Report: Rubio Not Interested In Playing For OKC
You knew it was coming.
It’s been less than two full days since the Thunder moved into the top three in the NBA Draft and we already have our first report of Ricky Rubio having no interest in playing in Oklahoma City.
According to the Web site Draftexpress.com, Rubio’s camp is uninterested in seeing their prized 18-year-old point guard phenom begin his career in either of the cities that have the No. 2 and 3 picks.
“From what people around the league are saying, Rubio’s camp may already be sending out feelers indicating that he’s not interested in the least bit in playing in Memphis.”
“Rubio doesn’t want to go to Memphis, and he especially does not want to pay money out of his own pocket with that huge buyout for the honor of doing so. (Dan) Fegan (Rubio’s agent) wants him in L.A., and if he can’t have him there, he wants him in Sacramento. Definitely not Oklahoma City.”
Not quite sure why Sacramento is considered a better destination than Memphis or OKC aside from its obvious proximity to Fegan’s Los Angeles-based agency. The marketing opportunities can’t be that much greater in Sactown. And if you’re Rubio, would you rather play alongside Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green or Kevin Martin, Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni? Even in Memphis, Rubio would step into a better situation alongside Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo, not to mention fellow countryman and former teammate Marc Gasol.
Only one major market has a top four pick in this year’s draft, the Los Angeles Clippers. And even though there are more and more reports about the Clips shopping the pick something tells me L.A. can’t seriously be thinking about passing on Blake Griffin.
If the Rubio report is true, however, this of course wouldn’t be the first time Fegan has lobbied to get an international client to a certain market. Remember Yi Jianlian in 2007? I don’t expect this issue will go away over the next month.
-DM-
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Comments
“Not quite sure why Sacramento is considered a better destination than Memphis or OKC . . . The marketing opportunities can’t be that much greater in Sactown”
Surely you’re joking?
Sweet, so maybe there is a little bit of chance for us to get Blake from LA if the right package is put together. They have plenty of forwards and Davis is a depreciating point guard.
Call this punk’s bluff. Draft him and then let him either stay in Europe or come to America and make the big bucks.
I still say if we can’t get blake get Thabet (sp?). If we can’t get him then get Rubio, even if we have to trade him.
Bwaaaaaaaaaa ! After just one year in having a team in okaysee, already draft picks are saying they don’t want to come here. Draft picks! NOT a star player, but a DRAFT PICK ! Shows how pathetic this city is viewed by everyone from “lower than rookies” up through the aging star players…..and I see the “screw him” comments have already begun by the mouth breathing local yokels….
I think it might be because of the size of the market, but as a draftee, one would think he would exercise all options because it comes down to one thing: Money. If OKC could offer him $4 million a year in a place where you can get a mansion for $1.5 million and the cost of living is so low, it would be ridiculous not to take it.
I don’t think Rubio would be a great pick for OKC anyways. We should try to get Thabeet or Harsden. I think SG and C should be our main priority although if we were to get Blake, we could move Green to SF, Durant to SG and have a solid little core once again.
Paul, get a life or a hobby please. Your comments are ridiculous and I wish you could find something to do with your life that is more positive than constantly ragging on our great state.
If my comments are “ridiculous”, why is there an article in the paper stating the same exact thing I did?? All I did was post the exact comment the paper made. Is the paper “ridiculous” as well?
meh.
we don’t need another point guard, and this just narrows down our choices.
and regarding yukon paul, i like the comments. i don’t agree obviously, but it’s been a long time since there was some real mean-spirited posts by some sad individual that has no one to listen to him bitch in the real world, so he does it online. he’s lonely, and he’s reaching out to anyone…
“If my comments are “ridiculous”, why is there an article in the paper stating the same exact thing I did?”
You posted this Paul: “Shows how pathetic this city is viewed by everyone from ‘lower than rookies’ up through the aging star players……”
Tell me one area where Darnell quoted anything close to that. The only thing I could see you blowing out of propertion is “Definitely not Oklahoma City.”
