Revisiting completely wrong preseason Timberwolves predictions

The Impending Trade of Ricky Rubio

When the Timberwolves drafted Kris Dunn, it immediately put Ricky Rubio’s future with the franchise in doubt. He had been with the team for five seasons with no playoff appearances to show for it. Kris Dunn was the younger option and seemed destined to steal the starting spot. Plus, Rubio’s struggles to start the season only made it seem even more inevitable despite the rookie struggling as well. With an opportunity to trade for former Thibodeau-coached star Derrick Rose, Rubio looked to be on his way out of Minnesota.

However, Thibodeau didn’t pull the trigger, and with the way Rubio has been playing lately, I’m sure he doesn’t regret it. Since the All-Star break, Ricky has turned the corner, averaging 15.4 points and 10.6 assists per game. His much-criticized shooting has improved greatly as well, as he is shooting 46 percent from the field and over 40 percent from behind the arc since the break.

This doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t get traded eventually, of course. The draft is approaching and with his stock higher than ever, the team might be able to orchestrate a trade more easily for better pick positioning. However, this does force Thibodeau to make a tough decision as perhaps Rubio has played well enough to not only avoid getting traded in February, but maybe even still remain the franchise’s long-term starting point guard.