Brandon Jennings RE: Ricky Rubio

[NovU]

I don't really see how this kid Rubio is so special that he gets all these attentions from medias and fans. It seems it will be a long way before he can be a decent player at NBA level and I am not even sure he's able to get there. Yes, I'm aware that he's young, and embarrassed Kidd in the Olympics a few times, yada yada yada. I'm just not into this kid that much, especially not as top 1-3 pick.

[Lamrock]

He has Steve Nash's remarkable passing ability and court vision, with Chris Paul's lockdown D and ability to get steals. Hes 18 but he has already proven that he can compete with NBA players, as evidenced by his excellent performance in the olympics.

[Modifly]

Think of it this way, if he's not for real, he wouldn't have been on the Spanish Olympic team. It's a worldwide competition, it's serious, you dont get on the Olympic national team easily.

[MikeMan™]

I'm not even sure he's able get there

If Sergio Rodriguez can survive the NBA , I'm sure this guy can too .

[Fresh8]

Think of it this way, if he's not for real, he wouldn't have been on the Spanish Olympic team. It's a worldwide competition, it's serious, you dont get on the Olympic national team easily.

Not to mention he started a few games ahead of Jose Calderon and/or Juan Carlos Navarro who are both quality players (Although his coach was rotating his starters in the backcourt but you don't start unless you're as or nearly as good as who you are starting ahead of). And played alongside Rudy Fernandez. Heck, I can't remember but I'm pretty sure he got more game time than Sergio Rodriguez.

[Modifly]

If Sergio Rodriguez can survive the NBA , I'm sure this guy can too .

Great point.

Not to mention he started a few games ahead of Jose Calderon and/or Juan Carlos Navarro who are both quality players (Although his coach was rotating his starters in the backcourt but you don't start unless you're as or nearly as good as who you are starting ahead of). And played alongside Rudy Fernandez. Heck, I can't remember but I'm pretty sure he got more game time than Sergio Rodriguez.

Yeah, I believe he got more playing time than Rodriguez. Rubio playing on the Olympic team at 18 years of age pretty much says it all, and to also start a few games ahead of players like Calderon and Navarro is just another plus. If Jennings was as good, why wasn't he on the USA national team then? You can argue that it's because Kidd, Williams and Paul, who are amongst the elite point guard in the NBA was already there, but if Jennings was as good as he claims to be, he would have made it to the national team like Rubio did at 18 years of age.

[MikeMan™]

if Jennings was as good as he claims to be , he would have made it to the national team like Rubio did at 18 years of age

If Jennings were a Spaniard , he would be in their National Team .

[Modifly]

Maybe, but since Rubio is on the national team and Jennings isn't, we can stick to that argument for now.

[Andrew]

To me though, Rubio isn't really the issue here. It pretty much goes without saying that any player who's had success elsewhere, be it college or abroad, might take time to develop in the NBA and could well be a bust. Jennings could be right on the money with what he's saying but his brashness could hurt his stock and it's tacky for him to be trash talking a fellow prospect before they're even in the league.

[NovU]

Agreeing with Andrew 102.49% with margin of error +/- 1.20%.

It's not nice of him to be saying "I'm better than Rubio." But at least now many know who Jenny is.

To some degrees, I do agree with Jenny about hype in Rubio. I watched the Olympics and he didn't really impress me much since NBA is totally a different place. He's young though so maybe I'm wrong. We'll get to see him anyways. He'll certainly need time to develop.

[MikeMan™]

We will be going to see a lot of airballs from Rubio because of the range of the 3pt. line .

[Fresh8]

I watched the Olympics and he didn't really impress me much since NBA is totally a different place.

Wouldnt the NBA be better for him because no one would be able to touch him? Giving him heaps of space to work with the ball?

[NovU]

I'm not sure. You maybe right on that, and I guess that's why there is so much expectations from Rubio. Imho, that would apply to many guards with quickness and good ball handling skills. But not only that, you also need to be able to hit from range and you also need power and quick first step penetration to be a great point guard, on top of that defensive skill would be a bonus. Rubio is young so maybe he will be able to do some great stuff in his NBA career. Right now however, I am not too keen on him especially for a top 1-3 pick guy. Recent draft history consists lots of busts in high picks, so I think players now days are rather hard to predict who's and who's not going to be great, so Rubio going high in pick makes sense too since he's shown potential. It's just that I don't see that greatness in him to become a superstar.

