| 
Griffin. Rubio. DeRozan. By John Nguyen
06.30.2009 - Updated on 06.30.2009
|
Rubio, who could pass for another member of Menudo, is receiving tons of hype from teams trying to trade for him. He is flexing some leverage by claiming that he’s leaning towards staying in Spain for a couple of more years. This got so bad that Kevin Love had to tweet about it. Didn’t Rubio have troubles dribbling around a chair? Let’s be real. You knew it was bad when Rubio said smiling, “Of course, I’m Ricky Rubio” after he got drafted. He’s referring to himself in the third person. The last person I remembered doing that constantly was Dwayne Johnson, who is known as The Rock, during his time in the WWE. This shows that Rubio already has a huge ego. There is no hate here. I really don’t care, but he should respect the league. There are many point guards way better than him from Derrick Rose to Rajon Rondo.
This begs the question: Is Rubio already overrated? He has not played one minute in the League and many teams are scrambling to unload assets to get him. What’s going on here? He’s not LeBron James, Dwight Howard, or even Derrick Rose. He’s probably not the best player in the draft and he’s getting more press than Blake Griffin. One can argue that Jonny Flynn is probably the better point guard. Don’t get it twisted though. Ricky Rubio is still a good player with what we saw in the Beijing Olympics and FIBA, but one has to think, “If he’s that great, why he didn’t go top 3 in the draft?” James Harden was picked over him! Rubio’s vision for passing is pretty damn good and his defense is solid. Basketball fans are already predicting that, at his peak, he will average 12 assists.
Blake Griffin, the kid who beat late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon in a dunk contest, once hit his head against the back board on a dunk. He has size and the athleticism to potentially be a few time All Star. What is this kid’s ceiling? Is he the 20+ points and 11 rebounds per game consistent threat? Is he better than Michael Beasley? He is the undisputed number one pick in the 2009 draft after all, and with that, he might just be better.
Finally, The Toronto Raptors finally got their big wing player in Demar DeRozan. I find it amusing that the great people in Toronto are making him out to be “Vince Carter part 2” or “Heir Canada.” That’s great. We all hope he becomes something similar after all those disastrous non-playoff seasons with Bosh, Calderon, and company. Some, with their grandiose imaginations, picture him to be a 25-30 points per game scorer. Oh really? Wow. That’s high expectations considering that it was a weak draft. No one should really see DeRozan that way since he did not show “Kobe” potential anywhere. Try to be more realistic, Raptor fans. Be more reasonable. You should see him as a 17-22 points per game at best. What’s wrong with that projection? That’s still pretty good.
Out of the three, who will be the best if they can reach their full potential?
[image:http://www.flickr.com/photos/arull/2101990792/] |
| | |
Posted by
steve
on 07.5.2009 | Where are you getting this about Raptors fans? I havn’t seen any talking about him being a 25-30ppg scorer, And I don’t think anybody actually expect him to be Vince Carter. Most of the comparison’s I’v seen floated around have been somewhere between Pietrus, and J-Rich.. With a slight chance to get to VC’s level. . | Posted by
F22
on 07.2.2009 | a few things. rubio is hyped. thats obvious. people say brandon jennings was hyped yet they look at his stats and 5.5ppg is weak. jennings played 1 year in pro ball and avg 5.5ppg. rubio played 4 years and avg 10ppg. wtf? and rubio is the best pg in this draft? secondly, derozan can be whatever he wants to be in terms of future potential. why are you limiting what he can do? i bet you haven’t even seen him play in college. thirdly, how do you know its a weak draft? it takes a few years to see how strong or weak a draft really is. i remember people calling the 08 draft weak. i remember people saying that O.J. Mayo could not translate to the nba. what happened? the reverse happened. we’ll see if your assumptions are true or false as USUAL. . | Posted by
Snika
on 07.2.2009 | Rubio is hyped because he started playing PRO b-ball at 14. He held his own against Deron and CP3 last summer. And he has Pistol Pete-like moves. He is 18, and the NBA ONLY drafts on potential anymore. It makes perfect sense why he is being hyped. Blake Griffin will be a phenomenal pro player. Once the Clippers trade Randolph, Griffin will have the room and minutes to post 18-19 pts/game this year, and possibly help a cursed team pull some help that way. Even if he leaves in 3-4 years through free agency, the Clippers will be back in playoff talk. I just hope that DeRozan ends up being better than Gerald Green. The Vinsanity comparisons are ridiculous, but DeRozan has the potential to splash into a team with serious needs and availability for him to get PT and make a name for himself. . | Posted by
on 07.2.2009 | i hate how you say he has a big ego, maybe, but he’s spanish and has bad english so he’s bound to say things like that, he is a good player, not as athletic as d rose and rondo but will make an impact, great vision dooesn come by all the time so if you can take a player like him who has good defence and goood vision and develop him, he could be steve nash, jason kidd calibur, and those 2 players steve nash 2 time mvp and jason kidd one of the best passers ever, were no where near as athletic as derrick rose but look what they did..... . | Posted by
