Ricky Rubio best PG since Magic

In case you didn't hear me the first time, I'll tell you all one more time.  Rick Rubio is the best point guard to hit the NBA since Magic Johnson.  If you haven't taken the time to catch Minnesota, you're missing must see TV.  Kevin Love is a key piece to the Wolves future, but Rubio is the answer.  Here are some rookie numbers to support my claim:

John Stockton:  5.6 pts per game, 5.1 assists/gm, 1.3 reb/gm, 1.3 stl/gm

Steve Nash:  3.3 pts/gm, 2.1 assists/gm, 1.0 reb/gm, .3 stl/gm (behind Kidd)
(3rd yr) 7.9pts, 5.5 assists, 2.9 rebs, .8 steals

Magic Johnson:  18 pts/gm, 7.3 assists/gm, 2.9 rebs/gm, 2.4 stl/gm

Rick Rubio (projection for remainder of season):  15+ pts/gm, 11+ assists/gm, 5+ rebs/gm, 2+ stl/gm

You can do your own research.  I'm surprised we're not hearing more about what he's really doing out here.  This kid is something to watch.  Do yourself a favor and catch a Wolves game.  You will be hooked in no time at all.  Keep an eye on my boy Steph Curry, he's back. 

Chris Paul's rookie numbers: 16 points, 8 Assists, 4 Rebounds, 2 Steals
Advanced Stats: 22.1 PER (insane for a rookie), 114 Offensive Rating, 104 Defensive Rating, 10.4 Win Shares (!!!).

Ricky Rubio is great but Bobby may want to lay off the crack.  Especially with those projections for remainder of season.

Maybe he's the flashiest passer since Magic, but that's about it.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I agree.  Love Chris Paul too so no disrespect to him, but rubio is unlike anything this league has seen in a while and I agree he is must see TV.  Too bad he's on the wolves, but maybe time will show what he can do with his talent and not a lot of talent around him minus love. 

Ricky Rubio has my fan support for rookie of the year but the notion that Rubio will end up having the best rookie season of any PG since Magic Johnson is purely preposterous, an insult to so many.  Word.

I'm not talkin' about just a season Rock, I'm talkin' PERIOD!  It's only an insult to your 20/20 vision.  BobbyCrack messin' with that 4D. 

You should shovel your dealer's driveway, BC!  Word.

As far as I can tell, this is what I think you are saying: First, Ricky Rubio is the best point guard today, and there hasn't been a point guard as good during the periods between Magic and this season. Second, Magic was possibly the best pg, not only of his time, but all time.

As far as Magic goes, he was a 6 9 guy who played the one. He didn't have a great 3 but could penetrate and pass. Obviously his rival was Larry Bird, who lacked Magic's athleticism but made up with range. He played SF. The most similar player today is Lebron, who sort of has the best of both worlds without any of the clutch. I'm not particularly a fan of Lebron, but given how many assists he gets, his roaming on defense, and general ability to run plays, I would say he plays the position every bit like Magic (D Wade included) and point guards.

My point is Magic and Rubio are not similar players even though people both call them pgs. I would say Magic, like Lebron or even Westbrook and Rose, are nontraditional pgs (mainly being penetrate and score before pass). Magic, like Lebron, probably didn't need to pass as often as he did/does, but they want to be known as charitable nice guys.

Rubio could fit in as an above average traditional point guard in today's league, with Nash, Lowry, Rondo, D Will, C Paul, and Stephen Curry. Players like Parker, Augustin, Conley, Felton, and Lawson tend to do whatever their team needs from them. I hesistated to list Lowry because he's not particularly creative in his playmaking (as far as Nash, Paul, and Rondo go), but Lowry, at 6' 0-1, is the strongest and far and away the best rebounding guard since Jason Kidd, RIP. He's averaging 8 assists, 15 points, and 6 rebounds. Lowry regularly boxes out the other teams bigs (with the exception of players like Howard and Bynum).

In the last game between the Rockets and Timberwolves, the Rockets won out with a strong fourth quarter performance from their bench. Rubio outplayed Lowry in the 3rd, but was absolutely flattened by him by the end of the 4th. Rubio had 6 pts and 12 assists, Lowry had a 16 pt triple double. However, I think guards more similar to Lowry are players like Jason Kidd and Rondo (both of whom are better passers). These type of guards can match up more easily on the defensive end. Magic included, but not Rubio.

