Rumors Swirl Rubio May Stay in Spain

While most NBA draft picks are preparing for summer league play in Orlando and Las Vegas next week, rumors continue to swirl that Ricky Rubio may wait a year -- and perhaps even longer -- until he makes the jump to the NBA.

According to El Periodico, a Spanish newspaper, Rubio has already ruled out playing this coming season, and in fact plans to drop the lawsuit he filed against DKV Joventut, his current Spanish team, regarding his buyout clause, which he previously argued was too much money for what Joventut has been paying him.

Before fans in Minnesota get too upset, they should consider the source: El Periodico's report neither cites a source nor includes a byline -- this could be nothing more than re-hashed speculation that we've been hearing all week.

Within hours of his son being drafted, Rubio's father told a Spanish newspaper that Rubio may wait a year or two before making the jump, apparently because he was disappointed after falling to the Timberwolves instead of being drafted fourth overall by the Kings or being traded to a major market like New York.

Timberwolves GM David Kahn is on the record saying the rebuilding Timberwolves have nothing but time if Rubio chooses to play out the final two years of his Spanish contract, while Joventut's president Jordi Villacampa is on the record saying his team is willing to let Rubio's lawsuit go to the courts before they begin negotiations of a buyout.

If Rubio has indeed changed his stance, dropped his lawsuit and resigned himself to spending the next two years in Europe, you'd think the announcement would come with a little more fanfare, or at least a direct quote.

So rather than play guessing games as to the legitimacy of El Periodico's source, the best bet is to simply wait for confirmation from Minnesota's front office. The regular season doesn't start for another three months, and until an agreement (or trade) is officially reached, we can expect a great deal of posturing from both sides.