# Rubio Doesn't Want Memphis/OKC?



## qross1fan (Dec 28, 2004)

> While Oklahoma City would obviously be extremely interested in the prospect of acquiring the top pick and drafting local product Blake Griffin, there is one team standing in their way – the Memphis Grizzlies, who own the #2 pick. 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. 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.* “
> 
> ...


Jonathan Givony on DraftXpress


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## DANNY (Aug 9, 2005)

if the clips decide to trade blake griffin, i'm not rooting for them ever again.

griffin + gordon pick and roll deadly combo for many years


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## Ben (Nov 7, 2006)

A huge blow for Memphis, Rubio/Mayo would be deadly, but if he isn't willing to play for them, who knows what happens. Hopefully for them they can get a good trade out of him.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

I am on record as not believing that Rubio will be one of the top two picks from this draft. However, this really doesn't make sense. In what universe is it better to play for the Los Angeles Clippers or the Sacramento Kings, then Memphis or Oklahoma City? I mean the Clippers are the worst franchise in NBA history and other than the Webber years, Sacramento has always been awful.


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## Ben (Nov 7, 2006)

Agreed.

Surely it's a much more exciting prospect to play with Mayo/Gay or Durant/Green/Westbrook, than Gordon or Martin.


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

Who is spreading the rumor that he doesn't want to play in Memphis or OKC ? Either I'm blind or there is no source other than "his camp".


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## MLKG (Aug 25, 2003)

I saw an article from a Memphis newspaper where the writer wondered if the Knicks would trade David Lee and the #8 for the #2.

Ummm... how do you say "**** yes" in spanish?


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## TM (Jun 30, 2003)

Stupid for not want OKC. With 1 or 2 more solid drafts, that team is on the road to becoming Trailblazers 2.0.

Although that would be awesome to see one of the Top 3 guys refuse to play for his team and go back home.


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## Avalanche (Nov 17, 2005)

his AGENT doesnt want him to go to memphis or OKC


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## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

Typical Dan Fegan, the undisputed biggest pain-in-the-*** agent in professional sports.

This is worth nothing to me until I hear it straight from Ricky Rubio. He'd rather play for the Clippers or in Sacramento instead of Oklahoma City or Memphis? What kind of sense does that make?


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

I can understand why he wouldn't want to play in OKC. Russell Westbrook had a great year last year, and he has shown a lot of promise. Dude was 19 when he was drafted too if I remember correctly, so the PG situation for OKC is seems shored up for years to come. Why would Rubio want to play there?

As for Memphis, his agent may be intimidated by the presence of Mike Conley (which is pretty funny). 

The two teams that he mentioned not wanting to play for both have young talent at the PG spot, so I can see why he'd rather go to LA (they aren't afraid to move Baron, and even if they don't he isn't a young guy anymore), or to SacTown (who's their PG? Beno Udrith? I literally just laughed out loud).

I really hope that Rubio isn't going to act like some little spoiled brat premadonna, because I really like the kids skillset. Looking at it from Rubio's point of view, I don't completely blame him (if it's really him AND his agent, not just his agent) for being vocal about not wanting to go to a certain team. He is paying out of HIS pocket to break a contract with a team that's not only in his home country, but that he has been playing with for awhile now. In all actuallity, this kid really does have most of the leverage in any situation, at least until he signs an NBA contract.


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## Rather Unique (Aug 26, 2005)

i think it could just be Fegan talkin it up because Memphis and OKC are smaller media markets than an obvious L.A. or Sacramento. Remember more often then not, these kinda things are usually about exposure and chances for endorsements ($$$) than they are about who the team has, etc.


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)




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## Dornado (May 26, 2003)

Just like when Yi was going to refuse to play in Milwaukee... lame.

Rubio is vastly overrated from what I've seen (not unlike Yi).


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## Chef (Nov 24, 2002)

I was disapointed when I heard Memphis got the 2nd pick. They have Conley, they have a very ball dominant player in Mayo and a chucker in Gay. I don't see him fitting there. As for Oklahoma, they already have Westbrook and it's not like Oklahoma is an attractive market.

I am glad Ricky made it clear to his agent that he does not want to play in Memphis or Oklahoma. He is not paying his huge buyout to play anywhere. I'm with him


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## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

GregOden said:


> I can understand why he wouldn't want to play in OKC. Russell Westbrook had a great year last year, and he has shown a lot of promise. Dude was 19 when he was drafted too if I remember correctly, so the PG situation for OKC is seems shored up for years to come. Why would Rubio want to play there?
> 
> As for Memphis, his agent may be intimidated by the presence of Mike Conley (which is pretty funny).
> 
> ...


