David Kahn heads for Spain today and meetings presumably with Ricky Rubio and his DKV Joventut team in a trip that Kahn says his only mission is to be “helpful” in facilitating Rubio’s contract buyout so he can play in the NBA this fall.
The Wolves, by NBA rules, can pay only $500,000 of a buyout that could cost as much as $6.6 million. But with European teams everywhere suffering financially from the global economic downturn — and DKV Joventut in particular financial trouble — it seems more and more likely a deal eventually will get done. If it happens and Rubio signed by the Wolves by fall, it probably will because Rubio’s Spanish club is desperate for that buyout money and because Rubio’s representatives will have lined up enough endorsement deals to pay for that buyout, and then some.
Kahn said he expects to return from Spain sometime later this week.
However Kahn’s visit could go a long way towards bridging future agreements should Rubio end up in Minnesota.
– Deserving a blurb is Timberwolves 7-0 center Garrett Siler. After attending a music academy in high school and averaging less then 2 ppg, he landed at Augusta State in Georgia. Playing D-II ball didn’t get him much love. Siler has had his chance to shine now and is making the most of it. He’s a straight monster in the paint who looks to dunk everything, and usually he can because of his massive size at 300 pounds. Sure he’s not the most skilled guy and struggles defending the perimeter. You just can’t ignore 7-footers who play hard and offer that kind of potential. Siler would be a great guy to stash in Europe or the D-League for a couple of years and see how he develops. Hint hint?
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