<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-news-karl-anthony-towns-message-ricky-rubio-after-guards-cryptic-post');   ga('set', 'title', 'Karl-Anthony Towns’ message for Ricky Rubio after guard’s cryptic post');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Karl-Anthony-Towns-and-Ricky-Rubio.jpg"><figcaption>Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Karl-Anthony Towns’ message for Ricky Rubio after guard’s cryptic post</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-08T07:22:33-07:00">June 8th, 7:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-08T07:22:33-07:00">June 8th, 7:22am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Last season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/cavs-news-ricky-rubio-reveals-why-left-cleveland-joins-fc-barcelona">Ricky Rubio stepped away from basketball</a> and said that his NBA career would be over after 12 seasons as he addressed his mental health issues. He then returned to action with Barcelona in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and with the Spanish national team in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. Since then, he had been pretty much quiet on social media, but he recently <a href="https://x.com/rickyrubio9/status/1930572000465969569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1930572000465969569%7Ctwgr%5E54a381aab61aca65e8983e0d2f4f90bb71062685%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbasketnews.com%2Fnews-225691-ricky-rubio-hints-at-possible-return-this-isnt-a-goodbye.html" rel="noopener">shared a cryptic message</a> about his career.</p><p>“I took this year to reflect on my career and my life, and I’ve realized that if I’ve gotten to where I am today, it’s not because of the assists I’ve given, but because of the assists I’ve received,” Rubio wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This isn’t a goodbye, it’s a thank you to all the people who have helped me along the way.”</p><p>This message led many people to probably think that Rubio was done playing for good, and it caught Karl-Anthony Towns off guard because he <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/karltowns/3650040904010585433/" rel="noopener">had a message for him</a> on Instagram.</p><p>“Incredible journey [Ricky Rubio] Enjoy this next chapter,” Towns wrote on his story.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-karl-anthony-towns-emotionally-reflects-ricky-rubio-impact">Towns and Rubio played with each other</a> on the Minnesota Timberwolves back in the day.</p><h2><b>Is Ricky Rubio retiring?</b></h2><p>Though Rubio posted that initial message of thanking everybody in his career, he circled back and <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/eurobasket/1834976/ricky-rubio-spain-eurobasket-euroleague-retirement-denied/" rel="noopener">gave clarity</a> on what he was trying to say.</p><p>“This is something I’d like to make clear. This isn’t a farewell,” Rubio said. “It’s simply a thank you. It comes from my year of reflection, and I wanted to do something that’s rarely done: to thank those who have been or are important to you. But it has no other message.</p><p>“I don’t know yet what will happen with my career. That should be the next thing to think about. This is something that came to mind now, and I want to convey it now that I’m back professionally, although I’m forced to stop due to health issues.”</p><p>Rubio returned to European basketball in 2024 for the first time since 2011, as he joined Barcelona in February to focus on his mental health. He parted ways with the club at the end of the season. During the 2023–24 season, he averaged 17 minutes, 4.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds.</p><p>With his clarifying message, it looks like Rubio is not sending his farewells and is leaving the door open.</p><p>“I might play again – why not? – or I might not, and that wouldn’t be a bad idea either. It’s something I’d like to consider in the near future,” Rubio said.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Karl-Anthony Towns’ message for Ricky Rubio after guard’s cryptic post

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wnba/las-vegas-aces/aces-star-aja-wilson-makes-ricky-rubio-declaration-after-huge-game-vs-sparks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Aces star A’ja Wilson makes ‘Ricky Rubio’ declaration after huge game vs. Sparks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Kelsey-Plum-Aja-Wilson-with-flames-and-Rubio-jersey-Becky-Hammon.jpg"></figure><h1>Aces star A’ja Wilson makes ‘Ricky Rubio’ declaration after huge game vs. Sparks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-31T07:14:28-07:00">May 31st, 7:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-31T07:14:28-07:00">May 31st, 7:14am</time><address><a href="http://www.candesecharles.com">Candese Charles</a>Candese Charles is a credentialed beat reporter covering the Las Vegas Aces for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Who doesn’t love a good, friendly rivalry? The Las Vegas Aces played a riddle of familiar faces against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday at Michelob Ultra and<a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/sparks/story/2025-05-30/los-angeles-sparks-las-vegas-aces-wnba-recap" rel="noopener"> came out on top 96-81</a>. A’ja Wilson had 35 points and 13 rebounds, another impressive night <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/aces-news-lakers-lebron-james-reacts-to-aja-wilson-wnba-mvp-win">for the three-time MVP</a>. But her spectacular night was about more than team-high buckets! The Aces star also led the team in assists.