ESPN: It's official Rubio staying in Spain until 2011

[nickagneta]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4435861

Ricky Rubio won't be coming to the NBA until 2011 at the earliest, sources told ESPN.com Monday.

Rubio and the Minnesota Timberwolves were informed late Monday night in Spain that Rubio's former club, DKV Joventut, had agreed to trade his rights to FC Barcelona.


Rubio
Rubio will be able to get out of his Barcelona contract in the summer of 2011, when the fifth pick of last June's draft will be free to join Minnesota.

The news came as a blow to Wolves general manager David Kahn, who spent the past several days in Spain negotiating with officials from DKV Joventut trying to present a worthy counter offer to the one already on the table from Barcelona for the rights to the 18-year-old point guard.

Joventut had shown itself willing to accept a discount on Rubio's astronomical $8.11 million buyout, with FC Barcelona offer reportedly offering $5.28 million.

The Timberwolves' offer, which could only include $500,000 in cash under NBA rules, would presumably have revenue streams from Rubio's endorsement deals and his four-year, $15.2 million NBA rookie-scale contract ($3.27 million salary in 09-10, $3.51 million in '10-11, with team options for $3.76 million in '11-12 and $4.76 in '12-13).

In the long term, the financial implications of getting Rubio to the NBA for the upcoming season were enormous, and would have possibly allowed him (depending on the terms of the next collective bargaining agreement) to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2014, when he would be 23.

For Kahn, this was his third trip to Spain to negotiate for Rubio's rights in the two months since the Wolves selected him with the fifth pick of the NBA draft.

"I'm very proud that the Timberwolves came to Spain to get me," Rubio said, according to El Mundo Deportivo, which reported that Kahn, Fegan and Joventut president Jordi Villacampa had dinner together Saturday night.

"It doesn't surprise me because they have been there all the time, and I always said that my priority was to go to the NBA. I know there was a meeting last night, and now there's chances for both sides," Rubio said, according to El Mundo Deportivo.

Rubio's old contract with Joventut included a 5.7 million Euro ($8.133 million) buyout clause for both this summer and next summer. The buyout dropped to zero in the summer of 2011, and Kahn has said the club is willing to wait until then for Rubio to come to the NBA.

But this latest voyage overseas signals a heightened urgency from Kahn, who has not commented publicly since last Wednesday.

[hwangjini_1]

poor timberwolves. poor kahn. but most of all - poor minnesota fans.

they had a chance to really improve their team in this draft. it is hard to believe that they screwed this one up.

[BudweiserCeltic]

poor timberwolves. poor kahn. but most of all - poor minnesota fans.

they had a chance to really improve their team in this draft. it is hard to believe that they screwed this one up.

Can't say it enough... that he's not coming until 2011 is most probably a good thing for the Wolves.

[perks-a-beast]

Wow. The Wolves gave up Randy Foye and Mike Miller for nothing...That's just depressing.
I predict 15-67 for them this year.

[fairweatherfan]

poor timberwolves. poor kahn. but most of all - poor minnesota fans.

they had a chance to really improve their team in this draft. it is hard to believe that they screwed this one up.

Can't say it enough... that he's not coming until 2011 is most probably a good thing for the Wolves.

I agree, instead of starting the rookie scale contract with an 19 year old Rubio they get to start it with a 21 year old Rubio.  They're basically getting a better player for the same price, and it's not like they were gonna win any titles in the next 2 years.  Plus, instead of making tough playing time decisions at PG, they get to see how Flynn shakes out before deciding whether to trade Rubio's rights (or Flynn) or not. 

The Wolves knew the rookie scale salary at #5 made it much more likely Rubio would stay in Europe, so they covered their bases by picking a second PG.  I'd say it's worked out pretty well for them so far.

[jambr380]

poor timberwolves. poor kahn. but most of all - poor minnesota fans.

they had a chance to really improve their team in this draft. it is hard to believe that they screwed this one up.

Can't say it enough... that he's not coming until 2011 is most probably a good thing for the Wolves.

I agree, instead of starting the rookie scale contract with an 19 year old Rubio they get to start it with a 21 year old Rubio.  They're basically getting a better player for the same price, and it's not like they were gonna win any titles in the next 2 years.  Plus, instead of making tough playing time decisions at PG, they get to see how Flynn shakes out before deciding whether to trade Rubio's rights (or Flynn) or not. 

The Wolves knew the rookie scale salary at #5 made it much more likely Rubio would stay in Europe, so they covered their bases by picking a second PG.  I'd say it's worked out pretty well for them so far.

It's not like they are going to win anyway- so yeah, they might be a little more horrible in the next couple of years, but at least they may get a little higher in the lottery and when rubio comes in 2011, they will be a stacked young team- kind of in the mold of Portland.

[MVP]

I agree with the notion that this might be a good thing for the Wolves. Maybe getting Rubio this year would have helped their attendance some, but basketball wise they weren't going anywhere the next 2 years. And as much as Kahn said that Flynn and Rubio could play together that was farfetched. Now, they can concentrate on developing Flynn as their pg of the future and Rubio can continue his development overseas for the next 2 years.

