If Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio’s skills of persuasion are as dazzling as his assists, Kevin Love could be staying put.
Rubio, who was in Italy to make an appearance at the adidas Eurocamp, will return to the United States on Monday to begin training in Los Angeles, but that’s not his only priority when he returns to the States.
In an interview with NBA.com, Rubio said that one of the first things he will do when he arrives in L.A. is make a phone call to Love in an effort to keep him from leaving the Timberwolves.
“I don’t want to convince him if he doesn’t want to stay. But I want him to stay and I’m going to tell him what I think, which is we’ve been improving every year and he’s a great player, he helps us a lot,” Rubio told NBA.com. “I think we need to make the next step.
“The media says it’s pretty settled, but I don’t know what he thinks. What I’ve been hearing is from the media, not from him, so I don’t trust that. It can be an opinion from you guys. I just really want to talk to him as a teammate.”
The Wolves’ record proves that they have been improving each year, but with six seasons under his belt, Love has yet to reach the postseason. The team’s lack of success has been the driving force behind Love wanting out of Minnesota, and although new head coach Flip Saunders doesn’t believe the star forward has a “right to be frustrated” with the results, Rubio hopes to convince his teammate to remain optimistic about the future of the team.
Rubio will certainly have his work cut out for him. though, as he is competing with sixteen teams that are also interested in the the 25-year-old’s talents.
Photo via Twitter/@ESPNNBA
