Will Ricky Rubio help make players want to play here?

[Calinks]

Do you guys think that Ricky Rubio can significantly increase the attractiveness of our team and make some players more likely to sing with the Timberwolves? Some of you may be thinking that's a no brainer but keep in mind that Kevin Garnett being here didn't benefit us that much in free agency, not like how people had hoped.

Regardless of that however, If he hasn't already, I think Rubio will be a factor in swaying some players. Watching him play, he is one of the most unselfish players out there. I can't help but think, "Man, I'd love to play with a guy who can find me like that." Now when that free agent wing or bigman has to choose between Minnesota or another team in a comparable position, I can see Rubio being a factor that edges that player in our favor. As a scorer, you know you are going to get a lot of open looks playing next to Ricky. Over time, I really think the Spaniard will become a positive incentive to other players to sign a deal.

[Foye]

Did Steve Nash attract players in Phx? Not so much.

We might become a little more attractive but we still have to overpay to attract FA's.

[[RCG]]

No. Players will follow the $. The will to win is mostly lip-service now-a-days. If the big 3 really wanted to win they could've taken less money, heck with their endorsements they'd be fine playing for the minimum and signing a bunch of great role-players. In this league it's all about making as much money as possible.

All other factors are negligible for most players.

[bluethunder0005]

Perhaps a little but overall I doubt it will help much. Did CP3 help lure players to NOH? Does Nash lure good players to PHX? Money will almost always be factor #1 followed by being on a winning team.

Now if the situation is the Wolves and Kings are both offering FA #1 a 2 year deal/8 million overall then the player may choose Minnesota because of Rubio. The talent level of the teams and the money would have to be very close for Rubio to make the player choose us.

[[RCG]]

*computer glitch*

[shrink]

Yes. Kevin Love too.

Both are terrific complimentary players that could make a near star look like a star, or a star look like a superstar. Plus, MIN is getting a lot of attention nationally and internationally because of Rubio and Love.

MIN can no longer be equated with being lost in Siberia, and anything that makes a player look like a star - in front of a bigger audience - will bring more off-court endorsements.

[Breakdown777]

I think Rubio might convince some players to stay when/if they sign here, as Nash was able to do for the most part. It's difficult to compare Nash and CP3 to Rubio because every franchise is ran differently. Glen Taylor will spend if he thinks we can win, so I don't think we'll have a problem keeping guy if they decide to come here. What we need to look out for is holding on to the Troy Hudsons of the league for way too much $.

[Calinks]

I understand that Rubio wont make a star sign here alone but if most of the major factors are comparable (Money, team talent). Do you think it will be a benefit?

[[RCG]]

I understand that Rubio wont make a star sign here alone but if most of the major factors are comparable (Money, team talent). Do you think it will be a benefit?

Everything else equal, perhaps. Minnesota isn't thought of a great market in part because basketball is played during the winter months when it can be pretty cold and snowy. If it were played during summer than Minnesota would be in a much more attractive position.

But if a free agent holds everything else constant then Rubio would make us look very attractive, yes.

[Swish4]

I think if not the players, at least many agents will see clearly the advantages of playing with Rubio. Certain players, especially good defensive big men who are decent, though not great face up players could benefit greatly from Rubio creating shots for them and bump their numbers up considerably for contract time. A good example is how Nash is making Gortat look like a star in Phoenix. Or how he accentuatted Amare's game.

[LOBO 7]

Ned Plimpton: "The answer is yes".

Steve Zissou: "Well it's gotta be".

[Klomp]

Did Steve Nash attract players in Phx? Not so much.

We might become a little more attractive but we still have to overpay to attract FA's.

Robert Sarver is about the worst GM as far as paying guys. Look at this from our buddy Bill Simmons

But that summer, everything changed ...

