The Minnesota Timberwolves were a popular pick among basketball people to compete for one of the final spots in the Western Conference playoffs, but they have gotten off to a disappointing start. Minnesota is 11-18 so far, which actually has them in the hunt because of how down the conference has been. But overall, they have not played as well as they would have hoped. The interesting thing about their bad play is that they have been relatively healthy this season, so it is hard to pinpoint why they aren't playing better.
Ricky Rubio is one of the players whose health is always a concern, and while he has missed six games so far, he has mostly been available for the Timberwolves this season. Rubio's health is not only essential to the Timberwolves as their starting point guard, but it will also be big for Spain as we near the 2016 Olympics. Rubio has not decided whether he would play in the Olympics, and he says a lot has to do with how he feels after this NBA season, according to Alejnadro Delmas of Baloncesto.
"I'll make a decision at the end of the season. I will play the Olympic Games if I'm healthy. That's the most important thing," said Rubio.
Rubio has dealt with a bit of an ankle issue at times this year, but he has recently been playing his normal minutes and having a big impact for his team despite shooting a less than stellar percentage from the field. Rubio signed a big contract extension that kicked in this season, and he unfortunately hasn't shown the shooting improvement that Minnesota would have hoped, as he is only shooting 33 percent from the field and 27 percent from three.
Despite the poor shooting numbers, it is impossible to deny the impact Rubio has on the game, as he still has an 18.2 PER, which is second on the team, and he is dishing out 8.6 assists and adding 2.1 steals per game. At this point, it seems likely that Rubio will never shoot a good percentage from the field, but he is still someone you want on your team because he is an elite passer and very solid on the defensive end.
Spain would love to have Rubio available for them in the Olympics, as they should be one of the favorites in the tournament with the Gasol brothers among other talented players. Rubio was part of the 2008 Spanish national team that won the silver medal and has also played in many other tournaments with them, most recently the 2013 Eurobasket where they won Bronze. Rubio has had his health issues over the years, but right now he seems pretty healthy, and as long as it stays that way, it seems like he will be playing for Spain come next summer.
