Kevin Love shocked a lot of people when he made his season debut for the Minnesota Timberwolves last week. He was supposed to be out a little bit longer but there he was, scoring and rebounding like he hadn’t missed any time at all.
There must be some sort of healing formula in the water up in Minnesota because Ricky Rubio is reportedly on track to come back faster than originally thought as well. Rubio is supposed to be in Vail, Colorado today to visit with his surgeon for three days. On Thursday, the Timberwolves are hoping he’ll be able to return to contact practice.
Rubio hasn’t played in a game since March 9th of last year after tearing the ACL in his left knee, so even when he is ready to play, it’s hard to predict how effective he’ll be. Either way, the Timberwolves are looking forward to his return, especially on the defensive end.
"When he was healthy last year, he was very good keeping the people in front of him," said Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman. "He was able to control the guard he was guarding and not let him get around him. He was in the Top 5 in steals. He was always in the right spot defensively as a team defender, too. He'll help us. He'll give us a little more size there. His instincts will help us a lot."
Since Kevin Love returned to action, the Timberwolves are on a three-game losing streak, surely dealing with some chemistry issues after starting 5-4. Rubio’s return could mean they need even more time to get back in sync, but in the long run, it’s probably worth it to have him back.
There hasn’t been a definite timetable for Rubio’s return all year, but for those that weren’t expecting him back until late December, this could be a nice early Christmas gift.
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