Minnesota Sports Forum

thedoper wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

bleedspeed177 wrote:Another article.

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/National_media_is_starting_to_rip_on_Ricky_Rubio_but_lets_dig_deeper010714

I guess we all read what we want to read.

Did Aschburner or Goldsberry claim Rubio was hurting the team? I read that he and the Wolves have reached a plateau.

Both guys mention this with Rubio. And the stats are convincingly on their side. 108 points per 100 possessions is great. But is Rubio entirely accountable for that? And what COULD it be if he COULD shoot at even a mediocre rate?

Why settle so quickly for the plateau?


[Note: Q basically sums it up. He does some things well. Others poorly.]

Great point. The truth is Rubio could help us even more if he could score. We really would be a quality team instead of an average one if Rubio was a complete star.

Sure. It might not be fair to suggest he should be one. He just might not be that guy.

But, it's not piling on or being disingenuous to point out his shooting is a liability.

Ricky Rubio's setting career highs in FG%, 3P%, FT%, APG, RPG and SPG this season.

Part of the problem is he's just not getting to the FT line as much as first two years (3.8 FTAs, 4.6 FTAs compared to 3.1 FTAs). That and he's taking a career low 8 shots per game. These factors lead to a career low 8.9 PPG this year. What would his stats be if he was taking more shots/more FTs? Probably around or even higher than his 10.6-ish PPG we're used to.

Improve as a finisher around the rim, continue to make solid strides as a set shooter, and work on getting a floater. If he does all these things, I couldn't care less about a mid-range jumper off the dribble.

I think a lot of us are down on Ricky this year, and it's mainly due to our own expectations for him this year, but he's actually having his best year in the NBA. Improvement shows growth, continued growth makes All-Stars. Only 23-years old still.

What salary figure would you say is fair for Ricky? 9 Million per season? 4 years 36 million? what kinda contract extension/offer do you think he will get or is worth

Camden wrote:Ricky Rubio's setting career highs in FG%, 3P%, FT%, APG, RPG and SPG this season.

Part of the problem is he's just not getting to the FT line as much as first two years (3.8 FTAs, 4.6 FTAs compared to 3.1 FTAs). That and he's taking a career low 8 shots per game. These factors lead to a career low 8.9 PPG this year. What would his stats be if he was taking more shots/more FTs? Probably around or even higher than his 10.6-ish PPG we're used to.

Improve as a finisher around the rim, continue to make solid strides as a set shooter, and work on getting a floater. If he does all these things, I couldn't care less about a mid-range jumper off the dribble.

I think a lot of us are down on Ricky this year, and it's mainly due to our own expectations for him this year, but he's actually having his best year in the NBA. Improvement shows growth, continued growth makes All-Stars. Only 23-years old still.

Love the optimism. When I saw Rubio play in person my gut takeaway was that I am not worried about his development at all. His erratic jumper and lack of strength around the basket have been issues, but they can be addressed in my mind. In every other way he is a confident and competent PG with some exceptional skills in some areas. This offseason is when he needs to take that leap. Contract year next year. Should be really interesting.

As for contract if we could sign Ricky for 8 per right now we should do it. But I don't think that will happen.

Ive just always wondered why so many have easily dismissed Rubios flaws saying he just needs time. ( after a few years in the league). But alot of the same fans have been harshin on Muhammeds mellow since he was drafted. Even tho we havent seen what hes able to do yet. And piling on with the character pot shots to boot.
Just goes to show with all the basketball knowledge on here people still form ideas/opinions with a lil bias coming into play.

PorkChop wrote:Ive just always wondered why so many have easily dismissed Rubios flaws saying he just needs time. ( after a few years in the league). But alot of the same fans have been harshin on Muhammeds mellow since he was drafted. Even tho we havent seen what hes able to do yet. And piling on with the character pot shots to boot.
Just goes to show with all the basketball knowledge on here people still form ideas/opinions with a lil bias coming into play.

I've been in Shabazz's corner from the start... Talent is talent regardless of its flaws. It just matters if the positives outweigh the negatives.

I'd be content to go with Q and accept Ricky for who he is so far. He's an elite facilitator and very good defender. He's also an excellent rebounder from the PG position. He's pretty good at getting to the line and superb at hitting from the line. Unfortunately, he's a poor shooter - very bad finishing at the rim, horrible from mid-range and mediocre from behind the arc.

Yet, I agree with Cam and some others who still see a realistic prospect for improvement in Ricky's shooting. I have no doubt he'll improve finishing at the rim because he will get physically stronger and is bound to develop more skill at finishing in traffic. I also suspect he'll continue improving his three point set shot because he's an excellent free throw shooter. I have my doubts about him improving his mid-range jumper because that would require hitting from the perimeter on the move and that would be a big step for him.

Bottom line is that Ricky is already a very good PG with the potential to get better.