Rubio is back in the NBA, and when I saw the news, I'm afraid many people were as surprised as I was. The Cavaliers officially announced: the team has officially signed Rubio, Lopez and Neto! According to previous reports, Rubio signed a three-year, $18.4 million contract, the first two seasons were fully guaranteed, and the final year was $4.25 million.
Fast forward to December 30, 2021, when the Cavaliers announced that Rubio suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and was reimbursed for the season. On February 7, 2022, the Cavaliers gave rubio + 2022 first-round picks + 2022 second-round picks + 2027 second-round picks, and got Leville + 2022 second-round picks from the Pacers.
Rubio hasn't played for the Pacers due to injury, and his original contract was $51 million for three years, which expires this summer. That is, Rubio returned to the Cavaliers as a free agent. Although Rubio has signed, he is likely to miss the first half of the regular season, which is why the Cavaliers have signed another guard, Raul Neto.
Rubio was born on October 21, 1990, and is currently under the age of 32. Why is it surprising to say that he returned to the Cavaliers? Because Rubio has repeatedly expressed his willingness to return to Play in Europe in previous interviews: "I am a little tired of changing teams continuously. Every player wants a stable environment and my family needs to be stable. ”
Since his injury, Rubio has been recuperating in Spain and has had plenty of time to spend with his family. While you can still play, you can understand that you can continue to play in the NBA for two or three years. Rubio's return to the Cavaliers is also because he is so suitable for this team, and both sides are satisfied. As soon as the free market opened, the Cavaliers contacted Rubio.
In the 2021-22 season, Rubio played in 34 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 28.5 minutes per game, scoring 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.4 steals. He shot 36.3 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from three-point range and 85.4 percent from the free throws. He also had a highlight performance of 37 points, 3 boards and 10 assists in a single game, breaking his NBA career scoring record.
To say that Rubio is a gifted teenager, no one should object, right? At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the 17-year-old Golden Boy attracted a large number of fans with his handsome appearance and gorgeous style of play. Spain and the United States met in the final, and Rubio became the youngest player in Olympic history to participate in the men's basketball final.
In the 2019 World Cup, when veterans such as Gasol and Navarro retired, Rubio carried the banner of Spanish attack. He averaged 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1.5 steals per game, shooting 44% from the field and 39% from three-point range, leading the Spanish men's basketball team to win all eight games. In the final, he scored 20 points, 7 boards and 3 assists, and was awarded the FMVP.
This FIBA genius didn't go very well in the NBA. In the 2009 draft, the Timberwolves picked Rubio with the 5th pick in the first round, and he became the first post-90s player selected by the NBA. Rubio's front Griffin, Tabit, Harden and Evans are all post-80s. It wasn't until the summer of 2011 that the 21-year-old Rubio landed in the NBA.
So far in his NBA career, Rubio has played in 665 regular season games, averaging 30.3 minutes per game, 11.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.8 steals, shooting three: 38.9%, 32.6% and 84.3%. Shooting and three-pointers are still his shortcomings. The golden boy who used to be a golden boy is 32 years old, and we who watched him play in those years are also middle-aged.