Tough talk from Ricky en espanol

[thedoper]

http://www.ccma.cat/catradio/alacarta/esports-catalunya-radio/ricky-rubio-aquesta-temporada-sera-clau-o-entro-al-play-off-o-canvio-dequip/audio/920160/

Playoffs or bust, I think he may still be a bit tender about the trade rumors.


"This next season is key. It's a key season because the truth is that I've been five years in the NBA and six years without playoffs would be a long time. Well, I would be 26 years old and I would have to start thinking about being on a team that can get in the playoffs and can win."

[Phenom]

I think he and Thibs are going to get along just fine.

[thedoper]

I think he and Thibs are going to get along just fine.

I think so too. I get the feeling Thibs likes guys who give maximum effort and know how to play and is willing to look past deficiencies for those characteristics. Although I do imagine that if a better option comes forward, they will move on it.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I get the frustration. Had he not been hurt as a rookie, there was a decent chance we made the playoffs. Then there was 13-14 where I feel like we had enough talent to make the playoffs, but all those close losses in the first half of the year doomed us. I think Ricky really felt we would push for a playoff spot this past season too (despite Vegas pegging us at 26.5 wins), but things went south in a hurry after an 8-8 start.

While I love Ricky and feel like he is a great fit for the roster we have with his pass-first game, the reality is if the core we have gets as good as many of you think it can get, Ricky becomes less critical to the long-term success of the team.

[TheFuture]

I get the frustration. Had he not been hurt as a rookie, there was a decent chance we made the playoffs. Then there was 13-14 where I feel like we had enough talent to make the playoffs, but all those close losses in the first half of the year doomed us. I think Ricky really felt we would push for a playoff spot this past season too (despite Vegas pegging us at 26.5 wins), but things went south in a hurry after an 8-8 start.

While I love Ricky and feel like he is a great fit for the roster we have with his pass-first game, the reality is if the core we have gets as good as many of you think it can get, Ricky becomes less critical to the long-term success of the team.

Well said. A lot of the promise was ended with his injuries, but Ricky has always played his ass off for us. Ricky is still our 2nd best player, and until Wiggins or LaVine (hopefully both) assume that role I don't think we make the playoffs. If Milt knew Rubio was a threat to push for a trade as soon as next seasons trade deadline then I see why he would have been pursuing deals. Rubio is a great overall player, but unlike Love, his lack of scoring seems to cause him to be undervalued by the rest of the league. It may be hard to get what we would feel is equal value for Ricky because of this, and if he publicly asks to be traded it will make it very difficult to find equal value.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I get the frustration. Had he not been hurt as a rookie, there was a decent chance we made the playoffs. Then there was 13-14 where I feel like we had enough talent to make the playoffs, but all those close losses in the first half of the year doomed us. I think Ricky really felt we would push for a playoff spot this past season too (despite Vegas pegging us at 26.5 wins), but things went south in a hurry after an 8-8 start.

While I love Ricky and feel like he is a great fit for the roster we have with his pass-first game, the reality is if the core we have gets as good as many of you think it can get, Ricky becomes less critical to the long-term success of the team.

Well said. A lot of the promise was ended with his injuries, but Ricky has always played his ass off for us. Ricky is still our 2nd best player, and until Wiggins or LaVine (hopefully both) assume that role I don't think we make the playoffs. If Milt knew Rubio was a threat to push for a trade as soon as next seasons trade deadline then I see why he would have been pursuing deals. Rubio is a great overall player, but unlike Love, his lack of scoring seems to cause him to be undervalued by the rest of the league. It may be hard to get what we would feel is equal value for Ricky because of this, and if he publicly asks to be traded it will make it very difficult to find equal value.

Yep. I've voiced a similar concern in the past. Rubio is a polarizing player because of what he does/can't do. That means that several teams won't look twice at him. And unless it's a PG swap, we have to remember that the league has many good PGs at or near or above Rubio's level already.

So the list of available trade partners was already small. If the Wolves lose leverage via trade demands... ouch.

[Monster]

From Jon K via Twitter:

Beware the translated interview.

https://twitter.com/apkrawczynski/status/739876849707298816

@APkrawczynski @Libraryben @BreakTheHuddle @MyLittleBloggie @dbrauer Not saying that's not what he said. But we shouldn't be so certain

https://twitter.com/apkrawczynski/status/739881990623793152

I'll mention a reason that what was said here on Twitter by Jon should be considered more than just in passing. Jon K has openly said recently in his podcast with Souhan that he is a believer in Rubio so take that for what it is but he also talked about how he has a relationship. The reason he brought this up was talking about Ricky's mother passing away and Jon said he met her a couple times when he went out to eat with Rubio. It sounds like he has a pretty legit relationship with Rubio. He has been one of the people that's said for quite a while Rubio really likes it here. Anyway I thought this was worth sharing in this thread.