Don't be ridiculous, this is all about the city Rubio wants to live in, the media market, and endorsements. Westbrook is a shooting guard, and Mike Conley isn't intimidating at this point.

If the Grizz really want Rubio they'll send Marc Gasol over to convince him that Memphis isn't so bad.


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

Dornado said:


> Just like when Yi was going to refuse to play in Milwaukee... lame.
> 
> Rubio is vastly overrated from what I've seen (not unlike Yi).


In what way is Rubio vastly overrated? I'm very curious to hear this response.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

It's amazing to me to read some of the comments across various places. The Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers are small market teams that stink. Rubio will not receive endorsements playing on an awful team. It just doesn't work like that. Nate Robinson plays in New York, is exciting and relatable to the average person because of his height and the best he could do is playing the lead role in the "Gary Coleman Story." 

Adam Morrison was taken #3 in 2006 and how many endorsements has he had since his rookie year? What about OJ Mayo who is a better player than Rubio and yet he hasn't received even a modest push from the NBA marketing department. Bargnani? Bogut? Marvin Williams? Al Horford? 

The last four I have mentioned have made the playoffs before and were top 3 selections in the last 4 years and yet, they are nowhere close to being in the top 25 most marketable players in the NBA. You become marketable by first making your team better (and making the playoffs) and then going to all-star games and playing big games in the playoffs. 

Rubio as a 19 year old, would have to be Derrick Rose good (meaning he would have be cited as the reason his team is now a playoff team). Can Rubio take the Clippers or Sacramento to the playoffs as a rookie? Of course not. This guy is not going to be on NBA commercials until he wins some games period. 

Blake Griffin is in the same boat. We are not going to hear about him after a year if the Clippers don't start making the playoffs. If it was me, I would go to Memphis and compete for the playing time because at least the minutes are there and the team is on the rise. Sacramento is just a flat out mess. Why would you WANT to play there right now?


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

DANNY said:


> if the clips decide to trade blake griffin, i'm not rooting for them ever again.
> 
> griffin + gordon pick and roll deadly combo for many years


I think they'll hold onto Griffin. They're dumb, but I don't think they're dumb enough to trade him just because Ricky Rubio doesn't want to play in Memphis.

Rubio not wanting to play in Memphis should have nothing to do with the Clipps.


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## Seanzie (Jun 9, 2003)

GregOden said:


> I can understand why he wouldn't want to play in OKC. Russell Westbrook had a great year last year, and he has shown a lot of promise. Dude was 19 when he was drafted too if I remember correctly, so the PG situation for OKC is seems shored up for years to come. Why would Rubio want to play there?
> 
> As for Memphis, his agent may be intimidated by the presence of Mike Conley (which is pretty funny).
> 
> ...


Completely off-topic, but the saying in under your name is actually "draped up, and dripped out." Unless you go to Drake University. Then it's okay!


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## Dornado (May 26, 2003)

GregOden said:


> In what way is Rubio vastly overrated? I'm very curious to hear this response.


The short answer is that I think he's going to get torched and isn't a special athlete... 

My exposure to Rubio is pretty much limited to what I saw in Beijing, for the record.


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## TM (Jun 30, 2003)

you just described steve nash


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## Hibachi! (Sep 18, 2003)

Didn't work with Yi, and it won't work with Rubio. The draft is too weak to let him go.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

Yi IS IN fact one of the more marketable players in the NBA. Believe it or not. The guy's huge in China.

As for Rubio, I dont see Nash being beseiged with endorsements despite being a 2 time MVP. I am thinking he's probably thinking of playing in exotic, sunny Cali but if I were him I'd absolutely play in Memphis or OKC. He'll get more value for his money. Cali is one of the worst taxed states, whilst southern states are usually some of the best. Maybe the lure of playing for the Maloofs has gotten to him.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Yi is marketable in China because he's Chinese. Yi is not marketable here because he's not a good player. Maybe Jarvis Hayes should change his name to Guan Chen, so he can sell some toys over in Beijing. 

Rubio may be popular in Spain, but if he becomes an all-star in any city in the league, people will buy his jersey. You don't have to play in NY or LA to have the highest selling jersey or receive endorsements. Adam Morrison got commercials from a bunch of places when he was drafted to Charlotte only to see them dry up once he proved to be a bum.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

We've been through the Yi thing. Mengke Bateer isn't getting endorsement deals in China, for some reason Yi is popular there. Not everyone from China that can play ball is as luck as he is. Good for him. Its a huge market, he's doing something right.

