Rubio’s Return Was Only a Matter of Time; “I Feel Like Home Here”

Photo: David Sherman/NBAE (Getty Images)

Gersson Rosas and the Minnesota Timberwolves shocked the local basketball world when they brought Ricky Rubio back to Minneapolis via trade, during the 2020 NBA Draft.

Both Ed Davis, who was also traded to Minnesota on draft night, and Ricky got on a Zoom conference with Gersson Rosas, Ryan Saunders and media this morning. During the call, both Rubio and Rosas talked about prior interest in each other that dates back to last offseason when Rosas took the job and Rubio was a free agent.



Clearly, Gersson likes what the friendly Spaniard brings to a Timberwolves table full of (hopefully) rabid scorers, but low on defense, leadership and distribution. I can’t blame him. Rubio is elite at two out of those three categories, even if his defense is a bit overrated.

An overrated (but still good) defender will upgrade a Minnesota club that may have to score 150 points to win. They need any and all help they can get on that end of the floor.

Seriously, the fairy-tale nature of this trade makes you overlook how much real sense it makes.

The perfect fit

Minnesota badly needed a gel-piece to help feed all of the (hopefully) rabid scorers in the lineup. Rubio fits that mold better than just about any puzzle piece in the league. But, that doesn’t mean Rosas and Co are getting a watered-down version of a younger Ricky Rubio. In fact, they’re getting quite the opposite. After leaving the Wolves, Ricky improved as a player, specifically his shooting.



Whether he starts or not, Rubio vowed to help this team in any way possible. As of right now, leadership is at the top of this team’s priority list. This is a Timberwolves franchise desperately craving the type of front-line leader that Ricky is.

His constant positive energy and never-give-up attitude is a meatball right into the wheelhouse of what Gersson Rosas is trying to build, after Tom Thibodeau and Jimmy Butler blew the entire organization to smythorines before being traded and fired.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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