Ricky Rubio agrees to deal with Suns

[AzStevenCal]

Who is the comparable player at twice the price? We didn't sign anyone today but Rubio and he's not twice the price TJ was and he's not comparable to him either in terms of playstyle. TJ Is the furthest thing from a PG like Rubio out there as a wing who doesn't pass or play defense.

I thought it was ambiguous too. I'm not sure I took it the right way but I concluded he was talking about what we are supposedly poised to do - sign Oubre to a much higher contract than TJ was under.

 

[az jam]

Verified account 33s33 seconds ago


Just spoke with NBA coach about Rubio - "He can run the team, great passer, connect the dots. Needs to work on distance & consistency on shot. Will make Ayton better with lobs when he drives & takes Book off the ball. Always one of best in NBA at steals. Team guy, low maintenace

In retrospect, I’m kind of glad that we didn’t get D-Lo. I think my excitement for him was more about getting top-tier free agents than it was about finding the right fit. I think Rubio has a chance to be better for this team than D-Lo. Rubio will make everyone better, including Booker, and gives Ayton the best chance to score > 20 ppg. I almost think that Russell would’ve made Ayton worse and would’ve torpedoed the salary cap for a long time.

Some good points, IMO the key is getting a PG that can run the floor and make the other players better especially Ayton. Rubio can do this.

 

[Hoop Head]

Verified account 33s33 seconds ago


Just spoke with NBA coach about Rubio - "He can run the team, great passer, connect the dots. Needs to work on distance & consistency on shot. Will make Ayton better with lobs when he drives & takes Book off the ball. Always one of best in NBA at steals. Team guy, low maintenace

Some good points, IMO the key is getting a PG that can run the floor and make the other players better especially Ayton. Rubio can do this.

I think the "team guy, low maintenance" part is very underrated. The Suns are really young, still, and having a PG like Rubio will allow Monty to focus more on coaching up the youngsters in Ayton, Bridges, Cam Johnson, as well as Booker and Oubre, plus Jackson if he's not moved. Rubio could work with a shooting coach here but outside of that, he doesn't need to be developed. He can be given instruction and carry it through. His BB-IQ is very high and will allow the others to receive more coaching and potentially hit the big strides we're hoping to see from them.

 

[Western Font]

I'm satisfied with this move. I figure I have to view it in context. Phoenix couldn't compete on or off the court with Russell's other major suitors. Rubio will help Ayton develop, and his contract will bridge the gap from Tyler Johnson to a young PG (I don't think Rozier wants that role). If Rubio plays well enough, maybe they don't need that PG right away and can draft BPA.

 

[StreetTruckinTitan]

I'm satisfied with this move. I figure I have to view it in context. Phoenix couldn't compete on or off the court with Russell's other major suitors. Rubio will help Ayton develop, and his contract will bridge the gap from Tyler Johnson to a young PG (I don't think Rozier wants that role). If Rubio plays well enough, maybe they don't need that PG right away and can draft BPA.

I agree. I like the fact he's a pass first PG. As long as he can occassionally score we dont need another Bledsoe type hero ball PG. Also, Im liking what I see from Ty Jerome's potential. I think he can / will be special.

 

[devilalum]

Rubio will never be Nash BUT...

His drives to the basket, work in the lane, his vision and passing look more like Nash than any other player in the league right now. Of course Nash was arguably the greatest pure shooter of all time but he was a poor defender and not nearly as long as Rubio.

The Suns have to get respectable before they get really good. They have been the laughing stock of the league for the last few years. When your franchise is centered around a generational big man you absolutely have to have a PG that can get him the ball. Haven't heard anything about Ayton this off season. Hope he's in a gym somewhere.

 

[Hoop Head]

I agree. I like the fact he's a pass first PG. As long as he can occassionally score we dont need another Bledsoe type hero ball PG. Also, Im liking what I see from Ty Jerome's potential. I think he can / will be special.

At least Jerome has a quality mentor now. I worried about that some. Say what you will about Tyler Johnson, he wasn't good enough to be a mentor to a rookie PG.

I know some may try and claim Rubio isn't good enough either but he's been a pro for a long time. He's been in the NBA as a starter for 8 years now. Donovan Mitchell says he learned a lot from Rubio and that helped him make a splash right away. I don't think Jerome will be anywhere as impactful as Mitchell was in his rookie year but he doesn't need to be.

