[GronounoursParticipant]

Rubio started his rookie season strong. Everyone knew I couldn’t shot over 50% from the field, and  is field% fell through the floor as expected, but he compensated for it with his passing ability.

Unfortunately, his passing has plummeted recently. Over his last 9 games, he’s averaging 6,3 dimes and 4,0 TO in 35 MPG. I thought that Pekovic’s rise would actually help him; after all, Pekovic shots a high % and should be easy to find under the rim.

So what’s happening? Is it just the "rookie wall"? Is he tired? Did he loose his confidence? I’m a big Rubio fan, but according to the stats, there is something going on.

What do you guys think?

[bedrock23Participant]

Ever since he moved into the starting line up he played less aggressive so I think we should just give him more time to adjust. And the reason he playing less aggressive because coming off the bench he probaly felt they needed that aggressiveness while when he starts he feels more hesitant to be aggressive.

[European BallerParticipant]

Rubio is the most overrated basketball player in history. Every single person that thinks he is something special automatically gets exposed for having a low basketball IQ.

Rubio is nothing but flash. He is total fool’s gold.

NBA fans have EXTREMELY low standards these days.

[F_DA_POParticipant]

I thought Euro Baller would think Ricky Rubio is the next Magic Johnson considering he thinks all these random euro players who can’t even play in the D-League would be stars in the league.

[butidonthavemoney]

inb4 "I knew he was going to be a bust the whole time!"

NBA seasons have always been a lot for rookies to handle. The compressed season and starter responsibilities compound this issue for Rubio. The talent is still there and his team is winning more games than expected. No need to panic.

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

Yesterday the Twolves seemed very tired…. rubio, love, pekovic (even if he always seemed out of rythm but is always effective) all seemed lacking agressiveness, toughness and missed easy shoots. But the bench and complementary players respond well : johnson, williams, ridnour, barea played great.

that’s a lonnnnng tiring season so let’s give rubio some time to adjust to the rythm and don’t jump on his back. He helps his team winning games, that’s the most important.

[larryfiskenParticipant]

 I think Rubio might be suffering from the grind of the NBA season, without a training camp and comming from Europe where they play a lot less matches. I would belive he is just tired and after the allstar weekend his numbers will go up a bit, like a lot of other player who just get some time to heal some lingering injuries, and come back rejuvenated. 

[Meditated StatesParticipant]

Teams have scouted him and play him different. Fatigue from chasing faster players around all game.

[PurpleMonkeyDishwasherParticipant]

The Wolves won last night and now have as many wins as last season as a direct result of Ricky Rubio.  Every Wolves player is playing better in large part because of him.  His game doesn’t always need to shine in the boxscore to be effective.

[GronounoursParticipant]

I do agree that Rubio has boosted the Wolves this season, but they didn’t win last night’s game thanks to him. The boxscore can be misleading, but what about 7 pts (2-7 field, 1-6 FT), 3 rbds, 6 ass, 2 stls, 6 TO, -10? That’s pretty awful. 

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

I watched the game and rubio seems to need time to adjust to nba referees. He tries to draw contact to go to the line but refs don’t respect him yet…. when he won’t be rookie anymore he will have more whistles and it will help him to be more effective.

moreover he and love seemed very tired yesterday…. lack of rythm, easy shoots missed….

[PurpleMonkeyDishwasherParticipant]

The Wolves as a team have been playing better even when Rubio isn’t on the floor due to the fact that he’s help teach them how to play winning/confident/competant team basketball.  Rubio indirectly helps theWolves win whether he’s on the bench,  making the shot or passing the ball to the shooter.  

I’m assuming you play fantasy basketball otherwise you would more concerned with the win and less consumed with stats.   

[Jean_31Participant]

One part of the problem is the wolves coach overuse his starter. A lot of game you can see Rubio, Loves and Peko playing like 45 minutes. That not good for a young player. In the same time the wolves have a very good bench. They will better let rubio play between 30 and 35 minutes and let the bench play more

[goneParticipant]

How bout give Adleman some credit

[GronounoursParticipant]

I’m concerned with the wins, and as I said I’m sure Rubio has been a big contributor to his team’s success. I live in Europe and it’s difficult for me to watch NBA games, so my question was "the scorebox tells Rubio hasn’t be playing very good lately; are stats telling the truth or not?"

