FanNation - The Republic of Sport

(Author's note: This article was originally published by Aaron here at www.aarontorres-sports.com on April 20th of this year.  He decided to bring it back out of the archives with the 2009 NBA Draft set to get underway)

Although I love sports as much as anyone, I'm almost never impressed by anything I see anymore.

Over the course of the last decade, I'd venture to say I've seen as many games, matches, races and rounds as anyone. In just the past 10 days, I witnessed the final round of the Masters, at least a dozen Major League baseball games and the same number of regular season and postseason NBA contests. Not to mention a few college football replays on ESPN Classic, a little bit of tennis and even some NHL playoffs to boot. And that doesn't count the numerous Sportscenter's, dumb First Take and Pardon the Interruption debates and Baseball Tonight episodes.

Because of it all, I've become a bit jaded.

I've seen Albert Pujols hit playoff home runs that haven't landed yet (hello Brad Lidge), Roger Federer rip impossible backhands down the line, and Michael Jordan hit championship winning jump shots.

When it comes to sports I'm like some wine snob at a posh 5 star restaurant. I take a sip, swish around a bit and move to the next bottle. I have a sophisticated sports pallet and rarely am I in awe.

Which brings me to Ricky Rubio, the 18-year-old Spanish point guard that makes every teenage girl in Spain, as well as everyone in international basketball, swoon.

(Agree with Aaron?  Disagree?  Let him know by e-mail at ATorres00@gmail.com or www.aarontorres-sports.com)

With the NBA Draft coming up, it was time for me to take a look for myself at the wiz-kid, arguably the biggest thing from Spain to hit the American sports scene since Rafael Nadal and his haircut washed up on our shores several years ago.

So on Saturday morning I ventured over YouTube to start my research, pen and paper in hand, not sure exactly what to expect.

You see, I've never been one to be wowed by big-time international players. Period. I don't care about the 6'9 French kid with a 7'8 wingspan and 42-inch vertical leap.

Because ultimately when it comes to young foreign stars, too many fail the biggest question that's a pre-requisite to future NBA success: Can the kid play basketball? And I'm sorry, but averaging 6.4 points a game in the Belgian Premiere League isn't a good answer.

So with people telling me all basketball season that Rubio may ultimately pass Blake Griffin- one of the most dominant college big men in recent memory- as the No. 1 pick in June's draft, I've got to be honest, I was a tad bit skeptical.

But I started the grainy YouTube videos Saturday morning regardless. My posture was slouched and relaxed, like Al Bundy catching another episode of Psycho Dad, my face expressionless.

Time to roll the video.

Within the first two clips, there was Rubio, floppy hair in his eyes, throwing impossible passes. My body immediately straightened up, intrigued, like a dog catching a new scent on a fire hydrant.

By clips five and six I was saying things like "Whaaat," and "No he didnnnn't," my ramblings some bizarre combination of an And-1 mix tape and a guest on the Maury Povich Show.

And by the 90 second mark I was on my feet, clapping, like some overzealous soccer mom watching her kid score his first goal, practically fighting back tears of pride.

I was excited, I was overwhelmed. Most of all I was impressed... more than impressed. Heck, I haven't been this excited for anything basketball related since the Isiah Thomas sexual harassment trial began.

At 18, Rubio has a basketball IQ that is absolutely off the charts. Like watching Chris Paul, Rubio has an innate understanding of where his teammates should be, and will be on any given play. When running offensive sets, he seems to have a clear feel for proper spacing, and always seems to make the right pass on the fast break.

While his speed from end-to-end isn't that of Paul or Derrick Rose, Rubio seems to have the deceptive quickness that made Steve Nash a two-time MVP. He always appears able to get where he needs to be on the court, whether it's turning a corner, or simply putting his shoulder down and bulling through a defender. Even in the most chaotic of situations, he always seems to be under control.

And in the open court Rubio's antics were exactly as they've been described to me: Maravich-esque.

The scary part...

 (To read the remainder of this article, please click here, or visit Aaron at www.aarontorres-sports.com)