Ricky Rubio And The Wolves: Partners In Peril

Will he or won’t he? Ever since Minnesota made Ricky Rubio the fifth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, there’s been an endless tug of war between the Spanish guard’s camp and Minnesota GM David Kahn and the rest of the Wolves organization. Is he coming? Is he staying? Will he ever agree to play in Minnesota? Will they have to trade him? It seemed that every few months, the dynamics of the situation changed.

It’s obvious the Wolves wants to get him into an NBA uniform and they want to do it in Minnesota. According to the Star Tribune, Kahn and a group of team officials are traveling over to Europe this weekend for the Euroleague Final Four, where they will meet with the star point guard in an effort to get him signed to an NBA contract within the next month.

That fact could complicate the timing of a completed deal because Rubio must exercise a $1 million-plus buyout with his Barcelona team and because Rubio and his family don’t want it to appear as if he already has a foot out the door to the NBA before his team’s season concludes.

Whether Rubio will ever agree to play for the Wolves has been a matter of much discussion and doubt for nearly two years now.

The Star Tribune also outlined a few points working in the Wolves’ favor, such as the uncertainty surrounding the lockout. Just like everyone else, Rubio may be nervous about what the new CBA could mean for potential contracts. Also, Rubio hasn’t developed the way many envisioned he would during the last two seasons. He’s stuck on a veteran team and playing in a style that doesn’t fit his game. Minnesota is convinced a move to the NBA would open things up for him.

While we’ve heard all of this before, it does offer a question: what should Minnesota do at the point guard position next year? They actually have some decent talent at other places, but the lead guard spot was a sore point all of last season. Should they bring in Rubio? Stick with what they have? Get somebody else? Improve through the Draft?

Here are some options:

Draft a point guard
(Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker)
Destined for a top pick, Minnesota could take the plunge yet again on another guard. But this comes down to ego. Drafting another point guard would be an admission of failure in the 2009 Draft, something no organization wants to do, much less one that went through so much trouble to get what they wanted in the first place.

Irving and Walker could both work. At this point, they would be major upgrades over what the Wolves have now and each brings his own strengths: Irving’s leadership and ability to run a team (something Minnesota would love to have) and Walker’s explosive scoring and one-on-one breakdown ability (something no current guard on Minnesota has).

Stick with what you got
(Jonny Flynn, Luke Ridnour)
Is this the best possible outcome? Not really. Flynn had the eighth-lowest PER of any player in the league who played at least 500 minutes (7.13). The good news though is that he was nearly twice as good during his rookie season. His hip surgery last summer certainly played a big part in his struggles this past year.

Ridnour was much better and seems to have finally found his niche as a solid outside shooter who won’t kill you or help you a whole lot in other areas. Still, he isn’t a great defender and at 30 years old, is not someone you want to be building around.

This seems more of a last resort for the Wolves.

Acquire another player
(Raymond Felton, T.J. Ford, Andre Miller)
While there are a few point guards who will probably be available this summer at some price, will Minnesota want to stay young or will they be willing to bring in an older veteran? Ford will definitely be available, but isn’t an upgrade over what they already have. Felton has a good shot to get traded out of Denver, but does he fit in Minnesota? Then there is Miller with a non-guaranteed contract, who could find himself as bait so the Blazers can move up in the Draft. He’s consistent and knows how to play, and might actually work if they could get him to share minutes with Rubio. But will he be content in Minnesota?

Bring Ricky Rubio over
Earlier this season, Kahn said the phenom was “absolutely” going to be joining the Wolves next season. His proclamations always bring a seed of doubt just because we’ve heard them before. This has turned into a two-year process, with sources from both sides going back and forth. Now with Rubio’s buyout more affordable and a possible lockout on the horizon that could change everything, it’s more likely than ever that Rubio finally makes the jump.

This is obviously Kahn and Minnesota’s first priority. But is it the best? Will Rubio stand for losing in an area that isn’t New York or another big market? If you’re the Timberwolves, it’s a risk worth taking. Either he works out or you trade him. They just have to hope that he can truly live up to the hype.

What should Minnesota try to do?

Follow Sean on Twitter at @SEANesweeney.

Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.

Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.

×