Time to talk about Ricky Rubio

Rubio is a very underrated, consistently above average starter (placing 9th, 11th, 5th, and 16th among point guards in ESPN’s RPM the last four years). I think the T-Wolves will trade him and draft a point guard on the same time-frame as KAT (they have to be close to admitting defeat with Dunn, who was old for a rookie). Hopefully the T-Wolves will find a floor spacing 4 in the offseason who can create a three man big rotation with KAT and Dieng. I could see Thibs making a poor decision and overpaying Derrick Rose.

If the Pelicans decide the market for Holiday in the offseason is too rich, Rubio could be a great fit if they can find some shooters to put around them. Rubio could also form a nice three guard rotation with Harris and Murray on the Nuggets.

 I could see Sacto making a run at Rubio. The Kings used to really like him. Maybe they still do.

Sacto could trade either their pick or the Pelicans’ pick (plus contracts) for Rubio.

What about Rubio plus Shabazz Muhammad (and another contract) for Rudy Gay, the Kings pick, and Koufos?

if the T Wolves like Dunn then they can run with him as their lead guard and then use their own pick and the King’s/Pelicans pick on another wing guy and a big to put next to KAT.

OR they pick up Kentucky’s backcourt of Fox and Monk while using Dunn and LaVine off the bench.

they can then have a smaller frontcourt of Wiggins, Rudy Gay, and Towns. If they get Koufos he is a solid defender who can rebound at a fairly high rate.  

 I feel at this point, you have to keep rubio. Especially if they somehow sneak into the playoffs. Dunn seems like an Avery Bradley where he’s better off at the 2. Tyus has been a solid role player.  But with bazz contract up, they’ll need some bench help. Whether that’s lavine, resigning buzz, or something else.  Also, I’d like to see them continue to roll with belly more. Start him at the 4 and move dieng to a more natural stretch 5 off the bench.  If it doesn’t work, at least now you know what you have in him.  

 I’ve always thought that Rubio was getting a bad rap. Now granted he isn’t on a Westbrook Chris Paul Curry level . But it’s not like he’s total trash. IMO Minny has enough scorers . Katt Wiggins Lavine Muhammad. All Rubio has to do is distribute. Yes his jump shot has room to improve. But if Minny is going to go to the next level , it’s not going to be because of Rubio. It’s going to be because Katt Wiggins and Lavine become all stars. 

 I’ve always thought that Rubio was getting a bad rap. Now granted he isn’t on a Westbrook Chris Paul Curry level . But it’s not like he’s total trash. IMO Minny has enough scorers . Katt Wiggins Lavine Muhammad. All Rubio has to do is distribute. Yes his jump shot has room to improve. But if Minny is going to go to the next level , it’s not going to be because of Rubio. It’s going to be because Katt Wiggins and Lavine become all stars. 

 I’ve always thought that Rubio was getting a bad rap. Now granted he isn’t on a Westbrook Chris Paul Curry level . But it’s not like he’s total trash. IMO Minny has enough scorers . Katt Wiggins Lavine Muhammad. All Rubio has to do is distribute. Yes his jump shot has room to improve. But if Minny is going to go to the next level , it’s not going to be because of Rubio. It’s going to be because Katt Wiggins and Lavine become all stars. 

The talk around Minny was that the Wolves were looking for a "bridge guard" back in a trade for Rubio. He seems like the ideal bridge guard to me.

Rubio is what he is at this point – an average at best starting PG. If we rank PGs in the NBA, he falls somewhere in the 16-20 range. 

He has moments every season where he plays incredibly well but there is still a ceiling with him as a team’s starting point guard becaue he has to do everything else at an elite level to compensate for his lack of shooting. He’s terrific defensively and he’s great at finding teammates. We know this. 

I still think it’s fair to wonder how he’d fair in a playoff setting where the game slows down and teams actually gameplan. I tend to think he’d struggle because teams would go the extra mile on the not guarding him thing and force him to hit shot after shot. 

With that in mind, I still wouldn’t trade him for nothing if I’m running the Wolves. Keep him. If you can draft one of those stud PGs in the upcoming draft, do it and let them develop at their own pace while Rubio serves the role of "bridge guard"

I think the bigger issue is that Dunn hasn’t looked good at all. I don’t want to give up on him…but he’s yet to show a lick of offensive chops. Might just be a Tony Allen type player. 

He played pretty well in Jan., even better in Feb. and is really off to a good start in March. Let’s see if he can keep up this pace for an extended stretch. I’ve always liked his game, but felt his offensive abilities really limited him. Now he’s playing a lot better, and if he can keep that up, he might be a long term piece for Minn.

They’re not going anywhere anytime soon, and don’t have a better option at PG, so might as well stick with him for a while and see of it’s legit. I think if he finishes out the season playing like he is right now, they start to view his long-term viability in Minn differently.

 Ricky Rubio’s load has been that Minnesota skipped picking Curry and that fact has pursued Ricky in his NBA career. People keep forgetting that Minnesota had two consecutive picks and drafted Jonny Flynn right after Ricky (still one pick ahead of Steph). 

As a matter of fact, if they had picked Ricky+Steph… That combination of PG covers the whole skillset for the PG position.