Rubio Waits

Ricky Rubio decided to wait a couple of years before bringing his game to the NBA and the Minnesota Timberwolves. According to the Spaniard, he has made this decision to better prepare himself for the NBA by staying in Spain and fine-tuning his game. Earlier in the summer, the Wolves agreed (or so they thought) to a deal that would get Rubio out of his contract with his Spanish ball club, DKV Joventut. However, Rubio had second thoughts and DKV Joventut traded his rights to Regal FC Barcelona and he'll play there until 2011. The Timberwolves needed Rubio, whose stock rose tremendously after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing in the Gold Medal game against the United States was picked 5th in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves. Minnesota picked him, hoping he would bring some fans to the seats, as the team has not done well at the gate, since the Big Ticket, Kevin Garnett, left town to join the Celtics in that trade two years ago. Now, a few questions arise from this: although Minnesota holds Rubio's NBA rights, Did they waste a pick on Rubio, now that he is going to wait? How does this impact Jonny Flynn? Will he get more playing time? Most importantly, what if something happens to Rubio in these two years in Spain? The possibility of injury could make for a very wasted pick. Can the Wolves survive at the gate for two years without Rubio. So many factors arise from this decision. At the end of the day, the Timberwolves accept Rubio's decision, and are confident that he'll definitely be NBA ready after these two years. He and Jonny Flynn will create a dynamic backcourt since Flynn will have a couple of years under his belt. If this can go according to plan, the two year wait may not be as bad as people think.