I don't speak Spanish, but ...

I think Rubio should try a little harder to eat that ball so he can stop sounding like LaTrell Spreewell trying to feed a family of four on a measly $21 million

 ... I understand what Ricky Rubio is saying and I don't like it one bit. 

Rubio has followed in the footsteps of some of his international predecessors and is playing the "mystique" card to the fullest. Because American basketball fans, and even NBA front offices don't get an opportunity to get a good feel for international prospects, many of them think they can descend upon the country like they are The Beatles and build on their own hype. 

Rubio is being epecially stubborn during these weeks leading up to the NBA Draft, refusing to workout for almost every team and doing interviews with only certain teams. He wants to play in a big market and seems to be taking a liking to Sacramento as he has done multiple interviews and even a one-on-none workout session. 

But he has completely ignored Memphis and has only given Oklahoma City a minimal amount of time. 

I mean, who died and made him John Elway or Eli Manning?

Much like Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian and Dirk Nowitzki, Rubio has made it clear there are only a handful of locations "suitable" for him. Well let me tell you something Rubio, and all of our other international friends thinking about coming over. 

THIS IS THE DRAFT!

Thanks to all your previous hard work, you have the opportunity to be drafted in the top-10, but you have not earned the right to pick the place where you play. In the NBA, that right is earned when you become a free agent. 

A few mind-boggling passes and clutch plays in the Olympics does not mean you are Michael Jordan. And no matter how could people expect a player to be, the right to choose where one plays is not earned until that first contract expires. 

Blake Griffin hasn't earned that right, and either has Ricky Rubio. Someone as mediocre as Royal Ivey has earned the right and someone as great as Hedo Turkoglu has earned the right. 

It was Ivey's choice to opt out of his contract and sign for however much a team of his choosing will give him. The same goes for Turkoglu who is sure to sign for a price he wants in a city he wants to play in. And it's cause those two players have ran the NBA floors and have shown the league what they are capable of. 

But Rubio and all the past international players who were so  persistent in making pre-draft claims of where they need to play did not earn it. 

Don't get me wrong, I love international players and the unknown they bring to the NBA. They could be out-of-nowhere stars like Manu Ginobli, or they could be busts like Darko Milic. It's always exciting. And all those players who made the pre-draft demands like Ming, Jianlian and Nowitzki, well now they have earned the right to sign with a team they want to play for. 

So your time will come Rubio. Show the NBA what you can offer and then make the decision as to where you want to play and for how much. Until then, work just as hard as any other lottery pick. Go to team workouts, express some sort of humility and be willing to play for any team willing to give you millions. It's a privilege to get paid millions to play a game you love, not a right. 

If you end up with a Grizzlies hat on Thursday, smile and tell everyone you are going to play your hardest to get the team back to the playoffs. Cause while you may not like them now, I hear they have excellent BBQ (and car thiefs). And if you still don't like Memphis, play with maturity and wait. Because good things come to those who wait. 

Until then can you please send a message across the channel that international players are not drafting NBA teams, the teams are drafting them. 

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