HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Marc Narducci

The obvious first question is what are your feelings about being drafted by a Minnesota Timberwolves team that is certainly in need for a shooting guard?

Wayne Ellington: I felt pretty happy. I had two great workouts there. I knew they were interested and there is the opportunity to get on the court. That is why it really interested me. It’s a great situation and opportunity.

How hard was draft night, watching all the other draft picks selected until you were taken at No. 28.

WE: It was very tough, I was drained emotionally. It was crazy. I can’t even describe it. My palms were sweating.

Being a consistent perimeter shooter is a skill that isn’t in abundance in the NBA. Do you think that is a major selling point for you, the ability to hit from the outside?

WE: I think it is a pretty big part. Definitely in Minnesota. They need a shooter,  somebody who can stretch the floor and I can do that. I hope I will be able to create space for guys like Kevin Love and Al Jefferson inside.

What part of your game do you want to continue improving as you enter your rookie season?

WE: I want to get better all around. Put the ball on the floor, get to the basket, improve defensively. There is so much to work on.

Are you looking to come in and be a starter for the Timberwolves?

WE: That is definitely what I am looking for. I feel it’s a great opportunity.

What’s up with the Wolves choosing point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn with the fifth and sixth picks in the draft?

WE: They are two great point guards and with Ricky’s situation it’s kind of difficult. We don’t know what will happen. We are definitely happy to have both of them. We have Jonny for sure and possibly Ricky.

What are your goals as a rookie?

WE: My next goal is to possibly be one of the best rookies and be on the All-Rookie Team and play in the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge.

You get asked this all the time, but what was it like to win the NCAA championship at North Carolina?

WE: It was unbelievable. We worked so hard and there was a lot of pressure on us. When we finally won it, you just can’t explain the feeling. We were all emotional and it was a great experience.

Leading up to the NCAA Tournament you had five games where you scored 19 or more points. Then in six NCAA Tournament games, you scored 19 or more points in five games. Did the urgency of the situation make you pick up your game?

WE: I said I had to turn it up a notch, and become more aggressive. I thought if I did that I could definitely help my team.

You averaged 15.8 points as a junior and 14.4 for your career. Would those numbers have been higher had you played on a different team?

WE: No question they would have been in almost any other situation But there was so much talent and a lot of us sacrificed and did what we had to win a championship.

Who wins in one-on-one, you or your former Episcopal Academy High School teammate Gerald Henderson?

WE: (Laughs). It goes back and forth, man. He knows my game and I know his game and it gets competitive.

Do people find it odd that a North Carolina player and a Duke Blue Devil are the best of friends?

WE: A little bit, man, but it’s all good.

What was practice like at North Carolina?

WE: Very competitive. Practices were tough. We like to get up and down and everybody really gets after each other. It’s why we had the best program in the country. We had a lot of talent and everybody worked hard.

You put your name in the draft after your sophomore season but then decided to return to North Carolina. I would guess that you were extremely happy with that decision.

WE: No question. It was something that was huge, making that decision and coming back, working harder getting better in all areas of my game and winning.

You were named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Final Four. That would seem to be something that made the championship extra special.

WE: Yes it did. It was definitely something that felt great. I worked so hard and wanted to turn it up some.

You are from the Philadelphia area so I would guess you aren’t the most popular person with the locals after scoring 20 points in your 83-69 win over Villanova in the NCAA semifinal.

WE: (Laughing) Especially when I’m home in Philly, the Villanova fans don’t like me because we beat them.

You grew up playing a lot of basketball in Philadelphia. There is a reputation that Philadelphia players, especially the guards have for their toughness. What was it like playing in Philadelphia?

WE: It was a great experience. I don’t know what it is about Philly guards, but they are tougher. Playing there in high school really helped my game a lot.

Have you ever met another Philadelphia area guard named Kobe Bryant who played at Lower Merion High, which wasn’t far from your high school?

WE: I met him and from what I have experienced, he is a great guy. I can’t wait to match up with him. It will be a big-time challenge but I would look forward to it especially since he’s been my favorite player.

Share:

Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio should be one of the most intriguing players to enter the NBA in quite some time. Rubio plays with a flair that has had him compared to one of the all-time great showmen, Pete Maravich.

Of course Maravich was also a great player, a five-time NBA all-star who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.

Whether Rubio lives up to that type of comparison remains to be seen. One reason that Rubio’s entrance to the NBA is so anticipated is because opinion is so divided on the 6-foot-4, 180-pound dynamo who won’t turn 19 until Oct. 21.

Many fans received their first look at Rubio as a member of Spain’s silver medal team in the 2008 Olympics. Rubio, who was 17 at the time, started in place of injured point guard Jose Calderon during Spain’s 118-107 loss to the U.S. in the gold medal game. In that game, Rubio showed great composure, despite suffering an injured right wrist that would later need surgery. During the Olympics he averaged 4.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 18.3 minutes.

We recently talked to front office personnel people from two different NBA teams who have seen Rubio several times. One had an optimistic outlook for Rubio and the other displayed a healthy dose of skepticism.

Each asked not to be identified so they will be referred to as Evaluator No. 1 and Evaluator No. 2.

“I’m a fan and think that people always look for the negative, saying he can’t shoot and is scrawny,” said Evaluator No. 1. “Remember, at 17 he played in the Olympics against the greatest players in the world and when asked who impressed them, the Olympians said Rudy Fernandez and Ricky Rubio.”

Rubio competed in the ACB, which Evaluator No. 1 says is the No. 1 league in the world next to the NBA. This past season, Rubio averaged 10 points, 6.1 assists and 2.2 steals in 22.2 minutes over his first 22 ACB appearances with DKV Joventut Badalona of Spain. He was named the ACB Defensive Player of the Year.

“His basketball IQ is off the chart and he is one of the best greatest passers I have ever seen,” Evaluator No. 1 said. “He has a chance to be special.”

Even Evaluator No. 1, admitted that there are legitimate concerns about Rubio’s athleticism.

“If he only remains a good athlete and he is now a good athlete, not elite, then maybe he won’t be a superstar,” he said. “But I believe you have a starting point guard which in our league has become an elite position.”

Evaluator No. 1 also preached caution in handling Rubio.

“Is he physically there, no, of course not,” he said. “Mentally he is there. But everybody wants instant gratification. There has to be some patience shown.”

Evaluator No. 2 acknowledged that Rubio has talent, but he thinks he has been over-hyped.

“I never saw a guy who has drawn as much varied opinion,” Evaluator No. 2 said. “He is a brain-first, clever and tricky player, but I don’t know if his physical package is built to stand the test of time.”

Evaluator No. 2 says he feels that Rubio is worthy of a first round choice, just not as high as others are suggesting.

“I don’t see him being picked near No. 2 or 3,” he said. “I see him as one of those point guards who has a chance to be OK like a bunch of other players, but I don’t see him as a savior.”

Evaluator No. 2 says he doesn’t feel that Rubio will be able to withstand the constant pounding in the NBA.

“Sometimes you take the bag of tricks away from slight of hand artists and then physicality takes over and that is where I would have a concern,” he said.

Evaluator No. 1 says that Rubio will indeed reward a team for selecting him high in the draft.

“Those deficiencies of not being a great shooter and not being strong, he will fix because he is a gymrat,” Evaluator No. 1 said. “The kid won’t stop working.”

And the speculation won’t stop either. There will be many storylines in the NBA draft, but none more fascinating than whether Rubio becomes an elite point guard, or fails to keep up with the physical nature of the NBA.

Share: