The Return of J.R. Rider?

Though only a rumor at this point, it appears that Isaiah "J.R." Rider may be primed for one of the most surprising NBA comebacks in recent memory. Undeniably, the 38-year-old guard has roller-coasted his way to one of the leagues most volatile careers since he was selected 5th overall by the Timberwolves in the 1993 NBA Draft. Although Rider hasn't played in a game since the 2001-02 season when he appeared in a whopping 10 matches for Denver, his agent reports that Isaiah has "been working out hard". According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, this stringent level of effort is met by "playing pickup ball with local college guys in suburban Phoenix". Something tells me that whatever jokes might arise regarding the possible effectiveness of such a workout regimen would only give the feeling of shooting fish in a barrel. I'm just going to move on.

The following article will look at this recent come-back news in context of JR Rider's overall career, but first I can't resist the opportunity to point out his bizarre similarity to Jason Kidd. Rider and Kidd both attended high school in the town of Alameda, California, only 2 years apart. Both having March birthdays, Rider and Kidd went on to attend traditionally non-powerhouse collegiate basketball programs in UNLV and UC Berkeley. Despite this, only 3 picks separated their respective top 5 selections in the NBA Draft. Both are strong rebounding guards. All of this may seem like coincidence, and I am even willing to concede that it could just be something in the Alameda water that pushed the players to similar domestic abuse troubles, but then again...

There must be something to the fact that both players boast assault charges on the records stemming from a dispute over fast food. Granted Kidd's assault was prompted by being denied a french fry and Rider's by receiving the wrong flavor of Jack in the Box milkshake (see number 9, add physical altercation), but aren't we just splitting hairs here? How many people, let alone NBA players, can put that on their resume? Just remember, everything happens for a reason... I'll let you know when I figure out what it is.

In the end, I'll concede that it would be an unfair comparison. But only on the basis that, while Kidd has certainly compiled an impressive list of domestic abuse and anger related problems, he has also shown at least a slim measure of remorse. Rider, on the other hand, has never been shy about unabashedly piling it on. It would be an insult to Rider's legacy to simply lump him in with the general NBA populace of dime-a-dozen troublemakers. That's the minor leagues and the last place that this deity of deviance belongs.

Back to the roller coaster. In his prime, Rider was a tangled mix of explosive talent and volatile behavior. On one hand, JR Rider is remembered for the sensational "East Bay Funk Dunk" that won him the 1994 All-Star Slam Dunk Contest and left Charles Barkley stammering that it was perhaps "the best dunk (he'd) ever seen". He's also remembered for the college Dunk of Death when he knocked a defender out cold with a knee to the head. In his rookie season, Rider scored 30+ points 3 times in one month and was named to the All-Rookie First Team, but also managed to miss the first practice of his NBA career (*He repeating this feat by showing up late to his first practice with Atlanta). Both within the single month of December, 1995, Isaiah completed what Timberwolves' announcer Tom Hanneman called the "Play of the Decade" and served a team suspension.

While leading the Hawks in scoring, Rider also managed to be immortalized in Atlanta basketball lore via the “J.R. Curse”, referring to the 9 year playoff drought that followed Rider's demoralizing stint with the team. The powerful black mark left by having traded for Rider is believed to have resulted in the firing of Atlanta GM Pete Babcock as well as the forced resignation of Hawks coach Lenny Wilkins.

Rider has always stood by his delinquency as if on principle. When the NBA ordered drug counseling, he refused, racking up $200,000 in fines. When suspended 3 games by the Hawks for arriving late to a game, he demanded his release rather than submit to the punishment. Really, find me a reasonable comparison. Despite such free cash flow for violations and fines, Rider's rebellious spirit was never satisfied. He was even caught evading phone bills by charging an illegal cell phone to someone else's account. I get the feeling it was more out of habit than a lack of money.

With upwards to 2 dozen arrests to his name, JR Rider has been cuffed for everything from felony cocaine possession to assault, grand theft auto, domestic violence, rape, public gambling, parole violations, marijuana possession (laced with cocaine), failure to complete community service, kicking a woman in the back at an autograph signing, kicking a female sports bar manager, and, my favorite, a kidnapping and battery in which he forced a female acquaintance into his car and proceeded to speed through Marin County with his car door open, holding the screaming woman down. Even though a subsequent court order banned Rider from the county, he was there once again a few weeks later, becoming involved in a car chase that resulted in an auto accident. The incident chalked up another charge of cocaine possession, battery, and police evasion for his record.

Rider's more mundane basketball related issues include instances of threatening to have a reporter killed, going into the stands after a fan, spitting on fans, and violating the league's anti-drug policy. Here is an objective list of incidents and violations committed by Rider during one of his relatively well behaved years with the Portland Trailblazers.

