Last season the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for veteran point guard Ricky Rubio. Rubio had played with Kevin Love when he was a Minnesota Timberwolve and they developed a great friendship.
To the surprise of everyone, Rubio quickly became a fan favorite in Cleveland as he was having the best season of his career. Ricky Rubio became a leader and a role model for all the young Cavaliers especially Darius Garland who had his first All-Star game appearance that season.
Unfortunately, Rubio would go on to tear his ACL in mid-December of 202. The Cavaliers would then trade Rubio to the Indiana Pacers for their young guard Caris LeVert a few weeks later. This Off-season the Cleveland Cavaliers reached out to Ricky Rubio as he was a free agent.
Return of the Rubio
Rubio and the Cavs had agreed on a contract to bring the Spanish veteran back to The Land where he could play with his former Timberwolf teammate Kevin Love again.
With this go around in Cleveland Rubio has another familiar face joining the Cavaliers’ stack young core. A few months after re-signing Rubio the Cavaliers made one if not the biggest deal of the offseason when they traded Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, three unprotected first-round picks, and two pick swaps for Utah Jazz star guard Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell and Rubio played together when Ricky had a short stay with the Jazz a few seasons back. Although they are reunited Ricky Rubio will have to wait a while longer to get back on the court as he is still recovering from his nasty knee injury. It might be a few months until Ricky and Mitchell can reconnect on the floor.
When will Rubio play?
“They don’t have a specific timeline because this is a player beyond the age of 30 and his second torn ACL. They don’t feel they need to rush him back onto the court. I think the Cavaliers are going to take their time. I keep hearing about it for 12 months. That’s the historical timeline that’s attached to a lot of guys. If you’re talking about that, we’re talking about January. I think February is probably more realistic at this point for Ricky.” according to Cavs Nation.com.
With the return of Rubio and the addition of Mitchell, this Cavaliers team is scary. With a young core of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Isaac Okoro the Cleveland Cavaliers are coming for the Eastern Conference and most teams might not be ready.
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Amanda Lynne