Ricky Rubio will speak about his future today

Talk about it

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI

The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — Now that his Spanish league season is over, Ricky Rubio can let everyone know where he’s headed next.

Rubio wrote on Twitter on Thursday that he will hold a news conference in Barcelona on Friday to discuss his basketball future. The Associated Press was one of several outlets to report earlier this month that Rubio will leave Regal Barcelona to join the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA.

“Goodnight everyone,” Rubio tweeted in Spanish. “Tomorrow morning I give a press conference to say my future. A hug and see you tomorrow.”

Rubio and the Timberwolves have declined to comment publicly on the 20-year-old point guard’s status while he was still playing for Regal Barcelona in the ACB playoffs. He helped Barcelona to a sweep of Bilbao in the ACB finals this week, clearing the way for him to make the announcement.

A person with knowledge of the deal told The AP on June 1 that Rubio signed a contract on May 31 to ensure that he was paid under the existing NBA rookie wage scale. He is expected to be introduced in Minnesota early next week.

The Timberwolves, and their curious fans, have been waiting two years for Rubio’s arrival. The floppy-haired, slick-passing guard was team president David Kahn’s first draft pick — fifth overall in 2009.

A buyout of more than $6 million on his Spanish contract was too big for Rubio to pay himself — the Timberwolves can only offer $500,000 under league rules — so he stayed in his native Spain until the number reached a more manageable amount.

It’s about $1.4 million now, and the Timberwolves have been working on local endorsement packages to help ease the burden on Rubio.

Now he’ll be coming to a team fresh off the worst record in the league — 17-65 — and with a dire need for a capable point guard.

The Timberwolves also have the second pick in next week’s draft, which should allow them to add another skilled player to help make Rubio’s transition easier.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kurt Rambis is getting closer to knowing about his coaching future.

A person familiar with the situation said Rambis and Timberwolves team president David Kahn will meet at length over the next two days to discuss whether Rambis will return for a third season in Minnesota. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting.

Rambis is 32-132 in two seasons as Timberwolves coach. He has been in limbo the past two months, ever since Kahn declined to give him a vote of confidence in a season-ending press conference in April. He has two years left on the four-year contract he signed to leave Phil Jackson’s side with the Los Angeles Lakers and take over the struggling Timberwolves.

Kahn said at the time he did not want to make a rash decision after watching the Wolves lose the final 15 games of the season to finish a league-worst 17-65.

The situation dragging on, right into the heart of the team’s draft preparations, seemed to irk Rambis earlier this month, when he spoke to reporters for the first time since the season ended on April 13.

“Everybody has reasons for why they conduct the business in the way they want to conduct their business,” Rambis said on June 3.

Tags: sports, basketball, nba, wolves