Photo: Jim Mone/Associated Press
- Adam ParkerIt was the shot heard around the world. Or at least, around the Land of 10,000 Lakes and the entire country of Spain.
Ricky Rubio's phenomenal rookie season in the NBA has come to a devastatingly abrupt end.
The Minnesota Timberwolves point guard will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, the team announced on Saturday.
Now the young, scrappy T-Wolves will have to keep chasing chasing a playoff berth without the flashy passing and gutsy play making of the young Spanish sensation many people liken to NBA great "Pistol" Pete Marovich.
"It's a big emotional shock," All-Star forward Kevin Love said. "He makes winning plays, he's a winner. We love having him around. On and off the court. We hope for a speedy recovery so he can help this team next year. It's a big loss for us."
It also means that Rubio will miss the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he was expected to be a vital part of Spain's bid for the gold medal.
"I told him to be patient, to be positive and he's got all my support," Los Angeles Lakers forward and fellow Spaniard Pau Gasol said. "Anything he needs, I'm there for him. I was truly sorry. It's a tough one to swallow and it makes me laugh about my situation. You know? About my trade and no trade and how that makes me feel. When you (tear) an ACL, that's when you really feel bad and that's a lot worse than being mentioned in trades and potentially play somewhere else. No. Health is always the main thing and that's why everything is so relative in life."
As for the Olympics, Gasol said, "now is not the time for him to think about the Olympics or anything else."
Rubio went down with 16.4 seconds left in the Timberwolves' loss to the Lakers Friday night in Minneapolis. He came across to help trap Kobe Bryant and soon after crumpled to the floor as Bryant collided with him while trying to dribble.
Rubio immediately grabbed his knee, remaining on the floor for a few moments until teammates carried him to the bench. An MRI on Saturday confirmed everyone's fears, and there were plenty of long faces before the Timberwolves hosted the New Orleans Hornets.
"It's just too bad," Wolves' head coach Rick Adelman said. "He was having such a great year, he had such a great influence on our team and the way our team was playing and I think the league. It's too bad any time you see a young player go down like that with an injury like that. You feel for him more than anyone else."
Needless to say, Rubio's impact on the Wolves cannot be underestimated. In the first game without him running point, the Wolves committed 17 turnovers and lost 95-89 to the cellar-dwelling Hornets, who are sitting at 10-31 this season.
A date for surgery has not yet been set, but team president David Kahn said he fully expected Rubio to be back for the start of next season.
"His work ethic knows no bounds," Kahn said. "If ever there was a player that was ticketed to have not just a full recovery but to come back better than ever, stronger, it's Ricky Rubio."
In his first NBA season the 21-year-old Rubio was averaging 10.6 points, 8.2 assists and 2.2 assists. Unfortunately, the knee injury derailed what had been a strong Rookie of the Year campaign.
We here at Beard and Stache wish Ricky Rubio and the Timberwolves all the best. It's tough to lose the main catalyst of your offense to a season-ending injury. Hopefully, this diversity will make the T-Wolves a better team in the long run.
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