Mar 9, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA: Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) sits on the bench after hurting his knee late in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Target Center. The Lakers won 105-102. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

As Timberwolves fans, like myself, continue to enjoy the beautiful summer weather and watch the 2012 NBA playoffs, the thought of the  Timberwolves possibly being in the NBA playoffs still lingers at the back of our head. What if Rubio hadn’t fallen to injury? What if the Wolves had continued to play at the same high intensity even though their rookie sensation point guard was down and out? So many what if’s surrounding Minnesota Timberwolves fans. But trust me, we’re not the only one who’s suffering everytime we think of Ricky Rubio.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Spanish Olympic Basketball Team made it all the way to the Finals where they would face the powerhouse United States of America Olympic Basketball Team. Spain kept the game tight throughout the entire game as the were down only four points with under 3 minutes to play in the 4th quarter. But after a three pointer from Miami’s Dwyane Wade, USA was on their way to another Gold Medal in the Olympics. The 2006 FIBA (Fédération Internationale de Basketball Association) World Champions are currently behind the United States as the #2 ranked team in the FIBA standings. With the 2012 London Olympics beginning in two months and Ricky Rubio still unable to play intense Olympic or even NBA basketball, the Spanish basketball team will certainly suffer a lot. Despite averaging just around 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, the absence of Rubio will highly affect the offensive flow of the Spain.

The United States are once again expected to be the Gold Medalist in the upcoming Olympic games in July and Spain, being the 2nd best Olympic team, is the best team that can dethrone the USA. Rubio played his most minutes going against the United States with 29 minutes. Just like him being a Wolves player, Rubio doesn’t need to score as often mainly because he has teammates to do that. In Minnesota he has the best power forward in the NBA today in Kevin Love. In Spain he has one of the most skilled power forward in Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) and with brother Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) starting to develop into a true big man, Rubio would have had another options to create plays for inside. Pau Gasol led all Olympic basketball players with 19.6 points per game and was just unstoppable on the low block. The Wolves, before having Rubio, really didn’t have a good offensive flow and didn’t make smart plays because they didn’t have that true point guard like Rubio. Result? Two straight years with the worst record in the NBA. I know I might be getting over myself because the Spanish Olympic squad have an abundance of other talents in the guard spot other than Rubio. If Rubio had been able to complete his rookie season healthy, and even possibly help lead the Wolves to the NBA playoffs, he would have gained a lot of knowledge on how to play American basketball. And with that knowledge as a point guard in the NBA, he could have brought it over to the Spanish Olympic team and they could use that in any way to their advantage.

So Minnesota, we’re not alone

Aug. 20, 2008; Beijing, CHINA; Spain guard Ricky Rubio (6) reacts during Spain 72-59 victory against Croatia at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Stadium in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

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Mar 16, 2012; Greensboro, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Austin Rivers (0) with the ball as Lehigh Mountain Hawks guards C.J. McCollum (3) and Mackey McKnight (11) defend in the second half. The Mountain Hawks defeated the Blue Devils 75-70 in the second round of the 2012 NCAA men

Duke University is well known for it’s college basketball dynasty, but players who make the leap from Duke to the NBA typically don’t experience the amount of success that other powerhouse schools like North Carolina (Jordan, Worthy), UCLA (too many to name),  and Connecticut (Ray Allen, Rudy Gay) do.  While Duke has had some good NBA players like Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Kyrie Irving, Grant Hill, and Shane Battier, there have also been a lot more players who lost relevancy in the NBA.  There also happens to be Shelden Williams, William Avery, Christian Laettner, etc.  This year shooting guard Austin Rivers hopes to break the Duke ‘curse’ and build a successful NBA career.  I say curse lightly because although Duke is a great school, most of the NBA greats rarely hail from the Durham, NC institution.

Austin Rivers was one of the more highly touted freshman in recent memory.  The son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers arrived with high expectations of leading the team to a national championship. Rivers is a little short for a shooting guard at 6′ 4″, but he makes up for the lack of size with a 6′ 7″ wingspan.  Also, it’s not like being too short ever stopped some great NBA players in the past (Steve Francis, Allen Iverson, Eric Gordon to name a few).  Like most freshman, Rivers had an up and down season for his team.  While Rivers posted respectable stats, most scouts harked on more mental aspects of his game.  Much of the time he looked uncomfortable on offense, and this was demonstrated with a modest shooting percentage (43.3%, 36.5% from three, 65.8% free throws) and a pretty low assist/turnover ratio (.91). Rivers also averaged 1.0 spg and got to the free throw line 5.4 times per game.

There were, at times, flashes of the flashy dominant scorer people thought Rivers would be.  The best example is the North Carolina game, scoring 29 points in addition to hitting the game winning three pointer (one of his six 3-pointers) as time expired.  Two other factors to consider are that 1) This game was nationally televised on ESPN, and 2) He did this on the road in Chapel Hill.

Yes, I realize that one game is not statistically significant enough, but it’s a great example of how he can handle pressure at the most intense moments of the game.  The Timberwolves need a player like this, and while they won’t ask him to be Kobe or Durant, it would be reasonable to expect him to piece together a solid rookie season if the Wolves landed him with the 18th pick.  If Rivers can work on his shooting struggles he can more than make up for the disappointing Johnson pick.  He is a player who is able (and willing) to create his own offense, and he can get to the line with ease due to his knack for driving to the basket.

While he may or may not be there with the 18th pick, Minnesota should definitely consider picking Rivers.  He is personally my #1 choice with that pick, and while many may disagree, I see the potential he has to be great.

Next up: Dion Waiters, Syracuse

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