This Is It...

Surprise MVP Candidate: Kevin Love

So here we are; the last issue of the Interrobang for this school year. While the NBA season will still go on, it won’t be possible to write more about the league. In that regard, this will be my playoff preview, if I may call it that.

At the time of writing, just two teams have clinched playoff spots: The Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Hardly surprising there, I would say; these are the two teams I fancy to top their respective conferences. Miami sits second in their conference and they should qualify next, but one team that has caught my eye is the San Antonio Spurs. They sit second in the West and have played just 50 games (at the time of writing). Remarkable, considering many view them as an ‘aging team.’

On the other side of things, three teams are already out of playoff contention: the New Orleans Hornets, the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Bobcats. The fourth worst win percentage (at a modest .340) is Toronto. At this moment, they look to be the next team headed out of playoff contention.

Jeremy Lin is out injured; he’s expected to be out for six weeks. That could be six long weeks for the New York Knicks as they sit in eighth place in the East and the Milwaukee Bucks are right on their tail. The NBA playoffs begin on April 28 and if the Knicks do squeeze into the playoffs, they will be up against the Bulls, and honestly, they would be massive underdogs in that matchup.

If the league were to end with the standings as they are, there is one matchup that will be interesting to watch: the L.A. Lakers against the Dallas Mavericks. Remember Dallas swept the Lakers aside last year in their conference semi-final matchup, so Kobe Bryant and company will be out for revenge. By no means has this Dallas team impressed me so far, so I won’t put it beyond the Lakers to take the series this time around should it occur.

All this discussion leads me towards another key question that basketball fans always seem to debate about: who will be this year’s MVP? I’ve come up with a few candidates who could take home top prize, but by no means is this list definitive:

• Kevin Durant: He missed out on this award last year. While Derrick Rose was a worthy winner, remember Durant didn’t get half as much coverage as Rose did. So for him to win the NBA MVP award will be a huge boost indeed.
• Derrick Rose: He’s arguably Chicago’s key player. Rose is one of the reasons why Chicago is running riot in the NBA this season. He scores when called upon and distributes the ball well. He’s another definite MVP candidate, but his injury layoff could hamper his chances.
• Chris Paul: He had his stellar seasons at New Orleans, and now that Paul is in L.A., he’s clicking well with the Clippers. Based on the Clippers’ season, he could end up with this award, and that is something that will drive the Lakers mad.
• LeBron James: James is always going to be on the MVP candidate list, he is that big a player. His offensive efficiency is excellent, while his rebounding and defence has been outstanding. He showed what he can do when Dwayne Wade was out, but the one thing James wants more than anything is the NBA ring that has eluded him all these years.
• Kevin Love: I’m going to take a huge gamble and place Love on this list. While most people expect the MVP to at least make the playoffs, this year Love has improved his game. I credit the Ricky Rubio effect as the key to this transition. While Minnesota’s failure to possibly make the playoffs could ruin Love’s chances for the award, his stats still show what he is capable of.
• Kobe Bryant: Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. He’s played injured and he’s scored key points to help the Lakers win games, so it’s no surprise that he is on this list as well. He’s leading the shortened NBA season in scoring. He’s also broken a couple of records this season, which adds to his credentials. So, I guess, while I might not be his biggest fan, this list would be incomplete without Bryant.

The league is winding down to an end, and Kentucky’s Anthony Davis tipped to be a first overall pick in 2012, which isn’t surprising, given his potential. This shortened NBA season is surely putting up some surprises. It’ll be sad when the season is over, but then you just have to wait a few more months for it to happen all over again. Amazing!

Originally Written for the Interrobang:http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=8433&sectionID=4&issueID=203
Image Credit: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/content_images/love_buzzer.jpg
Video Credit:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHfUQMv6uW0

The Ricky Rubio Effect

Ricky Rubio: Spain's next big thing

Every great person, in any field of life, almost always had someone who assisted him, without receiving much fanfare or recognition. The case of the Minnesota Timberwolves is something similar. Remember, this was a team that lost their franchise player Kevin Garnett in 2007, and have been struggling ever since. For those of you who don’t recall this trade, on July 31, 2007, the Timberwolves traded all-star Garnett to the Boston Celtics for Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, two first-round draft picks and cash considerations, the largest combination of players and picks ever traded for a single player in NBA history. Such was the situation of the team that they had to trade Garnett and hope to rebuild from there on.

