Despite being on vacation for a week at a rather remote lake in northern Minnesota, I was able to stay in touch with the sports world while away. The following post is going to cover a variety of topics that I wanted to touch on. There are lots of things that get on my nerves, and sporting events are no exception. If I may go back a week or so in the sports world, I’d like to discuss the Ricky Rubio situation that has arisen. After being drafted 5th by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the same guy who said he’d play in the NBA “for free” and that getting out of his current contract wouldn’t be a problem, now is talking about remaining in Spain for one or two more years. Couple that with him saying that Minnesota is “too cold” and skipping the Timberwolves post-draft press conference, it looks as though Rubio has no intention of putting on a Wolves jersey anytime soon, if at all. While this situation bothers me in part because I am a Timberwolves fan, I would dislike this situation regardless of the team. I still hold a grudge against Eli Manning for refusing to play for the Chargers and think that Yi Jianlian and his agents were wrong in how they scoffed at the idea of playing in Milwaukee. The point of the draft is that the best players go to the worst teams. Demanding a trade or refusing to play defeats the purpose of the draft and, in my opinion, lowers the integrity of the sport in question.
Looking at the Rubio situation, it is obvious that he would not balk if he were to play in New York (which can be cold as well, Ricky). All I heard about from Rubio was that the NBA was his dream and he was excited to play, but once he found out he was headed to Minnesota, he changed his song. This is nothing more than a desire to make as much money as possible. New York is not a better team than Minnesota, but endorsements may come quicker for him there. There are some who believe that the big name players belong in the big markets because it “helps the NBA”. My question in return is that if a big name player refuses to play in a small market in favor of a New York or Los Angeles, how does the small franchise survive and thrive? If every college/foreign star heads right for a large market, how does the NBA expect to make money from the small market teams? Do they just bank on a sellout when the Knicks or Lakers come to town? Or should the NBA allow the small market teams to become glorified junior varsity teams who are perenially whipping posts for the big teams on their run to the playoffs? The draft is one of the few things that instills hope in a franchise and its fanbase, and landing a big name player brings some excitement which, in turn, sells tickets and merchandise.
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