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Clement(Phils): What's your assessment on Ricky Rubio? Will he make it on the '09 draft?

John Hollinger: (3:39 PM ET ) Outstanding potential, but right now the thing everyone is glossing over is that he can't score at all. One would think that will come given his other skills, but I don't understand why nobody else is concerned by this. By the way, is Spain's coach shaving points or what? This guy's rotations make Larry Brown's stewardship of the Knicks seem sane by comparison.


But he thinks his upside is about a hundred times higher than Rudy's.



Micky (LA): Ricky or Rudy? Also, that Spain photo? What a joke.

John Hollinger: (3:53 PM ET ) I'm a little surprised Stern didn't fine the four NBA players in that photo just to send the message that this is a global league and you can't be offending potential customers like that. I don't think they walked into the photo shoot thinking "hey, let's insult Asian people", but man, they gotta show better judgment than that.

John Hollinger: (3:54 PM ET ) Ricky or Rudy? I'm a big Rudy fan and think he'll make an impact right away, but Rubio's upside is about a hundred times higher. If we're talking 2008, then of course Rudy is the better player.

How is Rubio's scoring? I haven't seen much of him.

he cant be worse than Kidd right?!

Hollinger is a decrepit human being. His opinion is worth as much as it costs; nothing.

He doesn't seem to be looking to score much, which eventually will catch up with him. You have to be able to score to be a good all around player in the NBA, it's that simple.

But the fact is in the past he has showed he can score in high out puts, he seems to have a good knack of drawing fouls when he gets into the lane and he certainly can play the passing lanes to get transition buckets.

He'll be just fine.

And how about his PER?

I never thought much of Hollinger - but in this case it depends on what he ment.

Right now Rubio can't score at NBA level, maybe not even Euroleague. If that's what he ment than he's correct. However, he's not as bad of scorer as it may seem in most games in Beijing. He may not be a top athlete but his ball-handling skills, first step and lenth are enough to penetrate the defense and get into the lane against teams like Angola, Germany, China with not much of an effort. So why he doesn't do it and chooses just to pass the ball right or left? I don't know. Fact is- he's a 10.5 ppg in 23 min player in the 2nd best domestic league in the world. Not the best FG %, but still.

I hate to agree with Hollinger but I kinda do here. Rubio is sizing up to be an Olowakandi-sized bust imo

I have only got to see about 10 minutes of Rubio and I am impressed.

Nice size for a point guard. Handles it well, passes it better and has wonderful instincts. His basketball IQ for a 17 year old is phenomenal.

Maybe he cant score ... YET ... but Jason Kidd has made $136 mil with a worse offensive game.

Wait, doesn't he have to be 19 to be drafted?

I hope it's the case, and he matures and proves himself at a higher level for a couple more years. I don't want to see another embarrassing foreign lottery bust

My home team, the Nets had our own bust experience with a young hyped foreign PG import: Zoran Plananic

Blah!!! I don't wish it on another team, for the sake of the NBA game.

By the way, is Spain's coach shaving points or what? This guy's rotations make Larry Brown's stewardship of the Knicks seem sane by comparison.

I mentioned this is the game thread. I'm glad somebody else mentioned it, because I thought they were dreadful. You need a set rotation IMO, because you can't afford to mess around too much with national teams were the players aren't practicing together all year round.

I think Ricky's first step to becoming a better offensive threat is to fix that jumpshot. It pretty much sucks, and fixing it should be a priority.

Well, he averaged 10.3ppg in 23.6 mpg in the ACB (Spanish League ) at 16 , in a top team , in the best european league,

Whateva wrote:Well, he averaged 10.3ppg in 23.6 mpg in the ACB (Spanish League ) at 16 , in a top team , in the best european league,

Those 23.6 minutes are shorter than nba minutes because they don't stop the clock after made shots.

reading hollinger is garbage, i wont even try it

ffz2000 wrote:

Whateva wrote:Well, he averaged 10.3ppg in 23.6 mpg in the ACB (Spanish League ) at 16 , in a top team , in the best european league,

Those 23.6 minutes are shorter than nba minutes because they don't stop the clock after made shots.

it doesn't stop in the NBA either.

The timing devices shall be stopped:
(1) During the last minute of the first, second and third periods following a successful
field goal attempt.
(2) During the last two minutes of regulation play and/or overtime(s) following a
successful field goal attempt.

http://www.nba.com/media/rule_book_2007-08.pdf
page 21

well at age 17 im guessing his shot mechanic still has time to improve..

He needs to bulk up a bit and improve his shooting if he wants to be a real scoring threat in the NBA. Maybe try to develop a post game to make use of his height at PG. I don't think he has much trouble getting into the lane with his quickness and creativity, but he seems to struggle making strong finishes. I don't ever see him being a big-time scorer in the NBA, but he could develop into an effective one.

He can score now, and he will be better in the future. He draws a lot of fouls and his ability to convert the layups is outstanding. Of course, he has to improve his jump shot, but hey, he would make 12-13 points plus 8 assists/2 steals a game in 30 minutes without a doubt right now (with NBA rules).

I gotta say though, how many high-school phenoms have the talent he has at the same age.

you guys might disagree about whether the ACB is better than the NCAA, but it is definitly way better than any high-school or AAU league.

as a high-school senior he is playing and getting time in the olympics. how many guys could have done that put of high-school

It's no secret he is not a big time scorer. Right now he is basically a Rajon Rondo type of player, but he is only 17 and that's what's intriguing about him, how he will pan out after 4-5 years, he may be in a completely different level by then.

dacher wrote:Wait, doesn't he have to be 19 to be drafted?

Not exactly. You have to turn 19 in the same calendar year of the draft.
He'll be 18 in october, so it's ok.

greenbeans wrote:I hate to agree with Hollinger but I kinda do here. Rubio is sizing up to be an Olowakandi-sized bust imo

Funny. Before you agree with him, try reading again what he wrote. He didn't say Rubio will be a bust.