Category Archives: Ricky Rubio
“…The Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA will have to wait until 2011 for Ricky Rubio(notes) to leave Europe, a high-level source told Yahoo! Sports on Monday night.
Regal of Barcelona has agreed to a six-year contract with Rubio after working out a buyout package with DKV Jovenut of Spain on Monday.
After weeks of haggling, Minnesota Timberwolves GM David Kahn was unable to facilitate a buyout that would’ve brought the fifth pick in the 2009 draft to the NBA this season…”
Again, I’ve stayed away from commenting on this because I would have bet Kahn would have dealt Rubio for some young, cheap pieces or a pick instead of being left at the alter.
Should he stay in Spain for two years and should the Wolves get nothing out of his services, then drafting Rubio would have to be one of the most brainless moves by an executive not named Isiah Thomas in recent memory.
Kevin McElroy of knickerblogger gives a year-round summary of Donnie 
Walsh. It’s worth checking out as grades are given for each move.
“…All told, Walsh’s tenure got off to a promising start but has suffered from several moments of seeming hesitance to take the final plunge and commit to any one comprehensive strategy. Walsh has clearly leaned toward building for the future at the expense of the present, which is a welcome change from the Isiah era, but his unwillingness to part with anyone of value as a pot-sweetener in the unloading of bad contracts has stunted the Knicks progress toward an ideal 2010 cap situation. As it stands, the team has a top-flight coach and more young talent and long-term financial flexibility than anyone could have realistically expected 16 months ago. But one worries that Walsh has hedged his bets a bit too much and will fall short of a free agent jackpot next summer.
Overall Grade: B
I vehemently disagree with the Gallinari grade, and we have to be fair about the trade up to the Wizards. There was no reason to believe that Rubio, the target, was going to slip to 5, and Chandler and the 8th pick, which I believe was the reported offer, if true, was too much to give up to move up a few spots in my opinion. Although it’s close. Had they made that deal, I wouldn’t have been all that upset.But the Wizards did get two NBA ready players in Mike Miller and Randy Foye, a deal they may have liked better.
To me Donnie’s biggest error thus far is not trading Jeffries and Nate to Sacramento, if that was in fact on the table on deadline day. I understand the holdup could have been Nate and losing him would have cost the team a playoff chance, which fell by the waste side anyway, but it’s tough to have it both ways. Plus, losing Nate may have resulted in a better draft pick. Again, assuming Walsh did turn the deal down.
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“…Ricky Rubio, the 5th pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves in this year’s draft, has agreed to terms on a contract with Regal Barcelona.
The Spanish team will pay a buyout of 3.7 million Euros, approximately $5.3 million, to Rubio’s previous team, Joventut.
Rubio will sign a six-year agreement that contains an affordable buyout in 2011…”
“…With Minnesota Timberwolves’ President David Kahn bound for Spain this week, some feel the trip isn’t necessarily to bring Ricky Rubio back to Minnesota.
One insider tells RealGM’s Alex Kennedy that Kahn could be working out a scenario where Rubio would be dealt to the New York Knicks.
“The Knicks have closed off negotiations with all free agent point guards until next week. I think they’re making a push for Rubio and if that fails, then they’ll reopen talks with their other options,” says the source.
“Kahn and [Knicks' President] Donnie Walsh are close and New York is looking for a cheap point guard who could help attract free agents next summer. Rubio fits that mold. I think that’s what this latest trip to Spain is about, working something out with New York.”
The Knicks have been in talks with multiple free agent point guards, most notably Ramon Sessions….”
Speaking of Sessions, Hahn says Walsh has drawn a line in the sand.
We know Rubio has been the target all along so we’ll have to see if this report has any merritt. It seems like his buyout situation shouldn’t be as difficult as it’s being made out to be.
To me, any discussions still come down to who the Wolves would want from our roster and that has to start with Wilson Chandler.
