Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio might not be ready for pre-season – NBA Update
The Minnesota Timberwolves had to wait for years before Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio finally joined them in the current NBA season. The wait however seemed to be worth it judging from Rubio’s silky skills and terrific vision. In just a few moths Ricky
captured the imagination of NBA fans around the country and established himself as a star of the future.
All that momentum however came to a grinding halt with Rubio’s gut wrenching injury. The point guard injured his anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in the left knee, ruling him out for the season. Now it appears the player might not be ready
even for the pre-season of 2012 – 2013.
Initially considered out for the season, this news will come as another blow for the Timberwolves. The franchise changed a lot of pieces this offseason in anticipation of Rubio’s arrival. Him and star power forward Kevin Love were to be the centrepieces
around which Timberwolves planned to build their future.
Therefore they wouldn’t be pleased by Ricky’s slow rehabilitation.
"I don't know when I'm going to come back. The first thing that I want to make sure is when I come back I'm 100 percent," said Rubio, "I don't want to put a date on it, because it depends on how my knee feels."
The loss of Rubio knocked the wind out of Minnesota as well, and the Timberwolves who were earlier looking like contenders for a playoffs spot are now falling further and further behind. He recently made an appearance at the Target Center, and spoke to the
media.
"I was happy to see all the people helping me and just giving shout-outs," Rubio said on Tuesday, referring to the enormous support he has received from the NBA community, including fans and stars such as Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He also spoke of his frustration at not being able to help his teammates on the court, who have now lost six games in a row. Rubio said he still loved the game and watched it all the time.
"You want to play so bad. You just have to enjoy watching basketball, because it's the only way you can do it," Rubio said.
Before getting injured, Rubio built up an instant rapport with the talismanic Kevin Love. Love benefitted from Rubio’s arrival because the Spanish sensation helped him out on offence and also took the pressure off him with his sizzling plays.
Love said that Ricky’s positivity rubbed off on his teammates and believed that the young star would remain optimistic and come back with more zest and zeal.
"Obviously spirits are always high with him. He's not a guy who gets down. Happy to see him. Hopefully he'll have a speedy, quick recovery,".
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