Rubio renegotiating buyout may enter in 2009

Kings Faithful · Feb 22, 2009

At this point i can almost guarantee we are getting a top 3 pick, unless all these new guys surprise us and get us a few unwanted wins. If Rubio declares then with a top 3 pick we can't lose with our choices being Griffin, Thabeet, and Rubio...so we need him to declare...please God, let Rubio declare.

=LarryLegend= · Feb 22, 2009

I LOVE Rubio's game.

Rubio and Kmart would be the greatest OFFENSIVE duo. but Nocioni, Cisco, Thompson and Hawes will have to alot better defenders!

OvechKiN · Feb 22, 2009

If Rubio declares, then he would be the guy I want.
The only guy that I think is worth taking 1st overall by the Kings in this years draft.
If he doesnt declare, then trade down!

VF21 · Feb 22, 2009

Gary said:

Very nice summary. It certainly expresses why I'm intrigued with him. He's exciting, he's young and he's got the ability to put posteriors in the seats. AND he's got skills and tons of potential.

I really, really, really hope there's a Rubio in our future!!!

PurpleHaze · Feb 22, 2009

Rockmeister said:

You can find out so much about him if you just Google his name - there's tons of descriptions/video on Ricky Rubio the Spanish sensation. He's been a professional basketball player in Europe since the age of 14!! He played several games just prior to his 15th birthday and by 16 was considered the top PG in Europe. His performance for Spain in last summers Olympics was great until he injured his right wrist (shooting hand) in Gold Metal game against the USA. That limited his minutes in final game as well as his overall effectiveness. That was in late August '08. Less than 6 weeks later he had to have surgery and has only recently returned to full strength with his pro team DKV-J.

I had posted earlier on this site a report on the injury which sidelined him from all professional pre-season action following the Beijing games. Here are the details again:

Originally Posted by Euroleague.net

DKV Joventut teenage superstar Ricky Rubio underwent surgery on his right wrist and will be sidelined for at least six weeks, the club announced Tuesday. Rubio has been sidelined for the entire preseason due to a hand injury that he had in the 2008 Olympic Games final, in which Spain faced the United States for the gold medal. Rubio underwent a wrist arthroscopy at USP Institut Universitari Dexeus today to find out that he had a fractured ligament. Once the fracture was confirmed, open surgery was needed to piece together his ligament with intraosseous suture. Rubio's wrist will be immobiized for two weeks and a new evaluation will be donw in six weeks' time. As such, Rubio will be sidelined in the opening games of the Euroleague season. Rubio, Dr. Xavier Mir and Dr. Victor Lainez will attend the media in a press conference tomorrow for further details.

VF21 · Feb 22, 2009

^^Thanks for the repost, PurpleHaze. What was the date on that article?

PurpleHaze · Feb 22, 2009

VF-21: I'll try to get you exact date if you need it, but it was around Oct. 8-10, 2008 as I recall. Definitely that time frame since that's right at beginning of pre-season and Rubio had surgery just before. He came back to regular season around mid-January '09, but was slow to fully recover. Shooting %, assists, all of it down. Just recently, he seems back to the "normal Ricky" - meaning sensational!

My original post with info was under "Hasheem Thabeet," so date is probably confirmed there

VF21 · Feb 22, 2009

October 2008 is close enough...

I really think this kid is something special. He's as much fun to watch as early Pete Maravich. The last time I said that it was about the kid from Florida that lit up the court every time he stepped on it, so it's not a comment I make lightly. I know he's the type of player Petrie would really be interested in.

ElRey · Feb 22, 2009

I'm not impressed with Rubio as much as others here, but he's a guaranteed top 3 pick which will make our pick much more valuable. So this is definitely good news.

SacKings7 · Feb 22, 2009

Wow, I am very excited right now. The fact that most of the other "competition" for the top pick don't need a PG makes me even more excited. If he were to enter the draft we'd have a realistic possibility of drafting him no matter how the ping pong balls bounce.

Vlade4GM · Feb 22, 2009

Strengths: Ball handling, vision, passing, IQ on both ends of the floor, leadership intangibles, body control (changing speeds/directions at the drop of the hat), nice touch around the basket, work ethic/craves superstardom, very good anticipation on D, team D, decent set shooter (got potential there with work), good PG height, advanced for his age, and knack for breaking down defenses.

Weaknesses: Poor leaping ability, speed/quickness good not great (comparable to Nash), man D/lateral quickness, pull up jump shot (mechanics are bad, probably wouldn't hurt to start from scratch), scoring ability (not a go-to scorer at this point, may never be), strength (absolutely has add upper body strength if he's going to take full advantage of his size), and FT shooting is high 60's/low70's at this point.

