Report: Timberwolves' Rubio wants to remain with team despite rumors indicating otherwise
Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio just wants to win, as any NBA player who takes pride in his work should.
Victories have been hard to come by in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, though. The Timberwolves have accumulated a record of 113-199 since Rubio was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
"La Pistola" was shut down for the final 15 outings of the regular season after re-aggravating a left ankle injury that cost him all but 22 games on the year.
Minnesota finished its 2014-15 campaign on a 13-game losing streak, helping the franchise earn the No. 1 pick in this year's draft.
Rumors have circulated for quite some time that Rubio is unhappy with the direction the team is headed. ESPN's Chad Ford recently reported that Rubio's camp had been pushing for a trade, with management considering moving the flashy floor general and possibly replacing him with prospects D'Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay.
The 24-year-old Spaniard told Sportando's Emiliano Carchia he doesn't know where those reports originated.
Ricky Rubio told me he wants to remain with the Timberwolves and doesn’t know where the rumors about him wanting out come from
— Sportando (@sportando) June 8, 2015
Ricky Rubio expects from the Timberwolves important moves during the free agency & to build a competitive team ready to fight for playoffs
— Sportando (@sportando) June 8, 2015
Rubio signed a four-year, $56-million contract extension during October of last year. His injury history - he's played over 60 games just once in four seasons - and poor 36.7 percent career shooting mark would be enormous red flags for any team looking to acquire his services, though.
He underwent arthroscopic surgery in April and should be healthy enough to participate in training camp, if he's still part of the team, that is.