Update: Not so fast, according to hoopsworld:
“…After trying to verify reports that Ricky Rubio will be staying with JKV Joventut HOOPSWOLRD has learned that Rubio will not be playing with the team next year and that he’s still working towards joining the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rubio’s desire to stay with Joventut is overstated as he is ready to make his NBA debut. However, he’s currently staying open to the idea of returning in order to help decrease the buyout of his contract. Prior to June 30th Rubio’s buyout was 4.75 million Euros ($6.6 million), but now it has jumped up to 5.75 million Euro ($8.08 million). The significant increase has made the buyout issue even more difficult, causing Rubio to say the following to a Spanish website…
…Sources tell HOOPSWORLD that Rubio is looking to get the buyout down to $4 million, which he would sign off on today if it was on the table. For now though progress is being made as the buyout price is coming down, but both sides still remain a ways apart. While Rubio may be threatening to just show up to training camp for Joventut, he really wants to be in the NBA and if they can get the buyout amount close to the $4 million mark that’s where he will be… “
Ricky Rubio news straight from DKV Joventut’s official twitter account
“After endless comings and goings, Ricky Rubio is finally where he is. After many speculations about its future, the player decided to put an end to the issue of their transfer and will be announced at DKV Joventut, where he still has two more years of contract.
Pass out to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Real Madrid, Rubio said after a talk with his father concluded that it is best to close this chapter of back and forth about their future and stay at their current club.
The problem is that the base could spend next season watching the games from the stands as in Penya no intention to take this into account as part of the template (and signed Mario Fernandez and Kristaps Valters covering his post).
But Rubio is not intimidated. Makes clear that continuity within the institution virtually assured, the arrival of Fernandez and Valters only motivates him more to fight for the post: “At first I interpreted it as a sign that they did not want to continue on the team next season and now it seems clear that I am, I welcome the competition. The Hague is a good thing because it will help me to improve and continue to grow as a player. “
I guess the letter from Mad Dog Madsen didn’t work so well…
“…We have interest,” Walsh told The Post. “I’m looking into it. He played well for us [last year]. He’s a pro.”
In fact, after watching yesterday’s second straight summer-league loss, a horrible 96-73 defeat to the Pistons, Walsh is bolting Las Vegas today with too much on his plate, including the Carlos Boozer and Andre Miller sweepstakes. Walsh said he will not be able to get enough done in Vegas and wants to be in his Manhattan offices.
Thomas, from northern Jersey, was obtained last November in the Zach Randolph deal and averaged nine points on 46 percent shooting in 21 minutes. At the trade deadline, Walsh shipped Thomas to Chicago for Larry Hughes and regretted it, as Thomas was missed on both ends. After seeing the rawness of first-round pick Jordan Hill, Thomas may have become more appealing.
Walsh said he still is trying to be a player in the Boozer sweepstakes — with the inclusion of David Lee in a sign-and-trade a key to any deal. Walsh realizes a problem is Lee being a base-compensation player, which complicates any sign-and-trade deal with Utah.
According to a league source, New York is one of Boozer’s preferred destinations. Utah is trying to save money and offering up Cuttino Mobley’s expiring contract with insurance covering a portion of it is a possibility.
Walsh also appears close to making Sixers point guard Andre Miller a formal offer for the one-year, $5.8 million midlevel exception, feeling there is a chance of stealing him. The Sixers will not offer Miller more than a one-year deal…”
Chris talked about this the other day, and I think Thomas is a last option if no other players are attainable. Tim will most certainly be available for a while…
Sounds like Miami has serious interest in Carlos Boozer.
And apparently, Ricky Rubio is starting to warm up to the idea of Minnesota, and if so, it will just be a matter of time before the Flynn/Ricky experiment fails.
Good for Minnesota GM David Kahn. He knows what he’s doing.
Honestly, I really believe he does in his own mind.
After befuddling all the members of the media, and probably every front office in the NBA when he decided to select both Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn on draft night, the guy is sticking to his guns that he made the right decision. Why that is, I have no idea.
All the guy had to do was draft a pure point guard then either Stephen Curry, or Demar DeRozan. Heck, even moving down for Gerald Henderson seemed logical. What a better way to start your new regime than with a shiny new backcourt?
But inexplicably, the guy hedged his own bet and in the process infuriated his first pick, Ricky Rubio and his camp.
Clearly, Kahn had no visions of the guy wearing a Wolves uniform. The play he made was to try and draw the best possible offer from the highest bidder.
I caught his interview with ESPN’s Henry Abbott and I have to say, it’s left me more befuddled than before.
