Q12543 wrote:Abe, I'm surprised at how much of a massive difference Rubio has made this season, as I kind of agree that even with a fully healthy roster, I had a hard time seeing this team compete for a playoff spot. I was thinking something in the upper 30s for win total would be about right. I landed on 25 wins as my estimate because I knew staying mostly healthy was a pipe dream (and of course, the injuries were worse than even I thought).
But the evidence continues to mount on the dramatic positive impact Ricky Rubio has when he's on the floor. Last season he was the one player with a better net On-Off rating than Kevin Love. This season he by far has the best On-Off rating of any player that has received regular minutes on the roster. We know what happened his rookie year after he went down. The wheels came off. We also have seen stretches where Ricky was healthy, but Pek/Martin were out, and we mostly stayed afloat.
So I'm even re-thinking my own perspective on Ricky's impact. The bottom-line: It's huge.
I agree. Rubio makes a huge difference. Mostly because of his all-around brilliance. Some because of what's out there when he's not there.
But I don't think this is a .500 club with Rubio for 82 games. He may be a god... but he's not THE god.