The closest player to compare to the 6' 4 Rubio is probably Steve Nash. After all, he's a two time mvp with a slight frame at 6' 3 who plays the same position and can muster bare minimum defense (ie the occasional charge and steal, (Did anyone else see Lowry's block on Jannero Pargo?)) I don't think it's fair to go any further to talk about multi-generational pg greatness when I don't even have to compare Rubio to when Nash was mvp caliber (although he arguably still is) or 10 years younger. This is Steven Nash today, 38 years old.

I wanted to conclude this by confirming my point and taking a look at some stats. The only category Rubio wins against Nash is 2 more rebounds a game. Here's a quick breakdown (remember, this is 38 yr old Nash on a squad undoubtedly worse than Wolves in most respects.

PTS: Nash- 14, Rubio- 11
ASSISTS: Nash- 10, Rubio- 9
RBS: Rubio- 4, Nash- 2
MINUTES: Nash- 31, Rubio- 33
EFFICIENCY RATING: Nash- 18, Rubio- 17

TEAM RECORD: Not a huge gap, considering if these teams swapped power forwards it would be an entirely different story. Still neither team would play good defense.
Suns: 6-11
Wolves: 8-10

Note: Nash's career averages are deflated because he had a rough first few couple of years in the league, whereas Rubio was welcomed as the next coming of Pete "Jesus Christ" Maravich, and got 33 freaking minutes a game as a rookie.

Rubio stands out in the steals category at a garish 2.5 a game to Nash's half a game, however. That's impressive, but since he clearly sucks right now at shooting, maybe Rondo is more comparable. I guess I didn't consider Rondo earlier because I just had that image of him bodying up against Lebron, someone that would stomp Rubio into the ground as an afterthought which so viciously dunking upon him it renders him and his entire family infertile.

Rondo:
PTS: 15, Rubio- 11
ASSISTS: 9, Rubio- 9
RBS: 5, Rubio- 4
MINUTES: 36, Rubio- 33
EFFICIENCY: 20, Rubio 17
STEALS: 1.7, Rubio- 2.5

TEAM RECORD: The Celtics are old and suffering, the Wolves are the opposite. One of the better pick ups for the Wolves was Rick Adelman and the rest of the Rockets coaching staff.
Celtics: 8-9
Wolves: 8-10

Lastly, quick comparison between Lowry and Rubio. (I'm not a big Lowry fan, I like him fine. I have a soft spot for Aaron Brooks).

Lowry:
PTS: 16, Rubio- 11
ASSISTS: 9, Rubio- 9
RBS: 7, Rubio- 4
MINUTES: 37, Rubio- 31
EFFICIENCY: 22, Rubio- 17
STEALS: 2, Rubio- 2.5

TEAM RECORD: The Rockets are currently maintaining a winning record based on strong guard play, Dalembert's presence (blocks and rebounds aplenty), strong defensive play from the rookie Parsons, and bench production from Dragic (surprisingly), Courtney Lee, and Patrick Patterson (hustle and nice jumper for a big man).
Rockets: 10-8
Wolves: 8-10

However experienced Rubio is, he is still a rookie and probably has awhile. There's a lot of unknowns, such as Rubio's jumper and health, but he is currently only in the discussion of guards like D.J. Augustin and Kyrie Irving.

Good stuff Johnnycrack.... Rubio has made a name for himself in the NBA.  Put aside his numbers for a minute and notice that Minnesotta is almost .500.  And before some Lakers fan comes out and says big whoop they r 8-10, keep in mind that the T-wolves have basically been a joke in the NBA since they lost Garnett.  Rubio is good for this team and great for the game of basketball.  Alot of the biggest names in the NBA have all been Point Forwards; oversized guards that can post up.  Rubio plays the role of a pg to perfection for a 1st year player anyway.  Point is, he is a great compliment to Kevin Love, and he is efficient.  He may score a modest 15-18 pts in a game but he does it on 9 shots and is doing a great job distributing the ball!! 7.5 dimes a game is pretty solid for any PG.  I hope they go on a run, nothing is better than seeing a down and out team turn things around.  I think they have a similar situation as OKC did a couple yrs ago, and yes I know, Rubio is not Westbrook and Love is not Durant but they certainly have potential.   Bottomline, good for Rubio and good for the t-wolves!!

