Rookie Tales ... with Ricky Rubio
Veteran Point Guard Reflects on His Early Days in the Twin Cities
by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
12/9/21 | Cavs.com
There weren’t many international players who came into the Association with the fanfare that surrounded Ricky Rubio. He had the name. He had the look. He had the international highlight reel.
NBA fans knew the name “Ricky Rubio” long before he ever hit the Stateside hardwood.
Officially drafted by Minnesota with the 5th overall pick in 2009, Rubio – who was a household hoops name in Europe by the time he was a teenager – played internationally for the Regal FC Barcelona over the next two seasons before entering the Association in 2011-12.
By then, the point guard Minnesota selected one pick before Rubio in 2009 – Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn – had moved on and the Spanish superstar would now come into the league the same season as the player the T-Wolves nabbed No. 2 overall, Derrick Williams from Arizona.
Both Flynn and (one-time Cavalier) Williams are long departed from the league, while Rubio is having one the best seasons of his career, flourishing off the bench next to the player who was already putting up huge numbers when he arrived in Minnesota – Kevin Love.
For the Cavaliers this season, the 11th year man is scoring at a career-best clip (13.2ppg) despite starting just five games. Currently, he’s the only player in the NBA averaging at least 11.0ppg, 6.0apg and 4.0rpg off the bench this season.
And he’s had some big nights as a Cavalier, none bigger than a November 7 win over the Knicks in New York – exploding for a career-best 37 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including a jaw-dropping 8-of-9 from long-distance to go with 10 assists, becoming the first player in league history to post those numbers in a reserve role.
As importantly, Rubio is one of the biggest reasons the young Cavaliers are one of the NBA’s genuine surprises this season – filling a veteran leadership void in the backcourt via an offseason deal and leading Cleveland to a 14-12 mark heading into the weekend.
The Wine & Gold wanted ‘Spanish national team’ Ricky – and that’s exactly what they’ve gotten.
As the Cavs travel to the Twin Cities, where Rubio spent the first six seasons of his career, we sat down with the crafty point man to talk about his freshman campaign running with the Wolves in today’s installment of Rookie Tales …
Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love spent three seasons together with the Timberwolves.
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
After playing at such a high level at young age in Spain, did you come into the league more mature than most rookies?
Ricky Rubio: Yeah, I think so. Especially because I got drafted and still played two more years professionally over there. That really helped me grow in this role, but it’s still totally different. It’s like when you play Under-14, Under-16 – then you go pro.
There was a lot going on, but it really helped me know what I could expect.
Aside from the language barrier, what’s the biggest challenge for an international rookie in the NBA?
Rubio: Culture-wise, it’s a little different at first. But mostly, it’s distance from family and friends.
As a rookie, if (American players) need the support of friends and family – it’s a two-hour flight or a couple hour drive or whatever it is. You have family or friends that come over. But it’s harder.
And in Europe, especially in Spain, we have such a culture of having the family around. And it’s like, when things are going well – Ok, you can get past that. But when you have a couple bad games, who can you lean on?
You feel a little bit all by yourself over here, and that was one of the challenges I faced.
After being drafted in 2009, you stayed and won two championships in Europe. Now you’re in the States, in a cold-weather two with a team that’s lost a lot of games. What was that adjustment like?
Rubio: My expectations were high – and actually before me and K. Love went down, we were in the Playoff picture after two years of 15 or 16 wins. Our record was something like 21-20 before I got hurt.
We were going up against the Lakers and it felt like a Playoff atmosphere. Our arena was packed, everybody was excited. They even had t-shirts on the seats. It was special.
So, I remember my rookie season really well – not as a losing season, but more like really exciting times where everyone was engaged.
"At the end of the day, I’ve had a lot of pressure since I was young – and it’s something that I manage well. And it’s something that I honestly don’t pay much attention to."
Your rookie season was also the NBA Lockout season – 66 games, with some back-to-back-to-backs. What was that like, physically?
Rubio: It was tough.
I remember playing in Milwaukee, then going back home, then going back to Chicago to play on the third night. And I was talking to my friend and I said: ‘I don’t feel my legs!’ I love the NBA, but I don’t know if I can do this.
It was challenging physically, of course. There were a lot of games, and, at the end of the day, I tore my ACL. Who knows what would have happened, but of course that was one of the big problems of playing so many games.
The year you actually joined the T-Wolves, their top pick (No. 2 overall) was Derrick Williams. Did you two coming into the league together take some pressure off you?
Rubio: Yeah, but actually I was always playing with pressure back home in Spain. I was a young kid, getting drafted, stayed two more years. I won two championships. I played with the Spanish national team. When Jose Calderon was hurt, I was 17 years old and was playing as a starter in the finals against the U.S. team.
So, at the end of the day, I’ve had a lot of pressure since I was young – and it’s something that I manage well. And it’s something that I honestly don’t pay much attention to.
What was your relationship like with Kevin Love when you joined Minnesota as a rookie?
Rubio: He was great. But at that time we were both a little immature. And now we’re more – I mean, he’s still joking around all the time, being K. Love, but in a different way.
When you’re young and you have early success in this league, it’s tough to keep your feet on the ground. But he was really good with me. He helped me through my rookie season, of course.
On the court it was tough because he was coming from two or three years of losing a lot of games and it was frustrating. But like I said, we were having a really good season, but injuries happened and that was that.
Were there any veterans on the team that took you under their wing? Any vets especially tough on you?
Rubio: There were no veterans that were tough on me.
There was Luke Ridenour, who was a really good example, a really hard worker. Brad Miller was great his last year. So, it wasn’t just, like, one veteran. It was everybody, and the coaching staff was always there for me too. It was a really good experience.
Rookie initiation seems like a thing of the past. Was there anything silly that the vets put you through as a rook?
Rubio: Well, I had to carry a Justin Bieber backpack. But that’s about it.