As I tried to tell you on draft night, there’s no need for this. Kahn isn’t trading Rubio. He’s not going to be a Knick, no matter how much agent Dan Fegan wants him to be. This should be the end of it.
Except …
Hot items like Rubio have a long shelf life in the basketball-starved New York news cycle. And yes, things change. Circumstances change. People have a right to change their minds. But as of now, Kahn believes in Rubio so much that he’s willing to wait a year or two for him to come out of exile in Spain. And the Knicks like their first-round pick, Jordan Hill, just fine.
“Kahn thinks Rubio is the best point ever,” a knowledgeable, high-level basketball source told me. And the Knicks? Coach Mike D’Antoni, the person said, “loves Hill. Both stay put.”
Except …
Hot items like Rubio have a long shelf life in the basketball-starved New York news cycle. And yes, things change. Circumstances change. People have a right to change their minds. But as of now, Kahn believes in Rubio so much that he’s willing to wait a year or two for him to come out of exile in Spain. And the Knicks like their first-round pick, Jordan Hill, just fine.
“Kahn thinks Rubio is the best point ever,” a knowledgeable, high-level basketball source told me. And the Knicks? Coach Mike D’Antoni, the person said, “loves Hill. Both stay put.”
Canis Hoopus posts a translation for a (Spanish) Ricky Rubio interview.
From Alan Hahn/Newsday:
What also appears unlikely, despite some baseless reports out of Spain, is that either will be involved in a potential trade for Timberwolves draft pick Ricky Rubio. The Knicks’ interest in the Spanish guard is not great enough to take back a contract, which is the only way a deal would work that would involve Lee or Robinson.
From Rodney McKissic/Buffalo News:
The selling point on Rubio came a few days ago when Kahn watched video tape of the Olympic gold medal game between the U. S. and Spain and Rubio, only 17, “looked like he belonged.”
“It’s weird,” Kahn said. “This kid was 17 years old playing against our very best professionals and you never looked up to say, ‘Who’s that young man or that young kid out there with those guys?’ I can’t describe it, I’ve never seen such a thing.”
From the Niagara Gazette:
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “ I’m going to bring high energy … all the time. I’m going to bring personality and be somebody that comes in all the time and works hard. I can defend. I can put the ball in the basket. I can make my teammates better” — Jonny Flynn, ex-Niagara Falls High School and Syracuse University basketball star and No. 6 pick of Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA draft.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “ I’m going to bring high energy … all the time. I’m going to bring personality and be somebody that comes in all the time and works hard. I can defend. I can put the ball in the basket. I can make my teammates better” — Jonny Flynn, ex-Niagara Falls High School and Syracuse University basketball star and No. 6 pick of Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA draft.
Flynn is a dynamite player who becomes even more impressive when you get up close for an interview. He’s confident, extremely well-spoken and has “the good face,” as scouts like to say (sometimes that’s irrelevant; sometimes it’s very telling).
North Dakota State guard Ben Woodside of Albert Lea, Minn., will play on the Wolves’ summer-league team after signing as a free agent. Woodside impressed team officials during a workout earlier this month but was passed over in Thursday’s NBA draft.
Woodside, a 5-11 prospect, said he wasn’t disappointed when he didn’t get drafted Thursday night. Becoming a free agent allowed his agents to find the best fit for the point guard who averaged 23.2 points and 6.2 assists as a senior.
“I’m just excited for the opportunity,” Woodside said. “I’ve landed in a great situation. I’m ready to start right away.”
From The Big Lead:
NASCAR driver Kurt Busch and Minnesota Timberwolves’ big man Darius Songaila are apparently total BFFs. The pasty, charismatic duo recently spent some quality alone time together in Montana as they flew to Missoula, then took a 90-minute truck ride followed by a three-hour donkey ride to get to their destination for a hunting trip.
From Brian Wierima/DL-Online: Kahn makes his point in NBA Draft
Sebastian Telfair: Bassy had the best month of his career in April, shot out of his mind (.511 overall, .458 from 3) and averaged 16.4 points and 5.4 assists. But the Timberwolves drafted over him, selecting Ricky Rubio. Then the Wolves drafted over him again, taking Jonny Flynn. Even if Rubio stays away for a year or two, those are two pretty clear messages.
From Chris Littman/SportingNews.com: Social Media Biting Back at Brandon Jennings?
Two separate videos were posted on YouTube by user TotalReviewNet, which have since been taken down, where you can hear someone who is allegedly Jennings on speakerphone talking to Budden about a variety of topics. Without being able to see the videos, you probably lose some of that context that it’s two close friends, really saying things in private, but once you put that stuff out there for the world on a web cam, it’s out there for anyone to interpret however they’d like. And really, none of the comments should come as a shock, because if you don’t know Jennings for his swagger at this point, what do you know him for? I’ve reached out to the YouTube account holder who had the videos up, and I’m going to try to find some more background info on what went down. Here are some of the sports-related highlights, which along with a lot of profanity — even if it was good-natured — likely caused the shutdown of Jennings’ Twitter page and the removal of the videos. Again, before going past the jump, there is strong language, even though it’s censored…
On Ricky Rubio and the Knicks …