RUBIO DECLARES FOR NBA DRAFT
04/21/2009

Ricky Rubio - the Spanish point guard sensation that has been compared to everyone from Pete Maravich to Steve Nash - will declare for the 2009 NBA draft, according to his agent.

Rubio will have until June 15 to withdraw his name from the draft. However, his agent sounded confident that he's staying in (according to ESPN.com).

Rubio is the starting point guard for DKV Joventut in Spain and is widely considered the best young international player in the world.

British fans may have seen him at the Guildford Spectrum last season, when his team gave the Heat a thrashing in the ULEB Cup.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound point guard from Barcelona has been a starter in the best basketball league in Europe since the age of 16. He made himself into an international phenomenon with his strong performance for Spain in the Olympics. Rubio more than held his own playing against NBA point guards like Chris Paul and Jason Kidd.

This season he's averaging 10 points per game and six assists per game in the Spanish League in about 22 minutes per game.

Rubio has been the consensus No. 2 pick on the ESPN.com Top 100 for the entire year. While scouts say that he needs to get stronger and work on his jump shot, the consensus is that he's got the talent to be a star.