# A “family lawyer” who undermined David Kahn and the Wolves at every opportunity.
# A couple of players from the Regal FC Barcelona team who got in Rubio’s ear and told him of their bad experiences in the NBA.
# Rubio’s own parents, common folks, really, who feared they would lose their social status if Ricky left the Spanish League for the NBA.
The fact that Kahn, president of basketball operations, got as close as he did to getting Rubio to come over now is something of a miracle. But there were just too many forces pulling in the opposite direction for the result to be anything different.
Sports Radio Interviews posts a partial transcript of David Kahn’s appearance yesterday on The Dan Patrick show.
“I can only give you what I’ve been told by his agent, Dan Fegan. When they came in to the draft, they were only going to definitely come over, definitely, if he was top 2. If he wasn’t top 2, there was a consideration especially if he was 3 that he might come over because of implications with his Nike deal. But, actually Dan told me that night, when we made the selection that night, Dan was very clear: ‘He’s not coming this year.’ And, yes, as I’ve shared in the past, we still feel like it was the right thing to do. I think what changed was that he reconsidered and it was him that came to us and said, ‘You know, I am giving some thought to coming over now,’ and he was having problems, as many people probably know, with his club team, the one that had his contract controlled the buyout. And, I think he was starting to worry a little bit during the summer that he may not have a place to go.”
Barring injuries, Rubio should only improve in the next two years, and Minnesota should welcome a more polished, more physically ready player — and potential star — in 2011.
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