Rubio gets 4 years, $56m

[chambers]

Not a huge surprise considering that $10 million will be the equivalent of $13 million pretty soon when the cap goes up.
Rubio is a solid defender and a very good passer and playmaker.
His jumpshot has supposedly improved light years over this offseason according to the Wolves commentary team but yeah considering his age and experience he's the perfect floor general for a young team that he can relate with while providing steadying leadership as the Wolves rookie roster grows.
From a marketing standpoint he's big in Minny and the European and Chinese audience he brings to the Wolves is probably worth 5 million alone.
This is something that I'd never thought about with Rondo until contemplating his free agency (although I think in his prime he's at least a $15 million x 5 year deal level player). Rondo as a brand to the Celtics would be worth something like 10 million a year right? From jersey sales, souvenirs and the 'cool' value to the Celtic brand he's worth a fortune- far more in combined salary+marketing value than the salary we'd ever pay him and that would probably be for the entire length of the deal regardless of whether he gets back to being 2012 Rondo over the next 4-5 years.
Probably a good topic in its own merit....

[byennie]

I feel like Rubio is one of the most misunderstood players in the league.  Worth $14M? I don't know. Maybe in the current climate where Klay Thompson is worth the max and the salary cap is likely going to take a leap.

But OMG, how is it that every Rubio conversation splits like 50/50 around whether he can actually defend? Here is a scouting report that says it all, and is pretty much every scouting report I've read on him in the past 3 years:

Rubio doesn't get enough credit for his defensive prowess. He's also among the league leaders in steal rate (3.5 percent, second to Tony Allen among players with at least 1,000 minutes), and that's not the result of bad risks. Rubio has quick hands, and his size and wingspan allow him to contest shots even when beaten on the perimeter. Add in one of the best rebound rates for any point guard and ESPN's real plus-minus puts Rubio as the league's second-best point guard on defense.

So, you're getting a PG who is something like top-5 at his position defensively, as a passer, and as a rebounder. But he can't shoot. Sounds like anyone from around here?

EDIT: He can't shoot at the rim. Remarkably, he's actually decent from FT and 3PT (~80% and 33%). Basically, if he could make a layup...

[Celtics4ever]

He has excellent instincts which makes him one of the best in the NBA at steals and one of the better defensive players in the NBA.

He is great at steals but he lacks elite foot speed to cover quick guys.  Rubio surrenders 1.19 points per possession that is  346th of NBA players.  So on D he is a one trick pony.   Without those steals on D he would be a lower tier guy with points per possession.  It is a poor and shallow observation just to look at his steals and suggest he is elite.   I think he has elite skills at stealing the ball but is mediocre in other defensive aspects.  I read somewhere that he was beaten off the dribble 20% of the time.  Now his passing is electric and he is very creative, he just can't make a shot once he beats his man.


His shooting is very suspect.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1919221-how-worried-should-timberwolves-be-about-ricky-rubios-awful-shooting

Look at these FIBA stats.  PPG 4.8              RPG 2.9        APG    3.5

32.3% FG percentage in FIBA.  This was not light years away, it was this summer.

http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/Ricky-RUBIO


Rubio is vastly over rated, by his supporters here and in this case overpaid.   He is not chopped liver and a NBA starter talent level  but he is not as good as people think.   Yes, he gets STEALS but look at his other defensive stats and they are ignored in their arguments.    I think they overpaid slightly, perhaps 2-3 Million a year, he might be a 9-11 million a year but 14 million is a little too much.    Would you really want him over Lance Stephenson or AB?    I would not ,even though they are different positions.   The Wolves had to do it though as he is a draw and they are young, but I could see this hurting them three years down the road.   

I think this makes us harder to resign Rondo too, I would start the bidding at 4 years   60 million if RR got 56!  I think guys who compare him to Maravich are nuts!   Pistol Pete in his prime would take Rubio to the cleaners!

[byennie]

He has excellent instincts which makes him one of the best in the NBA at steals and one of the better defensive players in the NBA.

He is great at steals but he lacks elite foot speed to cover quick guys.  Rubio surrenders 1.19 points per possession that is  346th of NBA players.  So on D he is a one trick pony.   Without those steals on D he would be a lower tier guy with points per possession.

TP for the stat. I would argue though, that points per possession has an awful lot to do with your team. He's been playing with Love and Pekovic as his big men, on a team that barely plays defense in general. When it comes to defensive +/- ESPN has him as 2nd among point guards. Meanwhile Curry, Irving, Harden barely break a sweat on the defensive end. Not saying Rubio is as valuable, but it certainly closes the gap a bit.

