Larry Brown Sports

Kobe Bryant got away with a blatant foul on Ricky Rubio on the last play of the Los Angeles Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves game Wednesday.

The Lakers were up 119-117 with 3.4 seconds left and had Kobe at the free throw line. Bryant made his first attempt but missed his second. Rubio grabbed the rebound off the miss, took the ball up the court, and attempted a tying three-pointer from about eight feet beyond the arc. It was a low-percentage shot that might not have gone in, but Bryant clearly made contact with Rubio while he was shooting. Rubio should have been sent to the free throw line for three shots, which would have given the 77 percent free throw shooter a good shot at tying the game. Despite Rubio’s complaints, the referees did not call anything and the players walked off the court.

Kobe may have gotten away with one, but that’s not how he sees things.

“They’re not going to call that s***,” he said after the game, per the OC Register’s Kevin Ding.

He got that right. The Lakers are now 37-35 after the win. They are a game up on Utah for the final spot in the Western Conference, and 1.5 games up on Dallas.

Video via @cjzero; H/T LBS contributor Arsen

Are you kidding me, Ricky Rubio? Late in the fourth quarter of Minnesota’s 107-83 blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday, the T-Wolves point guard decided to show off.

Rubio went behind his back not once, but twice on his way to scoring a pretty layup against San Antonio. Sure, he was going past Spurs bench players Patty Mills and Aron Baynes, but it doesn’t get much better than that.

Rubio finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists for his first career triple double. Between going behind his back for layups and between his legs for passes, he might be the best ball handler and passer in the NBA when it comes to tricks and fancy plays on the court. He makes the T-Wolves a fun team to watch on any night.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have lost four games in a row and appear destined to miss the playoffs for a ninth straight season, but Ricky Rubio is trying to maintain a positive attitude. Not only that, but he’s trying to influence his teammates to do the same.

During Thursday night’s blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, TNT captured Rubio telling teammate Alexey Shved to cheer up. As you can see, his delivery was priceless.

“Alexey, change this face,” Rubio said while patting his teammate on the head. “Be happy. Enjoy it.”

Well said, Ricky. Kevin Love may be sick of all the losing that has gone on in Minnesota since he was drafted, but somebody has to be there to keep spirits high. In only his second NBA season, it appears that Rubio has adopted that role. We’ll see if he’s singing the same tune during blowout losses in a couple years.

Video via @cjzero

The Minnesota Timberwolves (17-22) have not played all that well this season. You could make the argument that they have been even worse when Ricky Rubio is on the floor. The second-year point guard has battled injuries that have limited him to just 14 appearances this season. Of those 14 games, the Timberwolves have won just four.

Minnesota picked up its seventh loss in its past eight games against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Head coach Terry Porter decided to bench Rubio in favor of JJ Barea for the entire fourth quarter, and Ricky was not shy about expressing his displeasure after the game.

“I want to know what happened,” Rubio said according to The Pioneer Press. “We’re going to talk. ‘TP’ preferred to play the other players who were playing. I don’t know what to say. I don’t like it.”

To make matters more frustrating, Rubio reported to the scorer’s table twice in the final quarter but was called back both times. The first time, it appeared that Rubio would replace Barea after Barea committed his fifth foul of the quarter. Luke Ridnour replaced Mickael Gelabale instead, and Barea stayed in the game. Later in the quarter, Barea fell hard to the floor and appeared to suffer an injury. Porter was about to put Rubio in, but Barea waved him off before hitting a timely three-pointer.

“J.J. hit a shot,” Porter explained. “He hit a three. I was taking him out because I thought he was hurt but he said he was fine and made a shot. At that point, I just rolled with him. He was hot and made a shot. That was the only difference.”

That may have been the only difference on Wednesday, but there’s no denying Rubio has struggled all throughout his sophomore season. He is averaging just 4.2 points and 5.0 assists per game, as opposed to 10.6 points and 8.2 assists last year. He’s a crucial part of the team’s future, but Rubio simply isn’t performing. The way he has played is enough to earn most players a spot on the bench in certain situations.

Chest bump to Pro Basketball Talk

When it comes to collecting sports memorabilia, there is a fine line between showing your commitment and creepiness. If you ask me, the Christmas gift you see above crosses that line.

This giant Ricky Rubio rug was shared on Twitter by a man named Dean Pierce, who describes himself as an “NBA fanatic” and has a Minnesota Timberwolves background and avatar on his profile. It would appear that a member of Pierce’s family is one of the biggest Rubio fans on earth. Otherwise, I doubt anyone would have given her such a massive and detailed portrait of the Spaniard.

Personally, I feel that’s a little too much. Asking the young point guard to the prom is one thing, but I couldn’t look at something like that no matter who the athlete was. All that matters is it made someone happy on Christmas.

Add Ricky Rubio to the growing list of people who feel like the Los Angeles Lakers are not getting the most out of Pau Gasol this season. Since Mike D’Antoni took over in L.A. several weeks ago, there have been questions about whether or not Gasol is a fit in his offense. Rubio feels as though Gasol has given the team plenty and is not seeing any reciprocation.

“Pau Gasol has given the Lakers a lot and I don’t feel he’s getting enough in return, especially as far as confidence,” Rubio said earlier this according to HoopsHype. “But he’s a pro. If he goes to another team, I think he would make a contender out of that team. Wherever he goes, he’s going to be fighting for the title.”

After his first game back from injury on Tuesday, Gasol expressed disappointment in having to watch the final two minutes or so of his team’s win over the Charlotte Bobcats from the bench. There have been questions about the big man’s conditioning, as D’Antoni’s offense requires a lot more running than he may have been used to.

Therein lies the problem, according to critics like Magic Johnson. Magic recently said he feels that having Pau on the perimeter and not in the post is a waste for the Lakers, and many others have expressed a similar opinion. Regardless of what Steve Nash may have been promised, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gasol doesn’t make it through the entire season in L.A.

Chest bump to Hoops World

Ricky Rubio returned to action for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday for the first time since tearing his ACL in March. Rubio was greeted with loud cheers upon entering the game late in the first quarter, and it didn’t take him long to start making some of the special plays he’s become known for.

Rubio had eight points, nine assists, and three steals in 18 minutes, including an impressive between-the-legs pass to Greg Stiemsma in the second quarter. The pass happens so fast, if you blink, you’ll miss it.

Rubio will probably be eased back by the Timberwolves, but his presence was highly anticipated. Kevin Love has vented about not reaching the playoffs in Minnesota. This could be the year he does.