Ricky Rubio #9

[LesGrossman]

I expect him to be moved but I think there is a scenario where he sticks around. He seems to be pretty close to Edwards and of course, he is a good vet/locker room guy too. Depending on the team makeup next season and Finch getting to mold the gameplan 100 percent to his liking, there may be a spot where Rubio makes some sense.

Well Rubio is actually in his prime. Being a bench / locker room presence is certainly not what he sees himself as...i wonder who will make an offer, has to be a contender.

[PharmD]

Nah he's not in his prime anymore. He'll be 31. That's old for a guard. Few guards are good into their 30s

[LesGrossman]

Nah he's not in his prime anymore. He'll be 31. That's old for a guard. Few guards are good into their 30s

He had his best, most productive season in Phoenix before coming in to this situation. He was trending upwards, and just got MVP of the World Cup. Ricky never lived off his athleticism so i think its safe to say he is still in his prime.

[PharmD]

That was his age 29 season. He'll be 31 next year.

Jeff Teague's first season with the wolves was age 29. His last, where he was no longer even a little bit good, was age 31. Life comes at you fast when you're a point guard.

[shrink]

I thought Rosas may trade Ricky Rubio to get more wiggle room under the lux — until lottery night changes my mind. That’s when Rachel Nichols asked Anthony Edwards, MIN’s representative at the draft, “What was the biggest experience you had your rookie year that made an impact on you, and you could use in the future?”

Almost any rookie would talk about a big game, or particularly for Edwards, when he made that tremendous leap in talent. She even said, “an experience.” Instead, Ant didn’t talk about himself.

“I think Ricky Rubio had a great impact on my rookie year — as far as just being a leader, on and off the court, and showing up every day, ready to work, and never taking days off.”

Classy. And that’s the moment that made me think that Rosas will keep Ricky here for another season.

[shrink]

It took me a while, but I didn’t understand the greater implication of that quote.

Anthony Edwards sees Ricky as the leader of the team, and we have heard similar comments all year long from several teammates and the coaching staff. But think how surprising that is.

Towns and Russell (and sometimes Beasley) are constantly calling themselves the team leaders. They say things like, “as a team leader, I need to set an example ..blah blah blah.” Rosas calls them team leaders. Rosas calls those three the five core pieces.”

But Edwards and others (sometimes KAT too) see Rubio as the team leader. Rubio is not the best player on the team. Heck Rubio isn’t necessarily even a starter. Rubio doesn’t put up massive stats, even when he has a good game. Rubio isn’t the right age or in the friend-group. But still, the team listens to Rubio, in front of our self-proclaimed leaders.

I find this amazing. And it also makes it less likely Ricky gets traded. The team desperately needs leadership.

[Klomp]

It could also be something parroted from the front office, that will in turn increase Rubio's trade value heading into the offseason. People were always talking about the Booker/Mitchell influence, but not much nationally in the past year in regards to the impact on Edwards. Both guys improving in the back half of the year too, so his value wasn't in the tank.