Dein erstes Forum » field goal to pull to 20-13.It remained a seven-

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we pose a question to a rotating panel of ESPN fantasy basketball experts to gauge their thoughts on a hot topic. Todays contributors are ESPN Fantasys John Cregan, Kyle Soppe and Joe Kaiser.Throughout his first five NBA seasons, Ricky Rubio was all but a shoo-in for at least 10 PPG, 8 APG and 2 SPG. 11 games into his tenure with new head coach Tom Thibodeau, he is averaging career lows: 6.5 PPG, 6.4 APG, 1.5 SPG. Are his days as a viable fantasy player in standard leagues over or is this just a bump in the road?John Cregan: Even at his best, Rubio has always been a unique case. His lack of confidence in his shot has severely undermined his fantasy value. The bulk of his production comes from only two categories: steals and assists. Last season? -- his best season to date -- Rubio was able to climb into the top 40 on the Player Rater by making his outside shooting less of a liability. He posted a career high .529 TS%. He tied his career high in 3-pointers per game (0.8).Normally, a drop-off like Rubios would suggest a regression in his shooting. But his dramatic 2016-17 drop-off is across the board ... and its volume-based. Hes playing only about one minute less per game, but hes logging a career low 12.6% usage rate. Its the usage rate that concerns me, because if Rubio doesnt have possession, he cant generate assists. And without elite-level assists, he becomes waiver-wire material.Is it his early-season elbow injury? Is it a lack of familiarity with Tom Thibodeaus system? Is Rubio feeling the heat from rookie (and some would say PG of the future) Kris Dunn? Is he hurt by the trade rumors?Id wager all of the above. Rubios been hurt and slow to adjust to Thibodeau. Hes always been streaky, and now hes playing with a lack of confidence. And because the Timberwolves are struggling as a whole, Rubio is sitting a little more than he used to.I still think Rubio bounces back. Maybe not as a top-40 player, but top 70 is still within reach.Kyle Soppe: Rubios development has been underwhelming in a major way since he dazzled at the 2008 Olympics, and this season has represented even a further step backward. Im not as optimistic as I once was, but lets not go overboard and write him off as a fantasy-relevant player. First of all ... the man is 26 years old. Hes been on our radar for a while, but he still has time.OK, now on to some metrics. The Wolves are averaging 0.6 more possessions per game this season than last, so while the pace of play isnt elite, it is actually ahead of where it stood last year. As a card-holding member of the Rubio fan club, there is one trend that Im banking on regressing and allowing Rubio to produce viable fantasy numbers in 2017. His usage was never high, but it has fallen three points in the early going this season. Now, that could be intentional, but when you realize that both he and Kris Dunn are in the bottom 10 in usage among point guards this season, it seems more like a weird stat than a sustainable trend.Rubio still cant really shoot, and thats a problem, but I see no reason why he cant approach similar per-minute production this season as he has had in years past. Hes a man with a very particular set of skills, and if youre hurting for assists and steals, Rubio is a nice buy-low player at this point in the season.Joe Kaiser: Rubio is a career 36.8 percent shooter, which is remarkably bad considering how many games hes played in, but as mentioned, hes always been a viable fantasy option due to his high assist and steals numbers. What I see right now is that hes struggling shooting more than ever (33 percent) and has lost his confidence, taking a career-low 5.2 shots per game. That, more than age or minutes or anything more worrisome, is the reason why his scoring numbers are down.Thibodeau likes to play his starters big minutes, and with the rookie Dunn struggling just as badly on the offensive end, I suspect that Rubio could average 31-32 minutes a game by the time the season is over. His numbers will return to normal Rubio levels as soon as his shot starts to fall a little more often and his confidence builds back up.Cheap Arizona Cardinals Jerseys . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. Cheap Chicago Bears Jerseys . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. https://www.cheapjerseys-wholesalechina.com/?tag=cheap-san-francisco-49ers-jerseys . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. nfl cheap jerseys from china . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. Cheap Seattle Seahawks Jerseys . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season.SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. -- Jacob Tucker passed for a touchdown and rushed for another as North Alabama beat Shepherd 23-13 in a Division II semifinal on Saturday.Tucker, a Harlon Hill finalist, went 12 for 27 for 178 yards and a touchdown and ran for another 113 yards.North Alabama (11-1) advanced to the Division II national championship in Kansas City on Dec. 17. The Lions will try to win their fourth national championship and their first since 1997, when the school hosted the championship.Very proud to have this opportunity to come here and play a great football game, said North Alabama head coach Bobby Wallace. I give Shepherd a lot of credit for making it very tough on us.Shepherd (13-1), which made its third trip to the semifinals, seemed to gain some momentum on defense as they kept North Alabama out of the end zone during the entire second half. Linebacker Octavius Thomas forced two North Alabama fumbles, but Shepherd was unable to capitalize with a touchdown and settled for two field goals.Shepherd scored on the games opening drive, but struggles on special teams throughout the first half gave the Lions good field position on multiple series. Tucker and offensive weapons Dre Hall aand Damon Cox took advantage and North Alabama led 20-10 at halftime.dddddddddddd.In the third quarter, after both teams traded three-and-outs, the Lions drove down the field to their own 43 when Thomas forced his second fumble of the day. Shepherd capitalized with a field goal to pull to 20-13.It remained a seven-point lead for much of the second half.The Lions pinned the Rams at their own 1-yard line in the fourth quarter. Shepherd quarterback Ziemba threw an interception to safety Dorsey Norris with 3:43 left and Kevin Henke kicked a 35-yard field goal on the ensuing drive with 2:35 left.Proud of the effort from our guys, said Shepherd coach Monte Carter. I thought they really battled. We had to settle for a couple of field goals and obviously we would have liked to have the seven. I thought that the defense did a nice job not giving up a lot of big plays and going ahead and really hold them in the second half to very few scores.North Alabama will go for their fourth national championship and their first since 1997, when the school hosted the championship. ' ' '