The Minnesota Timberwolves were supposed to break out this season, with the hiring of former coach of the year Tom Thibodeau, and the expected development of young talents Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Karl Anthony Towns. Through 10 games so far, the Wolves are just 3-7, and point guard Ricky Rubio has already expressed his frustrations at the team’s efforts to grow.
“It’s one quarter every game that keeps us far from where we want to be,” Rubio told Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press following their 115-108 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
The Wolves played well in the first two quarters of that game, taking a 12-point lead on the road into the halftime break. That was followed by a dismal third quarter, where they were outscored 36-17—something that has been quite the trend this season.
As noted by a Cbssports.com report, the Wolves rank first in the league in offensive rating in the first two quarters (127.8 and 122.2, respectively). Unfortunately, they crash to last place in the third quarter (78.9).
“I don’t know what it is, but I’m telling you, it’s not fun,” Rubio added. “This is the best team I’ve ever been around. I get mad thinking that we’re wasting time. We’re not learning. It’s time to change.”
When the Wolves drafted point guard Kris Dunn fifth overall in this year’s draft, speculation quickly began about the future of 26-year-old Rubio. Word around the league is that the Wolves are in no hurry to deal the Spanish talent, opting to gauge the development of Dunn before looking to shop Rubio around. While he has already shown that he will be an ace defender in the league, Dunn has yet to show he is ready to run an NBA team, averaging just 4.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while shooting only 35.7% from the field.
The Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs have been rumored as potential destinations should the Wolves decide to part ways with Rubio.