Ricky Rubio: The most polarizing player in the NBA
By Jaime Tyler
Ricky Rubio has divided fans since the 2009 NBA draft. Nowhere has Rubio’s popularity been more split than with the hometown fans in Minnesota.
In the summer of 2009, David Kahn drafted Ricky Rubio and Johnny Flynn before the Warriors snatched up the Baby-Faced Assassin, Stephen Curry.
Ever since that fateful day, Wolves’ fans have debated the value of the Spanish point guard. Even our own Brian Sampson recently considered What If the Wolves went in a different direction that night.
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Whether you’re a Rubio advocate or staunch cynic of the point guard, there’s one aspect of Rubio’s career on which most fans can agree.
No player in the NBA, nor Timberwolves’ history, has simultaneously produced as much love and hate from his own fan base as the Minnesota Maestro has for the Wolves.
To elaborate upon this ongoing debate, I’ve invited Charlie from Chaska, huge Rubio supporter, and David from Duluth, Rubio hater numero uno, to try to hash this argument out once and for all.
(A note for our readers outside of Minnesota: Charlie and David are fictional characters from two Minnesota cities — Chaska, a suburb on the outskirts of the Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Duluth, a northern city on the shore of Lake Superior.)
David from Duluth will get the ball rolling.
David: “Ball rolling, eh? More like ball clanking off the side of the rim. He can’t shoot! I don’t know what in the heck David Kahn was thinking when he drafted him ahead of Steph Curry back in ’09.”
Reason #1: The Curry Connection
Charlie: “Here we go again. You going to keep bringing up these old wounds. It’s time to move on, David. We need to stop comparing Rubio to Curry and looking into the past.”
David: “It’s a fair comparison. They were drafted the same year, play the same position, and battle it out in the same conference.”
Charlie: “Any player drafted ahead of a two-time MVP is going to be second-guessed. It’s like comparing Sam Bowie to Michael Jordan.”
David: “Exactly. Just like Portland was haunted by that missed pick for a generation, the Wolves will lament their lame choice.
It’s almost as if every time Rubio clanks a jumper, Steph Curry metaphorically taunts me with one of his patented shimmy shakes.”
Charlie: “Oh, come on now! Rubio had a fantastic second-half of the season. Once he and Thibodeau became comfortable with each other, Ricky’s production soared.”
David: “Just enough to be traded this sum…”
Charlie: “Hold that thought. He’s improved his shooting percentage every year he’s been in the league. Check these numbers out...”
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Charlie: “He’s clearly not as good as Curry from three, but who is? Plus, that free-throw percentage: He single-handily beat the Indiana Pacers this year with his clutch shooting.”
David: “Free throws? We talkin’ ’bout free throws? How about thirty-footers? How about MVPs?”
Charlie: “It’s not fair to keep comparing him to Curry. Judge Ricky on his own merits — defense, playmaking, and leadership. What more do you want out of your 26-year-old point guard?”
David: “What more do I want? How about leading a team to more than 40 wins in his illustrious six-year career. If Ricky Rubio was so great, then why…”
Reason #2: To Be the Man, You Have to Beat the Man
David: “…then why Rubio hasn’t won more than 40 games in his career. Why do you think, Charlie?”
Charlie: “Because he hasn’t had the…”
David: “…right players around him?”
Charlie: “Exactly! If Rubio was on a team like the Spurs with solid players, a great system, and a Hall of Fame coach; you’d see how amazing he really could be.”
David: “I was being facetious, Charlie. That’s the problem with Rubio. He could be good. If you put the right team around him. If he was in the right system. If, if, if. What about him?”
Charlie: “Ricky has survived David Kahn, multiple coaching and roster changes, and major injuries. Now, he’s finally teamed with good players, but they’re all 22 or younger. Give it time.”
David: “No other player of any substance gets that kind of pass. If Ricky really was the man, he could’ve found a way to elevate his team more than he has.”
Reason #3: Point Guard Driven League
Charlie: “I just don’t understand why you and so many Wolves’ fans can’t appreciate what we have in Rubio.”
David: “I’ll tell you exactly why that is. The NBA, for many years, was dominated by outstanding big men — guys like Wilt, Russell, Kareem, Hakeem, and Shaq.”
Charlie: “Okay…”
David: “Then, there was Magic, Larry, and Michael.”
Charlie: “Okay, thanks for naming the best players ever. What’s your point?”
David: “Now, the point guard is the glamor position in the NBA. All the best players are point guards — Steph, Westbrook, Harden…”
Charlie: “…okay, so the Wolves’ best player is Karl-Anthony Towns. There’s no question about that. Rubio doesn’t have to be their best player to be effective.”
David: “Au contraire, Charlie. Rubio, or whoever plays point for the Wolves, needs to be able to match up against the Western Conference guards.”
Charlie: “You’re saying Ricky can’t?”
David: “Not consistently, no.”
Charlie: “Look at this stretch for Rubio. He was outplaying guys like John Wall, Chris Paul, and Curry, and had the Wolves playing their best basketball of the year.”
| Rk | Date | Opp | TRB | AST | STL | PTS | GmSc | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Date | Opp | TRB | AST | STL | PTS | GmSc | +/- | |
| 61 | 2017-03-01 | UTA | W (+27) | 6 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 15.8 | +29 |
| 63 | 2017-03-08 | LAC | W (+16) | 6 | 12 | 2 | 15 | 16.8 | +14 |
| 64 | 2017-03-10 | GSW | W (+1) | 4 | 13 | 1 | 17 | 19.7 | +5 |
| 66 | 2017-03-13 | WAS | W (+15) | 5 | 19 | 3 | 22 | 25.7 | +20 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2017.
Charlie: “If he could do that every game…”
Reason #4: Rubio Fans and Confirmation Bias
David: “That’s exactly my point! Every time one of you Rubio fans see him play well for a week, you think he’s turned some kind of corner. That was a blip on the season-long radar.”
Charlie: “That’s how he is meant to play. That’s the Ricky who we’ve been waiting for.”
David: “No, the Ricky you see is the occasional very good stretch from a good player who can’t shoot. The real Ricky looks like this…”
Charlie: “David, you haters love to point out the lowlights of his career. The real Ricky looks like, well, I’ll let Jim Peterson and Dave Benz take it from here…”
David: “Eh, you young guys always point out the passing. Tell me, whipper snapper, where has it gotten this team?”
Reason #5: The Generation Gap
Charlie: “When I started watching the Wolves in 2009, they were atrocious. Kurt Rambis couldn’t…”
David: “2009? I have to stop you there. I started watching basketball when the Lakers still played in Minneapolis. Believe me, there have been…”
Charlie: “I don’t need to hear about your Mikan drills here, David. The point is if these current Wolves are going to do anything next year, Rubio is going to play a major role.”
David: “We’ll just have to see.”
Charlie: “Yup. Looks like we’ll have to agree to disagree.”
David: “I guess we will.”
The Minnesota Nice in David and Charlie couldn’t help but come out in the end, and they failed to solve the great Rubio debate.
It seems as though as long as Ricky Rubio laces up his sneakers for the Timberwolves, fans will be questioning his value for the team.
Next: Three trades for Ricky Rubio
Who do you relate to, Timberwolves’ fans? Are you Charlie from Chaska or a David from Duluth? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.