ALL RUBIO TALK HERE

[FairDinkum]

Main difference between Rubio and Robinson-Bird is that Robinson wanted to play for the Spurs and Bird wanted to play for Celtics. So far, Rubio gave all indicates that he doesn't want to play for the TWolves.

Examples please?

Some quotes: My mom doesn't like cold wether. I was surprised with Flynn pick. I got used to the idea of playing for the Kings. I love New York. There are more, lol.

I am not totally sold on the fact that in 2 years from now he will join Minnesota. I hope he would but i am not sure. I could imagine an scenario in which he signs a ridiculous long-term contract with Real Madrid, LOL

wow, you are really reaching huh!

[Marc]

Like "I don't want to play for the Timberwolves?"

I was talking about indications.

Moreover, he never said he is looking forward to join the TWolves. He didn't even visit Minnesota yet. (right? not sure)

As far as i know and according to what i read every time he answers a question related to his future he always try to avoid talking about Minnesota.

[AQuintus]

Some quotes: My mom doesn't like cold wether.

He's also said that it's just his mom that doesn't like the cold, and that he doesn't really care one way or the other.

I was surprised with Flynn pick.

I was surprised by the Flynn pick, too. Does this mean that it's safe to assume that I don't want to be a Wolves fan?

I got used to the idea of playing for the Kings.

He's just telling the truth. He was projected to be going to the Kings for a while. It makes sense that he got used to the idea.

I love New York.

I love San Fransisco. That doesn't mean I want to live there and absolutely no where else.

There are more, lol.

And they are all just as flimsy and inconclusive as these ones were.

[Marc]

I am not trying to convince anyone that Rubio wont come over. I really hope that Ricky eventually comes over.

Most likely he will come over if Kahn doesn't trade his right but i don't think it is a "100%" sold thing. It is more like 90 i believe.

With Bird and Robinson you knew for sure that they would come over.

[KWSN-Men]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ian_thomsen/03/05/europe/index.html

An article about the current economic state of european basketball

That's mostly complete nonsense.

[KWSN-Men]

Ok..again.

Fran will not come over because he is bound to sign a contract that is far less than what he is currently making in Europe. So he likely will never come over. This is the reason why pekovic was the 1st pick in the 2nd rd so he would not be bound to the rookie scale. Rubio gets very good pay if we compare salary in the NBA vs Europe, but it is this buy out amount that hurts him.

Very different situation.

Not really. Any number of teams in Europe could pay him 5-10 times what he would make in the NBA. They just don't want to pay his buyout, give him a big deal and have him for only 2 years. Especially when there are numerous better point guards than him in Europe available. But rest assured that if he stays with Joventut for 2 more years that there will be numerous big offers for him coming from European clubs 2 years from now. And the rookie contract he would make in the NBA would not come close to matching them.

[KWSN-Men]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ian_thomsen/03/05/europe/index.html

An article about the current economic state of european basketball

Someone should have KWSN-Men read this.

Read what? Another nonsense article from SI that is full of it? Even in their own article refuting what they said in another article that Childress did not get paid. When he and his agent said he did. Those US media articles on European basketball are a joke. There are some teams with financial issues just like there are in the NBA.

15 NBA teams lose money every year and the NBA needed a $200 million loan to bail them out. It does not mean the NBA itself is bankrupt or anything. 4-5 clubs in Europe every year have big financial problems. What's new? It still does not change the fact that there are European clubs that are far richer than the T-Wolves could ever dream of being.

[KWSN-Men]

http://www.ballineurope.com/european-basketball/euroleague/budgets-of-basketball-clubs-in-europe/

This site lists the team budgets (not salary, entire operating budget) of euroleague teams from last year, in US dollars. Take those numbers and multiply them by 50-60 % and that is what they have to spend on player salary.

Rubio's team, DKV Joventut (Listed as "Badalona"), is listed at 12.48 million. That means they have 6-7 million to spend on players each year. Rubio's buyout was 6.6 million, now technically nearly 8 million until june. And you don't think they want that money pretty badly?

I haven't seen exactly how much they owe the spanish IRS or how close to going broke they are, but I do know the global recession is hitting most of europe far worse than it's hitting the US.

Maybe they can't afford to reduce the buyout to 3-3.5 million, what it would take to make it economical for ricky. But they certainly can't afford to receive nothing from him this year, plus pay him 100k. Perhaps they had a buyout arranged pre-draft under the assumption ricky went 2nd, and now they are balking at having to re-negotiate it.

That's a personal blog and it's completely wrong. We already had this discussion here. For example Olympiacos official budget was $70 million. That is a personal blog and it is not only wrong but completely made up.

