Bob CollinsIf the rumors of his reluctance to play basketball in Minnesota are/were accurate, Ricky Rubio thought the bright lights of the big city wouldn’t shine on him if he was stuck in flyover country.
About a month into his first NBA season, the Minnesota Timberwolves “rookie” is getting some serious attention from the coastal media today.
First, the NBA released this highlight reel:
And then Sports Illustrated published a fawning article on Rubio
Rubio is not as strong as Jason Kidd, as quick as Rajon Rondo or as accurate as Steve Nash. But he is no Marko Jaric, either. The flop so many predicted has turned into a phenomenon. Rubio is a giver in a culture of takers, a genuine point guard in a league where the floor generals prefer to chuck. Someday he may need to score 20 a game, lead Minnesota to the playoffs and actually earn the All-Star votes he gets. But the Timberwolves are careful to limit pressure on a player who has already been paralyzed by it. Rubio has been in the NBA for less than a month and already he has rediscovered the alegría he came here to find.
Fortunately, Sports Illustrated did not put Rubio on the cover, which would’ve soon ended his season .
(h/t: Ben Brown)