Mistake No. 1: For financial reasons, they traded the No. 21 pick (Rajon Rondo) to Boston along with Brian Grant's contract (chopping $1.9 million from their 2007 payroll) for the rights to Cleveland's 2007 first-round pick. This was a double whammy because they acquired that Rondo pick two years before by giving up the No. 7 pick in the 2004 draft (for luxury tax reasons). So if you're scoring at home, they downgraded from "Luol Deng or Andre Iguodala in 2004" to "Rondo in 2006" to "selling the No. 24 pick in 2007 for cash" (we'll get to that in a second) ... which means that, effectively, they traded a No. 7 pick in a loaded draft for $4.9 million. Phoenix fans, you may now light yourselves on fire.

(What makes that one even more painful: Instead of signing Richardson before the 2004-05 season to a six-year, $42.6 million deal, they could have drafted Deng or Igoudala that summer and paid one of them two-fifths as much as Richardson over that same time frame. One year later, they swapped Richardson and the No. 21 pick in 2005 for Kurt Thomas, who they dumped on Seattle last summer along with two more No. 1's just to get him off their cap. As astounding as this sounds, Bryan Colangelo's decision to sign Richardson instead of drafting Deng or Iguodala -- which was dumb at the time, by the way -- ended up costing them a whopping FOUR FIRST-ROUND PICKS! Would you rather have Richardson, or would you rather have the No. 7 pick in 2004, the No. 21 pick in 2005, and your first-rounders in 2008 and 2010?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... s%2F080501

[teven_1]

I think he will be only if Minnesota stops being viewed as a part of the dregs of the NBA and our future starts looking bright (bright to everyone)

Suns with Nash don't count because at the teams best they were brimming with talent, owner was just to cheap to keep them.
I don't know a lot about the CP situation but I think cheapness was a factor (i mean the team was sold to the NBA for goodness sakes) and also there weren't too many free agent bonanzas during CPs tenure.

[Saltine]

For a good shooter, or defense first player who needs to be setup, sure, if the money is close. A pass first point guard can get you paid much more on the next contract.

[lobishome]

Absolutely YES, specially talking about a franchise like Timberwolves. No offense, but the big franchises don't need this kind of incentives.

Rubio never will steal the public image of a star. I've wrote in the Rookie Watch Thread that one of the most important differences between a Irving-Wall-kind PG and Rubio is Rubio can play together stars due he doesn't decrease shots to the stars, even he can create for them. And the Timberwolves can promise to any star, for instance Howard , they can hold the Rubio/Love/Williams core for years.

But I don't talking about stars only, some middle-class players without luck surely would love to play here instead to be a benchwarmer with a little role.

[Foshan]

when is the next time the Wolves have max cap space to sign a star after they give love his big contract?

[invno1]

Timberwolves will have space for this before Love signs deal...whole bunch of expiring s this year.

[Klomp]

Do you guys think that Ricky Rubio can significantly increase the attractiveness of our team and make some players more likely to sing with the Timberwolves? Some of you may be thinking that's a no brainer but keep in mind that Kevin Garnett being here didn't benefit us that much in free agency, not like how people had hoped.

Regardless of that however, If he hasn't already, I think Rubio will be a factor in swaying some players. Watching him play, he is one of the most unselfish players out there. I can't help but think, "Man, I'd love to play with a guy who can find me like that." Now when that free agent wing or bigman has to choose between Minnesota or another team in a comparable position, I can see Rubio being a factor that edges that player in our favor. As a scorer, you know you are going to get a lot of open looks playing next to Ricky. Over time, I really think the Spaniard will become a positive incentive to other players to sign a deal.

How about this...

Without Ricky Rubio here, is Adelman our coach?
Without Ricky Rubio here, do we sign JJ Barea?

[Krapinsky]

He might attract some spanish players are way. Maybe an aging Pau after his contract is up with the Lakers? Maybe Rudy next year (instead of going back to Spain)? Maybe Fran Vazquez if we ever got his rights? Maybe Ibaka if he were to become a free agent?

[invno1]

Ricky is now on SC & the chat. Many players see him as meal ticket.