Until I see (figuratively) that signature on the Spanish dotted line, I am not ready to throw in the towel on Ricky. He has been and continues to be my primary target this off-season. We'll see in the next few days if it was a smoke screen, or just lameness by Kahn.

I wonder if Donnie was waiting on the Rubio extravaganza to sort itself out before making up his mind on Sessions.

Posted by itchetrigr:

you'd have to think donnie's quiet & reluctant handling of the session situation might mean he has had an eye open for rubio all along... if donnie pulls this off with chandler, nate & pick for rubio and throws lee to portland for outlaw and fernandez he'd be nothing less of genius..

So a pick that will likely be unrestricted Wilson Chandler[who alone couldve had Rubio already]-- and Nate for a kid who might be a Spanish white chocolate and wont come here for a minimum of two years and David Lee for sht--yeah some F genius. He's on his hind legs begging for Lebron James--that his his only strategy. I hope Lebron is never a Knick--I hope that he realizes he should stay in Clev.

If he was a F genius he wouldve traded Lee while he had value and ended up with Lopez and Randolph.

If I was David Lee and they asked me to play for 2.5mm I would laugh in their face

Maybe Rubio doesn't want to come to New York. Anyone ever think of that?

Posted by BasketballJones:

Maybe Rubio doesn't want to come to New York. Anyone ever think of that?

Bullocks. That's what he wants, no doubt. Stern, too.

Posted by BasketballJones:

Posted by Caseloads:

Posted by BasketballJones:

Maybe Rubio doesn't want to come to New York. Anyone ever think of that?

Maybe rubio is an attention whore and wants no part of the NBA and wants to stay in Spain forever. Ever think of that?

Yes I did. It also occurred to me that he wants more money.

Well he's gonna need it if he ever expects to buy himself out of Europe.

Posted by itchetrigr:

you'd have to think donnie's quiet & reluctant handling of the session situation might mean he has had an eye open for rubio all along... if donnie pulls this off with chandler, nate & pick for rubio and throws lee to portland for outlaw and fernandez he'd be nothing less of genius..

Good post itchy. I'm with you my dude. If we could get this kid Rubio for Chandler, Nate and a future 1st and then turn around and move David Lee to Portland for Fernandez AND Travis Outlaw in the same package....man, talk about a coup. That'd be a tremendous haul. I mean break it all down -- first of all I think over time Jordan Hill will show he's a far better overall PF talent than David Lee and he may not even require that long to prove it - similar rebounding prowess & nose for the ball, only Hill's taller, stronger and an even better athlete, posesses better shot-blocking & defensive potential and a far more advanced set of offensive skills, even this early on. Love Lee, love what he brings to the table and I love the player he's made himself into but however you wanna slice it, he's already been replaced by Jordan Hill for all intent & purposes. Hill's a clear upgrade over David Lee in my book. It's only a question of how good a package we can get for Lee at this point... Rudy Fernandez is a tremendous 2-guard talent. Tall, athletic as hell, good ball-handler & passer, plays with great heart & energy and oh yeah, he's one hell of an outside shooter. Can't say enough about Rudy. He's no Kobe Bryant or Micheal Jordan but he's starting NBA SG material all the way. The fact that he's locked up on his rookie contract for the time being only makes him even more desirable. As for Travis Outlaw, he'd come in and replace Wilson Chandler nicely. I mean to me Outlaw's on par or superior to Chandler in every category - athleticism (on par, Outlaw's a hell of an athlete), defensive potential (on par, both could be shutdown defenders if they ever put their minds to it), rebounding (on par), offensive game (sorry but to me Outlaw's offensive game is superior to Wilson's at this point). The only thing Chandler has on Travis Outlaw is he's 3 years younger. And that's not to say Outlaw's old, he's not. Outlaw's not even 25 yet. I'd say in terms of overall potential & upside you're looking at roughly the same player. If LeBron decided to stay in Cleveland, Outlaw is definitely in my plans moving forward (he might be anyway even if LeBron decided to come play here). Cross that bridge when we get to it... Some other details that would make this an incredible haul - Rubio would definitely attract LeBron (and other big-time FAs for that matter) into coming here. No doubt in my mind. A superior pass-first PG like that?? Believe me, you don't think he took notice when Spain almost upset his team in the championship game in the '08 Olympics? James was right there when STARS like Paul, Kidd and Deron Williams we're coming back to the huddle telling D'Antoni and the coaching staff how good Rubio is and how he "was the real deal." Kobe Bryant even talked about how good this kid is (you can Youtube the interview). It's not like James is only going by scouting reports like all of us; on the contrary, James has firsthand knowledge of how good Rubio is. I wouldn't be that concerned over that future 1st rounder we might have to include, esp. if Lebron came here. LeBron all by himself could transform any 30-win team out there into a 50-win playoff team. Even if he didn't come, with the cap room we'll have available to help build the team along with the nice young core of players we're already starting to assemble, odds are that pick shouldn't be that high.

