Rubio and Regal FC Barcelona took down Olympiacos today in the Euroleague Finals, by the score of 86-68. Juan Carlos Navarro was the Final Four MVP. This is a very good thing for Wolves fans, because if you remember back to last summer, Rubio said that part of the reason he wanted to stay in Europe was to win the Euroleague. Now that he’s got that accomplished, hopefully we’ll see him come over next year, barring an NBA lockout. If our roster looks anything like it does today, Rubio would be the only player on our team with any success at the professional level and probably still our youngest player as well. Congrats Ricky.
Euroleague.net has more on this and game highlights
Remembering Malik Sealy
At halftime of today’s Cavs-Celtics game, ABC ran a piece on KG and his remembrance of Malik Sealy
Please click “Read More” to see the rest of today’s Wolves news:
-Paul Allen is our lottery lucky charm
-Laimbeer interviewing with 76ers
-KG’s basketball mortality
-Assessment of Wolves future
-Why I hate the Knicks
Kahn will represent the Wolves at the lottery, Paul Allen will serve as lucky charm
Jonah Ballow caught up with 1130 KFAN midday host Paul Allen to find out how his Kentucky Derby winning pick led to a trip with David Kahn to the NBA Draft Lottery on May 18. Kahn will officially represent the franchise at the podium but Allen will serve as a lucky charm for a team in search of a top two pick in the draft.
Laimbeer will be interviewing for the 76ers head coaching job
Laimbeer is by far the most intriguing candidate. He would be the first head coach to make the jump from the WNBA to the NBA. Laimbeer was notorious during his playing days for being the dirtiest, most cold-hearted figure in the game. His WNBA tenure has shown he knows a thing or two about basketball, since that league demands a NCAA-like level of input from the coach. We also can’t disregard the amount of teaching that’s gone on with the Timberwolves this season.
KG fights to keep his basketball mortality at bay
Garnett, prior to Game 2, talked to TNT’s Reggie Miller about his tough comeback and renewed hope. “From the first with this injury, they told me this was going to take a year,” he said. “I got cut on June 5, so if you look at it, I’m just turning the corner to meeting that head on. I’m feeling very strong. I’m not wearing my sleeves, none of the mechanial devices I have on me playing. And this is the time to peak.”
The optimism in his voice was as clear as the spring in his step lately. “I think he’s moving better now than he has been all year,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told me. “He’s more confident in his game than he was back in October or along the way, during the season. That’s just a credit to him and his hard work in coming back from the surgery.”
Said Rivers: “I think he’s back now.”
Bobby Donahue at Bleacher Report assesses the Wolves future
To the naked eye the Minnesota Timberwolves are dysfunctional, detached and perhaps most obviously, irrelevant.
However, a more optimistic view shows that the Wolves have a very strong collection of assets – current players, prospects and draft picks – through which they can create a winner. The future, for the first time since Garnett left for Beantown, looks bright.
Before touching on the many avenues GM David Kahn can travel in his pursuit of making the Wolves competitive, it is appropriate to discuss why Minnesota, as the roster stands today, is need of such a complete overhaul.
Knicks fans and writers are stupid and I don’t like them and neither does anybody else I’d guess
This is from Marc Berman at the NY Post:
With point guard Jonny Flynn emerging as a force for the Timberwolves, the Spanish sensation is expected to be dealt by Walsh’s buddy, ’Wolves general manager David Kahn.
That’s right, he just called Jonny Flynn an EMERGING FORCE!!! And apparently Rubio is expected to be dealt even though Kahn has said 8,238,912 times that he’s not trading Rubio. And even if we did, it wouldn’t be to the scrub ass Knicks who don’t have a single player we’d want and don’t have any draft picks. Hahaha.
This is the top comment I saw on that article:
I think Donnie just wanted Dolan to pay for a trip to Europe. I still say he is going to find a way to make a deal to get Rubio. Maybe trade Chandler and a pick he buys this year for Rubio. He has always been hot on Rubio, so is the coach. We need a point guard. He may not be as good as Jennings but there are no free agent point guards and we have no lottery pick to get one. So let him go for it. Rubio will get the buyout and a contract
We’re going to trade Rubio to the Knicks for Wilson Chandler and a late 1st round pick in this year’s draft that they’re going to buy! We already have both Charlotte and Utah’s picks to go with our own, but how can we pass up another late 1st rounder for Rubio! I’m giddy with excitement about this trade. ABSOLUTE STEAL. Hey Knicks fans, have fun watching Rudy Gay and David Lee next season as you win 18 games and don’t have another draft pick until 2025. 