Minnesota Sports Forum

CoolBreeze44 wrote:I gotta say once again, you don't pass up the best shooters in the draft to take a point guard you intend to play only 15 minutes per night. And personally I don't think Dunn and Rubio are a good fit playing next to each other. Somehow they have to clear a path for Dunn to play. Not only that, Dunn is the first stamp Thibs has been able to put on the organization. Thibs inherited Rubio, and the first thing he does is bring in another point guard. Ricky may not get traded this summer, but my money would be on him getting moved by the trade deadline.

This is just because you've gone 100% Pork Chop, isn't it? :thumb: Now your opinion is being subconsciously influenced by a confirmation bias.

I'm with the crowd that says we won't play our Rubio card until we know the value of our Dunn card.

With all the hype and hope that comes from a shiny new draft pick, it's so easy to get ahead of ourselves in our expectations for Dunn and for overestimating the likelihood that Dunn actually works out. I'm an eternal optimist, so I'm still betting in Dunn to be great.. But I'm also betting that they can make it work with Rubio at least for a few years. But a quick scroll through historical drafts shows just how many high draft picks end up failing. Let's all just hope that we don't have to give up a first round pick just to move him off the roster in a few years. No way we give up Rubio before Dunn actually demonstrates he's ready to take the mantle from Ricky, and even then, no guarantee they can't make it work together.

Where is Cam?

These Ricky threads are getting ridiculous.

I picked 2 or more years. I think Thibbs needs a couple seasons to figure out what he has here. And that way Dunn gets a couple seasons to acclimate to the NBA. Assuming Dunn shows enough in that time, it probably makes sense to deal Rubio before he gets to the end of his current contract. I can't imagine they'd re-sign Rubi for another deal anyhow.

http://i.imgur.com/5ZXF0K8.gifWait, Trade Me?!

http://gifrific.com/ricky-rubio-puts-hands-on-head-in-disapointment/Can't Believe These People..

http://i.imgur.com/EhOycJ4.gifFine, Trade Me Already!

http://i.imgur.com/shI2j0Q.gifOh, You Still Want Me?

I see no possibility that Rubio is moved before the season or during this season. Thibs is coming into a new head coaching job, with a starting 5 at this time that has 3 players entering their 2nd or 3rd seasons. I highly doubt he wants to hand the keys over to Dunn who is an unproven commodity at this point, nothing more. Rubio is a leader, and he provides continuity for our young stars. He also is very careful with the ball, and makes the game a ton easier offensively and defensively for our team. KAT may be our best overall player, but I still see Rubio as our most important player and the engine that drives this team. The reality is probably something more like Thibs recognized Rubio's injury history and what happens to this team when Rubio does miss time, saw that we lacked at the backup pg position, and had the opportunity to take the BPA on his board who happened to fit a need for us.

Cool, you mentioned passing on shooting for a pg who will get 15-18 minutes a game as being a big mistake. Well, Murray and Hield would've been fighting LaVine and Wiggins for minutes at the 2. I'm not confident Murray can play PG in the NBA, and neither Murray or Hield are long/athletic enough to play the 3. They would be getting scraps at SG. Dunn has to beat out Tyus for the backup pg role, and with his overall skillset is more than capable of taking scrap minutes at SG as well.

Rubio continues to be polarizing. Every seems to like him overall. Yet I think the consensus is that he is middle of the road (12-18th best) in terms of PG rankings in the league. I don't see what the big deal is in looking to upgrade an important position. If Dunn can't become the 15th best point guard in the league then the scouts were way off with this kid. The flashy passes, the control, and the hustle make Rubio very likable. But there are lots of players who can bring as much or more production from that spot. I'm really fine either way, but I see logic in moving him if there is truly a market. His defense looks great on paper, maybe he has significant value that can be capitalized on now. If not we wait and let Dunn develop slowly.

thedoper wrote:Rubio continues to be polarizing. Every seems to like him overall. Yet I think the consensus is that he is middle of the road (12-18th best) in terms of PG rankings in the league. I don't see what the big deal is in looking to upgrade an important position. If Dunn can't become the 15th best point guard in the league then the scouts were way off with this kid. The flashy passes, the control, and the hustle make Rubio very likable. But there are lots of players who can bring as much or more production from that spot. I'm really fine either way, but I see logic in moving him if there is truly a market. His defense looks great on paper, maybe he has significant value that can be capitalized on now. If not we wait and let Dunn develop slowly.

Doper gets it. Very well said. For those tired of this topic I understand where you are coming from. But I've been so misunderstood through these threads that I feel the need to set the record straight. Khans's hedge your bets posts at the forefront of the misunderstanding. Here is my official stance:

1) I like Ricky, I've always liked Ricky and have been one of his biggest supporters from day 1. I also like Dunn and am excited about him being a Wolve.

2) I'm not advocating for trading either of these guys, period. What I'm saying is Thibs and Layden are going to trade one of them. Maybe not today, maybe not before the season, maybe not during the season, but sooner rather than later.

3) Kris Dunn's value is very high right now. IF we were going to trade HIM, now would be the right time, especially if a deal could be made for Butler.

4) Sure you can try to play Ricky and Dunn at the same time, but it's not going to be very effective. They are both point guards lacking 2-guard skills.

5) Dunn is not going to ride the pine. This is Thibs first move for the organization. Dunn is HIS guy. To not play him would be an indictment on himself and his abilities as an executive. He's going to get every opportunity to be on the court.

6) Ricky is exactly what Doper said he is. He's a good player and most of us appreciate what he provides. But if Dunn can't surpass him, I think it was a mistake to use our pick on him. And I can guarantee you Thibs and Layden see more than a top 15 point guard in Dunn. Otherwise the move to pass on Murray and Hield would have been foolish.

In a nutshell this is what I've been trying to communicate through all these threads. Now if you want to argue these points, that's fine. We can have those discussions.

thedoper wrote:Rubio continues to be polarizing. Every seems to like him overall. Yet I think the consensus is that he is middle of the road (12-18th best) in terms of PG rankings in the league. I don't see what the big deal is in looking to upgrade an important position. If Dunn can't become the 15th best point guard in the league then the scouts were way off with this kid. The flashy passes, the control, and the hustle make Rubio very likable. But there are lots of players who can bring as much or more production from that spot. I'm really fine either way, but I see logic in moving him if there is truly a market. His defense looks great on paper, maybe he has significant value that can be capitalized on now. If not we wait and let Dunn develop slowly.

Not really....Only 11-17 in the entire league according to your own estimate. That's not "lots" since most of those guys are firmly ensconced starters on their existing teams and not available right now. Also, some of those guys - like Irving for example - are pure scorers who would take shots away from a team largely built around KAT and Wiggins.

While Dunn may eventually overtake Rubio as the better player - and that would be a good problem to have for sure - I think it would be very risky for Thibs and Layden to presume he's going to be an upgrade and prematurely get rid of Rubio. There is absolutely no reason to do that right now, even though it may ultimately be where things land.