In 2 years, the best case scenario for them is that both pgs develop into very good pgs. So they can keep one and trade the other one for another valuable player. If Rubio continues to play well overseas and in international competition, he could land the Wolves a really good player in 2 years. Or if the Wolves keep him, then they will get a more ready player to contribute and will have an extra 2 years of him on a rookie salary.

[Brickowski]

Actually I think the Wolves will be improved this year.  It all depends on Big Al staying healthy.

It's no great loss for the Wolves. As others have noted, they weren't winning any titles this year.  In 2011 Rubio will be a college junior age-wise, with two more years of Euroleague experience under his belt.  He'll be more vaulable then than he is now.

[guava_wrench]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=Rubio-090902

If Rubio stays away until 2012, the Wolves take a big hit financially by losing the years of cheep slave labor under a rookie contract. I would be surprised to see Rubio come in 2011 if he develops over the next two seasons and it becomes obvious that he is worth more than the rookie scale. Playing in Europe for an extra year in order to be unrestricted financially in negotiating a contract with Minny will be big.

[BudweiserCeltic]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=Rubio-090902

If Rubio stays away until 2012, the Wolves take a big hit financially by losing the years of cheep slave labor under a rookie contract. I would be surprised to see Rubio come in 2011 if he develops over the next two seasons and it becomes obvious that he is worth more than the rookie scale. Playing in Europe for an extra year in order to be unrestricted financially in negotiating a contract with Minny will be big.

That's interesting, we'll see what happens. They can still trade away his rights if when the time comes the team isn't getting a vibe that he would come to the NBA in 2011. It's still a couple of years till then, but the Wolves have options particularly with a bit of young talent.

[Fafnir]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=Rubio-090902

If Rubio stays away until 2012, the Wolves take a big hit financially by losing the years of cheep slave labor under a rookie contract. I would be surprised to see Rubio come in 2011 if he develops over the next two seasons and it becomes obvious that he is worth more than the rookie scale. Playing in Europe for an extra year in order to be unrestricted financially in negotiating a contract with Minny will be big.

That's interesting, we'll see what happens. They can still trade away his rights if when the time comes the team isn't getting a vibe that he would come to the NBA in 2011. It's still a couple of years till then, but the Wolves have options particularly with a bit of young talent.

What sort of trade value would they get for his rights if he's not coming until the rookie scale would no longer apply?

[BudweiserCeltic]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=Rubio-090902

If Rubio stays away until 2012, the Wolves take a big hit financially by losing the years of cheep slave labor under a rookie contract. I would be surprised to see Rubio come in 2011 if he develops over the next two seasons and it becomes obvious that he is worth more than the rookie scale. Playing in Europe for an extra year in order to be unrestricted financially in negotiating a contract with Minny will be big.

That's interesting, we'll see what happens. They can still trade away his rights if when the time comes the team isn't getting a vibe that he would come to the NBA in 2011. It's still a couple of years till then, but the Wolves have options particularly with a bit of young talent.

What sort of trade value would they get for his rights if he's not coming until the rookie scale would no longer apply?

A team interested in him not wanting to use their exceptions to go after him for example, he would be restricted, so you can match offers, sign and trades, etc.

[Fafnir]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=Rubio-090902

If Rubio stays away until 2012, the Wolves take a big hit financially by losing the years of cheep slave labor under a rookie contract. I would be surprised to see Rubio come in 2011 if he develops over the next two seasons and it becomes obvious that he is worth more than the rookie scale. Playing in Europe for an extra year in order to be unrestricted financially in negotiating a contract with Minny will be big.

That's interesting, we'll see what happens. They can still trade away his rights if when the time comes the team isn't getting a vibe that he would come to the NBA in 2011. It's still a couple of years till then, but the Wolves have options particularly with a bit of young talent.

What sort of trade value would they get for his rights if he's not coming until the rookie scale would no longer apply?

A team interested in him not wanting to use their exceptions to go after him for example, he would be restricted, so you can match offers, sign and trades, etc.

From the article:

Rubio then could exercise his buyout (which remains the same in 2012 as it is in 2011: 1 million euros), come to America at age 21 and not be bound by the rookie scale. (Yes, there is a specific rule covering these situations. We've checked the details with the highest authorities and discovered a few caveats: Rubio's contract would have to be for a minimum of three years and a maximum of five, and the money that would be made available to him could be only from a team with salary-cap space, the mid-level exception, or a disabled player exception.)

So the Wolves would have to use cap space, or the MLE to sign him. So would any team they traded his rights too.

[BudweiserCeltic]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=Rubio-090902

If Rubio stays away until 2012, the Wolves take a big hit financially by losing the years of cheep slave labor under a rookie contract. I would be surprised to see Rubio come in 2011 if he develops over the next two seasons and it becomes obvious that he is worth more than the rookie scale. Playing in Europe for an extra year in order to be unrestricted financially in negotiating a contract with Minny will be big.

