http://www.twincities.com/ci_12705123?source=most_viewed
A little birdie said Ricky Rubio and his father were to fly to Minneapolis on Saturday to quietly meet with Timberwolves President David Kahn, who was to welcome the team's top draft pick to Minnesota and chat about beginning his NBA future here.
The Wolves don't plan to exert any pressure on Rubio, the draft's No. 5 overall pick, to sign with them. But they will do what they can to accommodate the flashy point guard from Spain without interfering with his current contract status.
Rubio, 18, was paid just $97,000 last season to play with his Spanish team, which wants him to remain in his homeland so much that it attached a $6.6 million buyout to his contract. The Wolves have no control over Rubio's contract, but he's considering going to court to get the amount of the buyout reduced as well as negotiating with his team for a buyout reduction.
The maximum, by NBA rules, that the Wolves could contribute toward a buyout is $500,000. Even if there is a reduction, it's expected that Rubio would have to pay at least several million dollars himself.
How would he do that on a $97,000 salary? Signing with the Wolves would guarantee Rubio approximately $6 million his first two seasons. Assuming he were to sign a four-year contract, as expected, the Wolves would have restricted rights for an additional two seasons, and that would be worth nearly $8 million more.
It's expected that Rubio would be allowed to pay his buyout over several years. Conventional wisdom
is that he might as well agree to the amount and get a lucrative NBA career started.
Regardless, it's expected to be about a month before his buyout issue can be resolved.
By the way, the reason Rubio and his father were to sneak into Minneapolis on Saturday, and not on Friday when the Wolves' other top draft picks — Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington — were publicly introduced was that they didn't want the attention with the contract issue unresolved.
It's unclear what jersey number Rubio would wear if he were to sign with Minnesota, but it's a good bet it would become the Wolves' top-selling fan jersey, overtaking Al Jefferson's No. 25.
The Timberwolves' No. 28 pick in last week's NBA draft, shooting guard Wayne Ellington of North Carolina, will be guaranteed $836,300 in his rookie season.
Mike Miller, traded by the Wolves to Washington, was Minnesota's best three-point shooter (37.8 percent) last season. Ellington shot 41.7 percent from three-point range for North Carolina last season.
OVERHEARD
Timberwolves top draft pick Ricky Rubio, in El Periodico, his hometown newspaper in Barcelona: "The (Wolves) told me that they would expect me within a year, and we are going to see if I come next year or not."
