Even though the Sixers are 13 games under .500, they are only three games out of the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Losing their first game of the (calendar) year, the Nets currently occupy the No. 8 spot with a 15-22 record.
With a couple of draft picks in the first round this past year, the Sixers used their picks wisely. Not only did they draft Nerlens Noel, who could have been the No. 1 overall pick despite his knee injury, they landed the guy most likely to win NBA Rookie of the Year in Michael Carter-Williams.
Through Sunday's games, MCW leads all rookies in scoring (17.5 points per game), rebounding (5.8 per game), assists (7.0 per game) and steals (2.7 per game). Not only does he rank in the top 10 among all players in assists, but he currently leads the NBA in steals although Ricky Rubio (2.67) is close.
Back on Dec. 3rd, Carter-Williams had a triple-double (27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists), but he missed a quadruple-double in his first-ever game by one steal and three rebounds.
Aside from MCW, there are two other rookies averaging at least 10 points per game: Utah's Trey Burke (13.2) and Orlando's Victor Oladipo (13.2).
Although the Milwaukee Bucks (7-29) are the consensus worst team in the league, their three teams all rank as the next worst teams: Utah (27th), Philadelphia (28th) and Orlando (29th). The Jazz, 76ers and Magic are a combined 34-78 through Sunday.
Once again, the Pacers sit atop our consensus NBA power rankings, but three different teams received No. 1 votes. Both the Heat and Spurs also received first-place votes in this week's rankings.
- See our full 2013-14 NBA Power Rankings for Week 12 here
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Showing posts with label Ricky Rubio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ricky Rubio. Show all posts
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Monday, November 18, 2013
2013-14 NBA Power Rankings, Week 4
With roughly three weeks of the NBA season complete, there is one player that ia averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and two three-pointers per game.
Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love is averaging 26.8 points per game, 13.6 rebounds and 2.3 three's per game this season.
Love ranks third in scoring behind OKC's Kevin Durant (28.7 PPG) and Miami's LeBron James (27.3 PPG) and second in rebounding behind only Houston's Dwight Howard (14.2 RPG).
In addition, Love is averaging 4.5 assists per game, which ties him for 37th in the league, although only five of the players ahead of him aren't guards. Plus, four of the five forwards are small forwards with Josh McRoberts (4.7 APG) being the only exception.
With teammate Ricky Rubio (9.6 APG) trailing only Clippers point guard Chris Paul (12.8 APG), Love's high assist total is more impressive. In other words, it's not as though the team lacks a capable distributor of the basketball at the point yet he's still getting his teammates plenty involved while ranking third in the league in scoring.
Although they are currently seventh in the Western Conference, their .636 winning percentage ranks eighth in the NBA and the T'Wolves are 10th in our latest power rankings.
Provided the duo of Love and Rubio can stay healthy, the T'Wolves should have their best season in roughly a decade. Their last winning season was in the Kevin Garnett era: 2004-05 (44-38, .537).
See our full Week 4 NBA Consensus Power Rankings.
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Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love is averaging 26.8 points per game, 13.6 rebounds and 2.3 three's per game this season.
Love ranks third in scoring behind OKC's Kevin Durant (28.7 PPG) and Miami's LeBron James (27.3 PPG) and second in rebounding behind only Houston's Dwight Howard (14.2 RPG).
In addition, Love is averaging 4.5 assists per game, which ties him for 37th in the league, although only five of the players ahead of him aren't guards. Plus, four of the five forwards are small forwards with Josh McRoberts (4.7 APG) being the only exception.
With teammate Ricky Rubio (9.6 APG) trailing only Clippers point guard Chris Paul (12.8 APG), Love's high assist total is more impressive. In other words, it's not as though the team lacks a capable distributor of the basketball at the point yet he's still getting his teammates plenty involved while ranking third in the league in scoring.
Although they are currently seventh in the Western Conference, their .636 winning percentage ranks eighth in the NBA and the T'Wolves are 10th in our latest power rankings.