[bobbyv]

Awful deal. By comparison, Rondo got 5 years 55 mil on much better numbers around the end of his rookie deal.

[Celtics4ever]

I would argue though, that points per possession has an awful lot to do with your team. He's been playing with Love and Pekovic as his big men, on a team that barely plays defense in general. When it comes to defensive +/- ESPN has him as 2nd among point guards. Meanwhile Curry, Irving, Harden barely break a sweat on the defensive end. Not saying Rubio is as valuable, but it certainly closes the gap a bit.

You can't harp his steals and ignore the other stats.    Hree is a nice article harping more on his D.  Now I found other articles that slant the other way.   

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/35381/the-dirty-secret-about-ricky-rubio

http://fansided.com/2013/03/26/ricky-rubio-defensive-wizard/

It is all what you base your emphasis on.   Do I think he could D up a health Westbrook or Harden, no.  They would bully him physically.

He is a good player with many other talents.   But defense is more than steals.  Here are his advanced stats.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rubiori01.html

[hpantazo]

He has excellent instincts which makes him one of the best in the NBA at steals and one of the better defensive players in the NBA.

He is great at steals but he lacks elite foot speed to cover quick guys.  Rubio surrenders 1.19 points per possession that is  346th of NBA players.  So on D he is a one trick pony.   Without those steals on D he would be a lower tier guy with points per possession.

TP for the stat. I would argue though, that points per possession has an awful lot to do with your team. He's been playing with Love and Pekovic as his big men, on a team that barely plays defense in general. When it comes to defensive +/- ESPN has him as 2nd among point guards. Meanwhile Curry, Irving, Harden barely break a sweat on the defensive end. Not saying Rubio is as valuable, but it certainly closes the gap a bit.

For what it's worth,  I also think Rondo is a poor defender, highly overrated for gambling on steals to pad his stats which hurts the team defense.

[byennie]

Awful deal. By comparison, Rondo got 5 years 55 mil on much better numbers around the end of his rookie deal.

1) Rondo's deal was considered a good one
2) The salary cap was $58M for the first 4 years of Rondo's, while it's headed to $70M now

Maybe not as good of a deal, but not awful by comparison.

[Who]

Rubio is a terrific team defender. One of the best in the league at the PG position I reckon.

However, his man-to-man defense isn't on the same level. Rubio is too slow. Weak at point of attack. Struggles to deny dribble penetration. One of the weaker starting PGs defensively in this area. Rubio compensates as well as he can with his size and length but he'll never be a stopper one on one. Just doesn't have the lateral quickness for it.

I do think Rubio is an above average defender -- his team defense is very disruptive -- but his weakness at dribble penetration stops him from joining the elite defenders at the PG position in the league. I also think Rubio would look even better defensively if Minnesota had a shot-blocker behind him instead of the likes of Pekovic and K-Love.

[MBunge]

Rubio doesn't get enough credit for his defensive prowess. He's also among the league leaders in steal rate (3.5 percent, second to Tony Allen among players with at least 1,000 minutes), and that's not the result of bad risks. Rubio has quick hands, and his size and wingspan allow him to contest shots even when beaten on the perimeter. Add in one of the best rebound rates for any point guard and ESPN's real plus-minus puts Rubio as the league's second-best point guard on defense.

That's a great example of the strength and weakness of stats.  Rubio is probably a better defender than some in this thread are making out but only someone who literally NEVER watches NBA basketball could think Rubio is the 2nd best defender at his position in the league.

Mike

[sofutomygaha]

Not a huge surprise considering that $10 million will be the equivalent of $13 million pretty soon when the cap goes up.

This. Almost every long-term deal that's been signed in the last year has been criticized as an overpay, and that is missing the big picture. Salaries are about to go up. If you don't need the money to make a move today, it's a good investment to lock in deals that are 2015 overpays but 2016 bargains.

What we should really be talking about is the unfamiliar new world we're about to step into where Rubio is worth $14M a year- and what the Celtics are doing to get ready for it. They gave Bradley one of these deals. I think it's looking more and more likely every day that Rondo is going to get a max or near-max contract that will look similarly bad in today's dollars but have reasonable value in the new CBA.

[Csfan1984]

Not a huge surprise considering that $10 million will be the equivalent of $13 million pretty soon when the cap goes up.

This. Almost every long-term deal that's been signed in the last year has been criticized as an overpay, and that is missing the big picture. Salaries are about to go up. If you don't need the money to make a move today, it's a good investment to lock in deals that are 2015 overpays but 2016 bargains.