High-level projection: Taller/longer Steve Nash w/ less shooting
Mid-level projection: Jose Calderon
Low-level projection: Luke Ridnour

Merdiesel · Feb 22, 2009

If Rubio enters the draft, I don't see Petrie passing on him..

Vlade4GM · Feb 22, 2009

Interesting, DX wrote in their write-up that the wrist injury has actually helped him improve his creating ability with his left hand, nice to hear.

Aenadin · Feb 22, 2009

rubio rubio rubio

if he does declare we need to SECURE that pick... make sure we are in the top 3.... hell im not into tanking but now we see that he is going to be in the draft.. i say let the youngins play!!!!

hes a sure lock int he top 3.. especially with the necessity for PGs who have very high BB IQ for his age...

theclash4u5 · Feb 22, 2009

Even though Rubio may not be the best PG prospect out there (let's not forget about Jennings!), the amount of fans/$$$ from the international market alone will tempt Petrie to pick him up. Remember what happened with Peja when we played on the road? Other fans would show up JUST to see him (usually in Toronto, though). Let's not forget that Yi from New Jersey ALMOST beat out KG for the All-Star team just because of all the votes from China! I would LOVE to get some excitement into the team...and if we did get a chance to get Rubio, this may turn into another "international team", just like the old days...(Nocioni, Beno, Rubio and heck, even Garcia

)

Merdiesel · Feb 22, 2009

Rubio running the pick and roll with Hawes+JT night in and night out could be a thing of beauty!

HighTopKicks · Feb 22, 2009

Rockmeister said:

I may be wrong, but I don't believe Rubio was the starting Pg coming into the Olympics. Someone correct me but wasn't José Calderón the starting PG until he got hurt prior to the semi finals. So, Rubio a teenager at the time gets thrown into the PG position against the best PG's in the world. I'm impressed he didn't vomit on the floor during the game.

What I remember about him was that he gambled on defense too much, and his man got around him too easily. In a way, I remember thinking that he reminder me of how Cisco plays defense.

Well back to your question, to start it's about us as much as Rubio. We're desperate for a playmaker, and it's about time that we moved our bigs out of the high post so they can start rebounding. Our current bigs aren't good enough to have the offense run through them, and I think Miller had passed his prime in that catagory too.

Rubio, is a playmaker. A high bb IQ, with good court vision, and passing skills unlike anyone in the game today. He plays in a league where it's considered a touch foul if they don't break a rib

He isn't the fastest PG, but he's quick enough to get to the rim, and at 6'4" he can finish. Since he hurt his right wrist (he's right handed), he's had to rely on his left alot, and seems to be getting better with his left hand everyday. He's not the greatest defender, and won't have the quickness to stay infront of the quicker PGs in the NBA, but he's got long arm and quick hands and knows how to play the passing lanes. He's not the best shooter, but he's young enough to learn, and in the mean time he's still a playmaker.

I don't know if he's still growing or not, but with his size he can play a little SG under the right situations. No player in the draft is ever a sure thing, so Griffin & Rubio may not even be the best players. But, he is certainly as good a prospect as any PG in the draft, and maybe any we could get in trade next year. He's going to be able to set up our bigs for easy dunks or finish at the rim himself. And, he'll make the game easier for Kevin, by getting him the ball where he doen't have to create by himself.

Of course some of this is only my opinion, but some is fact.

Aenadin · Feb 23, 2009

theclash4u5 said:

an all international team!!! if we do get rubio our fanbase in other nations would grow... which is pretty good

rubio isnt going to be the superstar we would want right away but he will grow into the role... now use all that money from trades buy out rubio... have an agreement that he will be a top pick via the kings and we got ourselves the PG of the future...

yao has never missed an nba allstar vote due to the chinese vote

they show their support around 100 mil and growing right..

Jechtsphere · Feb 23, 2009

He's the only one I really want.

rainmaker · Feb 23, 2009

I would take Rubio over Griffin in a heartbeat. Rubio/Martin/JT could develope into a solid core with the other young guys filling in.

KingsCitizen · Feb 23, 2009

Having Rubio on this team will certainly get international attention. ESPN will certainly put the Kings back on coverage compared to this years "ZERO" games on ESPN. And that's the start of a great future!

ParniValjak · Feb 23, 2009

Aenadin said:

The maximum amount the Kings can contribute to Rubio's buyout is $500K.

Back on topic, this is music to my ears. He is the player that I would want us to draft the most! We are struggling to create anything. We don't have any flow in our offense.

No doubt there are some concerning things about Rubio's game. Not a great athlete, can't shoot well. lAck of lateral quickness etc....

However, what he bring is what we need. Leadership, play making ability, court vision, ability to make others around him better, ball handling. He brings that swagger that we need. He is an exciting player. In a draft where not a single player is a lock to be an all-star, Rubio is the player I want us to draft. He will bring excitement to this team. We need a PG and Rubio is the best one in the draft with a lot of potential.

