The saga continues: Rubio to stay in Spain?
Posted on August 26th, 2009 – 11:33 AMBy Jerry Zgoda
Spanish media outlet Marca reports Ricky Rubio is set to sign a 6-year deal with Regal Barcelona that will include a buyout clause that could bring him to the NBA and the Timberwolves in 2011. If it comes to pass, Rubio’s transfer from DKV Joventut to Barcelona will be the most expensive buyout ($5.3 million) in Europe basketball history.
David Kahn said this in a statement, “Based on the information I have attained today, no team in any league has reached a deal with DKV Joventut concerning Ricky’s buyout, which must be accomplished before Ricky is released from his contract.”
Right now, this whole thing is a game of negotiating chicken with Rubio’s DKV Joventut team trying to extract the most of that $8 million buyout it can from either a European team or Rubio himself (remember the Wolves by NBA rules can only pay $500,000 of the buyout while European teams have no limits).
It still makes most sense that Rubio signs with the Wolves for this season because agent Dan Fegan knows the NBA collective bargaining agreement — and its rookie pay scale — could change significantly (and not in a good way) if his client remains in Europe two years and doesn’t sign an NBA contract until at least 2011, which is the summer when the current CBA is set to expire.
The X Factor is whether Rubio, for whatever reason, decides he’d rather stay at home in Spain rather than leave at age 18 for NBA.
The big issue, though, remains that buyout with Joventut, of course. Any team wanting Rubio in its uniform come October needs to solve that first.
On other matters:
* The Wolves have moved their preseason opener in Mankato against Milwaukee up a day, to Sunday Oct. 4 from Monday Oct. 5. They open camp there in that week leading up to that game.
* When Kurt Rambis was hired a couple weeks, both he and Kahn said they hoped the coaching staff would be in place by Sept. 1.
That’s Tuesday.
The other day, Kahn said the team was “a long ways away” when I asked him if Bill Laimbeer and Reggie Theus were going to join Dave Wohl on Rambis’ staff.
He wouldn’t comment on either fellow, saying “I wouldn’t want to see anybody get hurt.”
Recast from Jerry Zgoda’s Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/JerryZgoda
163 Responses to "The saga continues: Rubio to stay in Spain?"
Get Mr. Kahn on your bat phone, Jerry, inquiring minds want to know.
Is Kahn on some cruise in the Mediterranean?
HHHHmmm. Who knows what to think anymore…
that’d be a bummer.
YahooSportsNBAThere is no deal done with Regal Barcelona for Ricky Rubio, a source with dorect knowledge tells Y! Sports.
“this was just on Twitter. JERRY GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT. HOW MANY RUMORS LIKE THAT HAVE WE’ve already heard. JERRY do your homework, don’t steal anyone elses junk
WARNING- FALSE RUMOR. RUBIO ISN’T SIGNING WITH ANY TEAM OVER THERE. YAHOO CONFIRMED IT’S A FALSE RUMOR
how hard can it be to lock up some endorsement deals on a handsome, young european player? the guy is already on a gillette commercial for the love of god. and isn’t kahn an attorney? he should be able to figure out some loophole in rubio’s current contract. if they can’t make this work this season it will be VERY disappointing. especially with all of the offseason successes thus far (read: McHale firing, Rambis hiring, continued dumping of terrible contracts, stockpiling draft-picks, etc)
When Flynn comes in here and flourishes in the PG role, Rubio will be a nice trading chip next year. Flynn is the PG of the future for this team and people need to quit obsessing over the YouTube sensation.
Wy not just give Rubio a contract with easy incentives to make up for the $6 million or $3 million or whatever he needs for the buyout?
If billionaire Glen wants Rubio on the T-Wolves team this year he will be here. Money talks in any language!
Maybe Kevin Love should play point and Flynn can play center, wouldn’t be any worst than the past (excluding Jefferson).
To all you idiots who whined about why Kahn drafted both Flynn and Rubio, here is your answer geniuses.
If Rubio doesn’t sign with the Timberwolves now after being drafted in the first round, he should expect a rude and expectant welcome when he does decide to play in America.
Rubio is only 18 and he has already lost control over his life!
The more Rubio is seen playing, the more it’s gonna show he’s a graud. Trade the rights while the iron is hot, this guy is a bust. Wasn’t Roy Hibbert gonna be a top 5 pick? Same thing for Hansbrough? Then they play one more year, and everything fell apart. Same thing here. How is he suppose to score against an NBA defense, when he can’t even score against the European/Russian defense? Corey Brewer can average 10 a game there. Look at all the ex-Gophers doing well there, Ricket, Dusty, guys that would get eaten alive in the NBA.
Until we get a formal announcement from one of the teams involved, Rubio himself, or the Wolves, I’m not going to get too worked up. This is at least the fourth time we’ve heard that some sort of deal with a European team was imminent.
stop “reporting” what crappy Marca.com is saying
enzo…haha no, Hansbrough was NEVER going to be top 5….the more you watch Rubio play, the more you see he is so much better than the players around him, even during the FIBA events
im going with what adam said
Rickert and Rychart play in New Zealand and Australia, respectively, not Europe. Not the same level of play there.
To all the less-than-knowledgeable fans who are hating on Rubio (like Jim), realize this: Rubio didn’t have enough cash to buyout the contract himself and the Wolves could only pay $500K. From the first moment, I thought chances were slim that Rubio would be wearing a Wolves uni in ‘09.
