Ricky Rubio lost for season with torn ACL
Minnesota Timberwolves rookie guard Ricky Rubio has been lost for the season with a torn ACL following a collision with Kobe Bryant in a loss to the Lakers on Friday. An MRI confirmed the tear on Saturday.
Rubio was a spark-plug for the new look Timberwolves, pairing up with Kevin Love to lead the team to a 21- 20 record on the season. The rookie out of Spain was averaging 10.5 points, 8.2 assists and 2.2 steals this year and had the Timberwolves in contention for a playoff spot for the first time in recent memory.
The loss of Rubio also resonates internationally, as the guard will also miss the 2012 Summer Olympics, where Spain is the top competition for Team USA.
The footage of the injury from last night’s game:
The Timberwolves will now have to use a combination of veteran Luke Ridnour and reserve J.J. Barea to fill the vacancy left by Rubio’s injury. Minnesota was in talks to possibly trade one of their point guards for a starting-caliber two-guard, but don’t have that luxury any longer. The Timberwolves still could move forward Michael Beasley, who has been involved in several trade rumors over the last few weeks.
Ricky Rubio addressed his fans via Twitter earlier today:
March 10, 2012 5:35 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
Rubio’s recovery time is estimated at 6 to 9 months.
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