The owners of CSKA and Olympiacos both confirmed their budget as being $57 million and $70 million. Facts rather than some made up nonsense from a blog.

[Knicksick]

Hey knick fan here. First off let me say that I hoped that Rubio would play for you guys because I just dislike rookies being picky instead of being grateful etc. (like Francis etc.). Also I don't think that there is any good match between Minnesota and New York concerning a trade (also the Kidd offer strongly suggests that Walsh talked to Kahn but nothing worth mentioning came out of it).

That being said I gotta say that at this point it is really better for Minnesota to look to trade him to a team where you can pick up a high potential 2-guard or Small Forward.
I can understand you guys wanting to hold on to Rubio but at this point you gotta ask yourself if all the headache is gonna be worth it?First waiting for him for 2 years and then having to deal with him over the course of his 4year contract....I mean what are the odds of him coming over and then not asking for a trade etc. etc.?Is it all really worth it?You have 3 very good pieces and could add a high potential 2 guard or SF or maybe even both and start competing for the playoffs right away and further build your team.

[tvwolves7]

It still does not change the fact that there are European clubs that are far richer than the T-Wolves could ever dream of being.

I do not believe Glen Taylor is hurting with a worth of $2.7 billion. I would not doubt there is a European owner that is worth more, but Glen is one of the richest NBA owners.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sf ... .htmlstory

On another note yes some teams took a loan for a total of 200 million, however people will actually give the NBA loan because its a viable business. Not all, but the source states there are some teams that are running late on paying their players, that's a problem. I know not all teams are like this but if they can not find a bank to loan them money to play their players on time, that team is not financial strong by any stretch of the imagination.

[mnWI]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ian_thomsen/03/05/europe/index.html

An article about the current economic state of european basketball

That's mostly complete nonsense.

How so? I've had a number of agents tell me they expected European Salaries to be down 15-20% this year.

[St.Nick]

Sorry about how this whole thing unfolded for you guys. I feel for the fans, I really do.

Ricky entered the draft haphazardly and without care for the team he was going to screw over if things didn't work out exactly as he wanted them to. Obviously they didn't work in terms of which team he wanted to be picked by and which spot he wanted to get picked at. I also think that his contract situation didn't resolve itself the way he expected, although now he is using that as more of an excuse than anything to stay in Spain.

Ultimately, Kahn failed you guys in not getting a guarantee that Ricky wanted to be in Minnesota and getting the background knowledge of the legal situation and filtering it to assess the risks involved.

I find it unlikely that Ricky will come back to play in Minnesota in two years. By that time he will be more entrenched as a star in Europe and will be a FA over there, giving him even more leverage when deciding if he wants to come to the US or not. If the right situation presents itself, I think he'll do it. But if he wanted to come to Minnesota he would've found a way to do it this year or at the very least would've expressed some desire "to come back to the Wolves" as soon as possible.

If there is some positive news, this was a weak draft, so you perhaps didn't miss out too badly. Although I think Curry is going to be good. And at least you got Etan Thomas out of the deal ( ).

But yeah, if you are going to be pissed off, I'd aim it at Kahn. He got a little too clever for his own good and ended up out of his depth. Not really the "splash" he was trying to make, I imagine.

[FairDinkum]

Ultimately, Kahn failed you guys

Huh? No he didn't?

I'm stoked with Kahn's moves...

He got us a shot at Ricky Rubio by trading away dead weight. Even if Ricky never plays for us, he's still a hell of a lot more valuable than Miller and Foye. What would they have done if we kept them? Added a few more wins and stunted some growth?

I am genuinely excited about the future we have

[slinky]

That being said I gotta say that at this point it is really better for Minnesota to look to trade him to a team where you can pick up a high potential 2-guard or Small Forward.

I would rather keep Rubio, but like a lot of posters here, I have no problems listening to real offers for him. The reason we have built up a resistance is because we had some posters coming on peddling trash and telling us this is the best we can get. And if that is the case then it makes sense we keep him.

I think a strong majority of us would be open to trading Rubio for a high potential SG or SF. Especially since we have Flynn. Or we would be open to trading Flynn. But I think we are just growing tired of having some punk kids come over on the board and tell us what we can expect and can't expect. Everyone is entitled to an opnion and that's cool but enough people spitting the same thing over and over gets a little frustrating. But thanks for coming over and posting in peace...its a refreshing change.

[CyclopZ]

Ultimately, Kahn failed you guys

Huh? No he didn't?

I'm stoked with Kahn's moves...

