In each of the Timberwolves 3 victories, Rubio has played less minutes than Luke Ridnour. They have yet to win a single game when Rubio is on the court for longer than Luke.
20. "Fantasy Basketball is not real basketball" In response to Reply # 16
Watch Rubio play, he's really good. Kyrie might have a better career than him. He'll almost certainly have better numbers. I fail to see how anything Rubio does diminishes the joy you'll be able to take from watching Kyrie play.
24. "because he's going to win ROY and he won't deserve it..." In response to Reply # 20
that's why i don't like him STILL.
i was over these "experts" throwing shade on jennings because of rubio, but now they taking shots at kyrie too and saying production and wins don't and it's all about aesthetics and media hype?
nah, young...this is why bammas hate on duke...media hype...except rubio don't even make it interesting by WINNING!!!!
60. "FT%, FG%.....more wins..." In response to Reply # 55 Fri Jan-13-12 06:45 PM by Basaglia
and i know when dudes start going for them tenths in the stats that they really need a W.
that difference in rebounding could change tonight, dude. good grief.
everything that rubio leads in, save assists, will flip in kyrie's favor. i have no worries about that. i just worry that a difference of 2 or 3 dimes will overwhelm ROY voters and given them an excuse to be stupid and manufacture a charismatic non-black star. it's disgusting.
Dont even have a horse in the race. Plus you know, it's the internet. Kyrie's good as fuck tho. Never said otherwise. Rubio's good too. Better than you thought he'd be. I never really took part in this 'pick a side and hold firm no matter how dumb you look in the process' type stuff. Dude's good. Ur furious and moving goalposts per usual. *shrug*
14. "I understand Pro Kyrie posts" In response to Reply # 0
But hating Rubio won't make Kyrie better.
Of course, I just lurk, so I don't really understand how PGWarz works. Apparently it's the dumbest and least logical thing to ever be created on the internet?
Rubio is the complete antithesis of the Sacto EBoy. Rubio makes his teammates better. He passes with purpose. He puts people in good places to make shots, and he delivers the ball to what my old coach called the triple threat position. He does fucked up shit like attack/ exploit weak side defenders off of pick and rolls. He's a pass first PG who has made Anthony Randolph look like an NBA player. Jason Williams was never doing that.
22. "RE: Why do they still suck?" In response to Reply # 19
They're the Wolves. They are one of the most cursed franchises in all of pro sports. They count on two deeply flawed players to shoulder their scoring burden. Wes Johnson actually starts for that team. Anthony Tolliver might actually be their 3rd best player. Anthony Tolliver! They won 32 games combined over the last two seasons. A pass first PG can only get Anthony Randolph so many open looks at the rim. They still have to play D and find other ways to score.
35. "Man, you know that not gonna TALK ABOUT THIS..." In response to Reply # 27
>All he had was KG and Gugliotta... >SAM MITCHELL CHRIS CARR DOUG WEST DEAN GARRETT STOJOKO >VRAKNONCsomthingorother > >made the playoffs... > > > >his second year too... > >they relied on a PF and SF for a majority of their scoring... > >sound familiar... > > >Marbury is selfish though right??? not pass first??? > > >yeah that is really cursed > >
36. "Love=KG? Beas=Googs?" In response to Reply # 27
Seriously?
>All he had was KG and Gugliotta... >SAM MITCHELL CHRIS CARR DOUG WEST DEAN GARRETT STOJOKO >VRAKNONCsomthingorother > >made the playoffs...
Because something happened in the past to different players current players should be judged off those results in 1/6 the sample size?
>his second year too... > >they relied on a PF and SF for a majority of their scoring... > >sound familiar... > > >Marbury is selfish though right??? not pass first???
Googs took $20 mil LESS from Phoenix to get away from Marbury. Steph demanded a trade to NJ in his 3rd season. In those rookie year playoffs you mention Steph took over 65 shots in 3 games, making 26, while going 6/20 from 3. His attempts per game rose while his percentages fell. I call that selfish. You might seriously be the only person in the world who thinks Steph was an unselfish player.