Thanks smartguy. As you can tell Jerry doesnt got anything and hasn’t had any worthy material for months… if you remember he (jerry) is the one who wanted TABIT! I get all my info but HERE. Just like to hear the fans SPEAK…
For those of you thinking the team can just give Rubio the money… let me remind you they can only pay $500,000 towards his buyout. And looking for a loophole… let me remind you of the Joe Smith loophole and where that got us??
and yes i know it’s THABEET—;) That was just to show the bs we as fans put up with this worthless site. Time to make a real TWOLVES blog so WE can get the real facts, and yes Jerry i’ll let you join after you ditch the glasses and cut the mop…;0
better yet keep the glasses since RAMBIS is here but the DO gottas go brooooooooooooooooooooo! LMAO
I won’t believe anything about Rubio’s status until a formal announcement comes. But since Eeyore called me out in the previous thread, I guess I’ll provide my take on the situation: I don’t care whether Rubio shows up this year.
If he does, it’ll be fun to watch. If he doesn’t, we get to have him under a rookie scale contract for years in which I expect him to be more productive. He could also be used as a trading chip, but probably only if Flynn ends up looking like a perennial All-Star.
I’m actually excited to see Flynn run the team, so in a way I’m rooting for Rubio to stay in Spain for a year or two. That said, I’ll never feel like the Foye/Miller trade was a bad idea. Kahn traded two players he didn’t want in the long term for the fifth pick in the draft. He probably thought he’d get Evans and he ended up getting Rubio. Either way, I think it was a good idea. I can’t guarantee that any player will be a star, but I won’t second-guess the trade.
And Eeyore, I don’t understand how you can’t see Rubio’s potential to be a star. It’s the passing, it’s the passing, it’s the passing.
Madison Dan- Great points, i’m with yoou 100% with that post.
Rubio on a Gillette commercial? Does he even shave yet? That would be like Favre doing a Depends commercial…oh wait..
Why the he!! was he even in the draft this year to begin with if no team can touch him for years and years to come.
Got to love the ill informed locals that see a headline and go crazy. For those people that haven’t been following this for the last several months, please don’t leave comments, they are all ignorant at best.
Adam W, listen to the language. No deal is yet in place…That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a false rumor or that it’s not going to get done. This thing is a game of negotiating chicken. Eventually it’s going to get resolved. It still makes the most sense that Rubio ends up here because Dan Fegan knows if they wait for two years in Europe, the NBA collective bargaining agreement could look completely different by then and he doesn’t want to take that chance. The X Factor here is if Rubio, for whatever reasons, is more comfortable staying home for now rather than leave Spain for the NBA.
Very well said, Jama..
Mad Dan don’t know how much you played but in order to show passing skills you have to create odd man situations draw 2 defenders then pass. If you can’t beat your man because lack of explosiveness or strength your opportunity to make plays goes way down. Tell me all the guys who couldn’t shoot well and had avareage quicks without strength that were superstars. It’s the ability to beat defenders that opens up passing lanes. Basketball 101.
Madison Dan, to be more precise, it’s not the passing as much as it’s the vision. He sees things a step ahead that other players don’t.
Some action Spain-Lithuania 21-8-2009
In the fist minute a couple of 3´s from Rubio
I agree with you Jerry, but we’ve heard numerous reports of this liking… RUBIO will be a WOLF, this year.
Marca is garbage, they just type up whatever they want
ESPN has a great report of the situation…
Z dropping the hammer!!!!!! 
People need to calm down….just because we can’t see your face doesn’t mean you should just throw fecies around the room like a bunch of primates.
calm down folks….take a deep breath…and realize that this is just a game….
that being said….I hope rubio will end up here, but I wouldn’t mind him getting some 35 minute games overseas for a couple years to get some seasoning. (if all else fails, excellent trade bait next year!)
It´s nearly done. I would rather have seen him playing in the nba, but the key was the romuour that Spanish Inland revenue or Social Security being owed money from DVK JOventud. That´s why the offer from the Wolfs was rejected. The offer wasn´t cash. it was endosments, games….etc which a public entity such as Social Security, Inland Revenue is never going to accept.
Hope this clarifies a little. Ricky´s first option was always NBA but his rights apparently belong to a team with some money issues at the moment
Thanks Jerry and thanks jama. While ignorance is bliss it doesn’t mean people should post their ignorance on public blogs.
Well Eeyore, I don’t remember how big Kidd was at 18, but he’s the closest comparison for Rubio that I can see at this point. I don’t know how much Rubio’s Spanish league (and international) highlight reels can tell us about his ability to succeed in the NBA, but it looks to me like he has a very rare feel for the game. As Jerry wrote, he sees things that other players don’t. Yeah, it’d be great if we could put Rubio’s basketball IQ in DeRozan’s body, but I didn’t see that player available in the draft.
Have you ever said what you would have done with the 5th and 6th picks? (In my hypothetical, you can’t take back the Foye/Miller trade.) Do really think Kahn could/should have passed on Rubio twice?
Jerry you still have to be able to beat defenders to make plays. I knew at press conference, the day after draft, Taylor picked the wrong guy in Kahn. First, Kahn said Rubio had to go back to Spain to work on buyout so he couldn’t make it to Mpls. Fegan came out and said Rubio would be staying stateside for a few weeks. That was Fegans way of sticking it up Kahn’s backside and saying Ricky is not coming and I have no respect for you at all. Secondly, the Ainge DJ comparision to Flynn/Rubio let me know he knows noyhing about basketball. Bad choice by Taylor and things will fall from here.
