The Timberwolves drafted Rubio as the fifth overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft. Many NBA experts thought that Rubio would play in the leauge this coming season. Instead, his Spanish club DKV Joventut has traded him to another Spanish club — FC Barcelona.

The 18-year-old playmaker extraordinaire has been on the basketball scene for a while and is regarded as one of the most exciting players in the world. With the Timberwolves, he likely would have started at point guard — even as a rookie.

Minnesota will likely turn to Jonny Flynn as their starting point guard. Flynn, who was drafted sixth in the 2009 NBA Draft, played well in summer league and is expected to make a relatively smooth transition to the NBA. That said, the loss of Rubio is a major blow to the Timberwolves and their rebuilding hopes.

Ricky Rubio stays in Spain (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Minnesota Misses Out on Ricky Rubio

First Round

1) Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin, F, Oklahoma

2) Memphis Grizzlies: Hasheem Thabeet, C, Connecticut

3) Oklahoma City Thunder: James Harden, G, Arizona State

4) Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans, G, Memphis

5) Minnesota Timberwolves: Ricky Rubio, G, Spain

6) Minnesota Timberwolves: Jonny Flynn, G, Syracuse

7) Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry, G, Davidson

8) New York Knicks: Jordan Hill, F, Arizona

9) Toronto Raptors: Demar DeRozan, G, USC

10) Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings, G, Italy

11) New Jersey Nets: Terrence Williams, G, Louisville

12) Charlotte Bobcats: Gerald Henderson, G, Duke

13) Indiana Pacers: Tyler Hansborough, F, North Carolina

14) Phoenix Suns: Earl Clark, F, Louisville

15) Detroit Pistons: Austin Daye, F, Gonzaga

16) Chicago Bulls: James Johnson, F, Wake Forest

17) Philadelphia 76ers: Jrue Holiday, G, UCLA

18) Denver Nuggets: Ty Lawson, G, North Carolina

19) Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague, G, Wake Forest

20) Utah Jazz: Eric Maynor, G, Virginia Commonwealth

21) New Orleans Hornets: Darren Collison, G, UCLA

22) Portland Trailblazers: Victor Claver, F, Spain

23) Sacramento Kings: Omri Casspi, F, Israel

24) Oklahoma City Thunder: B.J. Mullens, C, Ohio State

25) Dallas Mavericks: Rodrique Beaubois, G, Guadeloupe

26) Chicago Bulls: Taj Gibson, F, USC

27) Memphis Grizzlies: DeMarre Carroll, F, Missouri

28) Minnesota Timberwolves: Wayne Ellington, G, North Carolina

29) New York Knicks: Toney Douglas, G, FSU

30) Cleveland Cavaliers: Christian Eyenga, G-F, Congo

Second Round

31) Portland Trail Blazers: Jeff Pendergraph, F, Arizona State

32) Washington Wizards: Jermaine Taylor, G, UCF traded to Rockets

33) Portland Trailblazers: Dante Cunningham, F, Villanova

34) Denver Nuggets: Sergio Llull, F, Spain

35) Detroit Pistons: DeJuan Summers, F, Georgetown

36) Memphis Grizzlies: Sam Young, F, Pittsburgh

37) San Antonio Spurs: DeJuan Blair, F, Pittsburgh

38) Sacramento Kings: Jon Brockman, F, Washington

39) Detroit Pistons: Jonas Jerebko, F, Sweden

40) Charlotte Bobcats: Derrick Brown, F, Xavier

41) Milwaukee Bucks: Jodie Meeks, G, Kentucky

42) Miami Heat: Patrick Beverley, G, Ukraine

43) New Orleans Hornets: Marcus Thornton, G, LSU

44) Houston Rockets: Chase Budinger, F, Arizona

45) Minnesota Timberwolves: Nick Calathes, G, Florida

46) Cleveland Cavaliers: Danny Green, F, North Carolina

47) Minnesota Timberwolves: Henk Norel, F, Netherlands

48) Phoenix Suns: Taylor Griffin, F, Oklahoma

49) Atlanta Hawks: Sergey Gladyr, G, Serbia

50) Utah Jazz: Goran Suton, C, Michigan State

51) San Antonio Spurs: Jack McClinton, G, Miami

52) Indiana Pacers: A.J. Price, G, Connecticut

53) San Antonio Spurs: Nando De Colo, G, France

54) Oklahoma City Thunder: Robert Vaden, G, UAB

55) Portland Trailblazers: Patrick Mills, G, St. Mary’s

56) Dallas Mavericks: Ahmad Nivins, F, St. Joe’s

57) Phoenix Suns: Emir Preldzic, F, Bosnia

58) Boston Celtics: Lester Hudson, G, Tennessee-Martin

59) Los Angeles Lakers: Chinemelu Elonu, F-C, Texas A&M

60) Miami Heat: Robert Dozier, F, Memphis

James Harden Ended up with the Thunder (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

2009 NBA Draft Results – 1st and 2nd Rounds

The fact that Michael Jackson passed away yesterday was beyond surreal. Add in Farrah Faucet and you’ve got a double-whammy.  Then Shaq gets traded to Cleveland to team up with Lebron for what seems to be a destined championship run in 2010.

The 2009 NBA Draft class was not as strong as in previous years, but definitely offered some surprises.

What else happened on draft night?

