re: Rubio gets 4 yrs $55 mil

As a Timberwolves fan, I'm of two minds with this. I'm pissed and happy at the same time.

1) He's never going to be a franchise type player. He'll be a serviceable starting PG, and will be able to facilitate a certain style of offense, beyond his athletic limitations. I don't worry about an injury based decline of his athleticism, because he's already had a major injury, and didn't have a ton to lose.

2) This contract would be indefensible under the old CBA; even under the current one, it is only defensible because the cap is going to warp the idea of what a $10-15 million dollar player is, as it hits a period of rapid growth.

3) Part of the reason we rubbed Kevin Love the wrong way, was our unwillingness to dedicate that 5th year to him, as a True Franchise guy; ownership and management decided to keep that in the pocket for Rubio-- and ended up giving Rubio a 4 year deal as well, meaning they could have used the 5 year Designated Player provision on Love.

This is why it is hard to be a Timberwolves fan; even when you get it right, its because you screwed something else up in an epic fashion.