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It came to light that the Golden State Warriors were looking to pair Ricky Rubio with their marquee player, Steph Curry, as they expected him to negotiate a buyout during the offseason. Rubio, however, stuck with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and both the player and that franchise look good for it.
It's no news that Cavaliers point guard Ricky Rubio was not excited to join the franchise after playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season. The veteran, now in his 11th NBA season, would have preferred to join a team challenging for a championship title. He was quoted as saying:
“Going to a team that didn’t win for the last four years, talking to my wife, it’s like we’re gonna go through a building process. And at the end of the day she’s the one who’s charged with (managing) my moods at home.”
The Cavs finished 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 22-50 record last season -- after winning 19 games in the first two seasons after LeBron James left for the LA Lakers in 2018. Preseason projections by pundits suggested they would finish with a similar result this season with perhaps a slightly better 27 wins.
The presence of Rubio and rookie Evan Mobley, as well as the play of Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, has had a massive effect on Cleveland's fortunes, however. The Cavs were 13-11 and seventh in the Eastern Conference as they entered Monday night's game at Milwaukee.
Cleveland took a four-game winning streak into a game with one of the NBA's best teams, the Utah Jazz, but fell 109-108 despite making a comeback from a 15-point deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter Sunday night.
Ricky Rubio told The Athletic he is currently happy with the franchise.
Golden State Warriors' potential pairing between Ricky Rubio and Steph Curry
Like most teams in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors thought the 31-year old Spaniard would seek a buyout. The Warriors were looking to pair him with the "Baby-Faced Assassin," Steph Curry. It seemed clear at the time Rubio was not a good fit with the Cavaliers, who are trying to rebuild after missing the playoffs the previous three seasons.
The Cavaliers point guard has had to come off the bench this season to make room for 22-year old Darius Garland. This is the first time in Rubio's 11 seasons he has not been a regular starter.
Rubio has moved around quite a bit, playing for four franchises in the past five seasons (including his second stint with Minnesota, where he played for his first six NBA seasons). He seems to be hitting his stride with the Cavs as he is averaging a career-high 13.6 points per game.
Poll : Would you like to see Ricky Rubio play for the Golden State Warriors?
Yes
No
68 votes
