"Omri!!"
Ricky looks forlorn. Is he depressed to see a fellow international headed to what was supposed to be his team? Is it envy? Or is Rubio wondering what his career in Sacramento would have been like with Casspi, another kid from across the Atlantic, there with him to restore the team to decency?
A gripping column on Ricky Rubio's draft night by Salon's Ethan Sherwood Strauss at FreeDarko.
almost 2 years ago
Tom Ziller
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Must be nice to have a crystal ball
So that you can see whether or not Rubio ever plays in the NBA, and how well.
Especially since he’s really too young for anyone to know what he will become.
StR Token Female
by LeaguePassAddict on Jun 21, 2010 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions
Crystal ball or european basketball knowledge
This is what I believe and so far, it’s happening. But yeah, there’s some cynicism in my words, I can never talk objectively about Euros :-)
Though modest, the numbers that Rubio is putting up
in Europe are still better than Jennings’ and Jennings was a contender for rookie of the year. So I don’t understand where the bust is coming from.
...
by prowseinthehouse on Jun 21, 2010 9:41 AM PDT up reply actions
It's not the stats.
It’s the game style and well below average athleticism. There are many PGs in Europe with much better stats than Rubio. Some of them y
And isn't RR's defensive potential a major question mark?
I have never seen him play, outside of highlight reels, so i wouldn’t know for sure, but I seem to remember this being a big critique on his game.
"The Kings have nothing to lose but their games."
I know the other point guard on his team
Juan Carlos Navarro has been outplaying him, but he is also much older and more experienced
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by prowseinthehouse on Jun 21, 2010 9:54 AM PDT up reply actions
There are literally dozens of Americans
with much better scoring stats and sometimes passing too, like Omar Cook, McIntyre, McCalebb, James Lucas, Logan, Langdon, KEys etc. Most of them are obviously older and more experienced, failed in the USA and now easily dominate in Europe.
There are also players like Spanoulis, Diamantidis, Navarro, Papaloukas with huge European careers and better numbers than Rubio, even when they were in their early 20s (Spanoulis was a bust for the Rockets, self-prolcaimed the “t-mac of Greece” lol). Other European guards with better stats are Huertas, Kalnietis, Prigioni. You may also remember Planicic who played for the Nets some seasons. He had better numbers than Rubio when he was 20-21. And of course the Euroleague MVP, Milos Teodosic, who is only 23.
I’m not saying Rubio is worthless. I’m just saying he will be an underachiever if ever goes to the USA, in relation to his pick number. But anyway it’s just stats I’m rambling about here. It’s my intuition/gut that says RR is a bust. And this conversation is one year old!
Re: "And this conversation is one year old!"
Haha, yes it is.
by kingsfan300 on Jun 21, 2010 11:40 AM PDT up reply actions
So,
If this is so irrelevant, why did you feel the need to take a swipe at the kid?
I’m as happy as anybody that we drafted Evans, but there’s no need to insult Rubio here.
I don’t think you can call anyone a bust at his age.
StR Token Female
by LeaguePassAddict on Jun 21, 2010 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions
Sounds sorta like...
Steve Nash?
Who also started out kind of slow, has very little hops, and is a below-average defender, and yet somehow managed two MVPs and a hall-of-fame career. John Stockton was also not exactly known for his dunking ability (although he was a tenacious defender), and neither are/were Andre Miller, Mark Jackson, and some other top-notch PGs.
This is not to say that Rubio is anywhere near Nash or Stockton – we don’t know yet – but mocking a PG on the basis of mediocre athleticism is, at best, not very sound.
Call it what you want...
I’ll take the super athletic kid from LA who completely dominated at Oak Hill over the European player every time.
At USC we're not snobs, we're just better than you.
Great piece.
I’d cry too. Makes you wonder if the pups picking Curry, Hill or Derozan would’ve made him stay.
It's interesting
You heard so much last year about how Rubio had been playing professionally since he was 16, how he was mature beyond his years, etc. etc.
But this article really drives it home: 18 is 18.
by nbrans on Jun 21, 2010 9:30 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Mark Chmura thinks he looks very mature for his age.
There now I've met the 75 word count. -pookeyguru
.
"Matt Cain's better at this than I've ever been at anything in my life. He's better at this than you'll ever be, at anything. Matt Cain has a gift. He has a gift, and when you acknowledge that, then maybe we will have something to talk about."
by otis29 on Jun 21, 2010 9:41 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I always love it when you whip this out!
wait … for … it…..
Don't say stupid shit. You won’t be perceived as stupid. - pookeyguru
by Kfan in Korea on Jun 23, 2010 9:03 AM PDT up reply actions
Ggggfmmmmmmajjjhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh................
"Matt Cain's better at this than I've ever been at anything in my life. He's better at this than you'll ever be, at anything. Matt Cain has a gift. He has a gift, and when you acknowledge that, then maybe we will have something to talk about."
This makes me feel even more
that had the Kings drafted him, he would have come over. I hope that this story can end happily for everyone, and a team in a warm city trades for his rights.
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by prowseinthehouse on Jun 21, 2010 9:39 AM PDT reply actions
Thanks for the link TZ!
Very interesting article. Its hard to imagine what goes on behind the scenes with these young kids, so it’s nice to get any info. I would have assumed that these players’ handlers/managers would have prepared them better for this circus, and it seems like Rubio’s agent didn’t prepare him to be chosen past the Kings pick.
Part of me feels bad for him, but then the reality kicks in that he is being paid millions of dollars to play a game everyday. It’s ok to be disappointed, but be a man, suck it up, and collect your checks when you NBA time comes.
"The Kings have nothing to lose but their games."
I don't think he is making millions yet
His Euro deal is pretty bad, unless he got more money when they sold his rights.
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by prowseinthehouse on Jun 21, 2010 9:48 AM PDT up reply actions
Sad.
I feel for the kid. The quote that states “They drafted another point guard!?!” says it all. It’s okay Ricky, you as well as everyone else watching the draft were thinking the same thing.
Amazing
Very sad to read that. Honestly, I still believe Rubio could be a successful NBA point guard as long as he gets out from under the wrath of Kahn.
Never forget: I am a complete idiot
Just like his contract
Life is complicated.
"I know we certainly gave up a lot to get him, but we do have other players on the perimeter who we can plug in. We haven’t had anybody who we feel is a go-to guy in the post. So we gave up a lot to get a lot, and we’re real excited about adding Carl." - Paul Westphal
Wow..
Rubio reminds me of how it’s like when some girl has the hots for you, then you send her signals that you want her, only to pick up her even hotter friend. She’s left there, stuck with some ugly boyfriend that she never really wanted to be with, always being jealous and wondering what could have been.
He was never paying that buyout
If we’d taken him we would still be waiting as well. That’s why he fell behind flynn at least.
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
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