Draft Prospect - Ricky Rubio
by Rook6980 on Feb 13, 2009 12:03 AM EST
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Ricky Rubio
Team: DKV Joventut, Spain
Height / Weight: 6'4" / 180
Position: Point Guard
Rubio plays for DKV Joventut in the Spanish ACB and Euroleague. There have been conflicting reports as to whether Rubio will declare for the 2009 draft, or wait for another year or two. He is elligible for the 2009 draft, but he has a $9 Million Euro buy-out clause in his Spanish contract that could pose a problem.
Since he may declare, here's my draft prospect report
But first:
Ricky Rubio - Hero (via SeanWatkins)
| Athleticism | 7 | |
| Leadership | 10 | |
| Size for position | 9 | |
| Jump shot |
7 | |
| Footwork & Fundamentals |
10 | |
| Post skills | 8 | |
| Ball Handling | 10 | |
| Perimeter Defense | 9 | |
| Post Defense | 9 | |
| Help Defense | 10 | |
| Passing ability | 10 | - - I would give higher if I could |
| Speed/Quickness | 7 | |
| Basketball IQ | 10 | - - I would give higher if I could |
| Intensity level | 10 | |
Some experts are picking Rubio to be a sure thing future All Star. Others are not so sure that is game will translate to the NBA. A wrist injury has kept him out of the first two months of the EuroLeague, but I was able to watch several DKV Joventut games over the Internet last year, and although Rubio looks like Pistol Pete Maravich, he plays more like Steve Nash. Anyone that saw him play against the USA in the Olympics knows that he has NBA talent, in spades.
This kid has an unreal court sense; almost like he can see into the future.... where players will be, and when they will be there. Every time I watched him, I was reminded of the great passers in NBA history, like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and John Stockton. Rubio is able to see the whole court, see all the players and anticipate passing lanes before they actually open up. The only way I can describe it is: uncanny. As a result of his vision and anticipation, he very rarely makes mistakes; nearly always making the right decision. The few games I was able to see, he made the right pass at the right time. A true pass-first point, he didn't look to shoot much. What I did see of his jump shot indicates that he still needs work there. It's steady, but he does not have ideal form, and he shoots it more like a set shot, with little elevation. Not especially fast or quick, he's still able to get into the paint at will. One of the moves he used in all the games I watched was to drive all the way under the basket, then pass back to a cutting big man for the dunk. That happened time after time. He's also adept at passing from the perimeter, finding teammates under the rim for lay ups or for alley-oop dunks. Where he really shines though, is on the break. It's there he shows flashes of how incredibly creative he can be.
On defense, opposing Guards have to be extremely careful when Rubio is on the court. Just ask Chris Paul. He picked Chris Paul's pocket several times when Spain played the US in the Olympics. That's Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. And Post players better know where he is too. One game I watched he had 7 steals in one half of play. He did get beat a couple of times going for the steal; but when he played straight up one-on-one defense, his man did not get around him. He's quick enough laterally to keep in front of the guards in Europe; and he's long enough to contest jump shooters. He's also a pretty good rebounder for his position, as he usually helped out on the defensive boards.
Weaknesses? Well, if I have to be picky, I'd say that he's not much of an athlete. He won't be winning any slam dunk contests.
If he declares, Ricky Rubio should be considered a top pick, vying with with Blake Griffin for the top slot. As a matter of fact, I believe Griffin and Rubio are the only two players I've seen so far that have legitimate All-Star potential. And the best part of Ricky Rubio? He's been playing in Spain, in one of the best International Leagues for several years. Playing against men, some of whom are almost twice his age..... and he's STILL only 18 years old.
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impressive
his decisiveness is impressive. it seems like he knows what hes doing every time he makes a move. that and his ability to read defenses are a great combo
Those are crazy high scores
9’s on defense and 7’s on athleticism and speed?
I think not.
He deserves all the ball handling accolades – but those others? Based on what?
