With the October 31 deadline drawing near, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Ricky Rubio remain " a good distance apart" in negotiating a contract extension according Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Rubio and his agent Dan Fegan reportedly want a 5 year max contract but the Timberwolves are hesitant to grant him the extension that's why both sides have remained far apart in the negotiating table.
Per CBS Sports:
The point guard is one at the very best at his position in terms of defense, passing and rebounding. He's a breathtaking open-court player. He turns 24 in a month. He and agent Dan Fegan reportedly want a maximum contract, though, and that's a tough one. Rubio's poor shooting and lack of aggressiveness on offense aren't necessarily going to get better.
So how will Rubio convince the Timberwolves that he is worth the max contract? Tom Ziller of SB Nation believes that he can learn from another player who holds a similar unique skill set and has been successful in getting paid: Rajon Rondo. Rondo signed an early extension from the Celtics in 2009 for $55 million over 5 years and what had been a controversial deal at that time turned out to be a genuine steal.
Both Rubio and Rondo have similar styles in that they are very creative with the ball in their hands but are somewhat limited in their range of shooting especially when launching the three. Ziller, however, points out that Rondo is just better at utilizing his strengths:
One thing Rondo was way more adept at in this stage of his career was knowing what he couldn't do. In his third season, more than two-thirds of Rondo's shots came from within 10 feet of the rim. He refused to take a bunch of jumpers because, like Rubio, he was not good at shooting them.
Rondo is also a great finisher and Rubio is not. If Rubio can become strong enough to be a decent finisher or even better then he may just be able to improve his scoring output and reach another level. He has reportedly been working on improving his upper body strength this summer so it could be a clear indication that he is working on becoming a better finisher. But for now, until the Timberwolves are not convinced that he can become more than just a gifted passer and a willing defender, Rubio can only hope that he will be granted a max contract.
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