Close, yes. But almost doesn't count. And it means a whole lot less when you got bounced from the playoffs.
I read the game comments on yahoo or somewhere last night after the T-pups lost and some of their fans were calling him 'Bricky Rubio'. Probably old news nickname-wise but it made me laugh.
the rubes are obsessing over portland over there right now, wanting to trade love for lma and wessy, and bumping all their old threads about how they were awesome and portland would suck
Here's what baffles me about Ricky Rubio: Why is there a 10 page thread about the 3rd best PG on the last place team in our division cluttering up the Blazers forum? BNM
This. Been wondering this. But then I remembered..... It's to remind the rubes that their savior is hot trash. Just like the rubes themselves.
Until we landed Lillard, our search for the PG of the Future was almost (I said ALMOST) as futile as theirs. At least we got a couple got a couple good years of a decent PG of the Now in Andre Miller. He's better than anyone the Wolves had manning the point since the Sam Cassell days. That was also the last time they won more than 33 games in a season. But, it's not for lack of trying. Just look at David Kahn's colossal fuck ups at the PG position alone over the last 3.5 years. In June, 2009 he used two high lottery picks (5 and 6) on PG of the Future candidates Jonny Flynn and Ricky Rubio. In the process he passed on Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague, Eic Maynor and Darren Collison - who have all turned out to be better NBA PGs than Flynn or Rubio. And, when it became obvious that wasting two high lottery picks wasn't enough to the desperate Kahn, he signed 23-year old Ramon Sessions to a 4-year contract. The Wolves won 15 games that season with Flynn and Sessions manning the point. With his two high lottery picks wasted, and still no decent PG on the roster, the next summer Kahn signed two more veterans, Luke Ridenour and Sebastian Telfair, to fill the gaping PG hole in the Timberwolves line-up. So, two high lottery picks and three free agent signings led them to 17 wins with Ridenour starting and Flynn and Telfair sharing back-up duties. The summer after that, he finally lured Rubio over from Spain and signed yet another free agent PG (J.J. Barea). That led them to 26 wins and their 3rd straight last place finish. And guess what, two high lottery picks (at PG, I'm not even counting Wesley Johnson, 4th overall pick in 2010 and Derrick Williams - 2nd over all pick in 2011) and four free agent PG signings later, they're still in last place without a decent PG on their roster. How does this guy still have a job? BNM
We had a lot of posters in this very community who were convinced that a Rubio trade would make the Blazers an instant title contender back in 2008 and 2009. Ed O was the primary proponent of this theory, based on this "Age Theory". I would have to go back and revisit the discussions on BBF, but I believe he was willing to trade LMA for Rubio at the time because of Oden's domination. Here is a new Age Theory. At the age of 22, Rubio sucks and Damian Lillard is going to be Rookie of the Year. No Likey, No Clicky...
I have a feeling that once Rubio is fully recovered from his ACL (which sometimes takes up to two years depending on severity) he'll end up a pretty decent guard in the Rajon Rondo mold -- with maybe less defense? He's still a guy I wouldn't mind having on the Blazers ... but I'm glad we don't have to live through yet another injury nightmare.
Really??? He'll be a triple-double machine who can control games? Rondo can at least get to the rim at will and finish. Rubio shot 36% from the field last year before getting injured. Rondo is a career 48% FG shooter because he is simply one of the quickest players in the NBA. Rubio just is not at all that quick on the drive. His skill is being able to see the entire court, supposedly. I just don't see the comparison.
This. I respect your basketball knowledge and temperament, but you're laughably wrong here. Rubio will never be as good as Rondo.