Ricky Rubio may be open to joining the Minnesota Timberwolves next season, reports a little birdie. No, really. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press' Charley Walters:
Why Ricky Rubio Will (Probably) Not Join Timberwolves In 2011
A little birdie says the Timberwolves have received word from Ricky Rubio’s family that he’s open to signing with them for next season - if there is a season.
I was not aware David Kahn was little or a birdie. The more you know! After the jump, three reasons this rumor is almost assuredly false.
Reason No. 1 Charley Walters' Little Birdie Is Probably Wrong Or A Liar: There's no financial incentive for Rubio to join the Timberwolves before 2012-13. If Ricky joins the Wolves in '11-12, he's subject to the NBA's rookie scale for the first four years of his career. If he joins in '12-13, he can negotiate a higher starting salary and a shorter or longer term. Remember Tiago Splitter, the Brazilian big man who slipped in the 2007 NBA Draft because of concerns about his massive Spanish league contract buy-out and further concerns he'd stay in Europe forever? Guess when he signed with the Spurs? Three years after being drafted, when he was no longer subject to the rookie scale. Ricky will almost assuredly do the same.
Reason No. 2 Charley Walters’ Little Birdie Is Probably Wrong Or A Liar: That whole “if there is a season” qualifier? Even if there is a season, the timing of it all makes it difficult for Ricky to make a decision. The conventional wisdom is that even if the NBA’s season is saved, there will be a lockout over the summer as negotiations or legal wrangling move through July, August and September. (At that point -- September, with training camps on the horizon -- things get serious.) Rubio’s Barcelona team begins play in October. If Ricky wants to come to Minnesota, he needs to make a buy-out decision by September, maybe sooner. (An actual deadline is unclear; I’m referencing the common sense timeline.) Anyone counting on the NBA ending its lockout by September?
Reason No. 3 Charley Walters’ Little Birdie Is Probably Wrong Or A Liar: The Wolves are as terrible as ever, will (Love willing) have a new coach and maybe a new general manager, neither of which would likely have relationships with Rubio. That doesn’t sound like a great entrance to the NBA, does it? If Ricky didn’t want to come over in the past two seasons, what positive change has Minnesota made to change his mind? It makes no sense!
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