He got us a shot at Ricky Rubio by trading away dead weight. Even if Ricky never plays for us, he's still a hell of a lot more valuable than Miller and Foye. What would they have done if we kept them? Added a few more wins and stunted some growth?

I am genuinely excited about the future we have

+1 totally am with you here.

The risk was worth it - We stash Rubio overseas and he gets to develop possibly increasing in his skillset and value..... We also get a good look at Flynn in the meantime - whats not to like?

Isn't it funny? the same ground keeps getting covered - when i open the Rubio thread i feel that the same stuff keeps getting mentioned for pages on end. For gods sake, the foreigners that keep visiting this thread bother to read what has already been posted before posting your opinion? Its getting old.

[St.Nick]

Ultimately, Kahn failed you guys

Huh? No he didn't?

I'm stoked with Kahn's moves...

He got us a shot at Ricky Rubio by trading away dead weight. Even if Ricky never plays for us, he's still a hell of a lot more valuable than Miller and Foye. What would they have done if we kept them? Added a few more wins and stunted some growth?

I am genuinely excited about the future we have

Randy Foye and Mike Miller are obviously better than E.Thomas, Pecherov, and Songlia (three guys I do like, btw).

Honestly though, Kahn is just as guilty in this situation as Dave Twardzik was for Orlando when he picked Fran Vazquez. Its a #5 pick, not something that should be gambled on unless you have a better idea of your odds of winning.

Kahn bet on the longshot and lost big and he lost quick. If it were my GM I'd be furious. If you guys think its okay, good on 'ya.

[Carpe Diem]

How exactly has Kahn lost?

1. We can/will wait.
2. We can trade his rights for the right package.
3. Rubio never plays in the NBA.

It has been a week and a day in this process. I understand that many people have the need for instant gratification but this is not going to be resolved quickly.

The issue comes down to money and the money lost from sliding from 2 to 5. The Flynn-thing is a side issue that only serves to confound the real issue. It is about money and the ability to get a loan to pay off the debt that he signed himself into. MN is perfectly fine waiting for him and let us remember that realizing the NBA dream goes through the road of MN.

[Tirion]

Sorry about how this whole thing unfolded for you guys. I feel for the fans, I really do.

Ricky entered the draft haphazardly and without care for the team he was going to screw over if things didn't work out exactly as he wanted them to. Obviously they didn't work in terms of which team he wanted to be picked by and which spot he wanted to get picked at. I also think that his contract situation didn't resolve itself the way he expected, although now he is using that as more of an excuse than anything to stay in Spain.

Ultimately, Kahn failed you guys in not getting a guarantee that Ricky wanted to be in Minnesota and getting the background knowledge of the legal situation and filtering it to assess the risks involved.

I find it unlikely that Ricky will come back to play in Minnesota in two years. By that time he will be more entrenched as a star in Europe and will be a FA over there, giving him even more leverage when deciding if he wants to come to the US or not. If the right situation presents itself, I think he'll do it. But if he wanted to come to Minnesota he would've found a way to do it this year or at the very least would've expressed some desire "to come back to the Wolves" as soon as possible.

If there is some positive news, this was a weak draft, so you perhaps didn't miss out too badly. Although I think Curry is going to be good. And at least you got Etan Thomas out of the deal ( ).

But yeah, if you are going to be pissed off, I'd aim it at Kahn. He got a little too clever for his own good and ended up out of his depth. Not really the "splash" he was trying to make, I imagine.

Kahn > Nelly's puppet.
Smart trolling though.

[john2jer]

You can laugh at my grammar if you want, while everyone else is laughing at your GM for his awesome drafting skills.

Drafting a top 5 draft pick, heading for Europe for two years.

I wonder if David Kahn is trying to be as horrible as McHale?

Enjoy another losing season folks

2010 Knicks probably grab AT least one of the star free agents. And Rubio will be playing in Europe

I can laugh at that.

So wait, it's ok if you're a complete moron, just as long as the GM of your favorite basketball team isn't?

Your parents must be proud.

[St.Nick]

He dropped from $3.3M to $2.7M by going from #3 to #5. He owes about $5M for his buyout. So either way, he wasn't going to be able to pay his buyout with certainty this year. That $600k didn't really make much of a difference.

This is Kahn's responsibility to gauge whether Ricky would want to come over at that salary and to play in Minnesota. He obviously didn't do a good job.

Also, the value of Ricky's rights are not going to be worth a lot if he stays in Europe for the next two years. Nobody would trade much for him now for fear of being stuck in the same situation the Wolves are in now, which is cashing in an asset and getting nothing in return.

I'm not sure how you defend Kahn in this case. If things change and Ricky comes to play with you, right on. But its not looking especially good at the moment.