His answer:
No.
I asked for an update on his progress in talking with officials DKV Joventut since he landed in Spain yesterday.
“Nothing to say.”
The AP story quoted Rubio as saying, “”I want to continue with the club but, after everything that’s happened, I don’t think they’re too comfortable having me in their squad. I want to play in a winning team, on a team that can achieve many things.”
This sounds like it’s the first domino to fall in the chain of events that will lead to Rubio wearing a Wolves uniform.
# According to the report, “Spanish basketball clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona are both interested in signing Rubio if he cannot make it to the NBA this season.” Unlike the Timberwolves, who can’t kick in more than half a million dollars to Rubio’s buyout with Joventut, neither Real Madrid nor Barcelona are subject to that restraint. A team like Barcelona could work with Rubio to come up with agreeable terms to share the buyout, and Rubio could then join that squad.
# Rubio could still join Minnesota, and would stand to earn approximately $5.65 million over the first two years of his deal. Even with Minnesota contributing the maximum $500,000 to his buyout with Joventut, Rubio would essentially be playing for free until the summer of 2011. Still, Rubio might ultimately decide that playing in the Twin Cities represents his least unattractive option in the long term.
In the big picture, Rubio’s earning potential is undoubtedly greater should he become a star in the U.S., but in the short-term he’ll likely make more money by staying in Europe.
On being named Rookie of the Month: “It definitely feels good. It means that I’m getting acknowledged for the way I played out here. It means a lot of people took a liking to my game. I just don’t want to get complacent. I want to keep getting better and keep working on my game every day.”
On his plans before training camp: “I think I’m coming back out here August 2 for camp. A lot of us are coming back out. Me and Wayne (Ellington) are coming back out. Bobby Brown and I think a lot of the rookies throughout the league are coming back. That’s definitely in the plans. You’ve got the rookie transitions in New York City that’s mandatory to go to and then after that I think I might go to Cleveland and workout with LeBron James. It’s an eventful summer for me, but it’s all fun.”
“Our league is made for guys like him,” one scout said.
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