Provided the duo of Love and Rubio can stay healthy, the T'Wolves should have their best season in roughly a decade. Their last winning season was in the Kevin Garnett era: 2004-05 (44-38, .537).
See our full Week 4 NBA Consensus Power Rankings.
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Saturday, March 10, 2012
Report: Ricky Rubio out for year with torn ACL
Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio left last night's game with a knee injury. The results from today's MRI are not good.
Per Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Rubio will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Even after last night's loss to the Lakers, the 'Wolves are above .500 (21-20) and there was plenty of reason for optimism with the young duo of Rubio and Kevin Love.
The Timberwolves haven't finished with a .500 record since 2004-05 and haven't won more than 30 percent of their games in any of the past four seasons. In fact, they have already won more games this year than they did in all of last season (17) or the previous season (15).
Rubio ranks fifth in the NBA in assists (8.2 per game) and third in steals (2.2 per game).
With Rubio out, the fantasy value of Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea increases. Ridnour is owned in only 47 percent of Yahoo! leagues and Barea is owned in 11 percent of leagues.
Per Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Rubio will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Even after last night's loss to the Lakers, the 'Wolves are above .500 (21-20) and there was plenty of reason for optimism with the young duo of Rubio and Kevin Love.
The Timberwolves haven't finished with a .500 record since 2004-05 and haven't won more than 30 percent of their games in any of the past four seasons. In fact, they have already won more games this year than they did in all of last season (17) or the previous season (15).
Rubio ranks fifth in the NBA in assists (8.2 per game) and third in steals (2.2 per game).
With Rubio out, the fantasy value of Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea increases. Ridnour is owned in only 47 percent of Yahoo! leagues and Barea is owned in 11 percent of leagues.
Monday, March 5, 2012
NBA Consensus Power Rankings, Week 10
As it currently stands, the Minnesota Timberwolves are 19-19 and in third place in the Northwest Division behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.
If the season were to end now, the T'Wolves would just miss the playoffs as they are currently the 9th seed in the Western Conference.
Point guard Ricky Rubio is having a great "rookie" season with 8.3 assists per game, tied for fifth in the NBA, and 2.3 steals per game, which ranks second in the league.
Yet interestingly enough, if you look at Rubio's game log, he has shot exactly 1-for-8 in three of his past four games. Over his past five games, he is only 8-for-38 (20.6 percent) from the field.
Plus he had double-digit assists on March 3rd for the first time since February 7th although he had three games with nine assists and three games with eight assists in between double-digit performances.
In that 12-assist game on Saturday, Rubio set the franchise record with 10 assists in the first quarter.
Minnesota is still in the bottom half of our NBA Consensus Power Rankings (No. 18), but with Kevin Love (23 years old) and Ricky Rubio (21 years old), the future is only going to get brighter for the T'Wolves.
Here are some more stats about this week's NBA Consensus Power Rankings:
- Biggest jump from last week: Memphis Grizzlies (+5.25)
- Biggest drop from last week: Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks (-2.50)
- Team with widest difference between high and low ranker: Indiana Pacers (8)
[See our full NBA Consensus Power Rankings.]
Each week, we respond to one roundtable question and here's this week's question: Will the Timberwolves finish above .500 for the first time since the 2004-2005 season?
John (follow on Twitter): Below .500
After a big win on the road at Portland on Saturday, the Timberwolves reached a .500 record at 19-19. Looking ahead, it's going to be awfully close for them. They have their share of winnable games, but are definitely going to need to play well on the road, as they did last night. If this question was asking if Minnesota will finish at or above .500, I would say that they will. But in order to finish above .500, they would need to finish the season going 15-13 or better. As I said, I think it will be close, and I'll be rooting for them, but if I had to guess I'll say they come up a bit short. Maybe next year!
Sean (follow on Twitter): Below .500
I think Minnesota finishes under .500 this year. If they were in the Eastern Conference I would give them a better chance, but the Western Conference is too tough. The great news for Timberwolves fans is that Kevin Love is staying put, and he is one of the league's ten best players. I think we will see another Garnett/Nash combo with Love/Rubio, and the Timberwolves will be dangerous in years to come. They just don't have the pieces on this team now surrounding them unfortunately.