The kid is also not a good shooter (at all).
So imitate the action of the tiger!
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favoured rage.
- lend the eye a terrible aspect,
Now set the teeth - and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Feb 28, 2009 2:14 PM EST up reply actions
S I C K!
I just watched that play like 25 times
RR has an incredible feel for the game ala Magic, Bird, Maravich. Seems like he’s mentally 2-3 steps ahead of everybody else on the court. Then again it did seem he turned the ball over quite often in the Olympics. It’s will be worth the $9mil buyout just to see him make LaCrabdribble drop his jockstrap a few times a year. Kinda like AI did to Jordan his rookie year when he crossed him up something nasty and stuck a 20 footer in MJs eyeballs. Still my favorite AI play of all time.
by 7Swords of Salat on Feb 13, 2009 9:39 AM EST up reply actions
obviously I don't really know anything
but I’d take this kid over Blake Griffin any day. Sure, Blake Griffin is a high intensity, scrappy guy but Rubio is special. He has the pass first mentality that we need and I feel like his game can only get better as he grows older.
rockin' the crab dribble since 2009
Same Question That I Have With Ramon Sessions
If we get this kid, what is his future role with this team? Do we move Gilbert over to SG?
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
Exactly
Blake Griffin is almost a perfect fit for the Wizards because they don’t have that big, strong inside presence. He rebounds on both ends of the floor. He’s coachable, and he’s a work horse.
The Wizards already have an All-Star PG, and a young, talented backup.
But Rubio – he’s special. Whoever picks this kid is getting a superstar. A real “Franchise” player, with a capital F. One scout said it best when he said: “Think of Larry Bird as a Point Guard”. It’s almost a perfect example. He’s not the most athletic guy on the court – he’s just better than everyone else. He’ll kill you in the clutch. He’s an intense competitor, and a natural leader. Add all that to sick ball handling, tremendous court vision and unbelievable passing skills – and you’ve got a very unusual talent and a special, special player.
If you have a chance, you have to watch some of DKV Joventut’s games on the Internet. (I’ll try to remember the URL where I saw the games, and post it here). The last one I saw was a few weeks ago; and it was Rubio’s first game back after his wrist injury. He was still favoring his left wrist, and didn’t use it much – but I saw him do a cross-over move, using only his right hand !!! Left the opponent with broken ankles with ONE HAND..
Unfortunately – there’s a chance that he won’t declare for this year’s draft… but I could envision a dream scenario where Ernie would draft Rubio and allow him to remain in Spain for a year or two (until his contract runs out); like he did with Juan Carlos Navarro. That would allow the Wizards to keep their 1st Round pick, without affecting the Salary Cap or Luxury Tax for next year.
Oh – and by the way. I found the link for the games:
www.euroleague.net
There’s a link on the right hand side for EuroLeague TV – I paid like $8 bucks per game to watch.
I’m sure there are “free” ways to watch – (although they may not be entirely legal sites….) – But the quality of the EuroLeague TV site is very good… and they use English speaking announcers.
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
I've always been a sucker for PG's like Rubio.
Combos guards are great but give me a PG that can conduct the orchestra and score a little bit (or a lot as is the case with Deron Williams, Tony Parker and Chris Paul) and I would be a happy man. To me its as important to find a PG who can really run an NBA offense than it is to find a franchise big man.
I have long been advocate of getting a real PG and moving Gilbert to the 2. So I would in favor of the Wizards picking Rubio. Gilbert needs to move to the 2 because even when he was healthy they weren’t winning the title with him as the PG because he doesn’t conduct the orchestra well enough to do so. Sure Gilbert gets assists but there was a lot of time where he would up his usage and the offense would get out of sync as a result. Gilbert can be a 2 guard that brings the ball up here and there on a title contending team.
