slimcalhoun27 wrote:PorkChop...I don't think you quite grasp the concept in regards to adding a mentor for Rubio. Cassel was a incredible player...but his passion, fire and ability to be CRAFTY was unparrel in my opinion. Rubio does struggle...his shot is flat and he struggles even getting layups. What I would like to see is Cassel showing him what the power of a soft mid range jumper can do, plus gaining balance and strength while keeping his dribble while in the paint. Rubio is a Ferrari at heart, wants to run...and quickly...but his idle speed sucks. Cassel was the master of breaking down a defense and creating a soft 10-12 footer.
Hey slim....the assumption you are making here is that no one has worked with Rubio on this aspect. Or rather, that Rubio simply hasn't watched other "effective" players play (i.e. Cassell and Rondo), and simply adapted his style. I have said it like a million times on this board, but Rubio has been a PROFESSIONAL basketball player going on 8-9 years (started at 14 I believe). Throughout his entire career, he would have had coaches and mentors that helped him develop. IMO, there are just some things guys are good at, and some things they are not, regardless of how many times you show them. It always blew my mind that Shaq couldn't learn to adapt the way he shot FT to get to a respectable level. In this case, I am sure he took a million FT each year, but it just wasn't in the cards to show improvement. This is how I feel about Ricky. He certainly understands his deficiencies, and I have to believe has spent an inordinate amount of practice time working on these things, with no improvement to show. With all the specialized training centers and coaches and things, and the importance of his improvement for this team, I have to believe that everything that can be done is being done to help him improve. I think, unfortunately, it just isn't in the cards. And Cassell was ALWAYS crafty...even as a young player.
