Rubio for real? Depends on who you ask 2009-06-25 News New Orleans Hornets

Unless you're a dedicated follower of YouTube or prefer eating breakfast in the dark, you probably have no idea how swell this Ricky Rubio kid may be.

But many of us who rose early enough last August to check out the competitive, slick-passing point guard directing Spain's Olympic team in a compelling skirmish with Team USA remain a bit flummoxed, too. We shouldn't feel bad; although misinformation campaigns should be factored in, many NBA personnel sharpies claim befuddlement when assessing what to expect when Rubio finally suits up in David Stern's league.

For starters, he's 18 years old. And it only seems as if the 6-foot-4 Rubio has been working professionally since he was 12. As the latest in a solid roll call of European hoop artisans, the kid has landed on the draft scrolls free from the hyperbole overload erupting from the maw of, say, Dick Vitale that can inspire saturation backlash in American hoop fans (hello, Tyler Hansbrough).

So Ricky Rubio is talented, flashy without sacrificing certain core fundamentals, oriented to team goals and blessed with enough presence to command a room or move merchandise. Since announcing an intent to liberate himself from DKV Joventut (that's his pro team in Spain and not a fancy name for some newly identified virus), Ricky has been projected by the presumed wise guys of draft projection to be selected as high as second off the board and rarely lower than fourth.

Then why, after chatting with four professional talent procurers and/or evaluators, do I have four disparate opinions regarding Rubio's place in the NBA universe?

Witness A, who earns his NBA paycheck as a scout, believes the line of concern begins with the kid's lack of blinding speed and fast-break-twitch quickness.

"A lot of people think being super athletic is more important than basketball instinct and basketball skill," A, a Rubio fan, said. "Being quick certainly helps, but Steve Nash has done pretty well with what he brings to the table because he has great skill and decision-making ability."

I'd like to inform everyone that Nash may not be (well, isn't) an explosive athlete, but his agility, balance and extraordinary dexterity are examples of athleticism. But that leads us down the path toward a semantic nightmare.

FOXSports.com analysis

2009 NBA Draft Central
NBADraft.net: Mock draft 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.0
NBADraft.net: Top 10 PGs
Rosenberg: Watch Curry, Hansbrough
Goodman: Cautionary draft tales
Hill: Opinions on Rubio divided
NBADraft.net: Tough choice at No. 2
Goodman: Draft winners and losers
Scout.com: Best player you don't know

Video

Randy Hill's draft preview
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Jeff Goodman's draft preview
Marques Johnson's top 5 picks

In my opinion, a player defined as a "true" point guard has more relevance at the high school or college levels, where a glut of trapping defenses and control-freak coaching creates needs for on-floor quarterbacks with advanced ball-handling skills.

Having a great floor leader doesn't hurt, but Phil Jackson has 10 NBA rings without one of those so-called "legit" point guards.

"When that's considered, it makes me a bit skeptical of taking a point guard that high," Witness C said.

But lobbing the emphasis for Finals success on dominating big men has provoked many more horrendous draft-night selections than any point-guard envy can muster.

"There's that, yeah," said C, who mentioned Michael Olowokandi and William Bedford on a jaunt down memory lane.

We'll close with the distinct assessment style of Witness D, another NBA scout who is pretty blunt when it comes to Rubio.

"I just don't think he's that good," Witness D said with a sniff. "There's the speed and quickness issue, sure, and I think for a guy supposedly loaded with intangibles and court sense, he turns the ball over a lot. Can't really shoot it from mid-range, either, and European kids generally spend more time on shooting than kids over here. So that's another concern.

"Put him in college basketball for a year and all of the talking-head bozos out there would pick him apart ... just like the American players."

So how does D explain Rubio's solid performance against Paul and Williams in the gold-medal game?

"That's one game," D said. "And (St. Mary's guard) Paddy Mills did really well against the Redeem Team, too. Where is he now?"

While the NBA's hiring hierarchy attempts to reconcile this point-guard conundrum, it might be time to assess other wild cards such as 7-3 Hasheem Thabeet.