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Feb 13, 2009 12:11 PM EST up reply actions
Another Thing
He reminds me too much of Juan Carlos Navarro – very talented Spanish guard, high contract buyout, unclear on his intentions of playing in the NBA. What if he comes for one season, doesn’t like our culture, doesn’t like our food, doesn’t like his small rookie salary, and decides to bolt back to Europe after the season? Do we really want to risk a high first round pick on someone who might not even stay in the NBA?
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
This kid is NO JCN
For one thing, JCN was a snake. An underhanded slime that worked with his agent to pick and chose which team he would play for. For another thing, JCN doesn’t have half the talent that Rubio does. And finally, unlike JCN, Rubio wants to play in the best league in the world – and he has said that time and again.
Rubio would make approximately $3.5 – $4.5 Million in he first year of his Rookie deal. Right now, he’s getting paid a paltry $500K (approx)…… Even though he’s a star, DKV Joventut signed him when he was very young…. and they have never re-negotiated his contract. So, Rubio sees other players in the EuroLeague, making more money on less talent….. and many of his teammates have gone on to the NBA (Marc Gasol, Rudy Fernandez)….and had success.
Trust me, this is NOT another JCN situation.
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
If That is the Case
Rubio would make approximately $3.5 – $4.5 Million in he first year of his Rookie deal. Right now, he’s getting paid a paltry $500K (approx)…… Even though he’s a star, DKV Joventut signed him when he was very young…. and they have never re-negotiated his contract. So, Rubio sees other players in the EuroLeague, making more money on less talent….. and many of his teammates have gone on to the NBA (Marc Gasol, Rudy Fernandez)….and had success.
Why doesn’t Rubio come out this year? It would seem the most logical move, if his goal is playing in the NBA and making more money. This is a very weak draft class, and by coming out now, he’ll almost assure himself of a #1 or #2 pick. Yet he is unclear about his intentions, hence the “conflicting reports” of him declaring for the draft.
I’ll agree with you that talent-wise, Rubio looks like he has much more than JCN. Yet I still worry about how he’ll handle his situation in the NBA. If he is that good, then might he try to also pick and choose his team? Perhaps that is why he is hesitating on declaring for the draft? Maybe he doesn’t want to be drafted by the Wizards, Clippers, or T-Wolves? If he waits until next season, he’ll only get drafter lower, if anything. Which will mean less money, but also a chance to play for a better team. I just don’t like the way this smells. The kid needs to either “shit or get off the pot”, to quote Phil Jackson.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
I take that back...
Draft the kid, what the hell do we have to lose, last time i checked we had 11 wins with $111 million star on the bench with an uncertain knee, starting center out, aging jamison who will have aged an additional 2 years because of all the playing time this year, unproven young guys, yada yada yada. Draft the kid and let him grow with McGee, Blatche and Young, we can only get better. If he stinks then we just put him in the Darko column and move on to another mediocre, shitty season barely making the playoffs with a near or sub .500 record only to be ousted in the first round. I don’t want to make the playoffs with a .500 record or a few games over, ultimately to be dispatched by the better teams. I’d rather miss the playoffs and not be dissapointed, and wait till we have a bunch of SILLYS on the bench who know how to play. For some reason I feel like I’ve seen this story before and it pisses me off!
He sounds pretty special
I would take the risk on him. Griffin is great, but I feel like that sort of player comes around more often. There aren’t as many elite PG’s out there, and it is very clear that an elite PG has a greater impact on the game than an elite forward. Translation: He seems like he could help us win more. Get him.
In my mind, it's a toss up
Blake Griffin provides EVERYTHING the Wizards lack… in a big man. He’s gonna be a double-double guy for a long, long time. Think David Lee, except better defensively.
On the other hand, players like Rubio don’t come along very often. He’s not super athletic, but I don’t really think that’s much of a detriment. His only real drawbacks are that:
1. He’s extremely young (can he hold up to the NBA pressure?)
I think he can. He’s been playing Professionally, with older, bigger and more experienced men for 4 years.
2. He’s playing in Europe. Granted, it’s the EuroLeague…. but how does that translate to the NBA.
A legitimate argument in my mind.