Kidd had strength and size plus better athlete. Next please.
I, for one, appreciate this blog aggregating other news reports re: Rubio and bringing them here for my consumption. Zgoda’s function is part reporter/part blogger, and when he’s reporting that material ends up in places other than the blog. The blog is an appropriate place to post links/scuttlebut relevant to the Wolves, as this is.
Although I would prefer to see Rubio here sooner than later (and 2011 is definitely later), this report of an imminent signing has credibility. The only way I see he gets here for 2009 is via the endorsement route, but I think it’s naive to expect a guy like Rubio to make $6 million in endorsements before he has played a minute in the U.S. One minor part of a Gillette commercial doesn’t automatically mean he’s going to be rolling in endorsement cash from day one.
You didn’t answer my question, Eeyore. Stop being critical for a second and tell me what you would have done with 5 and 6. Then we get to take some shots at you.
Re-post from last thread…
I think the most interesting part of the Marca story is the last sentence if you use google translator
” the official announcement of the deal can be done in hours or weeks.”
What benefit does anyone get by leaking this agreement weeks before it’s official?
To me, this is an obvious attempt to force the Wolves to trade to a large market because the length of the contract is disheartening (6 seasons) and the yearly decreasing buyout leaves the option for Ricky to say “trade me I need large market endorsements. No? OK I’m staying in Spain next year”. He can say that for 6 years. Rubio and his agent probably believe the Wolves will panic at the thought of a never ending scenario.
I thought Kahn return almost immediately from Spain on his second trip. Is that true? If so, it seemed like he went out there and the Rubio camp didn’t want to talk to him anymore.
Sorry for the speculation, but it’s all we can do with limited info.
Wow…logical thinker immediately determined Kahn was a fraud…because Kahn mistakenly said Rubio was going back to Spain that day, when instead he stayed a couple of weeks? And because he made the Ainge/DJ comparison?
I’d be hard-pressed to come up with two dumber reasons why Kahn isn’t the right guy for this job.
Here’s a name: Sebastian Telfair. Telfair can’t shoot a lick, and he’s not all that gifted a passer, either. He can get by his defender, but he can’t finish. So what do you have? A career backup in the NBA, but still a guy who’s going to be in the league for a very long time.
Compare that to Rubio. Rubio has size already, impressive PG height, if not weight, although he’s still young enough to add bulk through natural maturation. His passing/vision are light years ahead of Telfair’s already (by all accounts, at least, which is part of the issue, that so few of us have seen him play extended time). His shooting ability certainly needs to improve, like just about 90% of all current NBA PG’s. And he probably needs to improve off the dribble, just like every other 18 year old out there.
What I do know is that in the Olympics, against Wade and Kobe, he seemed to do just fine. If he were a true fraud, he would have been exposed in a big way.
He (Rubio) may be the most hyped up player I have seen since Brian Bozworth and Tony Mandarich.
Jerry, so let me get this right, those of you who are uninformed want those who aren’t informed to not leave comments. Priceless but senseless.
blah: here’s a different conspiracy theory from ESPN:
“ESPN.com’s source said the Barcelona club appeared to be leaking the story to Marca in order to put pressure on Joventut to accept Barcelona’s latest offer.”
I can’t say your version is wrong, but I don’t think that’s what is happening here.
SO WHY DID WE DRAFT HIM?
The point is that none of us knows precisely what is going on in negotiations. Jama somehow projects self as more informed because he wastes more time on this board than what he and Jerry classify as ill informed. Garbage! Neither Jerry nor anyone on this board has any clue as to what is transpiring with Rubio’s buyout. Jerry has a telephone number to reach Kahn in order to dispel rumors, but no one is on the front end of this stuff, no one!
Kahn is probably burning up the Wolves travel budget in a drunken stupor under a table in some Barcelona nightclub or in a boat on the Med.
Marca Marca Marca!
“Logical Thinker,” you have precisely zero idea what you’re talking about with respect to the comparison between Rubio and Kidd, leaving alone your divinations about Dan Fegan’s agent-ly pronouncements.
Oh yeah, and the “in order to pass well, you have to draw two defenders” bit, too. Wow. Is that ever ludicrously mistaken. “Basketball 101″ indeed. You’ve been watching the NBA for what, six months, at the ripe old age of 16? Kick back with some clips of Magic Johnson sometime, and keep track of how often he needed to break down the defense, Marbury style, before making his pass. It’s called court vision. Judging by the puffery of your posts, you don’t even recognize it when you’re watching TV, let alone understand its worth on the actual court.
The Rubio situation is a joke. What a waste. I want Ty Lawson back. He’s an outstanding player and already lives in America. Trading him to a division rival was a colossal mistake. Flynn certainly has superstar potential, but Lawson is ready to play.
Rubio was on UStream wit da Spanish v. Israel game.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/m%C3%A1s-baloncesto-tv
it be slooooooo.
Games over but available as recorded live on UStream. A little better speed too.
I hope this guy is something special because he is creating quite a fuss in the media. I am predicting he is the reincarnation of a flop the size of Sam Bowie.
Rubio deal not done yet. check the link. Good news for Wolves fans.
So if Rubio = Bowie does Flynn = Jordan? I’d take that.
Why would Rubio want to leave home to play for a losing franchise? I don’t think he’ll ever play a game as a T-Wolf.
