Ricky Rubio - Take the Money and Limp

[CavsKermit]

I like Rubio. He's a good PG to have around for the development of big men. He's a solid vet who is slightly overpaid for what he brings. His defense isn't what it use to be. It's why he was available for Prince. He's not any team's savior and Cavs fans will be better off if they adjust their expectations accordingly.

 

[J_J]

I love this guy - such a great PG for Mobley and Allen and he took charge of this game when we needed it in the 4th quarter.

 

[All4One1ForAll]

Thank god we got this guy. His offensive orchestration is desperately needed, and he's been basically our best 3 point shooter (which also isn't a positive sign for us lol).

 

[RubioFanLifer]

Come on. Just take a look at the guy's career averages. He'll end up drifting back to 32% or whatever, and it'll get ugly.

The fact that he's in the middle of a non-shooter's hot streak doesn't mean we should be leaning on Rubio's scoring. Yes, he needs to be respectable from the perimeter to keep defenses honest, but after all the preaching about ball movement, Ricky calling his own number very early in the shot clock is kind of ridiculous.

another 3-7 game from outside

45% on the young season (9-20). You don't stop shooting if they keep dropping.

 

[Jontibs]

If if was just winning in the now he is still comfortably a starting calibre PG in this league, flaws and all.

 

[Pioneer10]

Always loved Rubio: I hope he gets to play for championship contender at some point in his career.
By the time Mobley gets there might be too late for him

 

[buzzdog]

Nice game by Ricky, looks like he was out to get the bad taste out of his mouth from last night and he wildly succeeded.

 

[FrontPageNews]

I know we will. But I really hope we don’t trade him at the deadline. Extend him.

 

[Heat Check]

I looked at some of Rubio's stats for these first 3 games. They paint a picture of a man giving exactly zero fucks right now. He's going for it. He's living his best life.

I don't know what's gotten into him, but at age 31, after a 15 year pro career helping other people put the ball in the basket, Ricky has apparently decided he's an offensive juggernaut and a top 2 scoring option.

He's operating at a usage of 24.6%, which is BY FAR a career high and totally preposterous for a guy known as a non-shooting facilitator.

He's launching 6.7 3pt shots per game. You know what his previous high was? 3.7 in the 2018-2019 season. Career average is 2.7.

He's making 3 bombs per game too. Before this season, he'd NEVER averaged more than 1.2 makes from the perimeter.

And Rubio's not just scoring. His assist average of 9.0 is, of course, a career high. So is a TS% of .638, to pick just a few. I could go on and on.

So, what do you do with him? You can't bench a guy who's on a hot streak for the ages. You just can't. The basketball gods forbid it. We have to ride with Ricky for now. Even with him also averaging an eye-watering 3.7 turnovers (career high, naturally).

Of course we all would like to think this is sustainable in some way. But it's not. Otherwise, Ricky Rubio would be a lock for Most Improved Player... at age 31.

But for now, let the man go buck wild for once in his career.

 

[foucault87]

He has been an offensive centerpiece for Spain for years and lit up team USA this year. Not a big surprise

 

[Heat Check]

He has been an offensive centerpiece for Spain for years and lit up team USA this year. Not a big surprise

Not a big surprise? Are you kidding me??

I've followed Ricky's career since he was like 17. He has NEVER been this player. Not for Spain, not for his Euro teams, not in the NBA.

The dude is out of his mind.

 

[Futuredome]

I agree. His shooting is not sustainable. He has had periods of this type of shooting though. A warning. Then it goes away.

 

[Heat Check]

I agree. His shooting is not sustainable. He has had periods of this type of shooting though. A warning. Then it goes away.

Sure he's had "hot streaks" (for Rubio, that usually meant that he couldn't be totally ignored on the perimeter) but nothing like this.

And the biggest difference, really, is his volume and confidence - irrational or not. He's calling his own number again and again. That's never happened before. It almost seems like Ricky's decided that he's done with being a member of a "supporting cast".

It's so weird. To me his shot selection and decision making has left a lot to be desired at times, but I can't argue with the numbers.

 

[Dr. Claw]

I'm with Heat Check! Somehow he's taking that Olympic swag to the Cavs. I'm with it, especially if we won't have Garland for stretches. Hopefully what he does as far as getting others the ball makes an impression on others.

 

[weepinwillow]

it should be noted that Jason Kidd developed a 3 post-30 years old. So Rubio having extended range isn't as surprising as you'd think.