A new leader of the pack in Minnesota?

[mrhockey89]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/70651/ricky-rubio-new-leader-minnesota-timberwolves

Good read, I recommend you all take a glance.

[Lipoli390]

Great article! Thanks for posting, Hockey.

[TAFKASP]

Just finished reading that and was going to post it! Excellent article!!!

[60WinTim]

But did you read the next article?!?

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/70653/then-now-later-ricky-rubio

[60WinTim]

And hopefully Mo will have the same influence on Ricky as he is with Zach (be sure to click the link!). This was from last night!

Mo Williams ?@mowilliams 10h10 hours ago
Getting some late nite work in wit my youngn @ashley_earle_ n the best trainer in the world @djluck1.... http://instagram.com/p/t6kurWnfWd/

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Thanks for the articles, Hockey and Tim. We tend to concentrate too much on specific individual stats, like shooting (very bad) and steals (very good). But the game ultimately is a team game, and broader stats are more indicative of Ricky's value. That's why I prefer to evaluate him on more overall stats like offensive rating (112.5) and defensive real plus/minus (2nd best PG according to espn.com).

Yes, I'd like to see Ricky finish better and improve his jump shot, but the above measurements show the positive impact he has even with those shortcomings. they also show why Ricky's agent is comfortable asking for the money he is asking for.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Nice article, nothing groundbreaking here, but nonetheless. I remember that Tolliver 3 pointer after getting the ball from between Dirk's legs, and how happy he was and I was to have Rubio.

His scoring isn't necessary (see Mario Chalmers) for us to be a great team. He's the reason a lot of casual fans come out to watch the Wolves. He's a unique and entertaining player who does many things well. If he keeps making everybody around him better, then he's worth keeping. And he'll get overpaid just like everyone else in this league.

[Hicks123 [enjin:6700838]]

You absolutely MUST evaluate Rubio differently than Chalmers. Of course Chalmers doesn't have to score, as he has Wade, LBJ and Bosh to carry that weight. We are in a completely different situation, and need Rubio to bring MUCH more to the table than a player like Chalmers. With THIS current team, he absolutely does need to assert himself as a better scorer for us to be successful. Now, if Bennett, Thad, Wiggins, etc can become top-shelf scoring options for the long term, I would totally agree that Rubio and his current skillset will be fine.

[bleedspeed]

What is the average points per game scored by a starting lineup?

I am thinking we get 75 out of Rubio/Martin/Wiggins/Young/Pek.

Last year we got about 81 out of Rubio/Martin/Brewer/Love/Pek.

That really means we need more out of the bench.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Hicks, I'm merely suggesting people could be over analyzing his shooting percentage. Whether his FG % is 33% (4 for 12) or 41% (5 for 12), that's only 1 bucket. I think he'll get stronger at challenging the bigs and getting more FT's. He is obviously much more talented than Chalmers and if he's making others better then we can get our wings to provide the bulk of the scoring. I guess I would rather have Rubio than a guy like Westbrook and I know I'm in the minority here.