Rubio not coming to the NBA

Well, at least not for a while. The latest news is that Rubio has just signed a 6 year contract with Regal Barcelona (his previous Euro team was DKV Joventut). No idea how much he's getting paid per year, but Barcelona paid ~$3.7 million Euros ($5.3 million U.S.) for his buyout from Joventut. There's supposedly an affordable buyout in 2011... so that's the most likely time for Rubio to come over. I guess Rubio and Minnesota fans will just have to wait two more years. =( The link is in Spanish but that's the gist of it.

http://www.marca.com/2009/08/26/baloncesto/acb/1251278631.html

You know... this situation probably could have all been avoided by some better planning by NBA and Minnesota office folks. Rubio had said he was willing to come to the NBA this year if he was a top 3 pick, but instead, he fell to 5th. Since NBA rookie contracts are locked into a sliding scale, the difference between being a 3rd pick or a 5th pick is about ~$3 million U.S. FWIW, the difference between 4th and 5th pick is about $1.5 mil.

IMO, at the least, OKC or SAC should have explored a draft swap with MIN. James Harden (OKC) and Tyreke Evans (SAC) would have still been available at the 5th pick. I mean, if OKC took Rubio at 3, SAC would still take Evans at 4. I don't think SAC would have taken Harden (a SG) considering their "franchise" player, Kevin Martin, is a SG too. And obvious if SAC took Rubio at 4, Evans would be available at 5. Now, why would the other teams want to help MIN out like this with a pick swap? Cuz they get to pay their rookie a bit less... that's cash savings. $3 mil for OKC or $1.5 for SAC if they had made the trade. MIN probably would have thrown in a 2nd rounder or too just to sweeten the deal. But instead... now we all have to wait for Rubio. =(

And you know what... even when Rubio comes in two years... the situation in Minn. is just gonna be f*cked. I mean, suppose their 6th pick this year, 6' PG, Jonny Flynn turns out to be a decent PG in this league. Then what? And at least to start in 2011, Flynn will *look* better than Rubio, considering he'd have 2 years of the NBA grind under his belt and 2 years with the Minn. system and chemistry with the other players.

You can't just demote him to the bench for Rubio. Not after he's earned the starting job and played in front of Minn. fans for two years. That'd be a slap in the face. If you deal him, it's gonna be pennies on the dollar considering Flynn will still be on his rookie deal and everybody in the league knows your team is in a quandary. You can probably start with Rubio off the bench... but how long is that gonna last before Rubio starts wanting more minutes. Half a season, if that? In Rubio's eyes, he's gonna be a legit star in Europe by then and he's paying money out of his own pocket to come to the NBA... and that's not to be a backup PG. This situation is just gonna get messier and messier. Good job Khan!

And yeah, I know I haven't been updating much at all this summer. Things will pick up in Oct. once we're in fantasy basketball season. I got a few good ideas in my head so I check back then!