use the second first rounder on hansbrough ,and draft a guard in the second round ,or, we could trade one ,or, both picks to get someone to help us out.
by barry38372 on Jun 4, 2009 8:17 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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