MINNEAPOLIS -- Summer has typically meant more basketball for Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio, who has competed with the Spanish national team. With an ankle injury ending his year, and injuries disrupting three of his four NBA seasons, Rubio is taking a different approach to this summer.
"Right now I can't think about it until the season is over," Rubio said Friday about playing with Spain in the summer. "I mean, of course, the priority this summer is my health. I have to be healthy. I owe this team a lot. For four years, I only have one good season, like 82-game season. So, I owe this team a lot."
Rubio was ruled out for the rest of the season last weekend. The ankle injury which he hoped to return from ultimately wouldn't allow him back after he last played on March 18. Rubio played in 22 games for Minnesota, averaging 10.3 points, 8.8 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
But Rubio, 24, acknowledged the frustration in another season mired by injury. Once in four NBA seasons has Rubio played more than 57 games. He appeared in all 82 games last season.
"Trying to be positive," Rubio said Monday, speaking for the first time since he was ruled out. "It's tough in this moment. When you're only playing like 22 games, I'm trying to take good things. I learned a lot. New coaches and with my teammates, I grew up as a player. Every injury you have, you got to be stronger, especially mentally. I think this one made me smarter. I appreciate more the little details and little things."
The details this summer will be returning to full health and getting stronger. Head coach and president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said playing with Spain would be "a decision he has to make." But Saunders said Rubio likely won't be cleared by the team's doctors for "couple of months."
"Approach the summer as more of a rehab to get stronger, to rehab early to get healthy," Saunders said. "Once he's healthy, now to work as much on his body and his strength and more cross training than anything else."
Saunders said he isn't worried about Rubio's injury history. Rubio had missed parts of his first two NBA seasons because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his rookie year.
"He's had two freak accidents," Saunders said. "He had the ACL, which can happen, and he came down on an ankle. So it's not been a chronic-type situation, very dissimilar to what (Nikola Pekovic) is going through."
Rubio is the third player to suffer a season-ending injury. Pekovic is scheduled to undergo surgery on his right Achilles tendon. Shabazz Muhammad had surgery to repair a ruptured finger ligament.
Recently, Saunders had expressed hope in a return for Rubio this season. Rubio had suffered the ankle injury on Nov. 7 and returned in February but played in just 17 more games.
"At one point, I couldn't do anymore," Rubio said. "It's tough. It's tough because I want to be out there on the floor and be there."
Rubio said he won't need surgery on the ankle. His focus is now rehabilitating with an eye on being completely healthy for next season.
"The main thing this summer is going to get healthy, get 100 percent and get back," Rubio said.
Garnett makes the trip: Kevin Garnett, who has played in just five games since being acquired at the trade deadline because of knee soreness, is listed as questionable for Tuesday night's game at Sacramento.
The Timberwolves left for the final road trip of the season with games at Sacramento, Portland, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State.
Saunders said Gorgui Dieng (concussion-like symptoms), Anthony Bennett (ankle) and Gary Neal (ankle) wouldn't travel with the team for the beginning of the road trip. Guard Kevin Martin is listed as probable for Tuesday's game.
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