Kevin (follow on Twitter): Above .500
Not only have the T'Wolves not finished above .500 since the 2004-05 season, but they have won less than 30 percent of their games for the past four seasons in a row. Even though the T'Wolves have played only 38 games so far this season, they have already exceeded their win totals from last year (17) and the year before (15). Whether or not they finish above .500, they have finally given their fans a product worth supporting. Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio are a talented young combination and they are a deep team -- only three players are averaging more than 25 minutes per game. While I think they will be close to .500 either way, I'm going to say they go slightly over.
Dan (follow on Twitter): Above .500
The Timberwolves have finally found at least a medium of respectability this year. After many head-shaking moves by GM Khan, such as giving Darko too much money, and drafting two point guards back-to-back a few years ago, the Wolves are on the right track. Ricky Rubio has been as good as advertised, and Kevin Love is drawing Moses Malone-like comparisons for his ability to rip double-doubles. With their youth, Minnesota is poised to finish above .500.
To see where all 30 teams fall in our power rankings going through Week 10, click here.
Follow HitTheBoards.com: Twitter | Facebook
If the season were to end now, the T'Wolves would just miss the playoffs as they are currently the 9th seed in the Western Conference.
Point guard Ricky Rubio is having a great "rookie" season with 8.3 assists per game, tied for fifth in the NBA, and 2.3 steals per game, which ranks second in the league.
Yet interestingly enough, if you look at Rubio's game log, he has shot exactly 1-for-8 in three of his past four games. Over his past five games, he is only 8-for-38 (20.6 percent) from the field.
Plus he had double-digit assists on March 3rd for the first time since February 7th although he had three games with nine assists and three games with eight assists in between double-digit performances.
In that 12-assist game on Saturday, Rubio set the franchise record with 10 assists in the first quarter.
Minnesota is still in the bottom half of our NBA Consensus Power Rankings (No. 18), but with Kevin Love (23 years old) and Ricky Rubio (21 years old), the future is only going to get brighter for the T'Wolves.
Here are some more stats about this week's NBA Consensus Power Rankings:
- Biggest jump from last week: Memphis Grizzlies (+5.25)
- Biggest drop from last week: Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks (-2.50)
- Team with widest difference between high and low ranker: Indiana Pacers (8)
[See our full NBA Consensus Power Rankings.]
Each week, we respond to one roundtable question and here's this week's question: Will the Timberwolves finish above .500 for the first time since the 2004-2005 season?
John (follow on Twitter): Below .500
After a big win on the road at Portland on Saturday, the Timberwolves reached a .500 record at 19-19. Looking ahead, it's going to be awfully close for them. They have their share of winnable games, but are definitely going to need to play well on the road, as they did last night. If this question was asking if Minnesota will finish at or above .500, I would say that they will. But in order to finish above .500, they would need to finish the season going 15-13 or better. As I said, I think it will be close, and I'll be rooting for them, but if I had to guess I'll say they come up a bit short. Maybe next year!
Sean (follow on Twitter): Below .500
I think Minnesota finishes under .500 this year. If they were in the Eastern Conference I would give them a better chance, but the Western Conference is too tough. The great news for Timberwolves fans is that Kevin Love is staying put, and he is one of the league's ten best players. I think we will see another Garnett/Nash combo with Love/Rubio, and the Timberwolves will be dangerous in years to come. They just don't have the pieces on this team now surrounding them unfortunately.
Kevin (follow on Twitter): Above .500
Not only have the T'Wolves not finished above .500 since the 2004-05 season, but they have won less than 30 percent of their games for the past four seasons in a row. Even though the T'Wolves have played only 38 games so far this season, they have already exceeded their win totals from last year (17) and the year before (15). Whether or not they finish above .500, they have finally given their fans a product worth supporting. Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio are a talented young combination and they are a deep team -- only three players are averaging more than 25 minutes per game. While I think they will be close to .500 either way, I'm going to say they go slightly over.
