One Fan's View: Kyrie Irving Needs Ricky Rubio to Get Well - Yahoo! Sports

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One Fan's View: Kyrie Irving Needs Ricky Rubio to Get Well - Yahoo! Sports Mar 12th 2012, 18:11 By Josh Flagner, Yahoo! Contributor Network The news of rookie Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio's torn ACL is devastating news for the Timberwolves playoff run. The Timberwolves are the ninth seed as I sit here right now, but without Rubio and his 8+ assists per game, they'll be lucky to finish within sniffing distance of the playoffs. The Timberwolves' playoff chances weren't my first thought when I heard about Rubio's injury, though. Neither were the Spanish National Basketball Team's chances in the upcoming Olympics, although that is a pretty big deal. AdChoices My first thought when I heard that Ricky Rubio would miss the rest of this season and his summer schedule was a Cleveland-centric one: I hope this is Rubio's only significant injury so Kyrie Irving can have a career long rivalry with another electric young talent. I know that seems incredibly self-absorbed coming from a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, but Irving and Rubio can spend their careers being perfect foils for each other. Ricky is two years older than Kyrie, but that floppy hair should add enough extra games to his career that the two should be able to spend at least the next decade ripping the point guard torch from Chris Paul and Deron Williams. (If you don't believe me about the power of floppy hair, I'll be waiting here when you get back from Googling Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.) Kyrie is a more polished scorer, but Ricky has a special nose for passing. In the words of Bill Simmons, Ricky's got the passing gene. (Bill Simmons also uses phrases like "irrational confidence guy" and participates in a reality show fantasy league. Actually, I was going to use this parenthetical remark to say silly things about Simmons, but a reality show fantasy league? That guy is my hero.) I'm not sure if Ricky versus Kyrie will ever be Magic versus Bird, but that won't be because these young guys don't want to be legendary rivals. If Kyrie and Ricky do fall short in the rivalry department, it will be because their teams won't face each other in the finals multiple times. But I don't think players in the modern era need to face off repeatedly to push each other in this age of constant highlight reels and communication between the players. Get well soon, Ricky Rubio. I'm looking forward to telling my children about watching you and Kyrie wowing NBA crowds and leading your teams on historic playoff runs. It won't be easy with a torch in one hand, but you can do it. Josh Flagner was born barely a par 4 away from Downtown Cleveland and has been in a Browns, Indians, or Cavaliers hoodie ever since. Josh's sports obsession has led to him be a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and a Co-Founder of More Than a Fan. Sources Bill Simmons quotes: Grantland Stats: Basketball Reference Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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