I will take CP3 or Rose all day long. Heck if I wanted a passer I would take Rondo because he can also defend on an elite level. Rubio is good and will indeed get much better, but there have been 20+ PG in this league's history that I would take before him off the top of my head.

It's going to be tough sledding coming into the league as a point guard for the next couple years.  Nash, Paul, Rose, Rondo, D Will, Westbrook, and Steph Curry are all playing at elite levels right now, with guys like Wall and and Jennings being on there way and Kyrie Irving showing all sorts of potential.  I like Rubio's game a lot, but he's got an up hill climb to even compare to the current point guards in the league, let along guys like Magic and Stockton.

As far as I can tell, this is what I think you are saying: First, Ricky Rubio is the best point guard today, and there hasn't been a point guard as good during the periods between Magic and this season. Second, Magic was possibly the best pg, not only of his time, but all time.

I guess I need to give more explanation so you have a better understanding of BobbyCrack speak....4HD.  What I am saying is:  Ricky Rubio has the best pure PG DNA since Magic Johnson played the position.  Taking nothing away from Stockton, Nash or any of the other great point guards past and present.  Today, Rubio is just a rookie point guard learning what he can and cannot do in this league.  Tomorrow, he may just end up being the NBA's all-time assist leader for a season or career.  The things he can see and anticipate, along with the passes he can make and his ability to manipulate the court has not been seen since Magic. 

Don't measure Rubio against the mature Nash and Stockton, make it all age appropriate.  It took Nash and Stockton several years before they were able to do what Rubio is doing at this age. This is a no-brainer to me.  Very easy to see.  Jeter and Kobe were tough calls to make with the competition they had to deal with, but I said the same about them at even earlier stages of their careers.  They don't call me Crack for nothin'!  Not braggin', just trying to be an asset to the sports community.  I must spread the gospel when I know it's time to be a WITNESS. 

Rubio could fit in as an above average traditional point guard in today's league, with Nash, Lowry, Rondo, D Will, C Paul, and Stephen Curry. 

Rubio mania is just about to get started.......watch ESPN.....I know you didn't see it.  He's not a traditional point guard.....sort of like Rondo, but with a lot more flair and he's a big shot taker.  He doesn't dribble the ball as much as Nash or CP3.....something I like about Steph, he doesn't over dribble for his own shot or assist.  Rubio had 18pts 10assists and 4 rebounds vs the Spurs in a big home win.  But the numbers don't tell the story. He's up against Tony Parker, and he stepped up when it mattered most.  He had the crowding chanting his name late in the 4th.....you can read about it.  Kyrie Irving looks great if your looking at the scoring column.  I was told by the experts that he makes his team better?  I haven't seen a game over 7 assists yet.......2 more tonight.  32 pts, 2 assists from my point guard?  No thank you.  You can have your 36 total points, I'll take Rubio's 38.

BC,

I like Ricky Rubio, no doubt about his talent.  But one thing that severely skews his "rookie" stats is that he's been playing professional basketball for 7 years.  He may be new to the NBA, but he's far from a rookie.  The other guards you compared him to were true professional basketball rookies when in their first NBA season.  Also, I would expect players coming out of the European score-first/defend-last leagues to be competent offensive players.  All that being said though, there's no doubt he has talent; that was obvious to me the first time I saw him during the Olympics - great passer with the ability to be "tricky" like Stockton.  And as with other great PG's, Rubio benefits from having a quality scorer like Love that can hit open shots.


brainsbrains

"Magic, like Lebron, probably didn't need to pass as often as he did/does, but they want to be known as charitable nice guys." 

Huh?  Lumping Magic into the same catagory as Lebron doesn't make sense.  When Lebron handles the ball it's as a point-forward, in other words he is playing the 3 position but handling the ball instead of the PG.  In contrast, Magic played the 1 position and was almost always on the floor along with a 2 guards like Scott/Cooper and forwards like Worthy/Rambis.  Magic didn't share the ball to be charitable, he did so because that was his position.  Could he have scored more?  Sure.  But that could be said about every PG, they could all shoot more and distribute the ball less, but that's not the primary purpose of most 1 guards.

