Shooter Now: Mark Cuban would trade for Timberwolves' Ricky Rubio 'in a heartbeat'
By Charley Walters
cwalters@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 03/08/2011 12:15:14 PM CST
Barcelona's
Ricky Rubio, right, vies with Cholet's Vule Avdalovic during the
Euroleague basketball match Regal FC Barcelona vs Cholet on December 2,
2010 at the Palau Blaugrana hall in Barcelona. (AFP/Getty Images)
Among
spectators at Target Center on Monday evening watching his Dallas
Mavericks win their 46th game by bouncing the Minnesota Timberwolves,
who lost their 50th, was Mavs owner Mark Cuban.
Cuban sees better days for the Wolves.
"I think (Minnesota) has a star in the making in Ricky Rubio," Cuban said.
Cuban, who has a passion for basketball, said he has seen the
young Spaniard point guard play several times. The Wolves chose Rubio
with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft when he was just 18
years old.
The Wolves are confident Rubio will play for them next season. But if they want to trade him, Cuban said, they'll have a buyer.
"We're very high on him," Cuban said. "If they want to give him up, we're very interested. We would do that in a heartbeat."
The year the Wolves drafted Rubio, the Mavs had the 22nd overall
pick before trading down with Oklahoma City to No. 24 and taking center
Byron Mullens from Ohio State.
"We tried to trade up to get Rubio," Cuban said. "But we weren't close. We would have loved to draft him."
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Rubio is averaging just 5.9 points, 4.3
assists and 23 minutes in 38 games for the DKV Joventut team in Europe
this season. The Wolves are hoping to buy out his remaining contract for
$1 million this summer.
"The thing about Europe," Cuban said, "is it doesn't necessarily
translate in terms of points and assists. You've got to look at talent,
you've got to look at game IQ and you've got to look at age.
"I don't think if he came in now he would dominate the league or
anything like that. But I think he would have a big impact here."
Mark 說有機會他一定馬上換來 Ricky Rubio
"The thing about Europe," Cuban said, "is it doesn't necessarily
translate in terms of points and assists. You've got to look at talent,
you've got to look at game IQ and you've got to look at age.
"歐洲聯盟不是只能看分數和助攻. 你要看他的天份, 籃球智商, 和年紀"
"I don't think if he came in now he would dominate the league or
anything like that. But I think he would have a big impact here."
我不覺得他現在進來就會打殺四方還是啥的. 但是我想他會帶來些大影響"