“…TH: One of the things that I found surprising was that the day before the draft, Ricky Rubio told us that he was coming to the NBA no matter what happened with his buyout. The first person I heard suggesting that his buyout could be a big obstacle was you, on TV on draft night.
DK: His agent had informed us that day that he might have to play overseas because of the buyout. I just wanted to be clear that we are the kind of team that can afford to wait.
TH: Shortly after you made the picks, I talked to people in front offices for a lot of other teams, and none of them could fathom that your plan would really be to play Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn together.
DK: I’m not a person who believes that every player is neatly packaged and fits with other players only in certain ways. I’m not to hard-headed. I think there are lots of different ways players can fit together. … And this notion that we have to play them together for 48 minutes, I don’t expect that’s what we’d do. Ultimately, we will have a coach here who will figure out how to best play our players together. And as for people from other teams telling you this, isn’t that a little like me telling you what I think the Toronto Raptors are going to do?
TH: Ricky Rubio didn’t come to Minnesota to meet ‘Wolves fans, there has been more talk he might play overseas. The people I talked to seem to think that has a lot to do with the presence of Flynn, but not much to do with the buyout, which is seen as something of a red herring, as lots of parties would have an interest in paying that off.
DK: You presume he hasn’t been here to visit. … And as for the suggestion that Flynn being here is a problem, I haven’t been told that.
TH: What is the state of his buyout?
DK: I don’t know. We’re not running the point on that. It’s really a question for Dan Fegan.
TH: What about the state of relations between the Rubios and the Timberwolves?
DK: The buyout comes first, right? Not too much can happen until that’s taken care of.
TH: Have you been getting a lot of offers for Ricky Rubio?
DK: A lot the week of the draft, yes. But we have stated our position that we are not interested in trading him, and the offers have slowed right down.
TH: What about the idea that the buyout is a red herring?
DK: Does $5.7 million seem like no big deal to you? $5.7 million is nothing to sneeze at.
DK: Your questions are legitimate, but a lot of them are about atmospherics. Right now we’re in a stage where Ricky and his family have to figure out what makes sense for them.
TH: What’s your best guess as to what’s next?
DK: It’s very fluid. It’s going to be topsy-turvy for some time. We knew stepping into this that it would be a little fuzzy. But there is no concern in my mind about how things have gone so far. He has a significant buyout, and they’re sorting through that now.
TH: From reading online, it seems like there has been a lot of excitement among Timberwolves fans. People want to see Ricky Rubio in a Timberwolves uniform. To the extent you do consider trade offers, does this fan reaction drive the price up? If maybe on draft night you would have considered taking player X, do you now want players X and Y?
DK: The politicians always say that you shouldn’t answer hypotheticals. I’m going to be like Barack Obama on this one. … The likeliest scenario by far is that Ricky Rubio will be in a Timberwolves uniform. Now, I have always couched my comments on that topic just in case someone floors us with some offer. But I’m highly skeptical that someone will floor us…”
If Kahn can manage his own expectations he’ll know that being “floored” by an offer will never happen. The Chargers wanted Osi Umenyiora in a package for Eli Manning, they got the rights to Philip Rivers and picks. Surely, the offers for Rubio will include this year’s pick as the Wolves want a young, cheap, talented player in return. But you’d have to think that Wilson Chandler, already established in this league and another pick (2012?) is more than fair.
Either way, this is a poor way to begin the regime in Minnesota, but Kahn has created the hole and he has to see it as just that- a hole. Because hanging on to the kid isn’t the smartest of options. Not when they have someone playing his position and you’d have to move one of them at a later date. Face it, best case scenario, which always has to be in plain sight in any business plan, is that both Flynn and Rubio play great. Two point guards don’t work. Ask Mark Jackson and Rod Strickland. One will be pissed and the other will be more pissed. How’d Mark, the reigning Rookie of the Year feel, when the Knicks brass brought in Hot Rod? How’d that work out?
The game is the game. Two young point guards don’t work. End of story.
It’s the same patience he’s must have learned in meeting after meeting with Donnie Walsh, and in fairness, it’s a great quality.
But, let’s be fair, the idea is not to be patient because of a situation you needlessly got your franchise into to begin with. I’ve seen this story before, as other Knick fans did, and it didn’t turn out well.
So as Grant Hill prepares to visit the Knicks and see if the Celts are more serious 
about he or Rasheed Wallace, the Knicks will be hoping that the former Duke star signs here. At least you’d have to figure.
