Spain has a lot of sports icons to be proud of. Especially in the NBA. While former NBA Champion Pau Gasol had taken his time to show his skills at the highest level of Basketball competition, his fellow countrymen have shown the world that they sure can play. Jose Calderon, Jorge Garbojosa, Rudy Fernandez and a spew of other Spanish players have won championships in several international tournaments.
Now, Ricky Rubio, a young player, drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2009 will finally be coming to play at the highest level of basketball in the world.
Rubio has been playing overseas, since he was drafted, for FC Barcelona. Due to his contract, he was unable to come play for the T-Wolves until his contract ended, or he could negotiate a buyout. T-Wolves GM David Kahn, has stated that he was unwilling to pay the buyout price, rumoured to be priced at around $6 million.
Now, though, the hurdles have been cleared, and Rubio is expected to join the Timberwolves in the upcoming 2011-12 NBA season.
Some are puzzled about the timeframe as to why Rubio is coming now. There have been lots of speculation about an upcoming lockout of the season. Also, when he was drafted, he was just 19 years old. Now, when he comes he’ll be closer to 21. He’s missed valuable time to develop and get used to the NBA game.
While many other young international players have made it to the NBA, there have many complications. Rudy Fernandez has on occasion publicly stated his unhappiness in Portland, Jorge Garbojosa was scolded for wanting to play for his national team while under contract with the Raptors. Italian guard Marco Belinelli has bounced around the league in just a few years and fellow italian Andrea Bargnani has been lambasted for his lack of defensive ability and desire to rebound.
However, on the flip-side there have been very successful international players too. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli, have each won championships, and Dirk Nowitzki just earned his first championship after quite a few years in the league. If Rubio comes to the NBA with the desire to get better, he has to work hard, and success will follow. However, if he expects to be coddled and have a team built around him, much like he’s been experiencing in Spain, there could be some hard times for the youngster.