Ricky Rubio will indeed join the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2011-12 season, Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news late Wednesday. Rubio and the Wolves had a May 31 deadline to reach an agreement under the current collective bargaining agreement; any deal signed after the deadline would have been subject to a new CBA being negotiated by the NBA and players union. That could have decreased Rubio's earnings potential once he made the jump, and was the apparent impetus for his move.
Ricky Rubio To Be Introduced By Timberwolves After Barcelona’s Season Ends
Zgoda reports that the Wolves continue to refuse comment and will wait to introduce Rubio to Minnesota fans and media until the end of June. Rubio’s Barcelona is still in playoff contention in the ACB, the top Spanish league.
The next question is who will coach Rubio in Minneapolis. Kurt Rambis' job remains in question as Kahn concentrated on Rubio and NBA Draft preparations. Kahn has been deemed safe by franchise owner Glen Taylor -- and pulling Rubio over certainly doesn't hurt -- but Rambis remains standing on a trap door that could drop at any moment. If anything, landing such an important piece like Ricky may demand that a change is made; the mood surrounding the Wolves in Rambis' tenure has seemed exceedingly awful.
For more on the Wolves and Rubio, visit Canis Hoopus and SB Nation Minnesota.
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