Ricky Rubio agrees in principle to join Minnesota Timberwolves (Is end of world nigh?)

June 2, 2011

The day BallinEurope never thought would arrive may be upon us; ESPN reported early this morning that FC Barcelona wunderkind Ricky Rubio will be joining the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2011-12 NBA season – if, in fact, there is a 2011-12 NBA season.

Previously stating that he was holding back on a decision to wait and see about the possibility of a lockout erasing next year’s slate of games, Rubio has apparently decided instead to contribute some $900,000 to buying out his contract with FC Barcelona; the price is currently set at $1.4 million, with the T-Wolves legally able to contribute $500,000 to the deal.

Proclaimed Timberwolves stud Kevin Love (echoing BiE’s thoughts, actually) on Twitter at about 6am CET: “Ricky Rubio, huh? I’ll believe it when I see it…”

Jun 2, 2011ballineurope

This post was published on June 2, 2011

Comments: 22

Paul
14 years ago
LMFAO at the NBA. What a joke that league has become. They actually signed a mutli year multi million dollar contract with one of the worst players in the Euroleague?

A guy that is left wide open and unguarded and is basically still throwing up air balls, even being unguarded by the other team. The NBA has really gotten pathetic in recent years. I doubt if Rubio could have even gotten another contract in Euroleague.
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- Gabe
  14 years ago
  LMFAO at Paul. Again someone with a real inferiority complex trying to put put down the NBA while anyone with a mind and a brain knows it’s the top league in the world. Rubio may be over-hyped but the Timberwolves see potential and are taking a chance. His game might be better suited for NBA and he has been a part of Barca’s championship teams, contributing 7 points and 3 assists in Barca’s finals game sweep of Caja. So a Euroleague and ACB championship and an Olympic silver medal is not so bad for a 21 year old.
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Manager
14 years ago
He is the same guy who also posts comments in other articles as “Zisi”, “Zoran” etc…

A well know basketball forums troll named Vassilis Spanoulis 666, FIBA Europe Basket etc.
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Mika
14 years ago
I read Manager is KWSN-Men the biggest troll that ever existed in world basketball forums.
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Gabe
14 years ago
With Barca Rubio won a Euroleague championship and this year was still in the quarter-finals while in ACB Rubio has been in the championship game both years. In the NBA he is going to the worst team in the league.
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Phileus
14 years ago
Meh, I’m sceptical. I never like to see young failures, so I wish him the best.

By the way, Minnesota is actually a very pleasant state.
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Phileus
14 years ago
By the way Gabe, you know how I feel about the NBA, but I can’t claim that its executives are good in general. The League is falling over backwards trying to make a new CBA to save teams from their own(ers’/managers’) stupidity.
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Izzo
14 years ago
Rubio sucks. This Gabe guy is making him out to be a good Euroleague player. Actually he is one of the worst players of the Euroleague. Nice try Gabe. When he sucks in NBA you will claim that one of the best Euroleague players can’t hack it in NBA the same retarded lies you see in every NBA forum.

No Gabe. You are not getting away with it. Right here for the record Rubio is one of the worst players in Euroleague and you KNOW it.

Your lies won’t be allowed to twist, distort and manipulate the truth here.
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- Gabe
  14 years ago
  One of the worst? What BS. He was the starting point guard on the Euroleague champs (averaging over 20 minutes a game). He was the starting point guard for the team that made the ACB finals two year in a row (now he is injured and coming off the bench but still contributing many minutes). It’s not like he’s a scrub on the bench for a bad team, he is a major contributer on one of the top Euroleague teams (this year Barca lost in the quarter finals but that is still top 8). He’s also won various awards from the ACB includiing best point guard twice, All ACB League Team twice and Catalan Cup Tournamen MVP not to mention Euroleague Rising star. So your claim that Rubioi is one of the worst in Euroleague is just not true.
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Zigalo
14 years ago
Rubio is easily one of the worst players in Euroleague. Gabe is clearly a troll.
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Zigalo
14 years ago
Catalan Cup Tournament…………….LMFAO you have got to be kidding me hahahahahah yeah gabe is a troll.
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- Gabe
  14 years ago
  Enough with the calling people trolls. A troll is a person who posts outlandish things just to incite people. So you are a troll Zigalo. Rubio is obviously not one of the worst players in Euroleague. The worst players in Euroleague are the 10th-12th men on the worst teams. Rubio was a starter (and/or major contributer) on one of the best teams and a former championship team. Catalan Cup is a pre-season tournament of ACB Catalan teams, not a top level competition I admit but to win the MVP you still have to be good. Rubio doesn’t fill up the stat board but he is good on defense, leading the ACB league in steals two years, being named the ACB defensive player of the year and named two times to the ACB second team and the ACB is one of the best, if not the best, league in Europe (not including Euroleague of course).
  We can compare Rubio to Derek Fisher of the Lakers. Both were starting point guards for championship and contender teams. Both are not the best guards in their leagues, not even the best guards on their teams, but to say that Derek Fisher is one of the worst players in the NBA is just as absurd as saying Rubio is one of the worst players in Euroleague. Why would one of the best teams start one of the worst players in their league at point guard, the most important position??
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John P
14 years ago
Rubio sucks and is certainly a scrub like player in Euroleague. Gabe is smoking something. I’ve seen every single Euroleague game Rubio played since he came to Barcelona. It’s hard to think of more than a couple players in the whole league that are bad as him.