</p><p>“They call me Ricky Rubio,” Wilson joked during the post-game conference. The Las Vegas star player is in great company. A beloved NBA legend, Rubio was praised for his substantial assist numbers throughout his career. Although high assist numbers may not be Wilson’s focus, being a team player who wins is.</p><p>“I did not come into this season thinking I was going to lead this team in assists,” Wilson said post-game.</p><p>“But, I do know that we’re going to see a lot of different defenses, which means I can’t shoot over five people, and I have amazing teammates surrounding me, so I’m giving them the basketball, and I’m just glad they’re making shots.”</p><p>Las Vegas’ core four set the tone from the tip. Kiah Stokes offered seven points, four rebounds, and two steals in her 18 minutes of hard-hustling game time. Chelsea Gray made more than half of her 3-point attempts, providing the Aces with 15 points. Across the board, on the defensive end, “The Point Gawd” was there with a block, steal, and rebound when needed. Gray had four rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks. The back-to-back champions had something to prove tonight, and they showed up and showed out.</p><p>“Coming into this game, we needed to turn something, we needed to set the tone and start to get our identity. It’s early, and this is the time when you form your identity,” Wilson said in the post-game conference.</p><p>You can’t talk about this game without highlighting the efforts of Jackie Young, who added 26 points, making half of her field goal attempts. But as aggressive as she had to be on the offensive end, the “Silent Assassin” had to be just as calculated on the defensive end. Young’s defensive assignment was former Aces star Kelsey Plum.</p><p>“We’re both two competitors. So we were just going at it,” Young said of the matchup.</p><p>Friday night’s matchup was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/las-vegas-aces/kelsey-plum-riding-high-with-sparks-into-aces-return">Plum’s first game in Las Vegas</a> since she was part of the three-team trade in January. Sparks got Plum; Aces acquired Jewell Loyd from Seattle. Loyd may have had a slow night on Friday against the Sparks, but has stayed a consistent starting lineup player. With the ball popping Friday night, everyone appeared to be where they needed to be for the Aces to come out victorious.</p><h2><b>Friendly battle to the death</b></h2><p>It was a stellar night for Las Vegas, which went on a 23-2 run in the first quarter, followed by a 15-3 run in the second, to take a 54-36 lead. The showdown was on, and it was a challenge for Los Angeles to catch up even after a short spurt in the first half and a late push. With a roster full of seasoned stars and rookie hopefuls, the Sparks did their best to contain Wilson.</p><p>“Be disruptive, hit her a lot, push her off her routes. She pushed back, in my opinion,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said during the post-game presser.</p><p>While Los Angeles had their sights set on disrupting the Aces’ star player, Las Vegas worked away at former teammate Plum. Plum brought the Dawg back to the House, leading the Sparks with 17 points. That team high was from 6-19 shooting, 1 of 7 from beyond the arc.</p><p>“It takes a lot of energy to chase her down,” Hammon said of Plum in the post-game conference.</p><p>“We know that she’s going to score because she’s a great player. But, just making it difficult for her,” Young said post-game.</p><p>And that’s what the Aces did. Plum didn’t secure a bucket until the second quarter. The former Aces player committed five turnovers and four fouls. Both Plum and Sparks coach Lynne Roberts received technical fouls for arguing with officials on separate occasions.</p><p>Without a doubt, Plum was in good company on her side of the court. Odyssey Sims scored 15 points. Another former Aces player on the Sparks brought the heat to the House on Friday. Dearica Hamby offered 14 points for the Sparks, but it was not enough to Spark a win and only ignited a fire in the Las Vegas Aces locker room—that and a loss that continues to shake the Aces’ core.</p><h2>Pass and grab</h2><p>“The Seattle game left a bad taste in our mouth,” Wilson said after Friday night’s win against the Sparks.</p><p>The 102-82 loss at Seattle on Sunday may have left an impression, but the Aces used it as fuel for Friday night’s game. While defense continues to be a sore spot for the two-time champions, lessons learned from the loss translated to the court against the Sparks. While teams continue to struggle to find that chemistry, the Aces have begun to lock in on their winning synchronization. There are several new Aces (Dana Evans, Jewell Loyd, Aaliyah Nye) who fit right in with the team, making it challenging for opposing teams to stop them.</p><p>“We’re in a work of progress. We did some good things to build off, considering the game we were coming off; that was a better showing for us. That was more like it!” Hammon said at the post-game conference.<br>While Hammon says it’s about moving the ball and staying open, Wilson’s assists are not the only way the team plans to keep up the WNBA team to beat.</p><p>“I’ll get her a Ricky Rubio jersey, but Chelsea Gray needs to lead this team in assists,” Hammon said.</p><p>“Every time we play, it’s about Aces. We need to focus on us, and I think that’s what you saw today,” Wilson said post-game.</p><p>“Defensively, you saw us string possessions together where, in some cases, we don’t always do that, so we can bottle that up and continue.”</p><p>The Las Vegas head back to Seattle on Sunday to play the Storm. The hope is the Aces will be able to weather whatever storm is to come.</p><p>“At the end of the day, our Olympians need to play like Olympians,” Hammon said after Friday night’s win against the Spark.