Minnesota GM David Kahn said that there was an agreement in place to bring Ricky Rubio to the NBA this season, but in the end, the young Spaniard decided that he’d rather play in his home country for two more seasons.

Yet just as the team appeared to be putting the finishing touches on a deal to bring Rubio to the NBA, Rubio came to Kahn with second thoughts.

“This morning I met with Ricky and his parents and told them that I understood Ricky’s decision,” Kahn said in a statement. “It was clear to me yesterday and in this morning’s meeting that the pressure surrounding Ricky and his family to remain in Spain for at least two more years had only intensified as the summer wore on and was weighing heavily on them.”

Shortly after Rubio was drafted, there was talk that he and his agent preferred him to play in a larger market to better take advantage of endorsement opportunities that would help offset the costs of the buyout.

In a statement issued by the Timberwolves, Rubio said he has every intention of coming to Minnesota in two years. The Wolves retain Rubio’s draft rights for one year after his contractual obligation to Barcelona ends.

I don’t really blame Rubio here. Have you seen Barcelona? It’s far more beautiful and vibrant than the Twin Cities, especially from November to March, when the NBA season is in full swing. I’m sure that the option to stay close to home and play in a comfortable situation for two more seasons was an appealing choice, especially since Rubio is still only 18 years old.

As for the T-Wolves, they will still hold his NBA rights for a year after his contract with his Barcelona team is complete. There’s no huge rush to get him to the NBA, though I’m guessing that if David Kahn could do it all over again, he might take Stephen Curry instead.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota GM David Kahn is intent on seeing Ricky Rubio in a T-Wolves uniform this season.

Timberwolves President David Kahn has made a second trip to Spain to try to learn more about what it will take to get Ricky Rubio, the team’s No. 1 draft pick, to Minnesota.

It’s still unclear whether the 18-year-old point guard could get out of his DKV Joventut Barcelona team’s contract, which includes a $6.6 million buyout, in time for Wolves training camp in October.

It’s expected to be several more weeks before the Wolves learn whether they will have Rubio for the coming season. But Rubio has indicated to Kahn that he’s willing to come to Minnesota if the buyout issue can be resolved.

Right now, the issue is money.

It’s believed the $6.6 million buyout has been negotiated down by some European teams to about $4 million.

If the buyout could be decreased to about $3 million, that probably would be enough for Rubio to get out of the his Spanish contract and get to Minnesota. Rubio could pay the $3 million or so over the next several years from his salary from the Wolves.

There was some speculation that the T-Wolves and the Knicks may be working on a deal that would send Rubio to New York, but nothing can happen until he is free from his DKV Joventut contract and is able to play in the NBA.

I wonder if Kahn has second guessed his decision to take Rubio and point guard Jonny Flynn back-to-back in this summer’s draft. The pick has certainly created a lot of headaches for Kahn and the organization, and right now he looks a little foolish.

Ricky Rubio may or may not want to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season, but one thing’s for sure — he doesn’t want to play for his old team, DKV Joventut.

He has an $8.2 million buyout with the club, and the T-Wolves can only contribute $500,000. Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid are interested in signing Rubio if he doesn’t come to the U.S.

The buyout is ridiculous considering that Rubio didn’t even make six figures playing for DKV Joventut last season. He has been trying to negotiate a smaller settlement, but thus far little progress has been made.

Drew Packham of NBA.com ranks how the rookies fared at summer league.

1. Blake Griffin
2. Jonny Flynn
3. Tyreke Evans
4. James Harden
5. Brandon Jennings
6. Ty Lawson
7. Dante Cunningham
8. DeJuan Blair
9. Austin Daye
10. Tyler Hansbrough

Packham provides a short writeup for each player and lists several notables.

Summer league isn’t a great indicator of future success (i.e. Jerryd Bayless had a great summer league last year), but you’d obviously rather see your guy play well than stink up the gym.

The NBA offseason is by no means over, but the lion’s share is behind us, so it’s a good time to take a look back at a few of the…um…let’s say “questionable” decisions of the summer. Here are my Top 10, in no particular order. Feel free to add to the list if I missed something.

1. Trevor Ariza plays spiteful hardball…and loses.
Let’s get this straight — the Lakers offered Ariza the same deal he was getting on the open market, and he refused since the Lakers could have offered more, but didn’t? Um, okay. David Lee (the agent, not the Knicks forward) says that Ariza wanted to go somewhere where he’d be “appreciated.” Lee overestimated the market for his client, and the Lakers quickly moved on to acquire Ron Artest. Now instead of playing for the world champs, Ariza is stuck in Houston on a team that faces a very uncertain future. Lee now says that Ariza turned down a deal worth $9 million more, but still picked Houston. It sounds to me like he’s just trying to save face.

2. Grizzlies acquire Zach Randolph.
Once the Clippers traded for Randolph (and his toxic contract) last season, I thought the bar for NBA general managers had hit a new low thanks to Mike Dunleavy and his wily ways. But Dunleavy proved that he wasn’t the dumbest GM in the league when he convinced the Memphis Grizzlies to take on the final two years Randolph’s contract at the tune of $33.3 million. Remember that $25 million or so of cap space that the Grizzlies were going to have next summer? Yeah, that’s down to about $8 million with this brilliant move. Just when it looked like Chris Wallace was going to rehab his image after the Pau Gasol trade — Marc Gasol panning out, trading for O.J. Mayo — he goes and does this. Sigh.

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