Dan (follow on Twitter): Above .500
The Timberwolves have finally found at least a medium of respectability this year. After many head-shaking moves by GM Khan, such as giving Darko too much money, and drafting two point guards back-to-back a few years ago, the Wolves are on the right track. Ricky Rubio has been as good as advertised, and Kevin Love is drawing Moses Malone-like comparisons for his ability to rip double-doubles. With their youth, Minnesota is poised to finish above .500.
To see where all 30 teams fall in our power rankings going through Week 10, click here.
Follow HitTheBoards.com: Twitter | Facebook
Saturday, January 28, 2012
NBA Notes, 1/28/12
Here are some notes and stats from the NBA games last night:
- The Bobcats lost to the Sixers last night for their seventh straight loss, the league's longest current losing streak, and now Charlotte has the NBA's worst record: 3-17.
- Nets PF Kris Humphries had his second straight double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Cavs. Humphries is averaging 13.4 PPG and 10.8 RPG this season.
- Anthony Morrow scored in double-digits for his fourth straight game with 22 points last night. It was his fourth game this season with 20-plus points, but the first since January 11th.
- Bouncing back from a 1-for-7 night, Cleveland's Kyrie Irving scored 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting last night. The league's No. 1 pick is leading the team in scoring (17.6 PPG).
- Atlanta's Josh Smith was two assists shy of a triple-double last night: 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. He added three blocks as well.
- Detroit rookie Brandon Knight, who has now played 40-plus minutes in back-to-back games, had a solid line: 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds and no turnovers. He also made four three-pointers.
- Greg Monroe had his second straight 20-10 night with 22 points and 11 rebounds last night. He added four assists and two steals.
- Jason Maxiell had season highs off the bench in points (19) and rebounds (eight).
- Minnesota point guard Ricky Rubio had his third double-double in the past four games with 18 points and 10 assists last night. That said, he no steals for the first time since January 8th, which ends a 10-game streak with two-plus steals.
- Kevin Love had another double-double (18 points, 16 rebounds), but it was only the third time this season that he did not make a three. He took only one three-point attempt; he had three-plus attempts in all other games this season.
- The Orlando Magic scored only 67 points last night in their 26-point loss to the Hornets. Aside from Dwight Howard (28 points), no other Orlando player scored in double digits.
- Houston's Jordan Hill, the eighth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, had a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in 18 minutes off the bench. It was his third double-double of the season.
- Milwaukee's Drew Gooden had 23 points, 15 rebounds and six assists last night. He had 24 points on January 3rd, but it was a season high in rebounds and assists.
- Brandon Jennings scored 25 points. It was his sixth straight game with 20-plus points, but he had only three assists, which is his low during that six-game span.
- Chicago's Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds last night. It was only his sixth double-double of the season.
- New York's Bill Walker scored 21 points, all via his seven three-pointers, off the bench last night.
- In the six games Dwyane Wade missed from Jan. 17th to 25th, Miami's Chris Bosh scored 23-plus points in five of six games and he had three 30-point games. With D-Wade back last night, Bosh had only 13 points on 4-of-18 shooting.
- Mavs guard Rodrigue Beaubois had season highs last night in points (22), rebounds (six), assists (seven) and blocked shots (four).
- After missing a couple of games, Denver's Rudy Fernandez returned to score a season-high 23 points off the bench and he knocked down a season-high five three-pointers. He also had three steals.
- The Suns scored only 71 points last night and Grant Hill led the team in scoring (12 points).
- Marcus Camby had 20 rebounds and no points last night. In his past three games, Camby has seven points and 58 rebounds.
- Four Thunder players scored at least 19 points: Kevin Durant (37), Russell Westbrook (28), Serge Ibaka (20) and James Harden (19). No other player scored more than six points (Nick Collison).
- For a second time this season, Golden State's Dorrell Wright knocked down six three's. Wright is averaging only 10.3 points this season after averaging 16.4 PPG last year.