We should have just moved up 1 spot and taken Evans and then Flynn. Flynn and Evans would have been sweet. We could have packaged 6th and 18th, and Smith for the 4th. Taken Evans 4th and taken Flynn 5th and had our backcourt for the next 5 years.
I’ll take Flynn over Rubio, he works his butt off, so I hope Flynn is awesome this year and we trade Rubio for another piece we need.
Madison Dan says:
August 26th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
So if Rubio = Bowie does Flynn = Jordan? I’d take that.
LOL. Now that’s gooooood! I hope your right.
quote: They open camp there in that week leading up to that game.
And you call yourself a professional writer? That is embarrassing.
This thread makes me want to blind myself.
Marca is the shoddiest newspaper in Spain. Don’t trust a thing written in it.
“He (Rubio) may be the most hyped up player I have seen since Brian Bozworth and Tony Mandarich.”
You do know that Rubio plays basketball right?
Ok so is the buy out 8 million or 6.5 million I swear ever time I read a story regarding Rubio’s buy out the dollar amount changes.
Ricky Rubio plays basketball? Since when? I thought he was the dude from the Gillette commercials.
There’s a one-month window every year in June when the buyout figure drops, but now it is back to about $8 million, I believe.
1) Flynn is better than Lawson. Faster, stronger, more athletic, a better defender.
2) This is the fourth time in two months Rubio has “signed with Barcelona”. Nothing’s official until names are on contracts.
3) Like Jerry said, it’s very much in Rubio’s best interest to be here this year. First, the rookie pay scale is probably going down with the cap. Second, the longer he waits, the more time Flynn has to establish himself. If Ricky waits two years, Flynn could be practically an all star by then and Rubio would have almost no chance to make a mark of his own by the time his rookie deal is up.
Flynn could be practically an all star by then and Rubio would have almost no chance to make a mark of his own by the time his rookie deal is up.
Maybe he can Flynn could be in the Hall of Fame by the time Rubio get’s over here or maybe even head of the players union. This is his 1st year in the pro’s. He hasn’t even played a single regular season game. Lets se that before we annoint him the next Michael Jordan.
The deal is in Euro’s too, which is always fluctuating in exchange rate with the dollar and right now its about $1.55 for 1 Euro, I believe.
Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Brandon Roy were all all-star caliber players by the end of their sophomore seasons. You don’t have to be Jordan to reach stardom in 2 years.
So if ANY of that report is true, which it probably isn’t but lets just have fun for a moment, 5.3 mill gets it done? Really? And the Wolves haven’t jumped on this?
Seriously, what does that team want? They are essentially getting FREE money (and tons of it), and should be happy to get it out of anyone willing.
I say 5 mill (even less should do it, but I’ll be ‘generous’…) should do it, and Kahn, Fegan and Rubio (and his family, who was stupid enough to let him sign sucn an atrocious contract anyway…) should jump at it.
The 500K from the Wolves brings it down to 4.5 mill;
add in that Rubio gets 3 mill guaranteed this year on his rookie contract, bringing it down to 1.5 mill.
My guess is there is some sort of endorsement deal in place (I heard somewhere around 600K but that could have been just a rumor); Fegan could get off his butt and get the kid more..etc etc. Quite frankly, the kid would be fine this year even if he played ‘for free’ this year as an NBA player; odds are, he’d get enough money from merchandise sails (don’t players get a certain amount of money for each jersey?) and other stuff to live just fine (he’s making about 100K in Spainlast time I checked…)
Man, what happened to the blog this thread around? Suddenly, we’ve seen an influx of newbies, few of whom have read what’s been posted for weeks before or who’ve bothered to think through the Rubio situation at all. Yikes.
Kilrathi thanks for your worthless post. How enlightening. Are you arenal?
I haven’t heard any explanation as to why the NBA has this stupid buyout limit of 500K. Why would they want to make it more difficult for NBA teams to attract the best Euro talent? Me no understand!!!
What’s that country song that says you can be anything you want to be online? It reminds me of Logical Thinker. It seems like half of his posts include some kind of reference to how he supposedly played pro ball or asking somebody the nerdy line of, “Did you ever play basketball?”
Look, let’s set the record straight. It doesn’t matter if Logical Thinker or anybody else on this board every bounced a basketball. The way you make strong points is by making strong points… and nothing else; not by saying, “Well, I played basketball… so therefore everything should be impressed by this forthcoming comment.”
Seriously, Logical, can you please stop talking about how you supposedly played a lick of basketball? Nobody cares if you did (or didn’t… after all, it is the internet where anybody can post anything). Further, it isn’t a reason why your whack points are any better than anybody else’s. In short, there is NO REASON to continue to bring that up.
It’s a blog… so your thoughts are relevant, not your supposed resume.
Foo, Glad you jumped on so you can clear this whole mess up for us. Your expertice on all things Wolves has been missed. Will Rubio sign in Barcelona or not? Please talk like you’re Kahn as you like to do so I’ll buy it easier.
Welcome back, Eeyore. Are you going to answer my question now, or play it safe and hide some more? To recap: who would you have picked at 5 and 6?
I agree with the Kidd comparison. I was going to make that same comment the other day after watching that video. Rubio has a great first step, but what makes him play quicker than he actually is would be his feel for the game and the ability to anticipate what play needs to be made at that given moment. Bird, Magic, and Kidd all had that ability and I believe Rubio does too. He is just a kid playing against grown men, and he makes it look easy.