Rubio will help teach Booker also. I think part of why "Point Book" failed or struggled is he never had a real PG to learn from. He had Bledsoe for a little bit but Bledsoe is not the mentor type either. In his 4-5 years as a Sun I can't remember a time where it was clear he was talking to his teammates on the floor. That's ok, you don't need to have an outgoing personality but as a PG you need to communicate with others. Rubio should be capable of that here.

 

[ColdPickleNachos]

At least Jerome has a quality mentor now. I worried about that some. Say what you will about Tyler Johnson, he wasn't good enough to be a mentor to a rookie PG.

I know some may try and claim Rubio isn't good enough either but he's been a pro for a long time. He's been in the NBA as a starter for 8 years now. Donovan Mitchell says he learned a lot from Rubio and that helped him make a splash right away.

Agreed. Mitchell seems to hold him in high regard.

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[Krangodnzr]

I like the move, getting Ricky Rubio.

He wouldnt be my first choice, but to be honest, I'm fickle and biased. When you look at the TOTAL PACKAGE, Rubio was likely the best choice to run the team.

What did/do the Suns need from a point guard? A floor general who can 1) pass 2) defend 3) mentor 4) shoot. He can do 3 of the 4 very well. He isnt a good shooter, but getting the ball to Booker, Ayton, Oubre, Bridges, and the rest of the crew.

I agree with the notion that this offseason had been an exercise in team building. If you agree with the idea that Booker and Ayton can be all stars and that Oubre can be a really good #3, then the Suns best moves would be to seek role players who can help the big three.

Playmakers? Check
Three point shooting? Check
Front court depth? Meh

I dont want to see the team stretch Johnson, because I think he can still play major minutes, and you never know....maybe the Suns will FINALLY be in position to go after a big time player at the trade deadline and Johnson can be a huge chip.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I like the move, getting Ricky Rubio.

He wouldnt be my first choice, but to be honest, I'm fickle and biased. When you look at the TOTAL PACKAGE, Rubio was likely the best choice to run the team.

What did/do the Suns need from a point guard? A floor general who can 1) pass 2) defend 3) mentor 4) shoot. He can do 3 of the 4 very well. He isnt a good shooter, but getting the ball to Booker, Ayton, Oubre, Bridges, and the rest of the crew.

I agree with the notion that this offseason had been an exercise in team building. If you agree with the idea that Booker and Ayton can be all stars and that Oubre can be a really good #3, then the Suns best moves would be to seek role players who can help the big three.

Playmakers? Check
Three point shooting? Check
Front court depth? Meh

I dont want to see the team stretch Johnson, because I think he can still play major minutes, and you never know....maybe the Suns will FINALLY be in position to go after a big time player at the trade deadline and Johnson can be a huge chip.

Or just as an expiring for us. Keeping him on the roster will make it pretty easy for us to have a max slot available in free agency next year and if the team shows some real growth this year than maybe we will actually be able to lure one of those top tier guys in.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Or just as an expiring for us. Keeping him on the roster will make it pretty easy for us to have a max slot available in free agency next year and if the team shows some real growth this year than maybe we will actually be able to lure one of those top tier guys in.

Invariably, almost every season, some star gets pissed off and wants off his team. This puts the Suns in position to grab one of those guys. If Oubre signs for a decent long term contract, the Suns could package Oubre, Johnson, and picks for a star.

 

[Hoop Head]

I get why people are saying Rubio can't shoot, his 3pt shot needs work, but he is a good FT shooter. He's a career 83.8% FT shooter that has shot 86.5% over the last 4 years compared to 80.1% his first 4 years. So he struggles from distance but won't be a liability like Lonzo would be.

Hopefully he can get his 3pt shooting back up next year. He shot 35.2 in Utah 2 years ago and 31.1 last year from 3 but he's averaged 1.2 makes a game consistently over those 2 years, only averaging 0.2 attempts more last season. So it's not that much of a difference between the 2017-18 & 2018-19 seasons.

