Living Up to the Hype

Rubio's arrival to Minnesota could mean
great things in the future.

It's been a long road to the NBA, but Ricky Rubio has finally made, and is making his presence felt in his first season.

It's been more than six years since Rubio became the youngest player to play in the Spanish ACB League at 14, impressing many. And another two and half since he was drafted with the fifth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Playing for DKV Joventut, Rubio refused to sign with Minnesota after Joventu agreed to buy out his contract. It wouldn't be long after until they would trade his rights to FC Barcelona, where Rubio would agree to a contract extension.

A year and a half into that six-year contract, Rubio agreed to join the Timberwolves for the 2011-12 season.

His debut was put on hold due to the the NBA's 161-day lockout, but nonetheless the 21-year-old Spaniard is here, and here to stay.

In his first NBA season, Rubio has become one of the best playmaking point guards in the league. His 8.9 assists per game rank fourth among qualifying players and leads all rookies. He also leads all rookies in steals per game. In just 21 games, Rubio's 47 steals average out to 2.24 steals a game. That is third in the league behind only Chris Paul (2.46) and Mike Conley (2.39).

Rubio's 11.4 PPG is fifth among active rookies, but his shooting percentage has been nothing to ride home about. Rubio is shooting just 38 percent from the field, drawing comparisons to Boston's Rajon Rondo.

However, Rondo has never averaged under 41 percent, that coming in his rookie season.

On the other hand, New Jersey Nets' point guard and free agent-to-be, Deron Williams, is having the worst shooting season of his career. Williams, who is a career 45 percent shooter, is averaging 19.6 PPG this season, but is making just 39 percent of his baskets.

Being a point guard, much like Williams, Rubio constantly possesses the ball, making the possibility of turnovers a lot more likely, something he has done a lot in his brief rookie campaign.

Rubio's 3.2 turnovers a game for a first-year player is second-worst only to Cleveland's Kyrie Irving's 3.3 However, Irving is currently leading all rookies his scoring, averaging 17.9 PPG.

That being said, Rubio has still been one of the game's most productive point guards thus far, helping All-Star teammate Kevin Love flourish in the beginning of his fourth NBA season. Love leads the league with 19 double-doubles and a career-high 25.5, being the anchor of a last place, but emerging Timberwolves team.

Rubio also find himself among the league leaders in double-doubles. He is currently tied with five other players, including Williams and LeBron James, for 11th with nine double-doubles.

Soon enough, Rubio and Co. will have the Timberwolves roaring back to the postseason.

Randolph Continues Postseason Surge

Randolph is playing the best basketball
of his career at the right time.

The Memphis Grizzlies continued their magical postseason run Sunday afternoon along with forward Zach Randolph.

The No. 8 seeded Grizzlies came away with a 114-101 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder.

Randolph lead the way with 34 points, 10 rebounds and even snatched three steals on the road. Memphis became only the second No. 8 seed to upset a No. 1 seed in NBA postseason history after beating the San Antonio Spurs in six games.

They joined Don Nelson's Golden State Warriors as the only other team to accomplish that feat coming at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks back in 2007.

Randolph has been the anchor to Memphis's success early on.

Randolph has been the NBA's best player early in this year's postseason, averaging 21.5 points per game, grabbing 9.1 rebounds and shooting a remarkable 50 percent from the field.

In his second season with the Grizzlies, Randolph is excelling and may have found himself a home. His regular season numbers consisted of 20.1 PPG, 12.1 rebounds and also shot 50 percent from the field. A former first-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2001, Randolph has bounced around during his 10-year career.

Randolph spent his first six seasons in Portland, where he developed into an All-Star caliber power forward, but was sent to the New York Knicks draft-night in 2007 for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.

The southpaw would play for the Knicks during the 2007-08 season, where he averaged 17.6 PPG, a career-worst since becoming a full-time starter in 2003. The former Michigan State Spartan started the 2008-09 season with the Big Apple, but only played 11 games for New York before being shipped to the Clippers in November of that season.

He would finish out the season with Los Angeles and that offseason was traded for the final time, this time to his current home in Memphis. Randolph was rewarded after leading the Grizzlies to their first playoff win in franchise history with a four-year extension worth $66 million.

With only three players on their current roster to make it out of the first-round before they beat the Spurs, the Grizzlies have nothing to lose during this current playoff run and everything to gain.

With every minute and possession the Grizzlies encounter during this year's postseason comes a little more experience for the future. With the top three teams record wise in the Western Conference centered around aging veterans, the young Grizzlies are on the rise to becoming the Western Conference elite.

They will now need to sign center Marc Gasol to an extension to continue to see that rise, with the rest of the core guys locked up for the long haul. Mike Conley, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo are all under contract for the next couple of years, along now with Randolph.

Memphis is not longer a stepping stone in the Western Conference and are better than their 46-36 record indicates.

If may be only one win, but the Grizzlies might well on there way to the Western Conference Finals with a convincing victory on the road against the athletic Thunder. Randolph will look to continue his great postseason Tuesday night in Oklahoma.