New Rubio Thread

[Klomp]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBTUgdifNi4

[lobishome]

Good morning.

Today, Ricky don't won any trophy ... still.

[lobishome]

Ricky Rubio improves. Instead of sharing the Timberwolves' backcourt with fellow rookie point guard Jonny Flynn, Rubio famously decided to remain in Europe for two more seasons. Not only was he able to remain in his hometown by transferring to Barcelona, the favorite to win the Euroleague championship at the Final Four from May 7-9 in Paris, but he also has emerged as a better NBA candidate than ever.

"I think he has improved in two things," said coach Ettore Messina of Real Madrid, which lost to Spanish rival Barcelona in the Euroleague quarterfinals. "His three-point shooting is much better. He has improved his follow-through and his extension of the arm, so that I think he will have no problem adjusting to the length of the three-point shot in the NBA."

The more significant upgrade has been Rubio's floor leadership. Last season with Joventut Badalona -- a smaller Spanish club also based in Barcelona -- he had pushed the tempo ceaselessly, but that recklessness wouldn't do for the championship team he now leads. He has become a more disciplined point guard for Barcelona.

"Sometimes he was not taking into account the value of the ball and knowing the moment of the game," Messina said of Rubio's former style. "Now in the Euroleague, he knows when is the moment to try something and also when it is better to be safe and control the situation -- and he has done this without losing his killer instinct."

The discipline of contending for the biggest championship outside the NBA has toughened Rubio. In the Euroleague's best-of-five quarterfinals, Barcelona surrendered home-court advantage with a Game 2 loss to Real Madrid.

"[Rubio] was not a factor in the first two games," said Messina, who then watched Rubio respond by leading Barcelona to victories in Games 3 and 4 at Madrid. "He was the key. He was able to handle the pressure and he showed he has the patience to know when to step up."

American executives will continue to debate whether Rubio has enough athleticism to star in the NBA. While the 19-year-old has become a household name for European hoops, the hype does not dwarf the substance. What can no longer be doubted is his leadership and resolve to win -- a drive that was responsible for Rubio's decision to remain in Europe. Messina believes Rubio was not turned off by the wintry climate of Minnesota so much as he was concerned with the Timberwolves' long-term plan to rebuild, with several losing seasons likely to come.

"I understand how it is for the best players here in Europe," Messina said. "After playing so many years to win games, it is difficult for them to go to [an NBA] team and think maybe I will lose 45 games out of 82 and I will never have a chance to win. It is very difficult for them to think maybe in four years we will have a shot. Even for myself as an observer, I see the New York [Knicks'] situation where for two years they cleaned house and made space under the cap -- and I don't know how they can handle that. For me, it takes inhuman patience to do that. I respect it is part of your mentality, your world, but over here people could not do that -- not coaches, not players, not fans."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ian_thomsen/04/23/countdown.euroleague/

[GopherIt!]

why isn't this thread 99 pages by now? lets go guys, this is an epic thread we are talking about here. This is your last chance to post, let's end it with a bang.

[jade_hippo]

post and bang i shall... damn that sounds hot. I blame no one for not wanting to come play with Sasha and Nate and Wilkins and Cardinal. Looking at less than 20 wins and the prospect of making a net zero on my paycheck is really depressing...

[lobishome]

Yes, exactly, this thread has his days counted, maybe 40 or 50, who knows ... today maybe the last day for write here.

BTW, today, Barça plays against Unicaja at 19:30 CET. Good game.

[Basti]

now it would be adequate to post IBTL, no?

[Klomp]

now it would be adequate to post IBTL, no?

IBTL

[lobishome]

Barça won. stop. Ricky really good. stop. Barça first of the regular season. stop.
http://jornadavirtual.acb.com/htm/estadisticas/est275.htm

[Klomp]

See new thread

[revprodeji]

You still had a page left to go.


Pre-mature E-Klompulation?

[Klomp]

You still had a page left to go.


Pre-mature E-Klompulation?

Not at all. Deal with it.

-The Bastard Son