Tom Thibodeau, the newest head coach and president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, may have ushered the team to a new era. However, it seems that Ricky Rubio might still stay with the team despite rumors of him getting traded.
According to the Bleacher Report, Glen Taylor, the owner of the Timberwolves, said that Rubio isn't a likely candidate for trade. He was in Las Vegas for the NBA board of governors meeting at the time. Furthermore, Taylor added that the team would want to see Rubio get better in terms of shooting -- after all, his defense plays, assists and his desire for others to improve are some of his wonderful qualities.
A possible reason behind rumors of Rubio getting traded off was the fact that the Timberwolves drafted Kris Dunn with the fifth overall pick in the June draft. Dunn was a point guard and a former Providence star, and he even got a review from Rob Mahoney for his summer-league performance, highlighting his "strength, physicality, and persistence on both sides of the ball."
However, Rubio has talent, too. After all, this 25-year-old athlete has an average of 10.1 points and 8.3 assists per contest in his 278-game career in the NBA. His shot accuracy is not as stellar, since he never shot better than 38.1 percent from the field in a season.
As for Thibodeau, as a new head coach he has yet to have any attachments to Rubio, and that could be worrying. The main reason is because he will surely make the best lineup that involves young and talented players, who include the last two Rookies of the year, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Regardless, Rubio still has three more years for his signed contract extension from 2014, so he might still have a chance to surpass his limitations and become better with his shots.