</p><p>Sunday’s matchup against the Seattle Storm is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. PST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Aces star A’ja Wilson makes ‘Ricky Rubio’ declaration after huge game vs. Sparks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);   ga('set', 'page', '/cavs-news-cleveland-makes-ricky-rubio-contract-move-to-help-flexibility');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cavs make Ricky Rubio contract move to help flexibility');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Cavs-Koby-Altman-Ricky-Rubio.jpg"></figure><h1>Cavs make Ricky Rubio contract move to help flexibility</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-03T10:00:01-07:00">September 3rd, 10:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-03T10:00:01-07:00">September 3rd, 10:00am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints and Cavs Nation as an Associate Editor in 2021 and became CP's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cavs News</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Even as the Isaac Okoro situation looms, the Cleveland Cavaliers have made most of their major moves in the 2024 offseason. Following the <a href="https://cavsnation.com/jarrett-allens-91-million-extension-has-cavs-fans-buzzing">massive contract extensions</a> the Cavs agreed to with their star players, they made a move to create some extra flexibility using the contract of Ricky Rubio.</p><p>The Cavs waived Rubio in January and the veteran point guard promptly retired from the NBA, playing his final two seasons in the league in Cleveland. But he still has money on the books. The team wasn’t in danger of dipping into the second apron but it clearly wanted some more wiggle room.</p><p>According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, the Cavs are stretching the rest of Rubio’s money over three seasons, lowering his cap hit to well under $500,000 per season. This helps them open up more room below the luxury tax line, though it will add some more money in future years.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cleveland stretched the $1.27M owed to Ricky Rubio this season over the next 3 seasons.</p><p>The $424,672 cap hit this season gives Cleveland more flexibility below the luxury tax. </p><p>Under the 2023 CBA, Cleveland was allowed to stretch his current cap hit prior to 8/31.  </p><p>Rubio was…</p><p>— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1830990215072108933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Cavs stretch Ricky Rubio contract after busy offseason </b></h2><p>Rubio played just 67 games across his two seasons with the Cavs but provided steady guard play while Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen came into their own. Donovan Mitchell joining the scene catapulted them back into the playoffs but those years of building up to something were made easier by Rubio, who averaged 9.2 points and 5.1 assists per game as a key backup.</p><p>The Cavs’ payroll now stands <a href="https://www.capsheets.com/cleveland-cavaliers-cap-sheet/" rel="noopener">at $159 million</a>, according to capsheets.com. They have plenty of space to go before getting hit with penalties. As they potentially need to make big moves down the line to fortify their core, staying out of the luxury tax will be very helpful. Cleveland still has to fortify its wing rotation and keep money open for future extensions for Mitchell, who has a player option in the final season of his new deal.</p><p>After winning their first playoff series since 2018, the Cavs are looking to <a href="https://cavsnation.com/cavs-news-cavs-tied-most-back-to-backs-2024-25-nba-schedule" rel="noopener">contend in the Eastern Conference</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cavs make Ricky Rubio contract move to help flexibility

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-ricky-rubio-finds-new-home-after-nba-retirement');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ricky Rubio finds new home after Cavs exit, NBA retirement');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Ricky-Rubio-finds-new-home-after-Cavs-exit-NBA-retirement.jpg"></figure><h1>Ricky Rubio finds new home after Cavs exit, NBA retirement</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-22T11:56:28-07:00">July 22nd, 11:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-22T11:56:28-07:00">July 22nd, 11:56am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. He can also be found three to five times weekly on Locked On Cavs, a part of the Locked On Podcast Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former Cleveland Cavaliers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavs-donovan-mitchell-celebrate-ricky-rubios-unique-spirit-after-nba-retirement">veteran point guard Ricky Rubio</a>‘s basketball journey is about to come full circle. Rubio <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/eurocup/1698652/ricky-rubio-reportedly-agrees-on-joventut-return/" rel="noopener">will be signing</a> with Joventut Badalona, the Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, where his professional basketball career began, per Eurohoops. Rubio started his professional career with Joventut in 2005 and spent his first four years with Badalona before moving on to higher-level clubs.</p><p>The path to this point in his basketball journey has been arduous for Rubio. Right before the Cavs began last season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavs-executive-koby-altman-drops-ricky-rubio-update-after-media-day-absence">Rubio announced</a> he was stepping away from basketball to prioritize his mental well-being. This decision led to Rubio missing the FIBA World Cup with the Spanish National Team, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/fiba-world-cup-news-dennis-schroder-mvp-welcome-germany-historic-win">which Germany won</a>. But, this decision had more lasting effects than some had hoped, with the Cavs eventually <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavs-news-ricky-rubio-contract-buyout-mental-health-absence">buying out Rubio’s contract</a> and, subsequently, the star guard retiring from the NBA for good.