I would have picked Rubio then Flynn…
I’m just curious–I don’t think anyone’s mentioned this point (or if they have I haven’t caught it): Yes, Rubio sounds like he has a lot of potential and, yes, his YouTube videos are pretty amazing, but why did he only average 23 minutes per game? Was he the backup PG on DKV Joventut or are their games a lot shorter or ??? Seems like a lot of hype for a part-time player in a European league. I really hope the guy is the real deal, because I can’t see the Wolves luck in the draft changing anytime soon.
I’ll respond even though it wasn’t directed to me.. I’m glad we drafted flynn in hindsight.. but I would have drafted rubio and curry. espacially given our lack of shooting guards. and yes i know i know i know Curry in sometimes considered a PG… he’s not, he’s too slow and it a shooter. Rubio and Curry would have been a more safe call.
For the record, I’ve said that at the time I would have taken Rubio and tried to trade out of 6, either down or for a veteran. That said, I love what I’ve seen from Flynn. Eeyore doesn’t seem to think much of Rubio, though, so I want to know who he thinks is better.
I don’t think that it is such a bad thing that he spends a year in Europe. In the long run it will be better for both him and Flynn. A lot of good players took there time in the past, it is just that because of our “I need everything done yesterday” mentality we are freaking out. Bird played another year of college ball, and David Robinson went to the Navy for two years before playing. Manu took two years and Sabonis took nine.
Remember as well that he is only 18, a kid. It would suck even worse if he comes here and then gets some major home sickness and sucks on the court.
best post in all of this chatter is from ich, who provides a link to rickyball on youtube. you can actually watch ricky hit a couple of threes, looking amateurish all the while…
To all the ‘expert’ scouts out there that think Rubio is a “bust” just stay there on your couch and keep drinking your discount beer and eating your chips because thats what you do best.
You don’t know he won’t be a bust. People said all the same things about N-Skizzy, Darko, and other European players. Nobody knows right now exactly how good or bad Rubio will be.
[…] Rubio was reported to have signed a six-year deal with FC Barcelona continues to be stuck in the mire that is his contract. Reports of his signing with FC Barcelona […]
Gerald Glass Guy,
According to previous reports on the topic of Rubio’s limited minutes: European teams tend to limit the amount of playing time they give to young players, regardless of their talent. Apparently, they utilize more of a seniority system when it comes to minutes.
[…] On the Wolves » Blog Archive » The saga continues: Rubio to stay … […]
[…] On the Wolves » Blog Archive » The saga continues: Rubio to stay … […]
Mad Dan as I’ve said before in a historically bad draft, where Wolves had 3 first round picks, I would not have traded Foye/Miller to get 4 picks. I would have moved 6 to 10 11 12 taken Flynn and got an asset for moving back, traded 18 27 plus expiring contract for a Kirk Hinr type vet. That team would’ve won 45 plus and still been young enough to grow with Big AL, Love Flynn. National media is saying with a heathy Gilbert A the Wizards were a 7,8 seed with Foye/Miller they will contend for home court. But they couldn’t help us??? The best of the dumb comments on last years team team was Foo when he said the Wolves January record was vs teams that had guys hurt so it doesn’t count. I assume the loses after Big AL got hurt don’t count either using that logic. When you watch this rag tag operation win 8-14 games this year the Kool-aid won’t taste so good. I stand by “Kahn will be gone” . He’s a lawyer with NO basketball experience at all. His Fantasy B-ball approach and this years team makeup shows that. I haven’t changed one bit in my opinion on this all along. You should try using your own eyes and brain and get your own opinion… not be a lemming.
Jerry, it must sometimes seem like your the teacher on the playground at recess listening to all this.
Sure seems like it makes sense for Rubio to come here based on future dollars he could earn, but I really get the impression this is about NOW dollars. “NOW” meaning Rubio doesnt want to pay out of his pocket. It really seems like basic math: He needs probably 6.5 million for the buyout.The wolves cant contribute more than 500k, That leaves 6 million to make up. It appears his rookie contract will give him about 8.7 million over 3 years. Take away approx 40% of that in taxes and your left with 5.2 million. So he’s not making enough..which means you need the endorsments to make up the difference.
If he waits 2 years that buyout becomes way less…and he makes alot of money buy signing with the wolves then.
His salary jumps just about 1.3 million over 3 years going from 5th pick to 3rd pick…which is why he was so bummed. He needed to go higher to have the $$ for his buyout.
Oh yeah, here’s where I got the numbers:
Locical, seems to me your “plan” has fantasy bb written all over it. Flynn wasn’t getting past the Knicks and whose to say this trade for a Heinrich type vet was available? Not to mention the Heinrich type vet you speak of is clearly not in Khans plans. Nice roundabout answer to a direct question.
Gerald and Mike 2, the reason why Rubio gets “limited” minutes at DKV is also explained by the fact that Euros follow FIBA rules. Thus, the quarters at the Spanish League and the Euro League are 10 minutes lenght.
Well Eeyore, you’re still too afraid to answer my question. I realize you didn’t approve of the Foye/Miller trade. I was asking what you’d have done with 5 and 6 once we had those picks. But I guess you just can’t take a stand on that.
And if you don’t think I have my own opinion, you haven’t been following the blog. I said before the Foye/Miller trade that I thought Kahn needed to start over with the backcourt. Look it up — it’s on this blog. Now he’s doing it and that’s why I approve. I also speculated the day before the draft on what we should do with 6 if Rubio fell to 5. I was stumped and figured we’d have to trade out of it. I wouldn’t have taken Flynn there. Kahn did, and so far it looks like he was correct to do so. That’s not Kool Aid, that’s me evaluating how Flynn has looked on the court and how he carries himself.