Oh yeah, and in case you're wondering if this pattern is merely a leftover from wilder days, the grand theft auto example is less than a year old. So whether or not it turns out that Isaiah Rider still has the athleticism at age 38 that allowed him to be effective nearly a decade ago, at least we know we'll be getting plenty of Funk in the Trunk, "Slammin' hard like a monster dunk!" (see JR Rider rap track, 1994). When it comes to his finely honed nose for trouble, that's what he built his legacy on and damn he's still got it.

With all that said, it's only appropriate to finish with a vision of Rider's future in his own words from a recent TNT interview regarding his past and the possibility of playing in the NBA again. Openness, commitment, regret. It all seems to be there in a surprisingly eloquent package. If I were in his chair, I'm not sure I would go out of my way to remind everyone that "actions speak louder than words", but like he says, "The proof is in the pudding".

Ricky Rubio Coin Flip

The ongoing Ricky Rubio saga took an interesting turn this past week. Despite a daunting wall of European contract restrictions, the Minnesota Timberwolves are apparently still in the running for the electric young Spanish talent. At least according to a variety of sources, the Timberwolves now have a 50-50 chance of securing Rubio to an NBA contract. Keeping in mind that the draft lottery is designed to help rebuild the leauges worst teams, I feel it is worth taking a look at the issues that may allow a 24 win team to go without their top 5 lottery pick this year.

The Spaniard's current contract with DKV Joventut has 2 years left on it as well as an obscenely disproportionate $8.2 million buy-out clause. Compare this to the fact that Rubio didn't even make $100,000 playing basketball last year. To make matters more confusing, DKV Joventut offered Rubio's contract as collateral for a late tax payment to Spain's IRS, Hacienda. Though not actually sold, the contract is now further tied down by an unstable national economic climate, government beaurocracy, as well as DKV Joventut's desire for debt relief. This is of course in addition to Rubio's aversion to all things cold.

In accordance with the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, Minnesota can only contribute $500,000 to aid in the mammoth buyout. Despite beginning his professional career at only 14 and being the youngest player ever to participate in Spain's ACB leauge, it isn't difficult to see that a combination of personal and Minnesota buyout funds will still fall far short. It is also true that while Rubio went public with the fact that he would play for free if that's what it took to realize his dream of playing in the NBA, this was before he fell from the third spot that many thought he would be drafted in to the fifth.

When it looked like he was going to be drafted third by Oklahoma City, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that a buyout would send him to the States. However, the difference in rookie contract salary between the third and fifth lottery spots is significant. Instead of earning $10,761,200 over three years, he will earn $8,785,800. Subtract the buyout and you'll get what Rubio will have only after three years of playing at a severely reduced salary. Let's just say that's less than Uros Slokar (hint: see 'lowest paid players in NBA').

If Rubio delivers in the NBA, he will certainly recoup the buyout amount quickly through endorsements and other opportunities. Having already appeared in commercials with some of sports' highest profile figures (Tiger Woods/Derek Jeter/Roger Federer/etc), Rubio has massive marketing potential at only 18 years old. He'll fair better in the long term if he makes the transition to the NBA, but would have to sacrifice for now.

Even though it appears Rubio and his Spanish team will part ways regardless of his destination next year, this could be bad news for Minnesota. If money becomes a higher priority, the point guard can sign another European offer with a team like Regal FC Barcelona, Olympiacos, or Real Madrid which are interested and not beholden to the NBA buyout and rookie salary. Money doesn't appear to be the only concern however, as Spanish news reported that Rubio turned down the Real Madrid and Olympiacos offers last week which were both greater than Regal FC Barcelona's. As reported by ESPN in the video link above, a final option would be for Rubio to sit out a year of basketball and re-enter the NBA draft. In this unlikely, worst case scenario, Minnesota would lose their rights to the previously drafted player.

To complicate the issue even further, Minnesota is still without a coach after Kevin McHale's release. The team appears to be leaning toward Mark Jackson while also considering Kurt Rambis and Elston Turner. It has not been made public as to who Rubio would prefer but the decision may help determine where he will end up. Then there's always the issue of Timberwolves backcourt personell, having drafted Rubio and Jonny Flynn consecutively 5th and 6th. Despite David Kahn's stand that Flynn and Rubio could play together in Minnesota, the reality appears to point more in the direction that he simply took the best available talent and will look to make a move in the near future if both point guards do in fact show up. Finally, here is a upbeat look at Minnesota prospects even with all the snags that have cropped up.

In the end, it is bizarre how this can all culminate in the 5th pick of the NBA draft having the same chance of playing for the team that drafted him as the chance of flipping tails on your luckiest penny. I gave it a try myself this morning and determined that Rubio was headed to Minnesota twice, Barcelona once, and the NY Knicks ten times in a sign and trade for Darko Milicic... Get out your coins and send me your second opinions.


UPDATE:
Here is a recent article downgrading the chances of Rubio playing in Minnesota well below what was being proposed above. It also includes some interesting quotes from Timberwolves' president David Kahn regarding his vision of a Rubio/Flynn backcourt.