I almost didn't recognize you without your teddy bear avatar, sit.

[Fresh8]

This kid has exceptional ball handling skills whether we talk about dribbling, passing, whatever. He is a good defender, he doesn't back down, do you see his intensity on defence? My only concern is if he can sustain that for an NBA season, so he will need to learn to pace himself but if a game is going down the wire, this kid could go on the floor and just be a pest. I know the Chinese don't have great guards but I still remember Spain-China and Rubio single handily won the game for Spain with his defence. He totally harrased the Chinese backcourt. He has shown he has the ability. He's a smart player at least.

You're right that he lacks the strength, the athleticism that others have more than him of, and an jumpshot but he will learn to shoot better over time and he will get stronger over time. I don't think he will be a bust. At worst, he will be a solid NBA starting PG. I think a lot of people expect him to grow and mature into an All-Star. We will just wait and see what happens.

But as Andrew pointed out, this thread is really about Jennings stating his opinion on Rubio. And I, for one, think that he may have a right to voice his own opinion however, I don't think it's a smart move.

[Andrew]

I think it's a classic case of having the right to say what you want, but what you say might not necessarily be right, nor the right thing to do.

[vinceair]

Maybe Rubio can surprise us. A lot's of people in the world didn't believe James can play like that.

[air gordon]

Jennings is coming off as a prick and Rubio does seem to be overrated. if you watch the interview on youtube, you could see Johnny Flynn laughing. FLynn probably agrees with him but he knows that's something you say off the record

they should just settle this and have them workout against each other. is Rubio working out for teams or just saying he only wants to go to team X?

IIRC- Jerry Krause secretly worked out Chris Mihm a day before the draft... he had some bruiser (jamaal magloire?) work out against him to see exactly how soft Mihm was.

[Fresh8]

Rubio worked out for Sacramento recently and was very happy with what they had to offer. I still have a strong feeling Memphis will draft Rubio and take it from there.

[benji]

Neither of them matter, Ty Lawson in the best point guard in the draft.

I base this on the "workouts" I held personally for them.

And yes, they were naked.

[air gordon]

Rubio worked out for Sacramento recently and was very happy with what they had to offer. I still have a strong feeling Memphis will draft Rubio and take it from there.

?????

An illness kept Ricky Rubio from ever working out for the Kings during his 48-hour visit to Sacramento earlier this week.
The flu bug he was hit with was real, as team doctors helped care for Rubio, who carried a very high fever. Even if healthy a workout was never guaranteed, but either way, Rubio to the Kings at No. 4 looks like a probability at this point. However, it also sounds like there will be several teams likely trading up or down in the draft, so nothing is set in stone. Jun. 19 - 10:07 am et

that is from rotoworld
http://www.rotoworld.com/content/HeadLines.aspx?sport=NBA&hl=116123
this rubio kid sounds like he's a prick too. earilier he said he doesn't want to get drafted by memphis. recently he said he doesn't want to get drafted by the wizards (should they trade up to pick him). he rescinded his statement about the grizz but has yet to schedule a workout/visit for them. and as rotoworld reports- the team he wants to go t0, Sacrament0, there wasn't even a guarantee of him working out for them. naked

[Andrew]

The trend of players openly declaring they don't want to get drafted by Team X or won't report to Team X or whatever is getting ridiculous. Agents like Fegan aren't helping matters either.

[shadowgrin]

Sit is full of shit?

[NovU]

Do you smell second coming of Steve Francis? Ditch Grizzlies FTW.

[Fresh8]

this rubio kid sounds like he's a prick too. earilier he said he doesn't want to get drafted by memphis. recently he said he doesn't want to get drafted by the wizards (should they trade up to pick him). he rescinded his statement about the grizz but has yet to schedule a workout/visit for them. and as rotoworld reports- the team he wants to go t0, Sacrament0, there wasn't even a guarantee of him working out for them.

Oh ok, I didn't realise he didn't work out. I thought I reads that he did. But I do know he met with the team and had dinner with the coach and said he was really happy with Sacramento. And oh, he said it because of his agent, they want to get him in a place where he will get a lot of exposure. Or maybe Pau told him it's shit to go to the Grizzlies? Even though Marc is stuck there now. I don't know if it's Rubio's own choice but his agent is Dan Fegan who was a big part of the don't get Yi in Milwaukee fiasco.

EDIT: Maybe he is a bit of a tosser, check my post in the Draft thread.