The worst fears of the Minnesota Timberwolves have been grimly confirmed: The Ricky Rubio injury has been deemed to be a torn ACL knee ligament, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
Rehabilitation time for such an injury usually is six to nine months, which means Rubio also likely will miss playing for Spain in the London Summer Olympics that begin in July.
The dazzling rookie, who helped lead the Timberwolves into playoff contention with a 21-20 record just a season after the team went 17-65, suffered the injury to in Minnesota's 105-102 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. Rubio exited the game after his left knee appeared to buckle, and he now leaves the Timberwolves short a star player who helped make the team one of the most exciting to watch in the NBA.
Rubio ends his rookie season averaging 10.6 points on 35.7 % shooting along with 8.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals.
The Timberwolves will start life after Rubio tonight when they take on the New Orleans Hornets at the Target Center at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
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