Here’s a brief recap for your viewing pleasure:

• Richard Jefferson was traded to San Antonio.

• Blake Griffin was the number one pick in the ’09 draft.

• Tyler Hansbrough went to the Indiana Pacers.

• Golden State stole Stephen Curry from the New York Knicks.

• Brandon Jennings’ short stint in Europe paid off — he was able to gain more experience playing professionally overseas than he would have gotten playing in college. As a result, he was drafted 10th overall.

• Ricky Rubio sank in the draft and ended up going to Minnesota (along with Johnny Flynn for double the point guard fun).

Post from: EveryJoe

A Brief Recap Of The 2009 NBA Draft

“Yeah, I think I’m a better player than he is,” said Jennings. “I just shoot the ball better than he can. The only thing I’ve seen him do sometimes is when he has a home-run pass or something like that. I think the dude is just all hype. I can’t even front. I’m just going to be real with you guys.”

Although Rubio is ranked by almost everyone as the top point guard in the 2009 NBA Draft, Jennings doesn’t believe that would hold up under scrutiny.

Said Jennings: “Well, put it like this: If he was in a workout with me, Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, Tywon Lawson, Stephen Curry, (Ricky Rubio) wouldn’t probably be at the top.”

The SI.com report also has a few more quotes, including one from Jennings say he can’t wait to play against Rubio in summer league. According to most mock draft, Jennings will likely go between the 4th pick in the draft and the 14th pick. It appears as if the Jennings and Rubio rivalry has already begun.

Do you think Ricky Rubio is overrated? (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Brandon Jennings: Ricky Rubio Overrated

According to various reports, Rubio will need to pay more than $6.5 million to buyout his current contract with DKV Joventut. The good news for NBA teams is that Rubio will likely pay that amount if the worse comes to worse for him.

Outside of Blake Griffin, many scouts believe that Rubio is the best player in the draft. The native of Spain is a 6-foot-4 point guard who is only 18 years old.

As a pure playmaker, Rubio simply has a natural ability to create. His style of play is also sure to make him a crowd favorite. Having already played at high levels for a while, few scouts worry about his toughness.

In the 2009 NBA Draft, Rubio may go number three to the Oklahoma City Thunder. If he’s on the board at number four, the Sacramento Kings would no doubt select Rubio.

Ricky Rubio - 2009 NBA Draft (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Ricky Rubio Looks to End Spain Contract

Short of creating a mock draft, I listed which players I personally think rank in the top ten as far as prospects go. I think they are the cream of the draft crop. Whether or not NBA scouts agree with me is another question.

Lyndsey’s Top Ten 2009 NBA Draft Prospects

Blake Griffin will most likely be the number one pick in this year's NBA draft.

1. Blake Griffin (F/C) — If he doesn’t go number one I’ll be dumbfounded. He’s got the size, skill, quickness and innate athletic talent to make an immediate impact.

2. Hasheem Thabeet (C) — Can you say Dikembe Mutombo? The only different is that I think Thabeet is much more than a rebounding/shot-blocking machine.

3. Ricky Rubio (PG) — This kid, and I stress kid, is talented. I’m excited to see what he can do in the NBA.

4. Ty Lawson (PG) — He was the difference maker in UNC’s Championship season. I don’t think they would have won the NCAA Tournament without him. He’s smart, quick and has the upper body strength to compete in the NBA.

5. Stephen Curry (G) — Curry is probably a mid-to-late first round pick.
But I believe he has the talent to develop into a an amazing player. He’s got to put on a few pounds first though.

6. James Harden (SG) — Great shooter, def. an asset to any team.

7. Tyler Hansbrough (F/C) — I know a lot of people think Tyler is going to be like Christian Laettner … great college career,  not so great in the NBA.  I think Tyler has the drive to work hard and improve at the NBA level. Besides, Laettner may not have been an all-star caliber player but he lasted 13 seasons, which isn’t too shabby.

8. Jeff Teague (G) — Great offensive presence. He’s smart and he’s a scorer. He needs to work on his defense a bit.

9. Jordan Hill  (F/C)— Considered one of the most improved college players since last year. He averaged a double/double for most of the season.

10. Brandon Jennings (PG) — Went to Italy last season because he couldn’t jump right to the NBA due to the age regulation. While he hasn’t made a huge splash overseas, he has the potential to be a big time player here at home with his athleticism and size.

Photo provided by Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Lyndsey’s Top Ten 2009 NBA Draft Prospects

Here is a look at the top ten prospects for the 2009 NBA Draft:

Blake Griffin, 2009 NBA Draft (Image: Newscom)

1. Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

2. Jordan Hill, Arizona

3. Ricky Rubio, Spain

4. James Harden, Arizona State

5. Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut

6. Greg Monroe, Georgetown

7. Brandon Jennings, Lottomatica Roma

8. Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest

9. Willie Warren, Oklahoma

10. Stephen Curry, Davidson

While the outlook of the 2009 NBA Draft is sure to change as draft day approaches, the one player who seems to be locked in his position is Blake Griffin. The bigman out of Oklahoma has shown the size, strength and athleticism to be a very good bigman on the NBA level.

Another intriguing story to follow is whether or not Ricky Rubio declares for the draft. He’s wowed scouts with his advanced play at a young age but there’s growing speculation that he will remain in Europe for at least another season.

Post from: EveryJoe

2009 NBA Draft – Early Look