Ricky Rubio: The 18-Year-Old European Who Already Runs the NBA?

By now you have heard about the 18-year-old phenom from Europe that has played professional basketball since the tender age of 13.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

When I first started hearing news about Ricky Rubio, I really thought he was going to become something big in the years to come. He is clearly experienced, which is hard to find, especially at the young age of 18.

He obviously has the talent, boasting a solid stat line: 10.0 PPG, 6.1 APG, 2.2 SPG, 2.6 RPG, 42.3 three-point percentage, and 80.4 free-throw percentage in just 23.0 MPG during the '08-09 season.

And he seems to have the mindset and confidence, already entering into the NBA draft at this young age.

But one thing that simply blows my mind is that this little 18-year-old European, that has had absolutely no impact in the NBA world so far, is already attempting to get his way with things in the league, hence not planning a visit to Memphis before the NBA draft and supposedly not wanting to join the Grizzlies squad.

I mean, who does this Euro really think he is—Steve Francis?

If I were in Rubio's shoes, I would attempt to show interest in any of the top teams selected in the NBA Lottery and work my butt off proving that I am legit and not just some big ball of hype.

Instead, this dude is (whether it is unintentional or not is beyond my knowing) already making a terrible first impression without having ever stepped foot on an NBA court.

No recent news has been updated on this sticky situation as the NBA Draft appears to be right around the corner on June 25.

If I were Rubio, I would shut up, and instead of saying a word, let my game do the talking.

What do you think?