> > >yeah that is really cursed >
The Wolves have literally never moved up in the lottery. When franchise players are available, they always end up moving down. Finish with the worst record in the league in the year Shaq and Zo are coming out? Too bad, you get Laettner. Tied for the 2nd worst record in the Big Dog, Grant Hill, Jason Kidd draft? Here's Donyell Marshall. Actually find a superstar in the draft and convince him to stay long term? Here's a new CBA in which that contract cripples any flexibility you had. Make the same handshake deal Phoenix did w/ Danny Manning that was commonplace in the old NBA? You're going to be the example and don't get a first rounder for 5 years. Finally build a team around KG? Lose the WCF because both of your point guards ankles fell off. Trade KG for a bunch of young players? Too bad, they all suck. Everyone talks about the Clippers Curse, and deservedly so, but the Wolves are right there.
23. "they don't suck." In response to Reply # 19 Fri Jan-13-12 04:37 PM by Guinness
the t-wolves aren't good--no team starting darko and wes johnson is going to be--but they're nowhere near as bad as they were in the past. the wolves are currently the only team with a losing record that has a positive point differential. their number is about the same as cleveland and new york, who are respectively 5-5 and 6-5. last year, the wolves were second last in the league in differential, ahead of only cleveland.
both the cavs and wolves are playing much better than last season, and their rookie PGs are a major reason why. getting caught up in the win/loss column is boring, non-analytical shit.
70. "because they're a young team with a compressed season and" In response to Reply # 19
a new coach, a streaky volume shooter, and a rookie tweener they don't know how to utilize. they lost to OKC and miami by a combined 5 points and beat the defending champions. lately they've been starting slow but finishing pretty strong. they're already vastly better than last year's team. they just need to stop putting themselves in a hole early.
------ "I can't promise I'll try. But I'll try to try."
Williams had Webber, top 5 PF, a young Peja, and went to the playoffs AND...won 2 games on the 2000 Lakers his second year in the league (they DID make the playoffs his rookie year too)
Chris Webber's scoring increased EVERY YEAR he was there...
Jason Williams was helping AND winning
OH WAIT..but there's more...
Jason went to Memphis and increased Pau Gasol's scoring also...and lead that team in 2 seasons to the playoffs...TWICE
then he gets shipped to MIA and won a ring...
Rubio has Kevin Love, top 5 PF, Beasley and NO EXCUSES to lose
I apologize for calling him Jason Williams 2.0 because he would have to WIN first to even get such a title...
21. "Yea, yall are wrong on Rubio" In response to Reply # 15
I dont like the hype he's getting and dont know if he'll ever be a top 3 pg in the league (I'll gladly take the L if im wrong on that) but he's nice and will eventually help a team win playoff games.
He has a great feel for the game and can pretty much make any pass. He's consistently able to keep his dribble alive in traffic which allows players more time to find openings or for plays to develop. And, while not a gritty defender that can lock cats down, he's pesky and has long arms which enables him to gets some steals and/or cause players pick up their dribble.
He's waaaaaaaaay smarter than J Williams EVER was. To make the comparison is really stupid. It tells me you only watched sportscenter clips of both players.
My only concerns w/ Rubio: 1. Lack of foot speed moving laterally: This will prevent him from ever being the kind of pg that can get to the rack at will or consistently stay in front of quicker pgs. 2. Shooting: I think he'll eventually develop into a consistent shooter, but if not, it won't prevent him from being an all star caliber pg.
I like Irving too, a lot. Been telling cats he'd be nice since he was at St. Pats. I just dont feel it necessary to compare the two, yet.
38. "Thats a great pic of D Wade's trophy." In response to Reply # 32 Fri Jan-13-12 06:11 PM by ChuckNeal
But for real, I never even suggested that J Will was wack. Just that the comparison was way off and that Rubio is smarter. Which he is; mostly based off of shot selection. You not even readin posts, just postin shit.
66. "I didn't say fg% is a measure of intelligence. The fuck is wrong w/ yall" In response to Reply # 56
>ok... > > >so THAT is why Luke is starting....makes sense 54% from the >field is really smart for a PG
Jason Williams dribbling up to the 3 point line and hoisting (and bricking) a fade away 3 2 seconds into the shot clock 3 or 4 times a game displays terrible shot selection. To do it over and over again over the early part of your career tells me you aint the brightest bball player. Especially when you shoot below 40% from the field. But keep acting like you're REALLY tryna make a point here.
