MINNEAPOLIS — After saying all summer long that his preference was to play in the NBA, Ricky Rubio apparently got a case of cold feet at the last minute.
Rubio changed his mind less than 48 hours after the Timberwolves, Rubio’s agents and the Spanish team DKV Joventut agreed in principle on a deal to bring the 18-year- old point guard to Minnesota.
He told Timberwolves president David Kahn on Monday night that he wanted to stay in Spain for the next two years to better prepare for life in the NBA — a blow to a team that was hoping to have the popular passer on the court this fall.
“Of course there’s disappointment, but I don’t think that disappointment should overshadow the big picture, which is, he’s still so young,” Kahn said Tuesday during a call from Spain, where he spent the weekend negotiating the deal.
The Timberwolves drafted Rubio fifth overall in June, even though he was still under contract with DKV Joventut in a deal that included a $8.1 million buyout clause. When Rubio backed out of the deal, DKV Joventut reluctantly agreed to trade him to rival Regal FC Barcelona, which will pay $5.3 million to buy out his contract.
The Timberwolves will hold Rubio’s NBA rights as long as he is playing professionally.
• The Boston Celtics have signed free-agent guard Marquis Daniels.
Michigan hires law firm
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — • The University of Michigan has hired an outside law firm to assist in the investigation of its football program.
The firm is to work with the athletic department’s compliance office, run by associate athletic director Judy Van Horn.
The Detroit Free Press reported last weekend that numerous players said the football team routinely violated NCAA rules that govern offseason workouts, in-season practices and summer scrimmages.
• Sophomore tight end Jamal Mosley has left the Oklahoma State football team a week after a woman filed for a protective order against him.
Coach Mike Gundy cited only personal reasons as he announced Mosley’s departure.
• Kansas State coach Bill Snyder named junior Carson Coffman the starting quarterback for the season opener Saturday against Massachusetts.
• Alabama defensive end Brandon Deaderick was released from a Tuscaloosa, Ala., hospital Tuesday after being shot in the arm during a robbery attempt late Monday night at an off-campus apartment.
• Fresno State coach Pat Hill has picked junior Ryan Colburn as his starting quarterback to open the season Saturday against Cal-Davis.
Footnotes.
Hilary Knight scored a pair of goals, and the U.S. women’s hockey team routed Sweden 7-0 at the Hockey Canada Cup in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• Andre Greipel of Germany won the fourth stage of the Vuelta, edging Wouter Weylandt of Belgium in Liege, Belgium.
• Cyclist Levi Leipheimer has signed a two-year contract and will join Lance Armstrong on his newly formed Team RadioShack.
The Associated Press
