WOLVES SIGN RICKY RUBIO Signed, Sealed, and Soon to be Delivered: Ricky Rubio Since the ripe age of 14, a floppy hair, flashy ball-handling Spanish wizard has tantalized NBA executives and fans from afar. Six years later and two years following the 2009 NBA Draft, the basketball enigma that is Ricky Rubio will finally make the journey over 4.500 miles to Minneapolis, agreeing to play for the Wolves in 2011. "It is my dream and I want to fulfill it,'' Rubio emphatically stated in an associated press report. "After thinking about it a lot, the time has arrived." Why is Rubio inclined to make the leap now and what led to the signing? These burning questions among Minnesota and NBA fans were answered in an exclusive interview with president of basketball operations David Kahn. “I think Ricky felt two years ago, that he wanted two more years of season in the Spanish League and at the age of 18, he could use another two years,” Kahn explained. “I think that in hindsight, he probably made a wise decision, not only for him, but probably for us too. I think that this has always been contemplated, I met with him last summer, and he reaffirmed his desire to come at the end of the season and of course we've maintained very close contact with him, his family members, and I think that this has been kind of emotional for almost two years and obviously it was accelerated in May when his season was coming to an end. You are never sure when anybody signs in any venue until you actually have a signature on the page so I can't say that it was something that we didn't have to work at. But I think we developed a close relationship with not only him but his family members and I think they felt very comfortable starting their career here in Minnesota and we're very pleased to have him.” Jump back to the 2009 Draft when Kahn acquired the fifth overall pick by shipping Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards. A stunning development swung the door wide open for Minnesota to snatch one of the top ranked prospects on Draft night. After the Clippers predictably selected Blake Griffin with the No. 1 overall pick, Memphis snagged center Hasheem Thabeet, followed by the Thunder taking James Harden. All of the sudden, the Wolves were in prime position to add a player that was valued as a top three pick heading into the Draft. Sacramento decided to use its No. 4 overall pick on Tyreke Evans and Minnesota fans erupted inside the Target Center at the 2009 Draft party, creating the marriage between the Wolves and Rubio with the No. 5 overall pick that came to fruition less than a week before the 2011 Draft. The immediate elation for the Wolves fan base was put on hold following the 2009 Draft as Rubio's contract with DKV Joventut was a bit sticky. NBA teams are restricted under the current collective bargaining agreement and can only contribute $500,000 towards a player's contract buyout. Joventut's buyout clause was hefty while the 18-year-old at the time felt two more years in Spain would help elevate his growth on and off the court. Alleviating the pressure to perform on basketball's grand stage at 18 years old, Rubio inked a deal with FC Barcelona, creating an affordable buyout and allowing the point guard to spend some formidable years close to home. “Ricky is a pretty rare player in that he has achieved so much at such a young age, and yet I think these last two years, the one thing that probably most happened was his change of body,” Kahn observed. “You can see a significant change in both his upper and lower body and I think he has grown an inch. He looked to me to be at least an inch taller when we saw him last in May, so from a body standpoint and certainly a maturity standpoint in every facet, these past two years have been good for him.” Kahn and the front office staff remained patient with the understanding that several notable U.S. born and international players have not suited up for the squad the same year they were drafted. Internationally, the list includes: Drazen Petrovic, Arvydas Sabonis, Toni Kukoc, Zydrunas Illgauskas, Peja Stojakovic, Manu Ginobili, Andrei Kirilenko, and most recently Tiago Splitter. In 1978, Larry Bird was selected sixth overall but elected to play his senior season for Indiana State before jumping to the NBA the following year. After San Antonio drafted David Robinson in 1987, he completed his U.S. Naval Academy responsibilities and then launched a Hall of Fame career with the Spurs. One year prior to the Wolves selecting Rubio with the No. 5 overall pick, the Spaniard and his fellow countrymen squared off against Team USA in the 2008 Olympics. As the youngest player to ever step on the floor in an Olympic basketball final, Rubio faced the NBA's top floor generals, Jason Kidd and Chris Paul. He also shared the floor with top point guards Derrick Rose and Stephen Curry in a friendly matchup last year between Spain and Team USA. Offensively, Rubio seemed to excel when playing in an NBA style of contest and he impressively recorded four steals in the game. "Ricky knows how to the play the game," Paul acknowledged. "Even though he is young, he has more experience than a lot of the guys in the NBA have. Obviously, it's a different game than playing overseas but he's smart and crafty, he knows how to play." http://goo.gl/x6X9s -- 　　　　　　◣◣ ◢ 　 　　　 　▌◥ ◢◣ 　◣ ◤ＩＮＮＥＳＯＴＡ ◢◣ 　 ◢◣ ◢◤◣◢◣　◣ ◢ ◢◣ ◢◤◣ 　　 ◢◣ ◢ ◣◢◣◢◤◣◢ ◣ ▌◣▌ ◢◣◢ ◣ ◢◣ ◢ ◣ ◢◣ ▌ ＴＩＭＢＥＲ◣◥ ◤ＯＬＶＥＳ ψsunnyside --

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