Lay off the crack pipe Gabe. As Charles Barkley would say Rubio is turrible, just turrible.
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John P
14 years ago
Gabe –

“His game might be better suited for NBA and he has been a part of Barca’s championship teams, contributing 7 points and 3 assists in Barca’s finals game sweep of Caja. So a Euroleague and ACB championship and an Olympic silver medal is not so bad for a 21 year old.”

Dude you are really trolling this site. That’s just ridiculous dude. Rubio did not play against Caja in the finals and he has NEVER won an ACB championship. Let me repeat that Ricky Rubio has NEVER in his life won an ACB championship.

I have to totally concur that you are a huge troll.
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- Gabe
  14 years ago
  Alright. I meant the semi-finals sweep of Cajo that just happened. Okay you got me John P, instead of writing semi-finals I wrote finals, I got the wrong information and I exaggerated because I didn’t have my facts straight. But let’s see what happens if Barca can beat Bizkaia Bilbao (which I assume they’re favored for) and than Rubio will have won a ACB championship but Rubio did win a Euroleague championship which is the BEST league in Europe. So just because I gave one wrong fact of saying Rubio won the ACB final instead of semi-final does not make me a troll. Everything else I said is true!!
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Gabe
14 years ago
And btw…how do you think Rubio will go out with his last series in Euroleague. Will he go out like “one of the worst players in Euroleague” or will he go out helping Barca win the ACB championship with his points, assists and steals?
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Alex
14 years ago
Rubio is not a bad player, he is just one of the youngest players on a very experienced team. Brandon Jennings wasn’t exactly a star in Rome, but look at him now.

A starting PG (imho) needs to have some experience. Give the kid some time. I concur with Gabe when he says RR’s game is more suited for the NBA: nba play is more uptempo, less relying on outside shooting, his passing skills will help him there.
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wilmington
14 years ago
Gabe, I can’t believe there are actual human beings left in this world that believe European ball is at par with NBA ball. What wonders! Some in this site seem to have their brain clouded by anti-Americanism. Anyway, I actually like European basketball and follow some international tournaments and enjoy the FIBA game, but NBA is quite a couple of levels above the rest of the world really. You don’t have to believe me. You can ask any Euro baller playing in the NBA. Rubio doesn’t have impressive stats at all, but sometimes potential and youth are more important. This is why some American players in the Euroleague aren’t signed by NBA teams even if they have impressive Euroleague stats and credentials. It’s all about potential and room for growth that NBA scouts look at.
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Phileus
14 years ago
Again, I don’t think he’s the savior the Wolves want, but I’ve read that he would thrive in a system with athletic wings and an uptempo offense. Do the Wolves have that? Don’t they play more halfcourt sets? And Love is a beast, but not a mobile beast by any means.

Maybe they’re waiting to find the right person to coach, which is why Rambis has no contract offer yet.
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Lowell (TWolves)
14 years ago
TWolves guy here. The Wolves definitely were an atrocious team last year, but while nobody is expecting Rubio to save the franchise, he will be a HUGE help for us, even given his obvious shooting issues.

There are guys on the Wolves who are long, athletic finishers. And while Love is not exactly a huge threat to roll off a pick, he is one of the better picknpop shooters in the league. Wes Johnson and Anthony Randolph are as athletic as they come. Unfortunately neither is able to create their own shot off the bounce. Beasley is a solid shooter and is deceptively athletic, but unfortunately resorts TOO often to trying to create in isolation situations (leading to tons of pullup contested jumpers). Even Darko is athletically able, but is so intimidated by contact that he can’t finish on his own.

The thing with Rubio is that a pass-first type PG helps fix ALL those issues. Wes and Randolph will get more open looks from swings and in transition with Rubio at the helm. Beasley will be able to utilize his driving ability against a moving defense rather than a set one. Darko will get open looks near the basket more often. And Love will continue to drain open threes.

That’s the plan, anyway. The Wolves don’t need another shooter. They need a guy who can get into the defense and kick the ball. They need a guy who can force action off the picknroll or picknpop. They need a guy who can create for others without needing to put up a ton of shots. We are hoping that Rubio can be that guy.
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- Gabe
  14 years ago
  Don’t worry Lowell Rubio isn’t as bad a people here are saying. I’m not sure if you know how European basketball works but Euroleague is like an all-star league with the best teams from the different national leagues playing. Think of it as if the NBA took only the best teams in each division. The Spanish League Rubio plays in is the ACB arguably the best of those national leagues (for example Euroleague this year had 24 teams from 14 different leagues but 4 out of the 8 teams advancing to Euroleague quarter finals were from the ACB). Ricky Rubio has twice (2008, 2010) been voted to the All-ACB team and been named the ACB defensive player of the year in 2009. Not to mention he has the starting point guard on the team that won the Euroleague championship in 2010 (meaning they were the best team in Europe) and made the ACB finals two years in a row.
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Cantor
14 years ago
Rubio is garbage. Any team that would want him is a joke as far as I am concerned. He is not even in the top 150 best players in Europe.
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