Have your say about his personality ...

... but I have no doubt in my mind that Ricky Rubio will indeed be a top notch NBA basketball player, even if it doesn't end up being with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Yes, Rubio has eye popping highlight films that make him look like "La Pistola," but it's his demeanor that will set him off from other NBA basketball players.

Rubio is a guy who understands that, as the point guard, it is his job to keep the other four guys on the court with him happy.

"Basketball isn't one-on-one," Rubio said. "It's five-on-five, plus the bench."

If you are an effective basketball player in the Spanish ABC League at age 15, you can play basketball. Not only was this guy the youngest player in the league, but he was also the youngest player to play in an Olympic gold medal game at the age of 19.

Anyone who saw Rubio hold his own in that game against bonafide NBA stars Chris Paul and Deron Williams has to realize that this guy is the real deal.

In his blog, LUDAMEISTER criticized David Kahn for drafting Rubio and Jonny Flynn with back-to-back selections. In my opinion, that was the best decision he could have made.

There were no two guards or centers available at either of those slots who was worthy of that pick, and drafting a forward to sit behind Kevin Love and Al Jefferson would have been pointless.

A few things happen with Rubio playing two more years in Spain. Remember, he's only 19 right now, so he will be just 21-years-old when he finally makes his NBA debut.

First, the kid will have two more years of professional basketball under his belt to mature into a legitimate basketball player. The Timberwolves won't have as much of a responsibility to help this kid grow up.

The development of Flynn will play a huge role when Rubio makes his return. If Flynn turns out to be a good NBA point guard, Minnesota will either have two solid point guards, or they will have top notch trade bait in Rubio.

If Flynn turns out to be a bust, they have the 21-year-old Rubio coming in with multiple years of professional experience under his belt to take the starting point guard position in Minnesota and right that ship.

If Rubio can develop a 3-point shot while he's in Spain, that will only further enhance his stock once he comes into the NBA.

For now, you can take your mind off the young prodigy. But in two years, watch out NBA fans, Ricky Rubio is coming to an arena near you.

Ricky Rubio Isn't Coming To America

Much will be said and even more will be written about Ricky Rubio dissing the U.S. and the NBA to continue his antics in Spain.  NBA experts and analysts will waste precious oxygen debating the topic, while columnists will waste precious column inches on the topic.

But here's the long and the short of it.


David Kahn is dumb for drafting 5,752 point guards in last June's NBA draft.  Kahn is dumber for drafting a point guard who wanted no part of a place like Minnesota.  Instead, he wanted glitz and glamour that came with a big market franchise.  Sounds like a 19-year-old kid making requests that any 19-year-old kid would make.  Heck, at 19, I wanted a sports writing job in Chicago.  And while there are some who contend that at the age of 23, I am better than Jay Mariotti or Phil Rogers, at a young age, I was ambitious/naiive enough to think that is where I belonged.

As Ricky Rubio, kid's a punk.  Brandon Jennings basically called him a fraud, and I'll side with him.  On highlight films, Rubio looks like he's a can't-miss prospect.  That's the thing about highlight videos -- they're supposed to make you look that good.  If you've got a highlight video that doesn't "wow" the average eyeball, then you and your representative are failing you.

Rubio has proven nothing beyond being a watered-down Spanish version of Jason Williams.  (No, not that guy.)  And through today, Kahn has proven to be nothing more than an inept man whose basketball decision-making skills make Timberwolves fans wish Kevin McHale was still in charge.

I don't speak Spanish, but ...

I think Rubio should try a little harder to eat that ball so he can stop sounding like LaTrell Spreewell trying to feed a family of four on a measly $21 million

 ... I understand what Ricky Rubio is saying and I don't like it one bit. 

Rubio has followed in the footsteps of some of his international predecessors and is playing the "mystique" card to the fullest. Because American basketball fans, and even NBA front offices don't get an opportunity to get a good feel for international prospects, many of them think they can descend upon the country like they are The Beatles and build on their own hype. 

Rubio is being epecially stubborn during these weeks leading up to the NBA Draft, refusing to workout for almost every team and doing interviews with only certain teams. He wants to play in a big market and seems to be taking a liking to Sacramento as he has done multiple interviews and even a one-on-none workout session. 

But he has completely ignored Memphis and has only given Oklahoma City a minimal amount of time. 

I mean, who died and made him John Elway or Eli Manning?

Much like Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian and Dirk Nowitzki, Rubio has made it clear there are only a handful of locations "suitable" for him. Well let me tell you something Rubio, and all of our other international friends thinking about coming over. 

THIS IS THE DRAFT!

Thanks to all your previous hard work, you have the opportunity to be drafted in the top-10, but you have not earned the right to pick the place where you play. In the NBA, that right is earned when you become a free agent. 

A few mind-boggling passes and clutch plays in the Olympics does not mean you are Michael Jordan. And no matter how could people expect a player to be, the right to choose where one plays is not earned until that first contract expires. 

Blake Griffin hasn't earned that right, and either has Ricky Rubio. Someone as mediocre as Royal Ivey has earned the right and someone as great as Hedo Turkoglu has earned the right. 

It was Ivey's choice to opt out of his contract and sign for however much a team of his choosing will give him. The same goes for Turkoglu who is sure to sign for a price he wants in a city he wants to play in. And it's cause those two players have ran the NBA floors and have shown the league what they are capable of. 

But Rubio and all the past international players who were so  persistent in making pre-draft claims of where they need to play did not earn it. 

Don't get me wrong, I love international players and the unknown they bring to the NBA. They could be out-of-nowhere stars like Manu Ginobli, or they could be busts like Darko Milic. It's always exciting. And all those players who made the pre-draft demands like Ming, Jianlian and Nowitzki, well now they have earned the right to sign with a team they want to play for. 

So your time will come Rubio. Show the NBA what you can offer and then make the decision as to where you want to play and for how much. Until then, work just as hard as any other lottery pick. Go to team workouts, express some sort of humility and be willing to play for any team willing to give you millions. It's a privilege to get paid millions to play a game you love, not a right. 

If you end up with a Grizzlies hat on Thursday, smile and tell everyone you are going to play your hardest to get the team back to the playoffs. Cause while you may not like them now, I hear they have excellent BBQ (and car thiefs). And if you still don't like Memphis, play with maturity and wait. Because good things come to those who wait. 

Until then can you please send a message across the channel that international players are not drafting NBA teams, the teams are drafting them.