DKV TO KEEP RUBIO?
04/17/2009

fiba.com are reporting that DKV Joventut have reiterated their desire to keep Spain guard Ricky Rubio for at least another year.

Rubio, 18, played big minutes at last summer's Olympics in China and has been outstanding this year with DKV in Spain's ACB, so much so that he is being projected as high as the number two pick overall in the NBA Draft.

The Badalona club's president Jordi Villacampa spoke about DKV's intention to keep Rubio in an exclusive interview with FIBA.com earlier this season and he hasn't changed his stance.

He said to Spain's news agency EFE: "Next year, from a sporting standpoint, we need Ricky Rubio, and looking ahead to the following year, if he still had the enthusiasm to go to the NBA, we would look to find an agreement so that neither the player nor the club would come out hindered."

Villacampa said that if an NBA team were to draft Rubio, who has two more years on his contract at DKV, and the player was to go to North American for next season, Joventut "would be strict" regarding his multi-million dollar buy-out clause.

Rubio has until April 26 to declare for the NBA Draft.

DKV are fifth in the ACB with 18 wins and 10 defeats.

Rubio, a member of the ACB's Ideal Quintet in his first full season as a starter last year, missed the early part of this campaign because of injury.

He has averaged 9.8 points, 5.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds in his 18 ACB games.

The 1.9m star is expected to play for Spain at this summer's EuroBasket in Poland.

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