hey rickey, signs for five
signs for five, he signs for five, hey rickey

FC Barcelona is close to making Ricky Rubio a five-year offer worth $1.4 million annually with an escape clause allowing him to play in the NBA after two years.

Rubio was paid just $97,000 last season by DKV Joventut.

How the hell does a guy making 97K end up with a 6M buyout clause?
How does a player still under contract with a team, let alone in another country, be allowed to enter the NBA draft!?
What was Minny thinking other than they didn't really want him but saw him as a future trade chip to a desperate team such as the Knicks?

....I can probably answer these questions myself, but, figured I'd put them out there yet again.

david kahn should be fired immediately. what an idiot.

Posted by kam77:

Posted by crzymdups:

david kahn should be fired immediately. what an idiot.

How is this different from Rubio staying with DKV Juventut for two more years like Kahn said he was prepared for?
He still owns the kids rights. The new buyout might be less or even non-existant. He doesn't take up a roster spot but Minny still owns his rights to use in a trade or to just leave him in Europe for more seasoning.

David Kahn may be an idiot already. But this news doesn't make him any more of one.

this news means he officially didn't have a plan to handle the buyout when he drafted this kid. which makes him an idiot for using the 5 pick on him. he won't be the timberwolves gm when rubio comes over. that makes him either extremely selfless or...

Didn't they screw us out of a Lee for Mayo draft day deal last year, or was that the Grizz?

Posted by Rookie:

Didn't they screw us out of a Lee for Mayo draft day deal last year, or was that the Grizz?

I think that Lee may have stopped that trade.

Posted by kam77:

Posted by EnySpree:

Minnesota needs to be fined for the Rubio pick...they obviously picked him so no one else would. everyone of their picks were point guards and they had 5 pics....they need to be investigated or contracted....

Interesting point. David Stern could say that Minnesota's draft day actions hurt the integrity of the game or something like that. The NBA needs marquee players (or at least marquee names) to attract fans to arenas and TV sets. If Kahn *knew* that Rubio would stay in Europe (very hard to prove, but the Flynn pick points to it) and just took the guy to block any other NBA team from getting him... it hurts the whole NBA... this kid could have brought in extra revenue.

I'd like to see Stern have the balls to step up on this issue.

Tough to prove a person's motive behind a pick. No crime in a team drafting a player they think will be a future asset

A NCAA player can get drafted by the NBA and bolt to Euro team. works both ways. The NBA team could keep his rights. Can't go back to college cuz he forfited his amateur status.

Ricky's contract can state no buy out after two years. No contract has to have a buy out.

The 6 mil buy out is crazy. I don't understand it. I think JV, in some for or another has been paying him since he is 14, so in a way they took the risk and made the investment in him, so the 6 mil is crazy, but it is in the contract he signed, his parents signed, his lawyer ok'd, etc.

The reason for his sour puss face on draftday was the kid needed to land in a big big market and get endorsment deals. Gillette has even squeezed him into an ad! Put him in NY and he is a rock star coast to coast, can pay back the 6 mil easy inside of two years and is bankable. In Minny where he might not start right away he is dirt.

Is Kahn wrong? the kid now plays on a better team and can only get better. If he shines Kahn gets a better player, or a better trade chip. All this without having to pay a penny in salary or a penny going against his cap.

Long term this is not really that dumb. If flynn becomes a player he also has an appreciating asset. together they can't really grow on the floor at the same time.

Kahn obviously has the backing of his owner who could care less about Stern wanting the kid in the NBA after Stern threw the book at him over the Joe Smith debockle oh so many years ago.

The "Kahn Game" being played is interesting and who won won't fully be determined for a few years.

Rickey blows his knee out, he loses. but blowing a 5th pick in the last draft was not really all that costly. It happens to the best of GM's!

Posted by Nalod:


A NCAA player can get drafted by the NBA and bolt to Euro team. works both ways. The NBA team could keep his rights. Can't go back to college cuz he forfited his amateur status.

Ricky's contract can state no buy out after two years. No contract has to have a buy out.

The 6 mil buy out is crazy. I don't understand it. I think JV, in some for or another has been paying him since he is 14, so in a way they took the risk and made the investment in him, so the 6 mil is crazy, but it is in the contract he signed, his parents signed, his lawyer ok'd, etc.

The reason for his sour puss face on draftday was the kid needed to land in a big big market and get endorsment deals. Gillette has even squeezed him into an ad! Put him in NY and he is a rock star coast to coast, can pay back the 6 mil easy inside of two years and is bankable. In Minny where he might not start right away he is dirt.

Is Kahn wrong? the kid now plays on a better team and can only get better. If he shines Kahn gets a better player, or a better trade chip. All this without having to pay a penny in salary or a penny going against his cap.

Long term this is not really that dumb. If flynn becomes a player he also has an appreciating asset. together they can't really grow on the floor at the same time.

Kahn obviously has the backing of his owner who could care less about Stern wanting the kid in the NBA after Stern threw the book at him over the Joe Smith debockle oh so many years ago.

The "Kahn Game" being played is interesting and who won won't fully be determined for a few years.

Rickey blows his knee out, he loses. but blowing a 5th pick in the last draft was not really all that costly. It happens to the best of GM's!

Excellent post. I think Kahn is a jerkoff, but this wasn't such a stupid move if Rubio improves his game. I seriously doubt Minny will play him in two years after Flynn becomes a star PG. It would be too disruptive to the team and coaching staff. But Rubio will be a nice trade chip.

On the other hand, he could have picked Curry to fill the #2 Minny needed, and that is why he was an idiot: Picked a PG who won't play for the TW instead of a hot ****e SG who would have put in 20+ per game. Not a very good move on his part, but he maybe wasn't so high on Curry.

Whatever. I wanted Rubio in NY, and I still think it could happen, unless we sign Sessions and he radically improves his shooting and defense.