Now you seem to argue that Rubio didn’t have a bad game last night and helped his team win, that somehow he’s always fantastic, which I really don’t think is correct. I’m not hating on Rubio (I like him), there’s no need to be so touchy and to defend Rubio as if I was going to sully him with my questions.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Remember, Brandon Jennings started his rookie year off SUPER strong, shooting pretty well and dropping 55 on the Warriors. When it was all said and done, he still had what you would consider a strong rookie season and his team made the play-offs. The issue was, he turned the ball over (like a rookie PG usually does) and he shot 37% from the field and three.

I think it was pretty well known that shooting was not Ricky’s strong point. He shot 31% combined FG and 3PT for Barcelona last season. So, I for one am not surprised he is shooting where he is and if he keeps it up around 37, that is kind of what one might expect of someone translating to a new league. For most players coming from other professional leagues, the first year is a huge adjustment period.

This season has a lot of people performing under where they usually would be and I have a feeling that Ricky is not immune. Still, he shows flashes that make many see a bright future in the NBA. Even if he is (I’m sorry, I have to)"the most overrated basketball player in history."

[B FreeParticipant]

 I think those stats are a little skewed….

As a starter 11.8Ppg  8.5Ast  3.5TO

Off the Bench 10.2Ppg 7.9Ast 3.3TO

February. 11.2Ppg 7.5Ast 3.6TO

He is doing almost the same thing he has all year minus about one assist a game, he just isn’t that big of a story anymore so the hype has worn off.

[PurpleMonkeyDishwasherParticipant]

Sorry man… The way I see it,  the NBA is chemistry not math.   In other words it’s in the ingredients not the numbers.  I’m not concerned with one players numbers if the team is winning the same way I don’t get overjoyed with stats when they lose.

WIZKID.. Adelmans an excellent coach but he doesn’t even consider taking the if Rubio isn’t part of the deal.  Rubio immediately played the entire 4th quarter upon entering the league.  Adelman doesn’t allow a rookie to that if he isn’t certain it’s a good idea.

 

 

[HaleParticipant]

 He’s a rookie, that’s what has happened.

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

 no Euro baller loves european player playing in europe… and starts hating them as soon as they’re nba linked… or as soon as you start loving them and try to explain him why you love him.

 

[kngojcParticipant]

 ……….. Is EuroBaller a basketball hipster….? He probably liked Rubio before he became mainstream. And those other guys don’t play in the NBA because they don’t want to conform to society. Yeah, that must be it actually.

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

 I think euroballer has a "frustrated scout" syndrome…. he loves player if they are a little bit unknown and then hate them as soon as there is some hype around them and a larger audience starts to know them.

…. he’s just a pain in the *ss…. never happy never agree always, the only holder ot THE truth (his).

[GronounoursParticipant]

I don’t understand this kind of reasoning. You can be on a winning team without playing very well. You tell me there’s more to a player than his stats; that’s right (I’ve never said I do not agree with this particular point), but there’s also more to a player than his team’s record.

I’m asking whether Rubio has slowed down, and you answer "no, can’t you see his team is winning games"? That’s not a sound argument. Pekovic is playing great, Love, Ridnour, Williams and Barrea too. BB is not tennis, the team is not about one single player.

If you could explain why exactly Rubio’s stats are misleading, I could very well agree with you. But all you say is "his team is winning".

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

This schedule creates oddities. Minnesota has played a lot of games at home, and a lot of games against the bottom of the East who don’t really want to guard anyone (not to mention veteran teams that don’t respect them and aren’t afraid to go halfway on them). It provided a soft start for Rubio. It also provided a soft start for Lin. The schedule is going to balance out, and his numbers will regress. It doesn’t change the fact that Rubio is a very good pass first point guard. He can’t shoot and will never be elite until he can, but the value of a real point guard cannot be undervalued. It just means that those holes in his game didn’t disappear overnight.

[DolanCareParticipant]

Rubio has defied expectations with his knack for game-management, and I think he will become someone who is consistently recognized as a top-PG throughout his NBA career. However, if he wants to keep those turnovers down, and the assists up he needs to maintain a reliable mid-range shot. Once defenders repect that his life will be easier

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

How many assists per game would he be averaging if he had wings who could shoot 38-43% instead of 25-30%?

I think he may be starting to lose confidence in some of those wing players and is forcing passes inside because of it. I saw that happen at least 2 times last night and has been happening more as of late.