Ricky Rubio is not an ordinary kid. He was highly rated ever since he made himself known to the basketball world. Rubio has been rated by basketball scouts as possibly the best-ever European prospect. At the age of 14, Rubio played in Spain’s ACB, one of Europe’s top pro leagues, for DKV Joventut Badalona near his Catalan hometown of El Masnou. A year later, he led Spain to FIBA’s Under 16 European title, picking up a quadruple-double on the way. A stat that is even more impressive from that tournament came in the final where Spain beat Russia in double-overtime. Rubio picked up 51 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists, seven steals and one half-court buzzer-beater to force the first OT. At the age of 16, he led the Euroleague in steals.

So what made Rubio such a coveted prospect in the basketball world? Well, for starters, the accolades that he received before he was NBA draft eligible. This brings me to the 2009 NBA draft: Minnesota had four first-round draft picks and picked Rubio fifth overall in the hopes of pairing him with Kevin Love. It wasn’t smooth sailing as the T-Wolves had to negotiate a buyout with his parent team, DKV Joventut Badalona. In an ESPN article dated September 1, 2009, Rubio, despite stating his desire to play in the NBA, was not ready to move at the age of 18. Timberwolves President David Kahn was both disappointed and optimistic. “Of course there’s disappointment, but I don’t think that disappointment should overshadow the big picture, which is, he’s still so young. It appears now we will have a two-year wait. But if you frame it as he’ll be 20 years old and he’ll have two more years to develop, I can think of a lot worse things to happen to us as a franchise,” said Kahn. And so it was. Rubio signed a deal with FC Barcelona Bàsquet and was to remain in Spain for at least two years before a potential move to Minnesota to line up alongside Love, who in the meantime set the record for the longest double-double streak since the ABA/NBA merger in 1976. Love’s streak ended at 53 and for a team struggling throughout the season, it was a streak well received by coaches, fans and players around the league.

The year 2011 saw Rubio finally don an NBA jersey as he began his career in the U.S. He made his debut on December 26, 2011 in front of a sell-out crowd, which coincidentally was Minnesota’s first sell out crowd since the 2007/08 season. One could already see the fans’ belief in their team go up. It’s interesting to note how a 21-year-old Spaniard can do so much to lift the morale of an ailing franchise. Rubio was selected to participate in the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge as a member of Team Shaq and contributed 10 points and seven assists (most of them outrageous plays, adding to his already growing repertoire). The T-Wolves, meanwhile, are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

It is always sad when players get injured, and Rubio was unfortunate to suffer a torn ACL in his left knee as he collided with Kobe Bryant. The injury has robbed the T-Wolves of their rookie point guard, who has helped turn the franchise into one of the most exciting in the NBA this year and has left Spain with a big hole in their backcourt as they look ahead to the London Games. Rubio will miss the rest of the NBA season, and it is an injury that stings both the team and the fans. The rookie, who’s become the symbol of his team’s resurgence falling helplessly on the court and waving for help, is not something anyone wanted to see right now, but as Love put it, “We cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We have to accept and move on.” The T-Wolves must put Rubio’s injury behind them as soon as possible if they are to focus on securing a playoff spot for themselves.

Whatever the outcome of this season for the Timberwolves, it will always go down as one where the team believed. Love and Rubio especially helped transform this struggling franchise’s fortunes into potential playoff contenders. I can’t wait for the next season already, for if this season is anything to go by, then the next one could only get better. And for Rubio, there’s a long road ahead, but one which should bring him numerous accolades. 

Originally Written for the Interrobang:http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=8302&sectionID=4&issueID=200
Image Credit: http://www.kare11.com/images/640/360/2/assetpool/images/111217103730_ricky_rubio_640.jpg
Video Credit:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM3ruckll_U