As for the other part, I agree with you. I think its a punk move on his part.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

HB said:


> We've been through the Yi thing. Mengke Bateer isn't getting endorsement deals in China, for some reason Yi is popular there. Not everyone from China that can play ball is as luck as he is. Good for him. Its a huge market, he's doing something right.
> 
> As for the other part, I agree with you. I think its a punk move on his part.


Menke Bateer looks more like a bouncer from a Jackie Chan movie than a basketball player. Yi is a tall, lean guy who looks like an NBA player. The problem is, he doesn't play like one. If he continues to be mediocre, those deals will dry up, but hey maybe he can become a runway model.


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## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

HB said:


> *I am thinking he's probably thinking of playing in exotic, sunny Cali* but if I were him I'd absolutely play in Memphis or OKC. He'll get more value for his money. Cali is one of the worst taxed states, whilst southern states are usually some of the best. Maybe the lure of playing for the Maloofs has gotten to him.


LOL, guess he's never been to Sacramento.


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## BubblesinanIV (Sep 22, 2004)

Bitterness makes me smile that he lumped OKC in this. But aside from that, who would want to have to pay millions of dollars to play for the Grizzlies or Thunder. I hope he waits another year, just because I don't want to see him even possibly playing for the Thunder.


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## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

Well he can't just sit out for a year and reenter the draft like Bo Jackson. If he ever wants to come over, it has to be for the team that drafts him.


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

Players getting drafted should NOT have this so called power to pick and choose who they want to play with. You either play for who you're drafted, or you don't play at all is what I say. None of this Steve Francis, Kobe Bryant, Yi crap.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

Kind of an update to this at least on Memphis' side. This is from yesterday though.

*Ricky Rubio's agent doesn't rule out Grizzlies*




> Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said Friday there was cordial talk -- and no threats -- when he met with the agent for Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio.
> 
> "We had a productive and wide-ranging discussion. It was a good meeting," Wallace said from Los Angeles before he boarded a plane for Spain to watch the 18-year-old Rubio, who according to an Internet report might not want to play in Memphis.
> 
> ...


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## TM (Jun 30, 2003)

Latest from DraftExpress



> “The bottom line here is that Ricky has a large buyout—5.75 million Euros, both for this year and the year after. Depending on the team that selects him, he’s going to make a decision on whether he comes over or not. If he’s not satisfied, there is a very real possibility that he doesn’t come. His buyout is going to cost him a lot of money, and if it doesn’t make sense for him, he won’t do it. He is going to have to pay for the privilege of playing in the NBA”
> 
> According to the source, Rubio’s decision is going to come down to two things: winning and the role he’ll play for the team that picks him. *The size of the market of the team that drafts him is apparently irrelevant, since his appeal will be on a global scale, reaching far past his team’s city limits.*
> 
> With that in mind, it appears that the Memphis Grizzlies will have to make a very strong sales pitch to Rubio for him to move off his initial stance of not wanting to play for them. Rubio’s concerns stem from a number of factors, ranging from the potential poor fit of playing alongside a very ball-dominant guard in O.J. Mayo, to the negative experiences conveyed to him by the likes of Juan Carlos Navarro and Pau Gasol.


Sounds to me like his main concern is playing alongside guys like Mayo and Westbrook. Definitely understandable.


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

TM said:


> Latest from DraftExpress
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds to me like his main concern is playing alongside guys like Mayo and Westbrook. Definitely understandable.


Kevin Martin is more ball dominant then Mayo.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

But the Grizz also have Gay.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

What happened to competing for minutes? Why is it bad for him to earn playing time? No one is going to play him just because he's a top 2 pick.


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

TM said:


> you just described steve nash


Steve Nash has a pretty complete offensive game, something that isn't true of Rubio. I'm going to laugh my *** off, though, when Dunceleavy trades Griffin to Memphis so that he can draft Rubio.


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## TM (Jun 30, 2003)

Link


> There are some concerns that being selected fourth won’t cut it, and Rubio has already come out publicly in the Spanish media and stated that it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll be leaving Joventut this summer.
> 
> “There are possibilities of continuing in Joventut. It depends on what number I get picked and the final negotiations, but mainly the buyout clause that my agent is negotiating with the club.”
> 
> ...


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

Draft Express continues to push their fake agenda. I wonder why Fegan and Rubio did not state their unwillingness to play for Memphis in person when they said just the opposite. Nevermind, keep pushing it...


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## NorthSideHatrik (Mar 11, 2003)

So what is the PG situation in Memphis right now? MemphisX why are you pushing for Mayo to play point? I haven't seen too many grizzlies games lately, but it looks like Conley is going to be a 14ppg 6 or 7 assist PG (with no real post presence). And Mayo is much better being a scorer than a playmaker isn't he? Is there something about Conley's game not visible from his stats.


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