Sure, Hill brings professionalism and experience to the locker room. He also represents someone who can provide leadership to younger players in the locker room.
And again, I believe if he were to sign here and find himself once again in Coach D’Antoni’s system, it would create an opportunity to deal either Al Harrington or Wilson Chandler for you know who.
I’ve heard why people don’t think Minnesota would want Harrington, seeing that he’s an unrestricted free agent at year’s end and all. But, to me, that’s exactly why they should trade for him. If the Knicks also included Nate Robinson (should he not sign elsewhere) with Big Al, the Wolves will have two chances to secure legit, productive NBA players for one rookie.
That’s what they need right now. Players who can contribute to what they are building. They are under the cap, and for what? A key 2010 free agent? Nope. Ultimately, their target should be a perimeter player who can post up and who can create matchup problems for opponents. Seriously, the Wolves have to target a 1B free agent who can produce and I believe that’s Harrington. They can give him everything he needs, a starting spot, shots, and the ability to be one of the team’s two “go-to” guys. There’s a reason why Al has made his way around the league and has been productive wherever he’s been. It’s because small market teams acquire guys like Harrington because he’s attainable. He costs too much for a good team, and he’s just right, financially, for his production on a bad one.
Of course, the safest play for the Wolves would be to bring in a young stallion like Chandler who can cheaply step in and start right away.
Sure, it’s a long shot because next year you’d have to think the teams that sat back and conserved this year will have the itch to spend next year. But that, like everything else, is uncertain. If Al wants to be a Knick long term for far less money then you can’t make any deal with him because he can always come right back and no team would risk that happening. But why wouldn’t Al stay in Minnesota where they will offer him good money if he produces there?
With Ricky Rubio’s value at an all-time high, why on earth wouldn’t the Wolves look to add two legitimate NBA pieces to their rotation when they still have Jonny Flynn ready to take the keys?
You’d have to figure, based on the roster, that if the Knicks are serious in signing Hill, they must be pretty serious in getting ready to move another one of their forwards.
It just seems to make sense.
According to the Pioneer Press, Rick Rubio is prepared to stay overseas, 
making the choice of drafting Jonny Flynn a huge mistake for David Kahn.
The report was that Rubio was content with the Wolves for about 4 minutes until the drafted Flynn, leading to Rubio’s disgust with Minnesota.
“…The Minnesota Timberwolves’ top draft pick, Ricky Rubio, 18, will remain in Spain to play for his DKV Joventut basketball team for the remaining two years of his contract rather than try to move to the NBA this season, El Periodico reported today. The Barcelona newspaper also says Rubio, who was paid $97,000 last season, plans to withdraw his contract lawsuit against DKV Joventut…”
So let’s see, Rubio is going to stay with his old team? This smells like yet another play for Rubio. Dropping the lawsuit is an interesting turn of events and one that I am shocked at. How could the Wolves NOT try him soon and get for him while his value is so high? How can they let him sit overseas?
Because we here at TKB are men of the people, I received an email from Gym Rat Barnaby who requested that I create a post for possible trade thoughts.
I agree, and I’ll start. We know that Rubio is still in play, Kidd or no Kidd, Nash or no Nash (the latter seems to be destined to stay in the land of the Sun), so I’ve been thinking of who could be the piece(s) that Minnesota would want.
If Wilson Chandler is indeed out of play, I think it could be a combination of Al Harrington and Nate Robinson to Minny-HAHA for Rubio and maybe Ryan Gomes, figuring the Wolves would want the Knicks to take back a contract.
Because the Wolves are under the cap, it could be Al Harrington straight up, especially considering that the Knicks are trying to snag Grant Hill. That’s what my gut is telling me. Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted on BT’s show today that the Celts are trying to land Hill as well.
I could see Donnie trading away his favorite son in Harrington and the Wolves surely needs some pop from the perimeter.
I think what the Wolves would want most out of a deal with Rubio are NBA contributors,which are what Nate and Harrington are. Plus Harrington is a “good” contract. There are many things that need to sort themselves out over the next few months, but as the season approaches I’d think that David Kahn would have to pull the trigger.
Curious to hear what you guy’s think and what you’d do if you were the GM.
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