Ricky Rubio hasn’t found a level of comfort since returning to the Timberwolves, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. After the Suns traded Rubio to Oklahoma City on draft day, Minnesota expressed interest in bringing him back to the place where he played his first six NBA seasons. However, he hasn’t developed a rapport with backcourt mate D’Angelo Russell, and the Wolves are sinking with their best player, Karl-Anthony Towns, sidelined by COVID-19.
“Trying to pick it up, but it’s tough,” Rubio said. “It is what it is. There’s no excuses. I’m going to keep working hard. I’ve been in the league for 10 years and I know who I am, but it’s off. My game is not here, and I’ve got to find it.”
Through the first part of the season, Rubio is averaging career lows at 6.2 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game. His shot has been off as he’s posting his worst marks ever in effective field-goal percentage (.369), field-goal percentage (.341) and 3-point shooting (.185).
“There’s a fine line of overthinking,” Rubio said. “Sometimes, if you think too much, it’s bad for you, but you can’t just let it go and go out there. You’ve got to fix it if things are not working. Got to feel better with the system, with what we’re running, and as a point guard, I’ve got to do my job.”
There’s more on the Wolves:
- Rubio could wind up being a trade chip, suggests Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. The veteran guard will have a $17.8MM expiring contract next season, which could be useful to help match salary in a deal. Hine adds that team president Gersson Rosas views trades as the best way to improve.
- Second-year center Naz Reid, who has taken over as a starter in Towns’ absence, shares the organizational philosophy of avoiding mid-range shots, Hine writes in a separate story. “It’s not that I can’t shoot them. It’s that I don’t feel right shooting (them),” Reid said. “The system of (rim) twos, threes, free throws is a proper system.”
- Towns revealed this week that he was hit by a drunk driver in Los Angeles before the start of the season, relays Mark Medina of USA Today. Towns, who lost his mother and six other family members to COVID-19 last year, talked about the incident in a question-and-answer session on Instagram about how he has overcome so much adversity.
Rubio & Hernangomez should be moved as soon as possible for a power forward that fits with towns.
Absolutely agree. But who’s going to take juancho? I feel we’d need to give up okogie or culver.
Felicio & Young for Rubio, Gomez, 2 second round picks?
Wolves are in a tough spot
Gomez for the return of Nemanja Bjelica?
Sac makes interesting deals sometimes.
I would like to bring Bjelica back, but he’s 30+, and we’re the worst team in the league. At this point, I’d rather let McDaniels and Vanderbilt play to keep developing.
If SAC was open to Bjelica for Gomez I’d do it just to swap 3 years for 1. How would that interfere with playing Mcdaniels & Vanderbilt?
Bulls needs a PG … Thad Young + ???? = Rubio
1. Ricky Rubio for Thad Young and Chandler Hutchinson
2. Ricky Rubio and Jarrett Culver for Juilius Randle, DSJ and a second round pick
3. Ricky Rubio and Jarrett Culver for Aaron Gordon and Mo Bamba
I like option 3
Come one bro. Randle is having a career yr. He and Smith should be enough. I do that. Randle does look like a fit with KAT. HMmmmmm
I like 2 and 3
Having an amazing season but the season is what 20 games in and his contract expires end of the season and he will be expensive to keep. So you’d be giving up Rubio and Culver for 50 games of Randle hence why I said DSJ and a second also.
lol wolves ain’t gunna accept bamba when they’re already in luxury tax territory with a struggling juancho, rookie mcdaniels, a developing vanderbilt and an improving reid and ofc a vet in ed davis. rubio is a greta playmaker but his shooting is terrible
Bamba is actually pretty good when not injured. Plus he would be good impact off the bench in short stretches. Plus he has good defence. He’s better than Hernagomez, McDaniels, Vanderbilt and Davis. I’d say Max Reid and Bamba would be solid back ups for KAT with two different skill sets.
Obviously the main part of the deal is Rubio for Gordon and Culver for Bamba. Gordon would be a huge upgrade over Rubio and fills a position you need. As for Culver for Bamba both have failed to live up to their high draft pick status but both could turn it around. Not to mention the Wooves have loads of SGs and don’t need culver and Bamba could be handy
solid backups?? lol with reid improving on his defense and being a better floor spacer i dont see how bamba will make an impact more less get consistent mins. hes prob gonna earn garbage time once KAT returns from protocals. ok tbh aaron gordon is a nice fit with the wolves seeing how he can score, grab rebounds, and playmake and also space the floor better than rubio, but no way r the magic gunna give away gordon for a bust in culver who shoots slightly worse than gordon on threes and can’t space the floor as well and is a liability on defense. true, gordon may not be great on defense either but he plays similar to draymond and thaddeus young. plus, if issac and aminu r back and healthy, they prob dont even need culver.
Reid should start at the 5 cuz he is a lot better defensively than KAT. Put KAT at the 4 I think that would make him real dangerous offensively kinda like AD.
I like option 3 but no way Orlando does that
Yeah it seems like a tough one, I think with Fultz ruled out, they only really have Cole Anthony as the point so Rubio would be a good addition to help in that area. Plus long term wise the magic like Jonathan Issac more at PF who is currently out injured also. When he returns that doesn’t leave much of a place for Gordon. Whereas in this deal you’d be getting back Culver who could be a big part of the Magic’s future. Culver would be a good fit with Anthony and Isaacs.
Your giving up Gordon who hasn’t done much for help at the point guard spot and a possible future piece
is it just me or does DLo look like lambchops with that headband and his hair tucked under?
Timberwolves need a new coach first if all. Saunders is in over his head. Russell and Towns and Beasley as a big 3 isn’t going to cut it. If they could find any suckers i mean teams to rake them then do it asap.
Rubio is a good player, but his contract goes out another year at a starter number. Even the Wolves, who wanted him back, insisted on getting two 1st rounders (#25 & #28) for a slightly higher one (#17), to take the contract. His value hasn’t increased. So, he’s certainly not a trade asset.
I like Rubio, and wouldn’t mind the Knicks acquiring him, but its hard to see a deal without some asset coming to them. Moving Randle in the same deal might work. But the Knicks have cap space and thus don’t need to send out any salary to take on Rubio. I also assume they will want an asset for two to part with Randle.
The only people wolves should think about trading is Rubio, Juancho, and Okogie. JMac can be the back up PG he’s already proven that. When Towns gets heathy start him at the 4 and start Naz at the 5. Makes a whole lot of sense to me! Any thoughts?
sure thats a good idea.