In a heartbreaking turn of events for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team announced today that an MRI revealed that guard Ricky Rubio has a torn ACL in his left knee. Rubio, who will have surgery scheduled at a to-be-determined date, will miss the remainder of the 2011-12 NBA season.
In addition, Rubio likely will be unable to compete in the 2012 Olympics for the Spanish National Team.
The injury occurred with 16.4 seconds remaining in last night's game versus the Los Angeles Lakers, as Rubio tried to close out defensively on Kobe Bryant on the perimeter. Bryant drew a foul on the play after some contact between the two players, and Rubio immediately fell to the ground clutching his knee.
"Obviously, Ricky's injury is an unfortunate turn of events for him and our team," said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. "I feel bad for Ricky having to miss the rest of this season. But Ricky is a competitor, and I am confident that he will work hard to get back on the court next year and continue his progression as one of the top point guards in our league. We have 25 games left this season, and I look for our team to continue to play hard and fight for a playoff spot.”
After several disastrous seasons, Minnesota turned things around this year with a 21-20 record. As such, they currently stand only a half game out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Rubio, along with All-Star power forward Kevin Love, has been a huge catalyst in the team's resurgence thanks to his creative, pass-first style of play at the point. Rubio's unselfishness has made him a popular guy in the Wolves locker room -- chemistry that will be difficult to replace down the stretch.
In 41 games, Rubio averaged 10.6 points, 8.2 assists (5th in the NBA), 4.2 rebounds, and 2.22 steals (3rd in the NBA) in 34.2 minutes per game.
Rubio led all NBA rookies in assists, minutes, and steals while recording 12 point-assist double-doubles, ranking him third in the NBA. He has also had some nice moments in the clutch as well, notably hitting a late three in a road win against the Clippers.
Rubio was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January.
By Staff of The Daily Sports Herald and Wire Reports
No comments:
Post a Comment
We encourage all intelligent, passionate comments. Please refrain from any ignorant, racist, or offensive rants.