What made this particular game more noteworthy than the previous times
we saw him was Rubio's willingness to put Joventut on his back and
carry them with his scoring. With the shot-clock running down, Rubio
put his ball-handling skills on full display, slashing apart the
defense with a beautiful crossover and finishing strong around the
basket in traffic, sometimes with a nifty floater. Unable to use his
right hand for the first few weeks following his wrist injury, Rubio
has improved his ability to create with his left, which has made him a
more dangerous player. One NBA scout we spoke to after the game
astutely pointed out that Rubio could develop into an even better
scorer in the NBA than he is here, as the improved spacing and strict
rules about hand-checking on the perimeter will greatly favor his style
of play.
Rubio's perimeter shooting remains very much a concern, as highlighted
by the 0-4 he shot in this particular game. He is shooting 42% from
beyond the arc on the season thus far, but that's on a very small
sample size (8/19). His mechanics still look poor, and he's especially
dreadful shooting the ball off the dribble—which is a big reason why he
was forced to pass the ball in the game's decisive possession
(resulting in two free throws for Eduardo Hernandez Sonseca, one of
which he fatally missed) rather than try to score himself. Rubio has
become fairly decent spotting up with his feet set, but NBA scouts will
want to see more to be totally convinced.
A part of his game we've discussed time after time, but continue to
take great delight in, is his uncanny knack for getting in the passing
lanes. Needless to say, Rubio leads the ACB in this category
at 3 steals per-40. One of the most fun parts of seeing Rubio perform
is watching him off the ball defensively. As the opposition moves the
ball around the court, you can see Rubio anticipating their next move,
closing down angles just as a pass is about to be made, pouncing at
just the right moment, getting his long arms on the ball to create the
deflection, and taking the ball the other way. At one point he had
three consecutive steals in three possessions, all of which finished
with a basket for his team—highlighting the way he can change the
complexion of a game in his own unique way.
Speaking of which, you're going to find a lot of differing opinions
about Rubio's ability to translate his style of play to the NBA. Some
scouts still question his athleticism and perimeter shooting, with one
GM we spoke to recently going as far as to say that he would “never
draft a white guy.” Another NBA scout pointed out his incredible
natural talent and basketball IQ, saying that “it's impossible for a
player this smart not to end up being successful.”
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Rubio's Custom-made Shoes / ACB.com |
The news out of Spain last month was that Rubio's team DKV Joventut had
unilaterally decided to double his salary on the year, from 80,000 Euro
to 160,000. This is obviously an attempt to get his pay closer in line
with what his value is to the team, as he's clearly their most
important player. There's been some talk that Rubio's contract would
not hold up in court if challenged, as a 6 million Euro buyout is
obviously not proportionate to an 80,000 Euro contract. It's highly
unlikely that it would get to that, though.
According to David Carro, the Spanish partner of Rubio's NBA agent, Dan
Fegan, who we spoke with here at the Copa del Rey, there is “still a
chance that Rubio could find his way into this year's draft.”
Negotiations are reportedly underway to lower his buyout to more
manageable proportions, possibly 3-4 million Euro. A solution could
come as early as “this month” Carro told us, and in that case, Rubio
would be able to afford getting out of his contract if he were to be “a
top-3 pick” (which he very likely is), as long as he could pay off the
buyout over the course of his rookie deal. Asked why Joventut would
have any reason to even negotiate considering the leverage they hold in
this situation, Carro responded that Rubio is the “image of the team”
and that they “would not want to have a mad player.”
Obviously the door has yet to be completely closed on Ricky Rubio and this year's NBA draft, so we'll have to stay tuned.
[Read Full Article]
Blogging Through Europe 2008 (Part Five: Spain)
December 13, 2008Having
sat out the entire season thus far, besides a short 2-minute spurt last
weekend in the ACB, this obviously wasn’t the best time to evaluate Ricky Rubio’s
progress. Regardless, there were a couple of things to take away from
watching him play (briefly) against Rome and in practice the following
day.
-His impact extends far beyond his ability to score:
We always knew this, but watching him play with only one hand (in
practice it was almost painful to watch him shoot two-handed layups,
air-ball mid-range jumpers and brick free throws) only amplified this
point. Rubio got his hands on every ball even remotely in his area in
the game we saw the moment he stepped out on the court—causing
deflections and turnovers on a couple of occasions. His knack for
getting in the passing lanes is nothing short of amazing, and he’s an
absolute nuisance playing defense on the ball.
In addition, he was able to display his terrific court vision
repeatedly, as he is simply unable to score with his right hand being
in the shape it’s currently in. He was able to beat Brandon Jennings
off the dribble badly on two separate occasions, and repeatedly
delivered incredibly creative passes to teammates that surprised even
them based on the way they reacted. They apparently either didn’t
understand his brilliance or just aren’t used to being fed that way. A
play at the end of the first half did a great job demonstrating his
outstanding instincts—as he corralled a rebound with about two seconds
remaining, and immediately whipped a full-court outlet pass to a
streaking teammate for an easy layup just as time expired.
-He’s a natural born leader, and extremely likable on top of that
The moment Rubio came into the game, he immediately began directing
traffic and instructing them where to go. In practice, he quietly
demonstrates to players close to twice his age where they should be on
the floor in a certain set or drill. During shoot-around, he jokes
around in English with the foreigners, and in Spanish with the local
players. As they are going through a certain drill—the team runs until
Coach Alonso claps, at which point the players must begin to
sprint—Rubio shows his playful side by clapping himself mid-stride,
which the players must have seen before, as no one fell for it. He has
a special quality about him, there is no doubt about it, and it’s
pretty obvious that he’s extremely well-liked by his teammates. The
fact that he’s even playing right now is a testament to how much he
wants to help his team win.
Even prior to his injury, it would have taken some pretty special
circumstances to get Rubio out of his contract, which currently sports
a seven million Euro buyout.
With that in mind, and considering everything we've heard during our
time in Spain, we now expect Rubio to stay at Joventut for at least
another season, if not two, which is when his contract expires.
It's possible that Joventut decides to up Rubio"s salary from the
laughable sum of 80,000 Euro he's currently making-which probably makes
him the most under-paid player in Europe- but it's unlikely they will
shorten the contract or accept an NBA affordable buyout prior to 2011.
All things considered, why would they?
Rubio himself reportedly told Brandon Jennings (possibly in a photo
shoot for Slam magazine?) that he expects to wait until the 2010 draft,
at least according to Jennings himself.