Why don’t you just admit that you are a failure that isn’t good enough at his job or doesn’t make enough money to go to a place that he enjoys? If you are so “well educated” why are you stationed here?
One more thing to add to the Rubio story. What if we took him and then traded him to someone that needed a PG more than we did to get a SG and first round pick next year? That would give us three first round picks for next year that we could either trade or use to get a great free agent.
“Definitely not Oklahoma City”
Hahahaha, get used to this, people. NOONE wants to go to OKC, not even 17 year old Spanairds. If you want to see the Thunder in 10 years, just look at the 09 Grizzlies, haha. How sad.
[...] The Ricky Rubio situation can only gain more steam from here out and grow into a much bigger issue. I expect it will as we get closer to the draft. Here we have one of only two players in this draft who is projected to be a star and he is likely headed for one of the two smallest markets. [...]
I say let Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook fly to Spain and talk to Ricky Rubio personally, peer to peer, before the draft. When Rubio realizes the greatest things about OKC (second to none) are the friendliness of our people, the passion of our crowds, and the closeness of our team (not just an interesting tourist site), he can see these things will last a much longer time.
I’m thinking that everyone keeps talking about the “nice fans” and “closeness of the team” because that’s all OKC has going for it. But whats funny is the fans are no nicer than any other city, and the team isnt as close-knit as some other teams. They just don’t have anything else to brag about! Just be grateful that you even have a team and accept the fact that no good players will ever voluntarily go to OKC. He can come to Phoenix, the fans cheer loud, the team is close AND he’ll be a relevant market, haha.
David, if Rubio doesn’t want to go to New York, Chicago, Dallas, or other major media markets besides LA, why in the heck would he want to go to Phoenix, a media wasteland. The only thing that Maricopa County is known for is its wacko, redneck sheriff. The minute he arrived in Arizona he’d probably be put in one of those tent-city detention camps for aliens.
“the friendliness of our people, the passion of our crowds, and the closeness of our team “–NONE of which puts championships on the table. Face it okies, up and coming stars don’t want to be associated with this inept and pathetic team/city/state. It may suck for you to acknowledge this fact, but the fact is….
“Why would he or any one elect to move to OKC, land of nobama-ites?”—NO reason I can think of, and politics have nothing to do with it. This is a Kia city that thinks it’s a Lexus.
“Why would he or any one elect to move to OKC, land of nobama-ites?”
why are you here? oh, you’re an idiot.
does it bother the haters when people talk about the thunder? i find out more about the team from thunder-haters than anyone. i love how the people that hate the team follow it so closely… thanks for the attention!
“yukon paul”, the success of the team, I forgot. But if Sam Presti wants to find a diamond out of manure (e.g., Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, plus 4 first round draft picks in 2 seasons) so the Thunder will lay an egg, I have a beach-front property in North Dakota I want to sell you!
No big surprise, OKC isn’t exactly a shining sea of entertainment when compared to other NBA cities. Certainly it’s not a location where international players will be champing at to get to. In the end, money will have to talk more. That said, he’s not going to LA, and as weak as this draft is, he’s going to end up in one of two cities he doesn’t want to be in. I see this as a bargaining chip of some sort, likely to try to get a better deal when he is drafted.
I live in Sacramento and the reality is that any CA city is a great market. Rubio will be much happier with 330 days of sunshine than whatever you guys have in OKC or Memphis. Rubio doesn’t like those cities, it’s unfortunate, now deal with it.
[...] alleged Ricky Rubio situation can only gain more steam from here out and grow into a much bigger issue. I expect it will as we [...]
Excellent blog, Darnell. Thanks for giving us hope: “One league source on Wednesday even indicated the seemingly unthinkable, that the Clippers would be willing to trade the top pick – which they have already confirmed would be Griffin – for the right package.” (Sacramento Bee, 05/21/09) I hope Presti gets to work immediately.