On the historically bad draft issue: it was pretty clear that there were at least 5 good players at the top going into the draft (counting Thabeet, which is controversial to some). If we’d taken Evans at 5 (as Kahn probably thought he was getting when he made the WAS trade) and he was in a Wolves uniform today, would you still be pining for the Foye glory years?
Am I the only one who noticed Kahn’s statement read “attain” when it meant obtain? Did that come from Marco, too?
How about signing a 5 year contract with Rubio’s current team to play one exhibition game each year at their house and they keep all the gate receipts? That should pay for his departure. Could even have a penalty clause after the first year, that if we don’t show there is a one time payout equal to a certain amount. Hint Hint!
Yes, because if we’ve learned nothing else as Wolves fans, it’s that playing fast and loose with contracts is good thing, right?
I’ve always wondered who “Eeyore” is and found that out in this thread.
Then I wondered why they call him “Eeyore” and also found that out in this thread.
Dude is a donkey, straight up. Kicks you out of aggression real quick, but when it’s time to respond he is off in the field chewing grass somewhere.
Attaining cap space for 2010 couldn’t have been done if Foye was kept here. His qualifying offer would’ve made a huge dent in our cap space. Rather than renounce his rights, Kahn traded him for the freaking 5th pick! Miller was either going to get $5 million plus to stay here, or walk anyway, and we were all disappointed with his play last year so it was likely he was leaving anyway. So for two players with one foot out the door already, Kahn got a top five pick for them. I would say that worked out well for us.
The Ty Lawson for a future first rounder is the underrated move of the offseason.
Agreed, Swan. They’ve given themselves a chance for a better player down the road, pending Charlotte’s season. They didn’t need yet another rookie on this squad.
Sure, Lawson will help Denver. The acquired pick should help the Wolves more down the road. It’s that simple.
Kahn places proper emphasis on the draft picks and, more important, the cap space. I don’t think you need to have “played the game” to understand those things; you need to be smart and creative.
logical aka Eeyore is easily the most near sighted fan on this board. Everything I’ve read that he’s posted makes it sound like he’d rather have a team that wins 42 games a year and goes out in the first round, than wait for a couple of years while the team builds to a level where they win 50 plus games a year and are in title contention.
Of course Eeyore has clearly stated he doesn’t like Kahn, so why wouldn’t he be completely againt the plan outlined by Kahn?
I don’t know that Kahn’s plan will pan out, but it’s a plan not a promise. It’s different from the old regime, not a return to what has already been done (KG’s teams had a lot of 45 win seasons, and I don’t see any NBA championship banners in the TC rafters). That difference alone is enough to make me pay attention long enough to see what happens.
It would be great to see Rubio in a Wolves uni, but if it doesn’t work out I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. I just feel you can’t pull the trigger on a trade for his rights too early though. Let the game play out first, don’t get nervous.
Yeah, that trade should work out well. There was a lot of PG value at 18 this year, but not much else until Ellington. (I’m not a Mullens fan.) We should be able to use the pick get a good player at a position of greater need sometime next few years.
Here’s my new theory: Kahn is diabolically smart and has employed “logical thinker” to serve as the villain on this board. Then we all rally around Kahn and start supporting even his worst moves, just to stick it to Eeyore. OK, so it’s not quite Occam’s razor, but it gives our buddy Eeyore SOME credit.
[…] media outlet Marca is reporting that Minnesota Timberwolves first-round pick Ricky Rubio is set to sign a six-year deal in Spain with Regal Barcelona. The deal will include a buyout clause that could bring him to the […]
Well worth the read:
i dont understand why the the wolves waste a 5th overall on a kid who isnt gonna be able to play for them for at leaste 2 years by the time he gets here he wont fit in johnny flynn will be the man obviously and this kid is a retard how could lebron james come out of high school with a 100 million dollars in endorsments and he cant get 6 million?maybe he need to talk to the people at gillette!!
So anyhow just for kicks I was looking into the math of this reported deal.
Rubio right now is scheduled to make 100K per year for DKV.
The buyout in the report is for 5.28 million The wolves could pay 500K of that. Rubio’s obligation would be 4.78 million.
The rookie pay scale for two years for the number 5 pick is 2.7 million year 1 2.9 million year two or 5.6 million for the two years combined. Rubio is on the hook for 4.78 million but will earn 5.6 million over two years. a 820K + to him.
or 620K more then if he stays in Spain.
What am I missing here?
Does anyone realize the Spurs drafted the Admiral D-Rob and had to wait a couple years for him to finally don the black and silver ?
If you don’t understand why we drafted someone who wouldn’t play immediately how did you manage to turn on your computer without electrocuting yourself ?
My compuer came with a ground plug to protect me
yeah ok so I typoed computer..
anyhow what I am saying is it looks to me like this deal would end up costing the kid about 600K over two years.
I’ve been wondering about the Admiral comparison, too. I guess the difference is that everyone knew that the Spurs would have to wait, while we’re dealing with a lot of speculation with Rubio.
I’m just glad that this situation has introduced me to the literary skills of 5LIM LUCK. He must have set a record for number of ideas contained in a single “sentence”. And such insightful commentary! Anyone else want to weigh in on his “retard” theory? I think this deserves a new thread, Jerry!