Rubio has had a good start but let's not get ahead of ourselves. No one should be compared to Magic and put ahead of all the great former PG's in the league until they actually accomplished something.

generously responding to your post, i think you should've considered the career of
John Stockton (holds record for most assists), Steve Nash(two time MVP) before putting
Rubio as the best PG since Magic. those #'s you put up of stockton and nash were rookie #'s.

the future may be looking bright for Ricky Rubio. but lets just say he is the best PG
for the Minnesota Timberwolves since Stephon Marbury and may just end up being the PG
for the Wolves in history once his career is over.

I am going to have to disagree. While Rubio dishes out assists (pretty easy with Love on the team) he turns the ball over a lot (3.4 per game) and he is a fairly bad shooter at only 38.7 percent. You are comparing him to Stockton's rookie season in which he only started 5 games and Magic's season where he was shooting around 53% and had way more points and around the same assists. For a player that has been in the league for not even twenty games it is an overreaction to say that. He has a long long way to go before you can start saying things like that. While I know that stats don't determine a player, flashiness doesn't either. Rubio's per 36 numbers are around stockton's, but JS didn't hit his stride until he started playing with someone that could score at will like Malone. We'll see how he develops, but I would expect his numbers to be a little higher than that to make Magic comparisons, who had probably the best all-around game outside of Jordan

I like Ricky Rubio, no doubt about his talent.  But one thing that severely skews his "rookie" stats is that he's been playing professional basketball for 7 years.  He may be new to the NBA, but he's far from a rookie.  The other guards you compared him to were true professional basketball rookies when in their first NBA season.  Also, I would expect players coming out of the European score-first/defend-last leagues to be competent offensive players.

While you make a good point, there is a huge difference between Euro leagues and the NBA. Positionally, players are asked to do a lot of different things than in the NBA. Dirk even said that he refused to be taught by American coaches because they would just want to use his size in the middle and he would have never developed an outside game. Also, the number and duration of games are much different. The NBA is a much more difficult league than in Europe, so while he HAS been playing professionally or seven years, I wouldn't give him any more credit than a second-year player. Not to say that Europe is that much worse, but the college game prepares players a lot better for the NBA than Europe does

First of all, I would like to take this time to say told you he was good. As a wolves fan Rubio is the real deal. Better than CP3, probably not. But besides that, I'll take Ricky's rookie year over ANY point since Magic. And let's not forget about Kyrie who is having a very CP3 like season in Cleveland. The Magic comparison isn't a bad one. Now before anyone gets there panties in a bunch, let me say that I'm not saying Rubio is Magic. Just that he is the one of the few players in history who has played with and used the same flair that Magic used. The thing about Ricky's flair or Magic's flair is it's all necessary. People see him throwing behind the back passes or cross court lobs and they think it's him showing off, but it's necessary. That's the only way that they can make that type of pass. So I don't mind the Magic comparison because they're both great rebounding point guards, with great vision and poor shots. And the thing that they have most in common is the ability to make everyone else better. The T-Wolves have Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love who are consistently good players. The rest of the team is pretty bleh. (Though having HOF coach does help). Rubio leads this team night in and night out and has the wolves looking like an actual team which is something that Wolves fans haven't seen since the KG days. 

I will take CP3 or Rose all day long. Heck if I wanted a passer I would take Rondo because he can also defend on an elite level. Rubio is good and will indeed get much better, but there have been 20+ PG in this league's history that I would take before him off the top of my head.

This is a common misconception. Rubio's defense is already right there with Rondo's. He is the most active defender in the NBA. Is he quick, not really but he is third in the NBA in steals and leads the NBA in charges taken. Also he's a heck of a defensive rebounder for a point guard which people commonly forget is part of defense too. Will he get burned by the Derrick Rose's of the world, yeah but who doesn't? 

"People see him throwing behind the back passes or cross court lobs and they think it's him showing off, but it's necessary. That's the only way that they can make that type of pass. So I don't mind the Magic comparison because they're both great rebounding point guards, with great vision and poor shots. And the thing that they have most in common is the ability to make everyone else better."- BNW2

Preach to the people, for they still do not believe! Even without being great shooters, they know how to score.....and Magic proved he could close the game, too. Rubio is showing that he may have that clutch gene in him as well. I found Steve Nash to be Lebron and Peyton-ish in crunch time. I'm not seeing that in Rubio at all.

As a defender, you're underestimating Rubio's length and anticipation.....I didn't even know he was 3rd in the league in steals. He's absolutely must see TV. The boy wasn't even starting. His numbers are about to go up for a while before he gets worn down. Are the Wolves playing tonight?