- The Bobcats lost to the Sixers last night for their seventh straight loss, the league's longest current losing streak, and now Charlotte has the NBA's worst record: 3-17.
- Nets PF Kris Humphries had his second straight double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Cavs. Humphries is averaging 13.4 PPG and 10.8 RPG this season.
- Anthony Morrow scored in double-digits for his fourth straight game with 22 points last night. It was his fourth game this season with 20-plus points, but the first since January 11th.
- Bouncing back from a 1-for-7 night, Cleveland's Kyrie Irving scored 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting last night. The league's No. 1 pick is leading the team in scoring (17.6 PPG).
- Atlanta's Josh Smith was two assists shy of a triple-double last night: 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. He added three blocks as well.
- Detroit rookie Brandon Knight, who has now played 40-plus minutes in back-to-back games, had a solid line: 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds and no turnovers. He also made four three-pointers.
- Greg Monroe had his second straight 20-10 night with 22 points and 11 rebounds last night. He added four assists and two steals.
- Jason Maxiell had season highs off the bench in points (19) and rebounds (eight).
- Minnesota point guard Ricky Rubio had his third double-double in the past four games with 18 points and 10 assists last night. That said, he no steals for the first time since January 8th, which ends a 10-game streak with two-plus steals.
- Kevin Love had another double-double (18 points, 16 rebounds), but it was only the third time this season that he did not make a three. He took only one three-point attempt; he had three-plus attempts in all other games this season.
- The Orlando Magic scored only 67 points last night in their 26-point loss to the Hornets. Aside from Dwight Howard (28 points), no other Orlando player scored in double digits.
- Houston's Jordan Hill, the eighth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, had a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in 18 minutes off the bench. It was his third double-double of the season.
- Milwaukee's Drew Gooden had 23 points, 15 rebounds and six assists last night. He had 24 points on January 3rd, but it was a season high in rebounds and assists.
- Brandon Jennings scored 25 points. It was his sixth straight game with 20-plus points, but he had only three assists, which is his low during that six-game span.
- Chicago's Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds last night. It was only his sixth double-double of the season.
- New York's Bill Walker scored 21 points, all via his seven three-pointers, off the bench last night.
- In the six games Dwyane Wade missed from Jan. 17th to 25th, Miami's Chris Bosh scored 23-plus points in five of six games and he had three 30-point games. With D-Wade back last night, Bosh had only 13 points on 4-of-18 shooting.
- Mavs guard Rodrigue Beaubois had season highs last night in points (22), rebounds (six), assists (seven) and blocked shots (four).
- After missing a couple of games, Denver's Rudy Fernandez returned to score a season-high 23 points off the bench and he knocked down a season-high five three-pointers. He also had three steals.
- The Suns scored only 71 points last night and Grant Hill led the team in scoring (12 points).
- Marcus Camby had 20 rebounds and no points last night. In his past three games, Camby has seven points and 58 rebounds.
- Four Thunder players scored at least 19 points: Kevin Durant (37), Russell Westbrook (28), Serge Ibaka (20) and James Harden (19). No other player scored more than six points (Nick Collison).
- For a second time this season, Golden State's Dorrell Wright knocked down six three's. Wright is averaging only 10.3 points this season after averaging 16.4 PPG last year.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Ricky Rubio set career-high with 14 assists vs. Wizards
Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio finished with a double-double and a career-high 14 assists in today's win over the winless Wizards.
Although he made only five of 14 shots, Rubio finished with 13 points, six rebounds and a block as well.
In eight games this season, Rubio has three double-doubles and has scored in double-digits in five of his past six games.
Rubio, who is available in 24 percent of Yahoo! leagues, is averaging 28 minutes, 9.9 points, 7.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
Although he made only five of 14 shots, Rubio finished with 13 points, six rebounds and a block as well.
In eight games this season, Rubio has three double-doubles and has scored in double-digits in five of his past six games.
Rubio, who is available in 24 percent of Yahoo! leagues, is averaging 28 minutes, 9.9 points, 7.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
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