Great point, Swan. People have to start realizing that even in the worst case scenario (which is Rubio staying in Europe for at least two more years) he will be playing for the Wolves eventually, and probably by the time this will be a contending team again. By the way, Rubio will be 20 years old in 2011…
Rubio would only be a bonus this year for me because it would make my half season package a little more fun. I’m plenty excited about Ellington.
How about some info about Al Jefferson’s and Corey Brewers knees or how the rest of the team is progressing?
I didn’t read anything bad about Brewer’s mobility during he summer league so I am sure he’ll be close to 100%. From what I’ve heard / read on Big Al, he’ll be ready to start practicing by camp, probably won’t see the real Big Al til the end of November.
I’m more interested in Love’s jump shot and his quickness in small areas. Hopefully he develops a couple better counter moves to his post game.
Not Sold,
40% income tax. That is what you are missing.
Brewer’s knee is fine, his shot is not, lol,
Brew can hit his FTs pretty well…everything else has improved albeit slowly. Plus I’m sure he has had plenty of time to work on his form…
I have to say that I really enjoy all the comments on here, and all the interest in the wolves, but I do have a question. What do you all do for a living that you can sit here and write on a blog all day long? I’ve really got to know. I must be in the wrong field.
It’s called productivity, and none of us on here know what it means!
Anyway, I’m always on this site during the day but during the evenings and weekends I’m on RealGM.
I am a full time student and work at night and going to work for a big time insurance company when i graduate in December, so right now I have a ton of down time, lol.
Brewer’s shot actually looked solid. Not great, but solid.
It’s his handles that’s shot.
[…] On the Wolves » Blog Archive » Rubio to stay in Spain? blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/wolves/2009/08/26/rubio-to-stay-in-spain – view page – cached Spanish media reports say Ricky Rubio is set to sign a 6-year deal with Regal Barcelona that will include a buyout clause that would bring him to the NBA and the Timberwolves in 2011. If it comes to pass, Rubio’s transfer from DKV Joventut to Barcelona will be the most expensive buyout ($5.3 million) in Europe history. Will update when more information becomes — From the page […]
nongical stinker, please supply your links to the tapes of the college years (so much anticipation). After which we’ll harness all your epic basketball knowledge in all it’s infinite proportions, which all the underlings of the school of logical can learn from. Ultimately this can raise the level of play and general managing in the pro ranks. I can’t wait! I’m sure Foye and Miller will be the first to sign up. Ah, a reunion you can revel in, sweet sweet tears.
A Living?? Why the Internet exists….
Oh and another thing does anyone remember Juan Carlos Navarro (he played for the Memphis Grizzlies back in 07-08 + is Pau Gasol’s BFF). From what I understand he payed his own buyout to be able to play in the NBA not only did he end up playing for just one year he earned considerably less than what he would earn back in Euro league and decided to go back.
Anyways he’s with Rubio in the National Team as well as a player for FC Barcelona!!! I read in an interview that he Hopes Rubio decides and signs for Barcelona…
Actually Navarro was drafted by the Wizards with a 2nd round pick, and decided to stay in Barcelona for one more year. He only made up his mind to to go to the NBA when his rights were traded to Memphis, where he would have the opportunity to play once again with his buddy Pau Gasol. I’m not sure if he had to pay for his buyout, but certainly his buyout was nothing compared to Rubio’s. Besides, Navarro was 26 when he went to the NBA, after playing for his whole life for Barcelona, and earning much more Rubio than Rubio did until now.
I guess the biggest difference between Rubio and Navarro is that Navarro never seemed to be that willing to play in the NBA, and probably only did so because of Pau. On the other hand, there’s no doubt that Rubio’s dream is to become an NBA All-Star.
I almost feel ashamed commenting after 7 hours of silence…
J R - thanks for the link.
One of the comments being repeated is that Rubio’s situation would have been better if he’d been drafted sooner. I know the higher a player is drafted, the higher the salary, but from the scale I can find for this year even the 1st overall pick doesn’t get paid enought to pay Rubio’s buyout amount all at once.
From what I can find, the maximun the 2nd pick in this years draft can be paid for his first year is $4,314,960 (120% of $3,595,800 base scale). Add the $500,000 the team can contribute and your at just over $4.8 million. That’s still $800,000 short of the lowest buyout number I’ve seen at $5.6 million and well short of the other estimates that have been listed.
The 5th pick can make $3,163,380 (again 120% of base scale), or $1,151,580 less that the 2nd pick.
So, $800,000 in other monies or $2 million? Is there really no company out there that’s willing to sign an international basketball player to an endorsement contract to hock their product for them for that amount?
The problem is more complex than that. Rubio has to pay taxes on his U.S. earnings, so his $3.1 million for this year is really more like $1.9 million. He’s also got to cough up the entire buyout in one amount (unless Joventut is willing to work an installment plan or there’s a provision for installments in the contract), so he’s going to have to borrow against his future earnings, which will add a few percentage points of expense.
The buyout (per the contract) is actually $8 million. It’s expected that Joventut will settle for something less than that, but they don’t have to. If they stick to the $8 million number, his NBA salary for the first two years plus the Wolves’ $500k leaves him more than $3 million short without considering what the kid is going to live on for that two-year period.
Sean - Whats he gonna live on ? I’ve got it !
The Spanish Version of Entourage…starring Ricky Rubio…he can just shack up with a different local co-ed every night…do a TV show get paid…boom…plays with the Wolves in 09-10 !
Love can be Drama
Flynn can be E
who is Turtle on this squad now that Mad Dog is gone ? Turtle is….someone else can figure this out…I’m an idea man, not a casting agent.
