Is Ricky Rubio Worth It?

By Scott

Spanish superstar Ricky Rubio made himself a very nice sum of money Thursday night after he was selected 5th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rubio, who has already drawn comparisons to Pistol Pete Maravich and Larry Bird because of his jaw-dropping passing skills, is essentially Spain's Lebron. He has been playing pro basketball since he was 14 and gained worldwide attention after leading the Spanish National team in the '08 Summer Olympics on an injured foot. He's everything an NBA franchise looks for in a draft pick. He's a heartthrob, extremely marketable, and most importantly, he'll put butts in the seats immediately.

But, Rubio leads a slew of European players who have entered the NBA draft with tales of legendary skill and serious hype. Remember Darko Milicic, Yi Jianlian, Saer Sene, Oleksiv Pecherov, Fran Vasquez, Yaroslav Korolev or Pavel Podkolzine? Yeah, neither do I. And trust me, there are sooo many more where that came from. The success stories are so minimal: Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming and Rudy Fernandez are the few exceptions to the harsh transition of the wide-open European play to the physical, bruising American game.

The only hard evidence we have of Rubio is YouTube and stories from European scouts. As for the American basketball minds who have seen Rubio firsthand, not all of them were as impressed, just ask Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim,

"I think he’s got a little too much American in him. He’s a cocky little kid. He complained on all the calls. He’s good with the ball. He’s not a great shooter. I think he will have trouble guarding people. He didn’t play very well against us, especially in the championship game. I’m not sold on him. I think he needs to shoot it better, and his defense will be questionable. He’s one of those guys the scouts don’t see a lot, so they haven’t had time to pick him apart. He’s flashy. They pick all our players apart, and I don’t know if they always do that with some of the guys over there. My impression was less favorable than most people who’ve seen him, I guess."

Personally, I'll take Boeheim's word over the hearsay of European scouts who praise Rubio's every move. But, before we get any farther, let's break down Rubio:

1. Elite passing skill, no doubt. He's already among the most prolific in the league when it comes to ball handling.
2. He can't shoot. Probably the biggest gripe that almost every scout has held against him.
3. He is not physical. Just watch the video above. Almost every time he drives to the hoop he is unchallenged and untouched. When's the last time you saw that happen in the NBA?
4. No one has really seen him play. American prospects are picked apart inch by inch. Rubio is all hearsay. I'd rather take my chances with Johnny Flynn or Tyreke Evans.
5. He's European. Look at the success rate. Not favorable.

Obviously, the Timberwolves saw both the upside and the downside of Rubio by drafting him 5th overall and also drafting another point guard in Johnny Flynn with the 6th overall pick. Personally, it looks to me like the Timberwolves drafted Rubio for his name value and will trade him for some nice value, especially now that Rubio has threatened to return to Spain for another year or two.

My untrained scouting eye isn't reliable, but that's really the consensus from watching the limited footage of his play and the few that have critiqued Rubio. The negatives outweigh the positives when it comes to basketball skill, but of course Rubio's image is part of his lure. Plus, the biggest question is how he'll transition from the European game to the American game. Will Ricky Rubio join the list of irrelevant names that have passed through the NBA before? We'll find out soon enough.