Prince_XY · Feb 23, 2009

I can see why Rubio is thriving very well in Euro. Players in Europe are relatively weak compared to USA. My concern is if he goes playing in the NBA where there are a lot of "real" good players, he may not turn out the excellent point guard we expect him to be. Yes, the kid is fun to watch coz he can be fancy playing against the slower and not so talented players in Europe. But what about in the NBA?

But as everyone is saying, this draft is relatively weak and lacking in superstar type players. So, I wouldn't mind gambling on Thabeet first, then Rubio.

.

jimbodan · Feb 23, 2009

I really hope he declares, I don't like any potential top picks with the exception of Rubio.

Vlade4GM · Feb 23, 2009

Prince_XY said:

Well, that's a concern of all players coming out of the draft. Yes, generally European basketball is less athletic than US basketball, but compared to college basketball they're also bigger, more physical, and more experienced. It's a projection game with draft prospects no matter where they're coming from; and they might not pan out. This should all go without saying.

Thabeet is not a superstar type player.

Emma · Feb 23, 2009

I want Rubio if we get the number 1. In NBA basketball there is much to be said about visibility and flair. I just really want another top 5 pick.

What do you all think of:

Rubio
Martin
Nocioni
Thompson
Hawes

As our starting lineup? I think that's pretty sweet. 2 years we're back in the playoffs (even if Nocioni is 31 at that time). Not to mention we can attract quality free agents more easily with that sort of core.

rainmaker · Feb 23, 2009

Prince_XY said:

What helps the case for Rubio is not only that he showed he can perform in pressure packed moments (olympics), but also the track record of his countrymen whom have already come over. Gasol, Calderon, and Rudy F all have had very successful transitions into the league. Rudy seems to get better every time he steps on the court, and these guys have nothing but great things to say about Rubio.

nbrans · Feb 23, 2009

rainmaker said:

The guys you name have done well, but there were others like Juan Carlos Navarro and Raul Lopez who haven't fared as well in the NBA. And yet in the Olympics, Navarro looked better and quicker than Rubio.

I know Rubio was only 17 last summer and I'm probably reading too much into the Olympics because they were the only full games of his that I've seen. But the Gasols, Calderon, Fernandez... all of those guys looked really good against Team USA and Fernandez posterized Dwight Howard. Just because they have done well in the NBA doesn't mean every Spaniard is going to.

Dime Dropper · Feb 23, 2009

nbrans said:

I know you're not high on him and I don't want to start another endless debate, but you're holding Rubio to a higher standard than the players you mentioned. Lopez, IMO, sucks. He can't even be compared to Rubio. Navorro is a SG in a PG body. He is a good scorer but that's it. He was always going to struggle in the NBA without a real position. His handle and passing ability isn't even on the same charts as Rubio. As well as that, Navarro is 28. That's 10 years older than Rubio, who BTW, I don't think was outplayed. Spain were much better when Rubio was on the floor. And since people want to judge him by his stats during the olympics, heres one; Rubio and LeBron had identical stats in the championship game except for one category. LeBron had 6 points more (if I remember correctly), everything else was even in the same amount of minutes (I believe Ricky played one more minute), but LeBron had one more TO. I guess LeBron isn't one of the greatest players in the world.

All those guys you mentioned are far, far older than Rubio and if you look at how good they were at 18 compared to Rubio now, there is no comparison. Those guys were nowhere near as accomplished as Rubio is now, and nor had they the ability of him. I don't see why Rubio should be judged any differently than those guys. Rubio is regarded as the best prospect to ever come out of Europe, there's a reason for that. Of course he has his flaws, some which may prevent him being a star, but they're well documented. On a team like this, you need to focus on what a player brings to the team, not what he doesn't.

BTW, I've always been a fan of Fernandez. Exciting player in Europe, and good athlete. Had a very translatable game. I think Rubio will also succeed.

PS nbrans, most of the above wasn't aimed at you, I just went on a rant. More of a general post.

For anyone that missed them in the other thread, here's some recent clips from Joventuts games (all Rubio highlights).

http://acbtv.acb.com/video/1247

http://acbtv.acb.com/video/1447

And here's some top plays of the week thing, Rubio is at number 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=ES&hl=es&v=6uu9TnUFXMk

beb0p · Feb 23, 2009

I don't get this Rubio hype. He's about on par with Bobby Hurley at the same age.

Using a top 3 pick on Rubio would be a giant mistake. If you look back on the draft 10 yrs from now, Rubio will not be the top three guys from any draft.

I hope I didn't suffer through this miserable season just to see us draft the next Mark Jackson. Oh lord.

Rubio renegotiating buyout may enter in 2009

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