That's interesting, we'll see what happens. They can still trade away his rights if when the time comes the team isn't getting a vibe that he would come to the NBA in 2011. It's still a couple of years till then, but the Wolves have options particularly with a bit of young talent.

What sort of trade value would they get for his rights if he's not coming until the rookie scale would no longer apply?

A team interested in him not wanting to use their exceptions to go after him for example, he would be restricted, so you can match offers, sign and trades, etc.

From the article:

Rubio then could exercise his buyout (which remains the same in 2012 as it is in 2011: 1 million euros), come to America at age 21 and not be bound by the rookie scale. (Yes, there is a specific rule covering these situations. We've checked the details with the highest authorities and discovered a few caveats: Rubio's contract would have to be for a minimum of three years and a maximum of five, and the money that would be made available to him could be only from a team with salary-cap space, the mid-level exception, or a disabled player exception.)

So the Wolves would have to use cap space, or the MLE to sign him. So would any team they traded his rights too.

Hmm, I would really need to investigate then. Doesn't make sense to me that a team with signing rights for Rubio would need the MLE or cap space to keep him. But yeah, that situation could very well suck.

Anyways, I think there's something missing from Sheridan's investigation, particularly the rule that says that Minnesota has the right to tender an offer within 1 year of Rubio's stated intention to play in the NBA, particularly 1 year after his professional contract is over.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Section 5. Effect of Contracts with Other Professional Teams.
If a player is drafted by a Team in either an Initial or Subsequent Draft and, during a period in which he may negotiate and sign a Player Contract with only the Team that drafted him, and either (x) is a party to a previously existing player contract with a professional basketball team not in the NBA that covers all or any part of the NBA Season immediately following said Initial or Subsequent Draft, or (y) signs such a player contract, then the following rules will apply:

(a) Subject to Section 5(b) below, the Team that drafts the player shall retain the exclusive NBA rights to negotiate with and sign him for the period ending one (1) year from the earlier of the following two dates: (i) the date the player notifies such Team that he is available to sign a Player Contract with such Team immediately, provided that such notice will not be effective until the player is under no contractual or other legal impediment to sign and play with such Team for the then-current Season (if applicable) and any future Season; or (ii) the date of the NBA Draft occurring in the twelve-month period from September 1 to August 30 in which the player notifies such Team of his availability and intention to play in the NBA during the Season immediately following said twelve-month period, provided that such notice will not be effective until the player is under no contractual or other legal impediment to sign and play with such Team for the then-current Season (if applicable) and any future Season.

(b) If, by July 1 of any year, the player notifies the Team that has drafted him that by September 1 of such year he will, immediately thereafter and for any future Season, be under no contractual or other legal impediment to sign and play with such Team, and provided that on such September 1 the player is in fact under no such contractual or other legal impediment, then, in order to retain the exclusive NBA rights to negotiate with and sign the player as provided in Section 5(a), such Team must make a Required Tender to the player by September 10 of such year.

(c) If the player gives the required notice by July 1 of any year, and the Team that drafted him fails to make a Required Tender by September 10 of such year, the player shall thereupon become a Rookie Free Agent.

(d) If, during the one-year period of exclusive NBA negotiating rights set forth in Section 5(a) above, the player signs a player contract with a professional basketball team not in the NBA and the player has not made a bona fide effort to negotiate a Player Contract with the Team possessing his exclusive NBA rights or such bona fide effort is made and such Team makes a Required Tender to such player in accordance with Section 5(b) above, then such Team shall retain the exclusive NBA rights to negotiate with and sign the player for additional one-year periods as measured in and in accordance with the provisions of Section 5(a) above.

(e) If, during the one-year period of exclusive NBA negotiating rights set forth in subsection (a) above, (i) the player signs a player contract with a professional basketball team not in the NBA, (ii) the player has made a bona fide effort to negotiate a Player Contract with the Team possessing his exclusive NBA rights, and (iii) such Team fails to make a Required Tender to such player in accordance with Section 5(b) above, then the player shall thereupon become a Rookie Free Agent.

(f) If, during the one-year period of exclusive NBA negotiating rights set forth in Section 5(a) above, the Team makes or has made a Required Tender to the player and the player does not sign a player contract with any professional basketball team, then (i) in the case of a player who was previously drafted in an Initial Draft, the next NBA Draft following such one-year period shall be deemed the Subsequent Draft as to such player, and the rules applicable to a player who is subject to a Subsequent Draft will apply, or (ii) in the case of a player who was previously drafted in a Subsequent Draft, such player shall become a Rookie Free Agent at the end of such one-year period.

(g) Notice under this Section 5 shall be provided in writing by personal delivery or pre-paid certified, registered, or overnight mail sent to the Team’s principal address or principal office (as then listed in the NBA’s records), to the attention of the Team’s general manager.

http://nbpa.com/cba_articles/article-X.php#section5

This is article X, section 5. As far as I undertand it, the 3 year rule can't override this eligibility.

I'm going to say, Sheridan is mistaken.