Ricky Rubio, the Minnesota Timberwolves 5^th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, has decided to continue his basketball career in Spain for at least the next two years.  The 19-year-old Spaniard who has been compared to great guards such as “Pistol” Pete Maravich and Steve Nash, agreed to a six year deal with Regal FC Barcelona after the club paid a $5 million buyout to Rubio’s former team DKV Joventut.  The deal with Barcelona also includes a buyout clause; however Rubio cannot exercise that clause for two years.  Rubio has stated he wants to be in the NBA and intends to head there as soon as his buyout clause is available. 

This news came as a surprise to many, but it probably came as a bigger surprise to Minnesota Timberwolves President David Kahn who had been traveling back and forth to Spain and seemingly rapped up a deal with Rubio to become the point guard for the Timberwolves.  This agreement happened only two days before the point guard changed his mind and decided to stay in Spain.

 Kahn tried his best to attract the phenom to Minnesota, yet the NBA limited what the Timberwolves could do financially.  NBA rules prevented the Timberwolves from being able to pay Rubio’s buyout clause from DKV Joventut as the highest offer they could make was $500,000.  What Kahn did have to offer was a number of endorsements, sponsorships, and the fame that comes with being an NBA attraction but it was not enough to keep the talented young point guard from leaving his home country.  This will most likely hurt the Timberwolves’ win column as well as their ticket sales this year, yet they do have another young talented point guard in former Syracuse Orange guard Jonny Flynn, whom they selected right behind Rubio at the 6^th spot in the 2009 NBA draft.