Here is a look at his stats the last 4 years, to get an idea of what we're getting. Link to view more here

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I get why people are saying Rubio can't shoot, his 3pt shot needs work, but he is a good FT shooter. He's a career 83.8% FT shooter that has shot 86.5% over the last 4 years compared to 80.1% his first 4 years. So he struggles from distance but won't be a liability like Lonzo would be.

Hopefully he can get his 3pt shooting back up next year. He shot 35.2 in Utah 2 years ago and 31.1 last year from 3 but he's averaged 1.2 makes a game consistently over those 2 years, only averaging 0.2 attempts more last season. So it's not that much of a difference between the 2017-18 & 2018-19 seasons.

Here is a look at his stats the last 4 years, to get an idea of what we're getting. Link to view more here

You must be registered for see images attach

If he shoots around 35% from 3 (which he has done) than I think his shooting will be more than good enough to keep defenses honest. Obviously he is not a guy that you have to keep a real close eye on from deep, but you can't completely disrespect his shooting as a defender either.

 

[elindholm]

Michael Jordan was a career 33% shooter from three.

 

[devilalum]

Michael Jordan was a career 33% shooter from three.

The line was farther away, everybody shot worse.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

The line was farther away, everybody shot worse.

It was only shorter from the 94/95 season to the 96/97 season. Every other season of it's existence has been 23'9".

 

[devilalum]

It was only shorter from the 94/95 season to the 96/97 season. Every other season of it's existence has been 23'9".

right

 

[Johninromania]

I like the Rubio pick up. Probably your best old school PG out on the Market. Wasn’t sold on DLO and that contract he signed is ouch. Well anyways, I like the Direction the suns are going, very San Antonio like.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Michael Jordan was a career 33% shooter from three.

But the three wasnt an emphasis back then.

The Suns were routinely panned because NBA experts thought they took too many threes.

 

[elindholm]

But the three wasnt an emphasis back then.

So people shot it worse on purpose?

The Suns were routinely panned because NBA experts thought they took too many threes.

Source?

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

So people shot it worse on purpose?



Source?

You are looking at it backwards. It's not that they purposefully shot it worse, but that they didn't put as much practice into it to shoot it better. Nowadays you have everyone and their mother trying to develop a good three point shot and back then it was seen as a waste of time by a lot of teams.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

So people shot it worse on purpose?



Source?

Naw I think it just wasn’t a perfected art yet. People hadn’t realized the full impact prolific three point shooting would have on the game. If they had three point shooting would’ve been more at a premium and players would’ve put forth greater effort in perfecting it. I’d venture to guess average percentages have gone up and for the best shooters (like top 20) have gone way up.

 

[Yuma]

I know people keep making a big deal how we traded for Saric and he only has one year left on his contract. 1 year left = expiring contract at trade deadline! You play Saric, maybe he's not our cup of tea, trade! We play him and we like him, we have his rights to re-sign. We have options with Saric. I would rather sign him like this, than have him on a five year max contract in a trade and find out he doesn't fit our system.

 

[Yuma]

Naw I think it just wasn’t a perfected art yet. People hadn’t realized the full impact prolific three point shooting would have on the game. If they had three point shooting would’ve been more at a premium and players would’ve put forth greater effort in perfecting it. I’d venture to guess average percentages have gone up and for the best shooters (like top 20) have gone way up.

Plus when it first came out coaches thought it was a gimmick and would bench guys for shooting long shots. I know there were exceptions like Issel the Missle in Denver. You definitely had to have a coach that allowed you to do it. The dunk was the thing back then because bigs dominated the game. Why shoot from long range and miss when your big guy could dunk it for sure?

 

[elindholm]

Naw I think it just wasn’t a perfected art yet. People hadn’t realized the full impact prolific three point shooting would have on the game.

Yes, but...

I’d venture to guess average percentages have gone up and for the best shooters (like top 20) have gone way up.

That's incorrect. You can see for yourself here:

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/fg3_pct_top_10.html

Of course three-point shooting has gotten more important, and attempts per game have skyrocketed. But accuracy has stayed about the same.

My point is that Jordan was a great player in spite of being a poor three-point shooter, even by the standards of his time. Rubio brings enough to the table that he can be effective without being a shooter.

(Cue the morons accusing me of projecting Rubio to have an impact comparable to Jordan's.)