DKV Joventut Trying to keep Rubio one more year: Advantage Knicks?

by Tommy Dee on April 18th, 2009 at 9:27 am

It appears that the team is going to try to appease Rubio if he should enter the draft lottery.

“…Next year, from a sporting standpoint, we need Ricky Rubio, and looking ahead to the following year, if he still had the enthusiasm to go to the NBA, we would look to find an agreement so that neither the player nor the club would come out hindered.”

If the 18-year old Spanish Rubio was allowed to enter this year’s draft, he is expected to be drafted first or second, along with Blake Griffin. Rubio is currently under a three-year contract with DKV Joventut, so his future is ultimately up to the Spanish club.

Even if Rubio was allowed by DKV to enter the draft, NBA teams that are planning to draft the point guard phenom would have to deal with a multimillion dollar buyout. He is in the second year of his contract and Villacampa said that if Rubio was to choose the NBA this next season, Joventut “would be strict” regarding his multi-million dollar buy-out clause.

I would venture to guess that any team that gets the opportunity at Rubio would pay the buyout, but with the economic climate who really knows. The Knicks, of course, are the biggest market team in the lottery. Either way, Rubio’s agent is stern on the fact that he wants his client to play right away.

“…In addition to his contract buyout, Germa’n González, Rubio’s agent has been less than bullish on Rubio’s NBA prospects. “We do not want it to go like other players who have left very high in the Draft and soon they do not play. The Americans have become crazy to have players there as soon as possible. The decisions will be taken based on which the European market also provides.” González told Spanish Sports Daily Marca…”
  • Jeff Cykiert

    Actually, the buyout has nothing to do with the team that drafts him. They are allowed, according to the rules of the league, to cover $500,000 of a buyout. Rubio’s buyout is 6 million Euros (about 8 million dollars) before negotiation. It will be either up to him to pay the buyout over time using his contract money, or up to a sponsor who likes his marketing potential (which depends on where he goes.) The team has nothing to do with it.

    His agent’s worries are reasonable; When a young Euro comes to the NBA early, and high in the draft, and isn’t good enough to get playing time right away, his career can be ruined forever. I think this could possibly happen to Rubio if he gets drafted by a team like the Clippers, but if we get him, you know D’Antoni will develop him into a lethal PG and he will be able to help our team tremendously right out of the gate.

    After listening to DW’s radio interviews, it has become pretty obvious, what we need to improve: Playmakers. We need guys who know how to mesh with their team and create plays for other players. Rubio is by far the best player, by that measure, that we have seen in the draft in years.

  • Jeff Cykiert

    barring any injuries, i am almost certain that Rubio could be our starting point guard if we get him. His agent’s worries about his playing time would be non-existent in the case of the Knicks, and i think they know that, but we can’t guarantee anything until the lottery…. I can’t wait.

  • BiggieSmalls

    Good Job

    NYC has the Advantage because of the pure marketing muscle of the greatest city in the world.

    They should immediately change that N8 the Gr8 billboard on 7th Ave to feature Ricky.

    This is also where D’Antoni’s international experience and player friendly personality come into play.

    Nash should call Ricky tell him all about coach D and give him the keys to his downtown condo for a weekend to check the place out.

    Thirdly, with the upcoming drama with the CBA and the expected shrinking of the cap I think this is the best year to come out.

    Ricky will be a top three no doubt.. why wait around when you’ve got that going for ya?

  • ScottD

    It doesn’t matter who pays for any buyout.
    Unless the Knicks can trade up, how could they possibly assure themselves of landing Rubio, unless of course, he stated like Danilo Gallinari did, that he only would play for a New York area team, and might not come stateside if drafted by another team.

  • Chris Alvino

    That would be nice… it worked once.

  • Mucha

    Great post and great comments. Ricky Rubio to the New York Knicks makes a lot of sense. He’d play right away in an envirronement where big money could easily be generated.

    That being said, what if the Knicks get the 8th pick? I know that Rubio’s agent wants him to be a top 3 pick but teams like the Clippers are obviously not a great fit for him. Does Rubio play the Gallinari card – allowing Donnie Walsh to pick him with the 8th pick? Or does another team draft him with a top 3 pick and trade his rights to the New York Knicks (in a Steve Francis type of scenario)?

  • Jeff Cykiert

    Both scenarios you listed are great for us… so if those are the only two options for him, than its time to celebrate!

  • Mucha

    But I put James Harden ahead of Ricky Rubio. Let’s not forget that many people put him in the same freshman category as OJ Mayo and Kevin Love, and he was 18 years old. As a matter of fact, some analysists put him AHEAD of OJ Mayo last year.

  • The Jet

    Im confident Donnie will look into trades for Camby (Clippers have a frontcourt log jam) and Tyson Chandler (NOH gave him away to thunder).
    So that gives us a chance to draft the best Guard there like a James Harden, Demar Derozan, or Ricky Rubio.

  • ScottD

    Maybe David Stern will see to it that Rubio gets directed to NYC somehow.
    Hey, if he can control where LeBron ends up, then maybe he could give us Christmas in June.
    Just kidding!