Other than that, there’s the fact that the Wizards don’t need a PG.
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
Let's just hope we are so lucky
To have the chance to pick either of them. If we somehow are able to choose between the two, it will be the best problem the Wiz have ever had.
Right now I am leaning toward Blake but its fluid and subject to change.
euroleague
if you can succeed in the euroleague, i see no reason why you couldnt succeed in the nba. the euroleague is very good basketball. a lot of former nba players, and future nba players.
No question...
Rubio is the real deal. He and Gil together would make a devastating backcourt for the Wizards, assuming Gil comes back strong (which is essential regardless). And IF we draft Rubio, then we suddenly have the possibilities of moving Young to any of a number of teams that need an offense-minded 2-guard. Assuming Blatche continues to develop and Haywood comes back strong, we actually would look pretty solid up front… so, yes, Rubio would rate a pick ahead of Griffin.
If Rubio is not available in the June draft, the equation changes considerably. Assuming we are in a position to pick Griffin, we could either pick him as a keeper (there is no downshide here) or consider the possbility of trading or the pick to, say, the Thunder for Wilcox or the Grizzlies for Warrick and a number 4-5 pick. We could then pick Stephen Curry, who is going to be a lights out (or dagger throwing) 3-point threat, reagrdless of his sightness or lack of athleticism.
The Wizards, I believe, could be a very, very good team next year, provided the original “Big 3”are back and we add either Rubio, Griffin or a combination of Warrick or Wilcox and Curry to a balanced and (by then) completely NBA game-experienced cast that would logically include Haywood, Blatche, McGee, Young, Stevenson, Crittenten, Songaila and McGuire. This is a line-up that could average 102-103 points a game (with several 120+ efforts within reach) and still have the defensive capacity to keep opponents in the 98-100 point range.
We shall see.
If we have the good fortune to get Griffin
We have to keep him. No way I trade away his potential for Wilcox/Curry package.
I'm a little worried
that he’s only good because of a freak injury he suffered. The Wizards are desparate and draft him and he befriends Gary Busey who is playing the part of Gilbert Arenas. Rubio leads the Wizards to the NBA championship, but during the series another freak injury robs him of his talent. But thanks to the infamous “hidden ball” trick, he leads the Wizards to a victory anyways.
by Aldo on Feb 13, 2009 11:47 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
Olympics
LIke Rook said, Rubio’s performance in the Olympics convinced pretty much everyone, including NBA folks, that he can play.
As for the debate over whether the Wizards need a PG, well…the kid is young. He doesn’t have to come in and start immediately, and I’d even say that maybe he shouldn’t (though rookie guards who’ve started this year have done pretty well). And I hate to bring this up, but while it’s true we have Arenas, I’m not sure the team can be all that confident of how much he’ll be playing 2-3 years from now.
And while we’re referencing movies, Rubi-oooooooooooooooooooo
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
I’m drooling at the idea of Rubio on the Wizards, though I hope he doesn’t pick up our bad defensive habits.
And if he doesn't declare this year...
I’d almost be willing to watch the Wizards tank another season…almost.
I don't think so
both Rubio and Griffin look like big hussle guys.
rockin' the crab dribble since 2009
Anyone see Griffin Today
43 points and 23 boards against Texas Tech. Thabeet also had a ridiculous game, 25 points, 20 rebounds and 9 blocks. Even though they didn’t play the best competition (Texas Tech and Seton Hall) it was a great showing for both. Too bad I didn’t have the games recorded, as I only watched highlights, being Valentines day and all. Anyone have a chance to watch more thoroughly?
Speaking of ridiculous
DeJuan Blair tonight vs. UConn: 22 points, 23 rebounds, hurt Thabeet’s shoulder then whooped him the rest of the game. He’s a man, and Levance Fields has some major-league cojones!
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Feb 16, 2009 9:18 PM EST up reply actions
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