Rubio to enter draft

[BuddyHolly]

I had heard there was some doubt that Rubio would be in this upcoming draft, but it's official, he is.

I think that is good news because if the Thunder get the second pick that makes it alot more likely they could trade up for the first pick without giving away too much. I am of course assuming the team that won the lottery in this scenario would view Blake and Rubio as 1a and 1b head and shoulders above the rest.

 

[Seymore Cox]

John Wall, Xavier Henry, and Willie Warren just earned a little more money.

 

[BuddyHolly]

Also, assuming we get the second pick and can't trade up at least we could draft Rubio. I realize we already have Westbrook but from what I read about Rubio we can't pass him up with pick number 2. We could use Westbrook as a 2 or look to trade him in coming years when the right opportunity presents itself.

 

[Boomer Sooner]

Also, assuming we get the second pick and can't trade up at least we could draft Rubio. I realize we already have Westbrook but from what I read about Rubio we can't pass him up with pick number 2. We could use Westbrook as a 2 or look to trade him in coming years when the right opportunity presents itself.

Trading one of Durant's best friends is not a very bright idead. If you keep Westbrook and Green, you keep Durant. I also think RW can be and allstar PG down the road.

 

[Cheno]

I just can't buy into the Rubio hype yet. He didn't look all that great to me in the Olympics. I mean he's solid but he didn't look like a can't miss type of guy.

 

[Seymore Cox]

He reminded me of a mix between John Stockton and Pete Marovich. I don't see him as the face of a franchise.

 

[gracefor24]

Cheno, I think you might be selling Rubio a little short. We are talking about a kid who was holding his own against the US at age 17. That is ridiculous. He has great size for a PG and is a passing whiz. His jumpshot is suspect but I think it has potential, he's more of a set shooter ala Chris Paul. He is also a terrific defender.

I think he's a solid #2 pick in this draft and could end up being a Manu Ginobli type at the PG position.

If you think Brandon Jennings is a great prospect then Rubio is a legendary one. Rubio is the same age but is arguably the best player at his position in his league whereas Jennings isn't even a starter and has really struggled.

Rubio is leading the league in assists against the likes of Omar Cook, Tyus Edney, Chris Thomas, Shammond Williams, and Corey Brewer.

 

[Soonerspiff]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12FOZsjWxwk[/ame]

There are some pretty sick passes in there. He does kind of have a slow release on his jumper, and toughness might be an issue... still, he's good.

 

[gracefor24]

He is a stud. A ton of those alley oops on there are to Rudy Fernandez. I'd love to see the Blazers get Rubio somehow!

 

[Cheno]

If you think Brandon Jennings is a great prospect then Rubio is a legendary one. Rubio is the same age but is arguably the best player at his position in his league whereas Jennings isn't even a starter and has really struggled.

Rubio has been playing pro for years though. He doesn't have near the upside of Jennings. Once Jennings figures out the game he has a gear Rubio doesn't. Will Rubio be able to stay up with the best in the world in the NBA? I have serious questions. And as you said, his jumper is suspect.
I'd take Johnny Flynn over Rubio.

 

[buttermaker1]

Doe anyone play D in that league, didn' see one guy that looked strong enough to play a post position in the NBA. Game looked slow and no D.

He will need to add strength for the NBA, needs to lift weights and get stronger guys will be hanging all over him. Kid has the body of a 16 year old teenager

 

[DSMok1]

Rubio has been playing pro for years though. He doesn't have near the upside of Jennings. Once Jennings figures out the game he has a gear Rubio doesn't. Will Rubio be able to stay up with the best in the world in the NBA? I have serious questions. And as you said, his jumper is suspect.
I'd take Johnny Flynn over Rubio.

Rubio is not the athlete that Jennings is, but has a basketball IQ and flair that is unteachable. I would bet that he is an all star by his third year in the league (at age 22). Jennings is a great athlete, but there are many great athletes in the NBA. There aren't more than a couple of playmakers at PG that are Rubio's equal. I agree, like a mix of Stockton and Maravich on the court. Kind of like a bigger Steve Nash, not as good a shooter (yet) but with more panache. I definitely think he will be the face of a franchise--in fact, I think he will quickly become one of the top stars in the NBA. He simply has the flair that it takes to be a star. He will be one of the top defenders in the league due to his length and skill, though his lateral quickness is a little weaker than some. His ability to create steals is unparalleled--he's built like Rondo but has much better basketball instincts. He's the best PG prospect since Chris Paul.

Check out his profile on DraftExpress.

 

[campbest]

Dude was 17 and in the Olympics making the Americans look bad, you have to draft him high now on potential alone. What's the alternative? This draft class is so weak you can take a chance on a guy like Rubio.

Plus, not to mention the kid is an icon in Spain, my friend was over there during the Olympics and Euro 2008 (soccer, for those of you who don't know) and said Rubio gets as much face time as all the soccer stars. If you're an NBA franchise, that's a lot of international currency coming into your pocket...especially when the Euro is stronger than the dollar as it is right now.

 

[thebigabd]

I just can't buy into the Rubio hype yet. He didn't look all that great to me in the Olympics. I mean he's solid but he didn't look like a can't miss type of guy.

He was 18 years old playing with the best players in the world, that said, I really like Johnny Flynn and think he will be a great pro.

 

[bocabull]

The majority of those goofy passes he threw in the born to be wild video would be picked off in the NBA.

He will have that carelessness beaten out of him and then we will see what game he has left.

 

[steverocks35]

reminds me of jason williams (the white one), both postiively and negatively.

 

[BuddyHolly]

Trading one of Durant's best friends is not a very bright idead. If you keep Westbrook and Green, you keep Durant. I also think RW can be and allstar PG down the road.

We can't keep every guy on our roster just because of friendships they've formed. If Durant leaves cause we traded his buddy so be it. Westbrook's good, but if management feels Rubio is better, then tell Westbrook he can come off the bench or get traded. This is a business, and sometimes good players have to come off the bench, for example, Lamar Odom.

 

[Seymore Cox]

Rubio is definetely skilled enough. Question is will he have that gangster/gutter mentality that a guy like Derrick Rose has or will he get tapped on the face like Dirk?

 

[gracefor24]

Yeah, I don't get the whole "Rubio has to prove this or that". He proved he could get past Paul, Williams, and Kidd in the Olympics. His upside is easily equal if not higher than Jennings because he is actually a PG whereas Jennings is a SG in a PG's body.

There is a reason that scouts are drooling over Rubio and have tons of questions about Jennings. Rubio has excelled at every level and is excelling at a level currently that Jennings is struggling with. To act as if that means Jennings has more upside is hilarious.

I agree that we have to see if Rubio has the toughness required but I didn't see anything in the Olympics to say that he doesn't. The other thing that hasn't been mentioned here is how good of a defender Rubio is, he has been terrific defensively and has great size for a PG.

 

[thebigabd]

Question is will he have that gangster/gutter mentality that a guy like Derrick Rose-DirtyMess

Not quite sure how to take this. Sounds kinda racist to me.