By Steve Alexander

updated 11:56 p.m. ET June 22, 2009

Ricky Rubio, the 18-year-old, child point-guard prodigy from Spain, is one of the key pieces in determining how the rest of the 2009 NBA draft will unfold. It’s still possible that the Clippers, who hold the No. 1 pick, could put together some sort of deal to move Blake Griffin for Rubio, or he could fall all the way down to the Knicks at No. 8, or further.

The skill set
Rubio, who has been playing professionally since he was just 15, has been pegged as a modern-day Pete Maravich. Words that come to mind when describing him include: creativity, vision, leadership and true point guard. The list goes on, but you get the idea. The only real question, outside of where he’s going to be drafted, is whether he’ll be the next Pistol Pete, or nothing more than a Spanish version of former King Jason Williams, known mostly for flashy passing and 3-point shooting, but not winning.

The buyout
The drama surrounding a $6.6 million buyout of his contract with his current team, DKV Joventut, has developed weekly for the last month. As of Monday, the buyout amount was, according to the Sacramento Bee, close to being lowered to an amount where "he knows he’ll be able to make the payments." In addition, the buyout, which initially looked like a potential deal breaker for any team, might be taken care of by various sponsors as well. In the end, the buyout is no longer a major concern, clearing the way for him to be drafted and to play in the NBA next season.

Brandon Jennings controversy
"I think I'm a better player than he is,” Brandon Jennings said of Rubio recently. “I just shoot the ball better than he can. The only thing I've seen him do sometimes is when he has a home-run pass or something like that. I think the dude is just all hype. I can't even front."

Jennings backed off his comments later, but the damage was done. Current Italian league commentator Dan Peterson came out strongly in favor of Rubio. “Ricky Rubio is not overhyped,” said Peterson. “Jennings is overhyped. He has it all backwards. ... I would have a hard time having Brandon Jennings on my team. I would send him home.”

Despite all the smack talk, both players look like sure bets to be lottery picks.

Draft possibilities
Rubio is not likely to be selected with the No. 1 pick by the Clippers, as they’ve already said that Griffin is their guy. But in reality, the Clippers would love to get their hands on Rubio and could make a trade to acquire him. Baron Davis is currently running the show in L.A., but his name has popped up in many trade rumors this summer, and the Clips would not have any qualms moving him if they got Rubio. But as of now, expect the Clips to take and keep Griffin.

The Grizzlies (No. 2 pick), Thunder (No. 3 pick) and Wizards (No. 5 pick) are also showing interest in Rubio. However, his agent, Dan Fegan, doesn’t appear to be a fan of his client’s playing for any of those teams. Spaniards Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro had bad experiences in Memphis, the Thunder play in Oklahoma City, and already have a top point-guard prospect in Russell Westbrook, while Fegan doesn’t think Rubio would be a good fit in the same backcourt as Gilbert Arenas.

Although Fegan’s posturing may not be enough to ultimately scare one of these three teams from taking Rubio if they want him, it doesn’t help. What is in play, though, is one of the aforementioned teams facilitating a trade with the Kings, Timberwolves or Knicks to put them in a position to get the best point guard in this draft.

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The Kings hold the fourth pick and look like the most probable destination for Rubio. He visited Sacramento last week, but was unable to work out after suffering a bout with the flu. However, he’s reportedly back in Sacramento on Monday and there’s an excellent chance he’ll actually take the floor this time. The Kings would love to land Rubio, as they appear to be ready to give up on Beno Udrih as their floor general of the future. And Sacramento was one of a few places that Fegan’s camp said that he would happily play. The bottom line is that if Rubio is around when the Kings pick, it would be shocking to see them pass on him — especially given the latest news that he is there working out as I write this.

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