I think we need to talk about Ricky...

[Lipoli390]

As most on this board know, I've been a huge Rubio defender. But even I'm concerned about his shooting. Nevertheless, I haven't lost hope that his shooting will improve the way Kidd's did. Compared to Kidd at this sage in their respective careers, Rubio is not too old to significantly improve his shooting. Another reason for optimism is the fact that Ricky is an excellent free throw shooter.

Most NBA coaches and former players say that the off-season is when skills improve. So I see this next summer as pivotal for Ricky. First of all, Flip needs to draw the line and tell Ricky not to play international ball. Then Ricky needs to spend the entire summer in he gym with the best shooting coach money can buy, working day and night on his perimeter shot and on finishing at the rim. Then we'll see what we have next season.

As a post-script I'll add this. Our crackerjack front office needs to see Ricky for what he currently is -- an excellent defender and pure passer who can't shoot. They also need to come to terms with the fact that Ricky is our only good ball handler in our starting lineup. All this means that if we're going to roll with Ricky at the point we can't go forward with Martin and Brewer as our starting wings. If Ricky improves his shot, that would be a bonus.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

A lot of good points in this thread. I have to admit I'm on the fence about Ricky.

The optimistic part of me says that we have a core group of players that is still getting to know each other. It's unrealistic to think they are going to have the chemistry of a team like San Antonio, whose core knows exactly what everyone is going to do in every situation. I still think this club is going to be 6 or 8 games over .500 by the end of January, and there will be a lot more optimism on this board for Ricky and the team in general.

But if I'm wrong, and the Wolves are closer to .500 after this soft 5 weeks of games, I will be more inclined to move into "blow it all up" mode. And I'm convinced the players that can yield the best return, compared to what they are giving us now, are Rubio and Martin. Rubio's national popularity and flashiness may make a lot of teams covet him, and give us back a more valuable group of assets in return. And Martin's sharpshooting reputation make him an attractive pick-up for a contender, and might return us assets that will serve us better long term.

What I hope is that this team begins to gel and runs off an impressive win streak during this soft stretch, and that we all feel better about this club in 5 weeks. Ricky will be a vital part of making that happen.

[Hicks123 [enjin:6700838]]

I find it interesting that there is so much opTIMism for improvement in Rubio...a 7 year pro, but virtually every person on this board had declared Williams a bust with virtually no room for improvement (this being evident by the fact that most think LRMAM was a good trade). Not saying they are equal players, but I find this a bit interesting.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Rubio COULD improve. But in the annals of NBA history, the better/best players don't plateau like Rubio has right from the get-go. The one guy I can think of... Tim Duncan. But he was a 20/10 guy from the get-go and has compiled some of the most consistent numbers (per 36) I've ever seen in the NBA. It's incredible how close they are.

But, Ricky is right there for consistency... on a lower level... which is the problem. Check this out:

Year 1: 11.2 ppg / 4.4 reb / 8.6 ast / 2.3 stl / 35.7%
Year 2: 12.9 ppg / 4.9 reb / 8.9 ast / 2.9 stl / 36.0%
Year 3: 9.9 ppg / 4.9 reb / 8.9 ast / 3.0 stl / 34.7%

Where's the improvement? Compare it to the NBA's foundation guys. Or, almost any key guy on a good team. It's unsettling...

[Papalrep]

I find it interesting that there is so much opTIMism for improvement in Rubio...a 7 year pro, but virtually every person on this board had declared Williams a bust with virtually no room for improvement (this being evident by the fact that most think LRMAM was a good trade). Not saying they are equal players, but I find this a bit interesting.

Good point. My issue with Dwill (and I think Adelman's) was his casual approach, and at least a perception that he was just happy to have an NBA contract. Not driven to improve at all, like Love. I think Rubio is more like Love than Derrick