Okay since DKV has already announced pulicly that it is probably not a good idea for Rubio to return after this whole mess, but at the same time are rejecting every buyout proposal… what happens if a buyout is not reached? I do not see him going back to Juventut nor do I think he wants to sit out.
[…] Now the word is that Rubio is just might stay in Europe, anyway, and another Spanish team is possibly going to sign the youngster to a six-year deal, according to the Minneapolis […]
Every one of Eeyore’s comments can be placed into one of the following three buckets:
1. With no reason, he tells everybody that he supposedly played basketball and how that should matter on this board.
2. Everything Kahn does stinks and you guys are all Kool-Aid Drinkers.
3. Here’s my plan on how The Wolves can win 45 games.
As triebark said, Eeyore is famously short-sighted. He’s never proposed a plan for how The Wolves can be a championship team, but continually sells his vision for how Minnesota can be a perennial 45-game winner. The disconnect on this board is that everybody else is trying to come up with ideas on how The Wolves can eventually become a championship contender. It’s not that Eeyore doesn’t have a right to his opinion, it’s just that his ultimate dream as a fan is clearly for his team to be in the 8-10 seed range. The rest of us want better.
On to basketball matters. The Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that The Heat have decided NOT to sign a veteran PG because they are already $2.3 Million over the luxury tax threshold.
Instead, The Heat wants to TRADE for a 3rd PG and one of its targets is Chucky Atkins… who I actually think would be a great fit there.
What do you guys think Miami could offer Minnesota in return for Atkins?
Miami has New Orleans’ 2nd-round draft picks in both 2010 and 2012. They also have Toronto’s 2010 1st-rounder with protections through 2014.
I think I’d do Atkins for both New Orleans’ 2nd-rounders or Toronto’s 1st-rounder. Otherwise, I think I’d prefer to just exercise Atkins’ $760K buyout and save the $2.76M and budget that money for the 2010 FA Class.
Given that Miami is over the salary cap, does the Wolves have to take on $3.5M in salary from Miami in order to make a trade involving Atkins? If so, IMO Miami has to provide a future first round pick.
According to Hoopshype, both Taylor and Kahn are in Spain. In addition to a 4M buyout (I imagine it is in dollars rather than Euros), they are offering exhibition games and future rights to Rubio once he is done with his NBA days. Kahn should get a lot of points if he is able to break the deadlock with these additional enticements.
Lets all cross our fingers for the solution that Kahn and Taylor are presenting. We should know a final decision from DKV on their Monday. Let’s hope that is a Ricky Rubio wearing a number 9 Wolves Jersey and tearing up the court at Target Center!
so if we do infact get rubio. what happens to flynn? we trade him? or do they try a 2 point guard system like the old pistons teams?
I like the Entourage comment Swan
Atkins to Miami for James Jones, if I’m right he makes 4 million and after this year we can decline his options and maybe resign him for less if he works out. If they add Toronto’s 1st rounder than I would jump at that.
I would never forgive the team if they trade Flynn. I am really starting to like him.
CNote
mainly the 1st rounder in that deal is what I’d like as James Jones is not much of a player besides competency defensively (I’d rather re-sign Carney for the minimum).
I’d rather the team trade Atkins in combo with another big contract ie Cardinal or Blount and get in a big vet or more assets. I’d like Stephen Jackson for his defensive intensity and offensive prowess, but he wants to go to a contender.
Okay, I know that this may not be a popular idea. But, how about trading Al Jefferson to Miami for M Beasley and U Haslem?
Miami was rumored to be trying to get Boozer, and that fell through. AJ gives them similar production with a reasonably priced long term contract. Also, Riley hasn’t liked Beasley since Day 1.
As for the Wolves, this is a risk bc Beasley obviously has personal problems. But, a change of scenery to a city that’s not the party town like Miami is would be good for Beasley. Beasley would fit the new running style, and he could play the 3 w/ Love at the 4. Haslem would be a good bench guy to help with RBs.
Plus, Haslem’s salary comes off the books next year. Leaving us with Beasley and an additional $7 Mill in cap room for 2010.
Al for Beasley = no way right now, who knows whats going on with that kid
Jones is also a very good 3 point shooter, almost 45% in 07-08.
CNote
all his other years, he was lucky to hit 37…
2 great new aquisitions for the coaching staff in Laimbeer and Theus
CNote
If Beasley wasnt having these issues, Miami wouldnt make the deal. AJ doesnt fit what the Wolves are doing, so this would be the best time to pounce. Maybe they could get a #1 in the deal too.
I don’t think the Wolves would do that deal Sha Sha. I don’t see Beasley and Love playing together very well. The Wolves would be better with a true center or a quicker smaller forward to go with Love or Jefferson.
I still consider the Wolves’ drafting of Rubio in the first round a complete gamble. Given that he was still under contract with his Spanish team, I think he should have gone in the second round, regardless of which team chose him. If he was going to stay in Europe for next season, then why did Rubio enter the NBA draft if he was not going to be playing in North America in 1-2 years?
It seems odd to me that Kahn is making a third trip to spain concerning Rubio unless he has something stowed in his briefcase which will encourage Rubio to get the buyout and come here…something like endorsement deals and/or contractual promises. About the only other reason I could see would be to somehow influence Rubio’s current team to not make any moves that might interfere with future TWolves interests.
[…] On the Wolves » Blog Archive » The saga continues: Rubio to stay … […]