His offensive game is still streaky, but it looks like he is definitly capable of tightening that up.

The Wolves have the 6th highest Strenght of Schedule so I dont know where BTPH is getting that idea, but right now I would say he is just getting a bit fatigued. He doesnt quite have the same explosiveness going to the rim and he isnt getting calls as often as other players in his position yet.

[European BallerParticipant]

I think Rubio might be suffering from the grind of the NBA season, without a training camp and comming from Europe where they play a lot less matches. I would belive he is just tired and after the allstar weekend his numbers will go up a bit, like a lot of other player who just get some time to heal some lingering injuries, and come back rejuvenated.

Teams in Europe play a full out practice twice a day, every day. They have a lot more court time than NBA players do. Childress said the schedule in Euroleague was much more demanding than the NBA. Add to that guys that play every sumer with their national team like Rubio…….

This "NBA is a harder schedule" is simply a myth and is untrue. The schedule of playing a domestic league, a continental league, all out two a days every day on all off days, AND national duty every summer is WAY harder than an NBA schedule is.

It would be like playing in the NBA Finals every year. Even the shorter NBA season is a breeze compared to Rubio’s workload with Barca.

[European BallerParticipant]

The Wolves won last night and now have as many wins as last season as a direct result of Ricky Rubio. Every Wolves player is playing better in large part because of him. His game doesn’t always need to shine in the boxscore to be effective.

 

So you are actually claiming that Pekovic, Love, and Adelman had nothing to do with it?

 

SERIOUSLY???

 

Pekovic has played this way his whole life. Rubio is not the cause of it. Otherwise, Acie Law was responsbile for Pekovic’s play in the Euroleague. Please don’t make me laugh.

[European BallerParticipant]

no Euro baller loves european player playing in europe… and starts hating them as soon as they’re nba linked… or as soon as you start loving them and try to explain him why you love him

 

What the hell? I said here for YEARS that Rubio was overrated. Please don’t make up lies about my posts here.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

"The Wolves have the 6th highest Strenght of Schedule so I dont know where BTPH is getting that idea, but right now I would say he is just getting a bit fatigued. He doesnt quite have the same explosiveness going to the rim and he isnt getting calls as often as other players in his position yet."

Minnesota has played the most home games in the league to date, and have yet to play a monstrous compressed season road trip. They have played 14 of their 18 interconference games and are backloaded with divisional games and conference road games. Do you not think playing home games is easier to handle than crisscrossing the country on a long road trip?

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

Good point BTPH

Would you rather play the Heat or Thunder at home or would you rather play the Hornets or Wizards on the road?

The Wolves record on the road so far is .500 so while playing on the road may be a bit tougher, its not having a huge effect, and the quality of teams isnt really a huge difference. The point made was that Rubio was playing well because of the schedule and quality of teams the Wolves have played…and they have the 6th highest strength of schedule, while that number may be skewed a bit because of their home and road games so far, its not as if they have been playing cupcakes all year.

[PurpleMonkeyDishwasherParticipant]

The Wolves have been competitive against the entire league regardless of your assumptions…  cross country flights can make the season more difficult but we are only 8 weeks in.

European baller… stay away from the bong for a while everything you say doesn’t have to be compative.  What Rubio helps create for a the Wolves is open shots and good ball movement as well instictive type plays they could never have previously made and it has rubbed off on the the rest of the team and helped them play more confidently.  I’ve said numerous times that the others have played well and Adelman is an excellent coach but if Rubio was still playing in Spain the Wolves wouldn’t be close to challenging for a playoff spot.

 

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

Rubio is a big part of the Wolves success, but Adleman is every bit as important, and there have been improvements throughout, as expected on a young team.  Rubio’s assist numbers are down partially because he looks tired from the compressed schedule, and partially because his teammates seem to blow 3-4 assists for him a night by missing unbelievably easy shots.  It often seems like if a pass isn’t to Pek or Love, it’s either fumbled or missed, even when wide open.  I’ve rarely seen a team need shooters this badly.

And by the by – how do I hate Wes Johnson!

[aamir543Participant]

I don’t think he’s hit the rookie wall, he’s just in a bit of a slump, that’s all. Unfortunatly he’ll be busy this Weekend, but hopefully he’ll get just enough rest, he’ll be fine once he adjusts to starting.

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