Rubio in Semifinal

[Coolbreeze44]

Looks like Ricky had a really tough day judging by the box score. Anybody see the game?

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

Let me reply with my inaugural post in the new forum. With training camp about a week away I guess it's time to pop my cherry.

I watched almost the whole game today. It was a rough one for Ricky. He started great: had an assist, a bucket, and a tough rebound in the first couple minutes. After that, anyone planning on watching it (to watch Ricky) on DVR, might as well turn it off.

Shortly after the good start he missed a point blank layup which seemed to rattle him, because soon after he made a couple ill-advised passes--one was a behind the back pass that was very out of character--even for him. Still, he was doing a few little things to help the team.

Then Rodriguez came in, played good (as he has been throughout most of the tournament), and I knew Ricky would be hugging the pine most of the rest of the game. I thought they might bring him back in overtime, but no such luck. Very disappointing.

After watching a lot of Ricky in this tournament, I'll offer these overall thoughts:

* No doubt he has gotten stronger. His body has matured. You can really see it in his jump-shot (which for a good portion of this tournament looked great): it looks more natural and he seems to be getting more lift. My hope is by the end of this NBA season his mid-range shot won't be a liability anymore. I still see him struggling from deep, but I will say with the players we have now he is definitely going to get wide open 3 point looks. So some improvement in this area would be nice. But I wouldn't count on it.

* Ricky needs to be the man. I saw the same thing happen to him in his last year in Europe (when his stats plummeted and many proclaimed him a bust): if he is too worried about playing well and getting yanked out, his game suffers. Today at times it looked like he was over thinking things and at one point he was very frustrated (always the ultimate competitor--it looked like he wanted to throw down ha ha). Luckily he has flourished under Adelman. Even though he didn't start as a rookie, through about his first 20 games he was leading the league in 4th quarter minutes played. Adelman knows what he has and knows how to use him. And going back to the game today: even though he made some mistakes early, I definitely feel he should have been on the court at the end of the 4th and overtime. I'm biased but I think he would have made the difference. But it's Euro basketball so I'm not at all surprised he stayed on the bench.

* The best thing that can happen to Ricky this year is for Kevin Love to once again become Kevin Love. Let Love start destroying people again and then Ricky can start working his magic under the radar. Ricky might become Batman at some point in his career, but right now he's better off playing Robin. And Pek can be the joker.

Well that's all I got. I enjoyed the banter at the ESPN board (R.I.P.), and will do some posting here. Looking forward to a VERY entertaining year. STAY HEALTHY!!!

(we're comin'!)

[Coolbreeze44]

Thanks for taking the time - good stuff

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Great summary, misty...thanks for that. I haven't seen any of the Euro tourney, other than some highlights, so it's helpful to hear from someone who has seen more than highlights. I agree with you on Ricky's mid-range jumper...hardly looks like the same guy. Good form, good results...cause for optimism.

Something else has been bothering me the past day about Ricky, though, and your post reinforced my concern. I don't like the fact that he turned the ball over on a behind the back pass right after a missed layup. I read a HoopsHype interview with Ricky yesterday, and I didn't like the answer he gave to the question about why he is so popular in the States. Here's his reply:

"I don't know (laughs). I like to play flashy. I like to play for the win, but also be an entertainer. You have to mix those things up. Winning is the goal, but so is having fun".

That, in a nutshell, explains the essence of Ricky, and why he is so incredibly popular with Wolves fans (and others). He understands that this is entertainment, and that the paying customer wants to get his money's worth. An assist is always good, but an assist behind the back or through the defender's legs is even better. The problem is this: winning and entertaining are NOT equal if you want to contend for a championship. Being a creative, entertaining player sells more tickets and endears you to the fans, but it isn't nearly as important as winning. I'm not sure if Ricky is mature enough yet to understand this, and I think whether he can take that next maturity step is one of the main keys to the Wolves being a 5-8 seed, or a 1-4.

Some may say "He's still young...give him time and he'll get it". But there are examples of other "entertainers" who had spectacular skills, but never got it. Take Pete Maravich, for example. Watch some video of him and you will be astounded at his skills. But his teams didn't win. They sold tickets, and Maravich sold a lot of jerseys, but the teams he starred on didn't win championships.

Ricky has incredible upside. He has unique skills combined with an intense desire to win, and he is my favorite player. He made watching a losing team more bearable the past two seasons. But the Wolves have positioned themselves for success this offseason, and hopefully Ricky will understand this and modify his game. Save the through the legs bounce passes for All-Star games and blowouts, and focus on steadier play that brings out the best in the other 4 players on the court. If he can do that, this team can win 50+ games. But if he decides he prefers being the showman to being consistent, I'm afraid this team is destined to be a fringe playoff team.

I know I tend to be a homer optimist, but my guess is we see a more mature, effective Ricky this year.

[mjs34]

Long, I think you are reading a little too much into it. Ricky is all about winning, and the entertaining passes he has made while on the wolves were usually high percentage plays, and usually the best decision. I have never got the feeling that he was trying to showboat, rather than win. I look at those passes being no different than a high flying dunk. As long as you don't go overboard, there is nothing to worry about.

[shahidi124 [enjin:6591729]]

Long, I think you are reading a little too much into it. Ricky is all about winning, and the entertaining passes he has made while on the wolves were usually high percentage plays, and usually the best decision. I have never got the feeling that he was trying to showboat, rather than win. I look at those passes being no different than a high flying dunk. As long as you don't go overboard, there is nothing to worry about.

Agreed

[Coolbreeze44]

We've got other things to worry about LST

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I agree with the past three posters that Rubio is not our biggest problem. The two biggest issues facing our squad are:

1) Can we stay healthy?
2) Can the coaching staff coax enough defense out of a roster that seems to be defensively subpar on paper.

And I also believe that Rubio is a competitor with an intense desire to win. But I disagree with sjm that Rubio is "all about winning". Ricky himself has said that he is all about winning AND entertaining (read his interview on Hoopshype), and his style of play backs this up. He takes pride in being a flashy player, and his flamboyant style has made him my favorite player. But I'm convinced this team will have a better chance of success if Ricky can harness his enormous skills and keep his focus entirely on winning. I believe this is the reason that Ricky is having a difficult time getting 20 minutes of court time in the current Euro tournament. Unlike the NBA, the Euros are only about winning, not filling the seats. and I suspect that Ricky's propensity to go behind the back when a simple bounce pass will suffice grates on his coach. Several times last year I watched Ricky go for the spectacular play when it wasn't necessary. When a team is struggling to win 30 games, it was important for ticket sales for Ricky to be Ricky...frankly, the chance that he would do something jaw-dropping was about the only reason I turned on the TV late last season. But now we have a roster with the potential to win 50 games, and I believe Rubio maturing will be one of the main factors in making this happen.

I want Ricky to be more gritty, and less cute.

[foye2smith [enjin:6593248]]

Anyone know Sergio Rodriquez contract status and whether he'd want to come back to the NBA? Not for this year but once we cut ties with Barea I think he'd be an interesting name to bring in. Plays similar to Barea from what I saw in Eurobasket, drives in for scores among the oak trees and isn't afraid to take & make a big shot. If the Wolves could get him at a fraction of Barea's cost I think he could replace a lot of what Barea brings.