</p><h2>What brought Ricky Rubio back to basketball?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Rubio-Attempts-Layup.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>But when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavs-news-ricky-rubio-reveals-why-left-cleveland-joins-fc-barcelona">Rubio eventually returned</a> to basketball, signing with FC Barcelona, he shared how difficult the challenges were for him mentally and emotionally regarding his love of the game.</p><p>“I developed a chronic stress, something similar to an anxiety disorder,” Rubio said. “The only way to come back was to understand why I got to this point. I developed mechanisms that had led me to play at a high level but which were not sustainable. There is another way. Rome is reached by many paths.”</p><p>The floor general also emphasized how his identity as a player clashed with who he is as a person, giving him intense imposter syndrome.</p><p>“The player ate the person. I didn’t know who I was. It was a difficult moment for me. I had fear. You are able to handle your fears and play down them. Life is full of greys. But I have saved myself, and now I am at ease. I am proud of myself and give basketball a new chance,” Rubio added.</p><p>Rubio was a spark plug for Cleveland when healthy, giving the Cavs a consistent backup behind Darius Garland. He played a key part in the team’s transition from a hopeless rebuild to a hopeful contender. Unfortunately, injuries took their toll on Rubio and his game, and he became a liability for Cleveland against the New York Knicks during the 2023 NBA Playoffs.</p><p>Those same injuries also took a toll on Rubio mentally, which eventually led to his decision to retire from the NBA and remain overseas in his home country of Spain. But with Rubio finding his way back to the court, giving basketball another chance, it seems he’s rediscovered his love for the game. Everything will come full circle as he continues his journey with the club where his professional career began.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ricky Rubio finds new home after Cavs exit, NBA retirement

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cavs-news-ricky-rubio-reveals-why-left-cleveland-joins-fc-barcelona');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ricky Rubio reveals why he left Cavs as he joins FC Barcelona');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cavs-news-ricky-rubio-reveals-why-he-left-cleveland-as-he-joins-fc-barcelona.webp"></figure><h1>Ricky Rubio reveals why he left Cavs as he joins FC Barcelona</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-26T17:15:39-08:00">February 26th, 5:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-26T17:15:39-08:00">February 26th, 5:15pm</time><address><a>Brian Buyawe</a>Brian Buyawe is a sports aficionado with a passion for basketball, football and Formula One. His hobbies include running, reading and playing in recreational leagues. Back when he was a kid, Brian stumbled upon an old Larry Bird documentary among his family's collection of movies, which made him a lifelong Celtics fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Ricky Rubio recently made a return to professional basketball a month after announcing his retirement from the NBA. The point guard signed a short-term contract with Euroleague team FC Barcelona, which lasts until the end of the season.</p><p>Last year, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavs-news-ricky-rubio-contract-buyout-mental-health-absence" rel="noopener">Rubio took a leave</a> from the Cleveland Cavaliers, citing mental health reasons as the cause. Being sidelined for months, the Spaniard eventually parted ways with the team via a contract buyout following his retirement.</p><p>Now, as he prepares for a fresh start back in Europe, Rubio opened up on <a href="https://m.basketnews.com/news-202415-ricky-rubio-reveals-reasons-why-he-stopped-his-basketball-career.html" rel="noopener">the mental health obstacles</a> that plagued him prior to stepping away from the game.</p><p>“I developed a chronic stress, something similar to an anxiety disorder,” Rubio said, per m.basketnews.com. “The only way to come back was to understand why I got to this point. I developed mechanisms that had led me to play at a high level but which were not sustainable. There is another way. Rome is reached by many paths.”</p><p>The floor general also emphasized how his identity as a player clashed with who he is as a person.</p><p>“The player ate the person. I didn’t know who I was. It was a difficult moment for me. I had fear. You are able to handle your fears and play down them. Life is full of greys. But I have saved myself, and now I am at ease. I am proud of myself, and I give basketball a new chance,” Rubio added.</p><p>Considering how the point guard played 17.2 minutes a game during his final season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavs-donovan-mitchell-celebrate-ricky-rubios-unique-spirit-after-nba-retirement" rel="noopener">with the Cavs</a>, he surely has some gas left in the tank. And looking at what he’s had to deal with, seeing Ricky Rubio back on the floor is a smile-inducing sight for many fans.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2022-23 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.2	2.1	3.5	0.2	0.8

2022-23 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.2	2.1	3.5	0.2	0.8

Ricky Rubio

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