What we should really be talking about is the unfamiliar new world we're about to step into where Rubio is worth $14M a year- and what the Celtics are doing to get ready for it. They gave Bradley one of these deals. I think it's looking more and more likely every day that Rondo is going to get a max or near-max contract that will look similarly bad in today's dollars but have reasonable value in the new CBA.

Not everyone is missing it. Some just believe in making better investments. Sure salary is going up, yet you shouldn't spend based on what you will have 2 or 4 years from now. You want to have flexibility and if cap does go sky high you can land some high profile super stars because you didn't over pay on 4th options. Dumping over 10 million dollars into outside the top 40 NBA players is foolish IMO.

[kraidstar]

rubio has shot .369 for his career... that's a d-league-level FG%, can't believe some people are defending this contract or comparing it to bradley's $8M deal. rubio is an even worse shooter than brandon jennings, who is a better comparison for rubio - their career stats are actually very similar, and they're both horrible NBA players who will never win anything.

[loco_91]

horrible deal. would be almost unbelievable if it weren't minnesota doing it. rubio shot .381 last year, his pest percentage in an NBA season. that's $14M per year for a rich man's phil pressey:
rubio's career numbers, age 24, 3+ NBA seasons, 32 minutes a game: 10pts / 8 ast / 4 reb
pressey per 32 minutes, age 23, one NBA season: 6pts/6.5 ast/3 reb
and keep in mind pressey was playing spotty minutes on a really bad team.
horrible deal.

Rich man's Pressey indeed. Embarassing move by Flip.

[Eddie20]

He has excellent instincts which makes him one of the best in the NBA at steals and one of the better defensive players in the NBA.

He is great at steals but he lacks elite foot speed to cover quick guys.  Rubio surrenders 1.19 points per possession that is  346th of NBA players.  So on D he is a one trick pony.   Without those steals on D he would be a lower tier guy with points per possession.  It is a poor and shallow observation just to look at his steals and suggest he is elite.   I think he has elite skills at stealing the ball but is mediocre in other defensive aspects.  I read somewhere that he was beaten off the dribble 20% of the time.  Now his passing is electric and he is very creative, he just can't make a shot once he beats his man.


His shooting is very suspect.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1919221-how-worried-should-timberwolves-be-about-ricky-rubios-awful-shooting

Look at these FIBA stats.  PPG 4.8              RPG 2.9        APG    3.5

32.3% FG percentage in FIBA.  This was not light years away, it was this summer.

http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldcup/2014/Ricky-RUBIO


Rubio is vastly over rated, by his supporters here and in this case overpaid.   He is not chopped liver and a NBA starter talent level  but he is not as good as people think.   Yes, he gets STEALS but look at his other defensive stats and they are ignored in their arguments.    I think they overpaid slightly, perhaps 2-3 Million a year, he might be a 9-11 million a year but 14 million is a little too much.    Would you really want him over Lance Stephenson or AB?    I would not ,even though they are different positions.   The Wolves had to do it though as he is a draw and they are young, but I could see this hurting them three years down the road.   

I think this makes us harder to resign Rondo too, I would start the bidding at 4 years   60 million if RR got 56!  I think guys who compare him to Maravich are nuts!   Pistol Pete in his prime would take Rubio to the cleaners!

The Rubio negativity from you continues. You should take advantage of the free League Pass the next couple of weeks, so you can actually see him play.

You mentioned his defense and the amount he surrenders per possession, but fail to mention that he had Love and Pekovic behind him, two of thee worst rim protectors in the NBA. Two players that combined to average 0.9 BPG in 67.1 MPG. You also forgot to mention that last year was his first year returning from a torn ACL.

You also forgot to mention that the FIBA stats you posted, were not only FALSE, but also didn't mention he played LESS than 20 MPG.

His real FIBA averages were 5.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 5.1 APG, and 3.7 SPG in 19.8 MPG.

http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/p/q/Ricky%20RUBIO/pid/53827/_//players.html


The Pistol Pete comparisons are only made because he's white and flashy, but they are totally different players. Rubio is a true pass first PG, while Maravich was a scorer and jacked up shots all game.

I've noticed you love to omit certain parts of the posts you quote. Such as when I added the following on Rubio's defense:

Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio was not among the 10 players named to the NBA all-defensive team Monday, but he did receive five votes to the first team. Rubio received 19 points in all. It took a minimum of 76 points to make the second team. Two points were awarded for first-team votes and one point for votes for the second team.