The Cleveland Cavaliers are this season’s most surprising success story, and Ricky Rubio is a major part of what they’re doing. If he has suffered a serious knee injury, which unfortunately is a real possibility, it would be a major blow to Cleveland, which currently sits as the East’s No. 5 seed with the league’s fourth-best point differential.
In the closing minutes of of Cleveland’s 108-104 loss to the Pelicans on Tuesday, Rubio appeared to slip, and subsequenrtly his left knee gave out when he planted as he was driving through the paint.
He went down in clear pain and grabbed at his knee immediately.
Rubio was helped to the locker room by teammates and was not putting any weight on his knee. He was seen leaving the arena on crutches, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi, who reported that Rubio will have an MRI on Wednesday.
Rubio, who was nearing a triple-double with 27 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists when he went down, has been a rock solid presence for the Cavs, particularly next to Darius Garland, who has emerged as a potential All-Star this season. His impact goes beyond his 12-plus points, six-plus assists and four rebounds a night, and I say this as someone who’s never really been a Rubio enthusiast.
He’s been fantastic for the Cavs, who are such a cool story and fun team to follow right now. Everyone is hoping for the best for Rubio. We’ll see what the MRI results say on Wednesday.