30. "Rubio is hurting Ridnour's game" In response to Reply # 0
Minn don't even know what they have going with Luke...
Cool Hand is shooting 54% from the field and his scoring has improved since last season considering he has to split time with Rubio now and his assists #'s are down.
52. "given the prep time..." In response to Reply # 48
Batman is always efficient...
Robin however, is the young dark haired kid trying so hard to prove himself...
sound familiar...
When Robin tries to outdo Batman at his own game, Batman HAS to adapt to keep the order and still be efficient in victory. The problem in THIS situation is that EVERYONE seems to want Robin to be the new Batman and Gotham is turning into Arkham QUICK because Robin is just trying to be pretty and use style over substance.
classic Ben Gordon vs. Kirk scenario
stay yo ass on the bench and warm up the Batmobile, you will be able to drive it soon enough young one...
58. "Just to be clear.." In response to Reply # 52
Your position is that Luke Ridnour was, is, and will be a better basketball player than Ricky Rubio?
If so, am I correct to presume that you are blind and have box scores read to you in English, a language which you have already displayed a limited understanding of?
That would be your only excuse for your limited understanding of the game of basketball, because, if you have eyes, Luke Ridnour is not anywhere near as good of a player as Rubio.
I am saying that Luke is more efficient as a scorer so Rubio should stick to passing and playing tough D and let the efficient guys score. The more Luke is on the court, the higher percentage shots he takes and the better chance of overall victory. 7-10 from the field is ALWAYS better than 2-9
Rubio is younger and better at certain things and they play a team game, so no need to get big headed and want to run it all.
Love is the best player on that team. Beasley on streaks is #2 Rubio may be #3 its early for him and the other Rookie
even a cursory look at the numbers* will tell you that the wolves are a much MUCH better team when rubio is on the floor. to such an extreme that only a complete idiot would argue otherwise.
(*in addition to, you know, just watching the fucking games)
79. "you dweeb." In response to Reply # 76 Sat Jan-14-12 07:42 AM by Guinness
i explained in post 23 how they're clearly better than they were in recent years. after last night's win, their point differential is higher than cleveland and NYK, and almost the same as the mavs. the wolves aren't good, but they're mediocre -- which is an enormous leap forward.
there wasn't a team with a positive differential that had a losing record last year. not saying wolves will finish that strong, but a jump from 17 wins to, say, 35 looks possible. they're 4-4 since starting 0-3, and they've played miami, okc and chicago tough in losses.
you're looking like a dipshit who cares more about arguing than basketball.
Obviously you people must not be watching these games because when Luke is in at the point, EFFICIENT SHOOTER or not, that offense shuts the fuck down. Every player on that team is better than they were last year but they don't play much better when Luke is running the show, they play harder but not better. Then Rubio would come in and rack up three or four assists in a four minute stretch without fail, and all of those passes would be so beautiful it was hard to understand how Rubio'd barely even practiced with the team yet. Kevin Love gets energized, starts doing his Grab Two Rebounds at Once thing, the role players get amped and hit a few shots. Rubio Tebows games when he's on the court, everybody fights for him and puts extra effort into the game when he's out there.
Like someone said above, ANTHONY RANDOLPH looks like a competent NBA player finally, and 90% of the time it's when he's sharing the floor with the Spaniard.
The PG Warz are entertaining but this is some bullshit if people are seriously trying to argue Stephon Marbury is better than this kid just because of what some paper says. I could look at NBA 2K12 and tell you the Heat are a much better team than the Denver Nuggets too but that doesn't explain what happened in their matchup last night. The Wolves are losing because they're a miserable franchise breaking in two rookies without a training camp, one of whom doesn't have a natural position. Their starting center has no offense, their starting three is going to be out of the league in three or four years and their starting two is basically anonymous. Anyone expecting them to win is buying into the Rubio hype way more than actual fans of Rubio are.
Printer-friendly copy 
Email this topic to a friend
Okay Sports
