6 pts, 6 rebs, and 7 assts in 23 minutes is pretty impressive. I wonder how good the Wolves will be this year. They should be more fun to watch.
I know it's not a fair thing to do, but if you take those numbers at a per 36 minute clip, it would be a triple double territory
I watched the game: he looked comfortable. But actually Barea looked more impressive - he's actually a good player, despite obviously being part oompa-loompa. Derrick Williams was a bit too fond of the 3-pointer. But then, so are Love and Tolliver - it's obviously a strategy. Prediction: Anthony Randolph will be out of the league in very short order. He was worse than Bonzi Wells. He can't hang on to the ball and just looks totally out of it. He got yanked very quickly.
Rubio will be guarded more in his face when scouts confirm he can't shoot. He should enjoy his rookie assists honeymoon while it lasts.
I think with a teacher like Adelman, Rubio and Love, (and Williams, and Beasley, etc.) are all going to have a pretty good shot at developing into really good players. Defensively I expect that team to be a mess, but if assuming he can get those young guys to live up their potential on the offensive side of the ball and then hopefully have assistants and maybe some defensive specialists keep them accountable on the defensive side I think that team could be pretty good. I know most of you scoff at the notion of a good Wolves team, especially with "Kaaaaaahhhhhhhnnnnnnn!" at the controls, but they've got some pretty good pieces in place and now a coach who will figure out how best to use them.
For his first game in the NBA and considering the minutes played, that was actually a really impressive stat line. It's worth noting that even though it feels like he's been around (and hyped to various extents) "forever," he's still only 21. Younger than many draft picks from this past draft.
You mean like Sergio? His rookie honeymoon lasted about two and a half months. The Denver game on 1/14/07 was the best game of his four year NBA career. It was also the first time in his career he'd played over 30 minutes in a game. It got the attention of opposing scouts and gave them plenty of tape to study. NBA defenses realized all you had to do was play off him and overplay the passing lanes. Sergio never adjusted and never improved any of his weaknesses (poor shooting, very high turnover rate, no defense). Too one dimensional, too easy to defend = short NBA career. Will Rubio suffer a similar fate. Possibly, we'll just have to wait and see. BNM
Another overrated PG. For example, in another thread people agree that Rondo is worth 3 starters, and question only the timing of the trade. Oh brother. I've said for 2 years that Rubio is just Sergio with an extra inch of height. People answer, he's better at defense. So what. That'll make up for the opponent's advantage, defending 5 on 4 whenever Rubio's on the floor. I do agree with Nik that Adelman, the anti-Nate, makes players look better than they really are. So Rubio may pull this off. Too bad Sergio didn't have Adelman. Maybe Adelman can revive Bonzi like he did before.
Three years ago, I predicted that he would be a mix between Rondo and Kidd. The guy is a monster in the P&R. Just needs to refine his shot to keep defenses honest. Sucks that he's going to Minny, though.
I went even more overboard. I said a mix of not-quite-Magic and Not-Quite-Payton, iirc... and I would trade a lot for him.
I didn't go quite that far, but I did feel he was the best point guard prospect since Chris Paul and capable of being an NBA superstar. So would I. My expectations have lowered a bit due to his performance in Europe since being drafted, but I still think he's got some real talent.
