Sheridan: Ricky Rubio’s coming-out party

Happy New Year from me, too. Bernucca wrote that lede in yesterday’s roundup, and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But enough of that. We’re here this morning to talk about Ricky Rubio, and you can’t do that without referencing Licky Lubio (more on that below).

The Minnesota Timberwolves have become Must-See TV. Readers who are 30 or older might  remember the buzz surrounding Jason Williams in the early days of 1998 when the Sacramento Kings were the hep team to watch.

Mop top. Pete Maravich comparisons. Crazy passing game.

Rubio was all that Sunday night, entering the Mavericks-Timberwolves game late in the third quarter with Minnesota ahead by one point. From there, they outscored the defending champions from Dallas 32-16.

Que rico!

I got my first look at Rubio at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Rubio was brought to the interview room following Spain’s first game of the tournament. The moderator, a Chinese woman, welcomed him to the dais and asked if there were any questions for “Licky Lubio.” (Her better butcher job came later that day when she tried to pronounce Krzyzewski).

I have been to Madrid, Istanbul and the Lithuanian cities of Vilnius and Kaunas in the ensuing years to cover the Spanish national team at the 2010 World Championship and the 2011 Eurobasket, and all I had seen in those ensuing years was regression, not progression.

Rubio”s worst moment had to have been the gold medal game last September against France, when he was benched for all but 7 minutes in favor of tournament MVP Juan Carlos Navarro, who led Spain to the championship with a victory over Tony Parker and France.

Rubio’s confidence went kaput in that tournament as he shot 1-for-15 from 3-point range and 7-for-30 overall, never scoring more than 5 points in a single game.

Suffice to say a change of scenery has brought out the best in him.

Just 19 seconds after checking in, he drilled a 3-pointer. Just 53 seconds into the fourth quarter (after he had scored an additional four points on two free throws and a jumper, Rubio drilled another 3. It was still a five-point game with 5 minutes left when Rubio fed Kevin Love for a 3-pointer to begin a game-closing 15-0 run featuring  pair of 3s by Anthony Tolliver off passes from Rubio.

His final line: 14 points, seven assists and three rebounds to lead the Timberwolves to their first victory in 294 days.

“It’s a new year,” said Love, who shot 5-of-6 from 3-point range. “We’re the best team in 2012 right now. We feel good. We’ve got the monkey off our back.”

From Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: “Tolliver and Love made four three-pointers — two each — in that closing stretch, which turned into a celebration both among an announced crowd of 15,115 fans and on the court where coach Rick Adelman pumped his fists into the air more than once and players flew into each other’s arms as the plays, and the points, just kept coming. Tolliver punctuated that finishing flourish with the last of his team’s 10 three-pointers, after Rubio threaded a baseline pass through (Dirk) Nowitzki’s legs to him open in the far corner for a 16-point lead that left the crowd delirious with two minutes left. “I told Ricky I know I’m getting used to playing with him because I actually expected him to bounce pass it through Dirk’s legs,” Tolliver said. “It felt great, it felt wonderful, it felt like that’s how it should be. We’ve had some really tough losses in this building. We’re not over the hump from just one game, but it’s something we can build confidence from and go forward from.” When it was over, Love had delivered yet another double-double — his fourth consecutive to start the season, 25 points and 17 rebounds. He made five of six threes, and afterward, Rubio praised him with two words condensed into one. “The word that you can say is amazing-unbelievable,” Rubio said after a 14-point, seven-assist night when he made two three-pointers himself. “You know that somebody going to shoot. If he miss, he’s going to take the rebound. I love to play with him. That’s why I have a lot of assists, you know. It’s not because of me. It’s because of him.”

More from Zgoda: “For now Adelman continues to start Luke Ridnour and brings Rubio and J.J. Barea off the bench.Asked if he is bringing Rubio along slowly so the rookie doesn’t feel too much pressure, Adelman said: “It’s one thing I really admire about him: He’s got a lot of pressure on him. The expectations are so high for him. It’s there all the time. He doesn’t seem to buy into that at all. He’s just trying to play his game. I don’t see him pressing or anything like that. “Every rookie is going to go through ups and downs in this league, and he’s not going to be away from that. He’ll have to face that, too, but so far he’s done a nice job.” Rubio’s fourth-quarter stats in four games: 7-for-10 shooting, 21 points, 14 assists, nine rebounds, a plus-27 in plus-minus rating.

From Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press: “The Wolves committed four of their 16 turnovers in the fourth quarter. Rubio had two of the miscues, but Adelman seemed willing to forgive the rookie. Adelman was more impressed with how his fourth-quarter lineup of Rubio, Tolliver, Kevin Love, Luke Ridnour and Michael Beasley managed to keep Dallas from getting back into the game. Love put up his fourth double-double of the season with 25 points and 17 rebounds. He was 5 of 6 on three-point shots. Tolliver had three three-pointers off the bench and finished with 13 points and six rebounds. “I’m really happy for the players,” Adelman said. “They’ve been working hard and stayed with it.” Rubio’s work ethic appears to be generating results as well. He was maligned as a shooter when he came to the Wolves this season, but he made 4 of 8 shots from the floor Sunday, including 3 of 4 in the pivotal fourth quarter. One of the shots was a three-pointer. The other two were driving layups past the Mavericks’ veteran guard tandem of Jason Kidd and Jason Terry. “The lockout gave me extra time this summer to work on my shot,” Rubio said. “The last two years I’ve been working to improve my shot. I was never worried about it.” Opposing teams might start to worry. If Rubio demonstrates that he can hit an outside shot, or take a defender off the dribble and drive to the basket, imagine the changes coaches will have to make in defending the Wolves. The full impact of Ricky Rubio is just beginning.