Rubio VS Griffin

____I♥NY____

Benchwarmer
RUBIO
NBA COMPARISON: Walt Frazier // Steve Nash
Strengths:
This floppy-haired kids keeps getting better and better. Despite possible physical/athletic limitations, Rubio will have no trouble adjusting to the speed of NBA action because of his basketball IQ. He displays an uncanny court sense, playing three steps ahead of everyone else on the floor. He has the same sense of timing that Larry Bird had. He seems to know whats going to happen when the ball does. However, his style of play is extremely relaxed and confident because the game comes so easily to him. Rubio lulls the defense to sleep and then suddenly uses his speed when they defense isnt ready, using his gear-shift very quickly. When slashing or breaking down his defender his footwork is excellent and seems so natural, and he really understands body angles making him quite slippery. He has years of experience getting by multiple defenders, and seems to have moves ready for when a second or third defender comes his way. He is an excellent ball handler who has perfected the behind the back dribble, which is currently his most reliable weapon when facing quicker and more athletic defenders. He can use this move when bringing the ball up the court or when getting into the lane. He is very creative and regularly makes magical plays nobody has ever seen before. His decision-making ability is on an elite level right now. He has superior court vision, and regularly whips passes one-handed cross court that are sharp and accurate. He has the ability to fake-out entire defenses to make the kinds of passes for easy baskets that only the elite players make.
Ricky likes to use his body to post up his defender on the block, and is very efficient with his moves going to the basket from this position. He also works hard to help his team on the glass because it enables him to make long passes over the top of the defense on fast breaks or to take rebounds coast-to-coast himself.
Defensively, he can be intimidating because he uses his great length, big hands, sense of timing and quick reflexes to disrupt passes and take away dribbling mistakes. He is around every loose ball, and seems to have a sense of knowing when to make big plays defensively to change the complexion of the game.



Weaknesses: Rubio will have trouble guarding point guards in the NBA. His lateral quickness is decent but not great. Against top competition, he does have some mental lapses at times. He often backs off his defender and uses his instincts to play position defense, but in the rare moments when he guesses wrong, he can get beat on simple plays like a back-door cut, or his defender will easily dribble right by him. Some of his height and vision advantage is lost when longer players guard him. He doesnt jump at all on his jump shot and could stand to change his shooting mechanics a little. This will be a problem when playing against elite athletes.
He is a big star at a young age, and already shows signs of having a big ego. He often creates contact and then expects LeBron James-type calls from the referees, and can get frustrated when he doesnt receive them. He has his own warm-up routine, and is often seen off on his own and not with the team, (although there are no reports of him not being a team player). The type of fame and success that hes had at such a young means it will be that much more important for him to continue to working on his game, improve his skills and not settle for just being as talented as he is now.



GRIFFIN
NBA Comparison: Karl Malone/Antonio McDyess

Strengths: Freak of nature, off the charts athletic specimen type ... The perfect storm of strength, athleticism and work ethic. It's rare to find elite level talent that also possesses the character and drive to outwork everyone ... Griffin has immense potential due to his superior athletic ability and his willingness to put the work in to improve ... A special talent and a special kid ... Never takes a play off. Knows only one speed and gives his all on every possession... A dominant rebounder who will be one of the top rebounders in the league for years to come ... An incredibly strong and athletic body. His strength at his age is incredible and he will surely get stronger as his body continues to fill out (between the ages of 20-24) ... Plays the game with amazing toughness, he's a wrecking ball who loves contact in the paint ... Runs the floor well. Excellent speed and agility in the open floor ? His explosiveness puts him in rare company ? Has the ability to face the basket and use the dribble to get to the rim ... Very comfortable handling the ball for a post player who can dribble the ball up the floor, in order to break the press and get through traffic ... An excellent passer who has good
vision and spots double teams quickly finding the unguarded teammate for openshots ... Has great hands (big and soft) allowing him to palm the ball with ease and control the ball on dunks and rebounds ... His post skills are showing nice development with an effective drop step as well as a jump hook ? His mid-range shot has shown excellent improvement between his freshman and sophomore seasons ... He has begun to perfect the Tim Duncan mid-range shot high off the glass ... Defensively he gives a high effort level and does a solid job of staying out of foul trouble (fouled out of 1 game as a sophomore) ... Has good length and size at 6-9 ? to 6-10 with a good wingspan ? He?s the type of dynamic athlete and talent that if he happened to only be 6-7 to 6-8 (with shoes on) as some people erroneously think, he could actually develop into a top level small forward at the NBA level ? High character guy. Humble. Not interested in the superstar limelight or partying, he is extremely focused ...

Weaknesses:
Still not a great shooter. Must become more comfortable shooting the ball by putting time in with practice/repetition ... He's improved to the point where his shot is good, but he still needs to put a lot of work in to become a great shooter and scorer (don't bet against him - Karl Malone came into the league as a 50% ft shooter and ended up a 75-80% shooter) ... Needs to improve from the free throw line (59%) ... Due to the fact that he plays such a physical game, he goes to the line a lot, so improving his FT % to 75% will be a huge boost ... Must continue to develop his offensive repertoire in the post. He has great strength and using that to his advantage in sealing his opponents will make him even more effective ? His willingness to sacrifice his body (as witnessed when he flew over the scorers table the first game back after missing a week due to concussion) could lead to injuries if he doesn't use good judgment (there are times to put it all on the line and times to hold back to some degree with an 82 game season) ... Still needs work on the defensive end. With his tremendous explosiveness, he should be a better shot blocker (1.2 bpg). He just needs to learn better timing and anticipation ... Should look to become a more vocal leader ...

MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION: WHO WOULD YOU RATHER DRAFT???

HONESTLY, WITH A #1 PICK GRIFFIN IS THE OBVIOUS CHOICE. IF THE KNICKS HAVE BOTH ON THE BOARD COME JUNE, AND THEY SELECT RUBIO, (NO REPLY)
 

DaTPRiNCE

The Knicks are Back
thats a position i would love to be in; deciding whether to draft Rubio or Griffin and i hope were in this position come June. but for our team i'd prefer Rubio he's more of what we need.
 

____I♥NY____

Benchwarmer
Look, we've already tried a European player, h obviously isin't that great. Griffin can power his way in, unlike Rubio who needs to hit the gym fast. Griffin along with LeBron is superstars to the max. He is the future of the NBA mark my words.
 

LeFlume

All Star
If they take Griffin they can trade him for who ever they want in the draft plus more. When you have the number one pick you draft the best player out there. It's a no brainer.
 

KING~POETIQ

The One and Only
Griffin all the way. When he reaches his full potential, he'll be unstoppable. I don't feel the same way about ricky.
 
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