The key to me now being back in favor of acquiring Rubio is the fact that he can be bought out of this new 6-year deal after only two years (which means a big 2010 FA will only have to wait 1 year before they can team up with Ricky in NY). And from what I've read, the buyout will be for "reasonable money." In the meantime, Rubio develops his game, matures into a man and makes a little bit of money he can then put toward his own buyout.

If Donnie pulled off exactly what Itch outlined here, not only is he a genius but as far as I'm concerned, he get's the Goddamn medal of honor. Shotgun on being the Knick fan who gets to pin it on his Jacket...

[Edited by - finestrg on 09-01-2009 11:55 PM]

September 2, 2009
Timberwolves Are Wrong-Footed as Spanish Star Changes His Plans
By JONATHAN ABRAMS

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ team president, David Kahn, tiptoed the line between risk and reward when he selected Ricky Rubio, a flashy yet mostly untested Spanish point guard, with the fifth overall selection at this summer’s N.B.A. draft.

The verdict on Kahn’s selection is still out, as is Rubio from any immediate plans involving the Timberwolves. Kahn traveled to Spain three times in an effort to persuade Rubio of Minnesota’s potential and to untangle him from a costly buyout with his Spanish team, DKV Joventut Badalona.

But this week, Rubio agreed to a transfer to Regal FC Barcelona.

Just as Kahn; Rubio’s American agent, Dan Fegan; and Joventut had agreed to the parameters of a buyout last weekend, Rubio expressed concerns about entering the N.B.A and backtracked from the deal. Instead, he revised his blueprint to entering the N.B.A. in 2011-12.

“The reason leading me to take this next step is to have a period of preparation to better take the challenge of the N.B.A. in better conditions as a player,” Rubio, 18, said in a statement. “The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to be my first option and I wish to play with them in the near future.”

His actions have so far strayed from those words, having consciously let his initial opportunity to play in the N.B.A. pass by. Kahn, who was hired as the Timberwolves’ president in May, will probably have his future linked with Rubio and his decision to draft another point guard, Jonny Flynn, one pick later.. In a conference call, Kahn said that Rubio’s fractured relationship with Joventut, his desire to stay near his family and his age, probably weighed heavily on the decision.

Flynn, the Syracuse guard selected by Minnesota after it took Rubio, now shifts from an insurance policy to a necessity. The Timberwolves have a strong frontcourt tandem of Al Jefferson and Kevin Love but a rookie coach, Kurt Rambis.

When Kahn selected Rubio, he had hoped to add immediate fanfare to an organization that has struggled in the standings and in the stands since trading Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics in 2007. Rubio made a positive impression during his performance in last summer’s Olympics and appeared primed to make his entrance into the N.B.A..

Rubio’s camp expressed initial concern about the Timberwolves’ small market and the drafting of Flynn, and had pegged Rubio to be taken higher in the draft. Kahn also had to negotiate Rubio’s buyout — reportedly $6 million to $8 million — of which the Timberwolves could contribute only $500,000.

Kahn’s outlook on the process remains optimistic, perhaps out of necessity. When Rubio decides to begin his N.B.A. career, Kahn figures that he will be more mature and a better player. And Kahn can take comfort in knowing that the Timberwolves hold his N.B.A. rights in perpetuity.

“At the end of the day, he is still ours,” Kahn said. “Not in uniform yet, but he is still ours.”

Blah blah blah. Kahn is an idiot. A fool. A jerkoff. He will lose his job eventually and THIS will be his legacy. Feh.