on 07.2.2009 | John Nguyen. Provide the proof on when and where Raptors fans said that. Post a link please! I have not read an article in Toronto that says that. Come on Johnny boy. Redeem yourself!!! . | Posted by
on 07.1.2009 | This site has serious issues with Toronto and it’s fans.. when did anyone say Demar would average 25-30? you guys love making up stuff to make our market seem clueless, were not delusional so take it easy. Toronto is a crazy market and loves the Raps, players have no idea how great the city and support is. Get the facts right before making these claims. . | Posted by
Tam
on 07.1.2009 | shut up Nguyen u lying maggot . | Posted by
J.Nguyen
on 07.1.2009 | LOL, i guess you Raptor fans haven’t been reading various message boards. The things you guys claim behind closed doors...Cheerio! Good day sir! . | Posted by
on 07.1.2009 | Rubio went fifth only because of his unresolved contract status with his Spanish team. If he were clear of that deal, he would have been #3, maybe #2. . | Posted by
asdfasdfasdf
on 07.1.2009 | Lol@ John Nyguens bogus allogations being completly exposed. Ahh, I love it! . | Posted by
asdfasdfasdf
on 07.1.2009 | I’d really like to see where Raptors fans said Derozen will average 30 ppg. I live in Toronto, and have heard no such allegations from ANYONE. Please, enligthen me. . | Posted by
on 07.1.2009 | This is the first time Ive heard ANYBODY say that he will average 25-30 PPG. Ive never heard anyway say Heir Canada either...Obviously we compare this man to Vince Carter because we see the same athletic ability, but DeRozans game is far from VC’s. And lastly, I dont think Kobe would say that DeRozan had no potential especially if he was one of the best players at the camp. . | Posted by
Tam
on 07.1.2009 | John, ur a complete idiot. Do ur research before making such claims. pfftt..third person...idiot. . | Posted by
The Scholar
on 06.30.2009 | I see Rubio being either a superstar pg or a complete bust. I just can’t see him being a decent starter (a la Andre Miller) or a borderline all-star (a la Baron Davis.) He’s got the tools to be a better-defending, poorer-shooting Nash, and he’ll either get it together and live up to the hype, or flounder for a few years before going back to the comfort of Europe. I feel Griffin will be a steady 15/10 player from the outset; once he adds some consistency and range to his jumper, I see him upping that to 20/10. He’ll be a star (but not a superstar) for years, though I definitely do not see him as a franchise face... more of a Pau-like helper for an elite guard (Eric Gordon?)To be honest, I do see Carter in Derozan. I also see Derozan’s career panning out the same way Carter’s did - starting out as a pure athlete who jumps over anyone and everyone - and then settling into a more well-rounded player once he gets older and can’t sky for all his points.Biggest risk or reward = Rubio. I don’t believe Kahn for a second... no way can Flynn and Rubio play in the same backcourt. . | Posted by
tmk
on 06.30.2009 | Ya, I agree with a previous commetator for Rubio. He DIDN’T refer to himself in the 3rd person, I was watching the draft and he said "I’m Ricky Rubio not anyone else" when he was being asked who he would compare himself to. Also, he said that he likes Nash but admitted that Nash is still much farther/higher then he is. So he understands his position and that he has a long way to go. Having said that, I wouldn’t be suprised if he does have a huge ego. As for DeRozen, as a raps fan I don’t compare him to vc, and I don’t think any knowledgable fan would (not before he plays 1 NBA game anyway). People are just saying he has the athleticism and vertical of vc. I also have NEVER read ANYWHERE anyone saying hes going to average 25-30 points. No raptor fan actualy thinks that. But ya, if here were to average 17-20 points I’d be more then satisfied. . | Posted by
bob
on 06.30.2009 | Sorry who is saying that Demar is Vince part 2?The media?No one from the Raptors camp has said that. They said he possesess the athleticism that Vince once had. That’s all.Do some research before you write your next article. . | Posted by
Toshmon
on 06.30.2009 | Kobe went 13th in his draft...Demar dunked on Kobe at his camp 2 yrs ago..I dont think hell score 30 a night but he has Danny Granger potential. I honestly think that in 5 yrs people are gunna be pissed that they let DeRozan fall to #9but i guess we have to wait and see.Go Raps! . | Posted by
on 06.30.2009 | Maybe you don’t know what it means to refer to oneself in the third person. The exact quote was "I am Ricky Rubio, I am not like [the other NBA players]." . | Posted by
on 06.30.2009 | I played Ricky Rubio in an under 18 international match a few years back, he is exactly what he’s hyped up to be. The best player in the draft is Stephan Curry and does anyone see a Darko in Thabeet? . | Posted by
Gils_keloids
on 06.30.2009 | "Ricky Rubio went 5th because the US teams are too parochial in their outlook" ... either that, or he’s not as good a basketball player as people have been saying he is. . |
No profanity or inaproppriate remarks. All i.p. addresses will be saved and abuse/hate posts will be reported to providers and authorities as part of the anti-spam act of 2003, thank you for posting comments on the articles only. | | | |
| | | |
|  | | | | | NBA Features | | | | | | |
|
|
