Ricky Rubio Returns to Practice

On Friday, Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio was cleared by doctors to begin full contact practices when he is ready to go again.

Last March, Rubio tore the ACL and LCL ligaments in his left knee which caused him to have surgery to repair the ligaments and miss the remainder of his rookie campaign as well as every game so far this season.

With the word now out that Rubio can practice, this should energize not only the Timberwolves players on the court but also the team’s fan base off of the court as the 22-year old phenom has done nothing but excite the franchise since his arrival last season.

Rubio told reporters that it has been difficult for him to be patient through the entire process of rehab and rest, but that he is pleased that he is ahead of schedule with the rehab.

“As soon as I’m ready, I want to play,” he said.

Last season during his rookie campaign, the fifth overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft averaged 10.6 points, 8.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 34 percent from three point range, 80 percent from the free throw line and competing in 34.2 minutes per contest.

The Timberwolves have been ravaged with injuries so far this season with Rubio out of the lineup as well as the team’s best player Kevin Love, plus Chase Budinger and Brandon Roy. It will be interesting to see how long it will take Rubio to fully get re-acclimated with playing at the NBA level on a consistent basis.