CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For much of Friday’s game, Ricky Rubio was showing why the Cleveland Cavaliers targeted him this offseason -- and why coach J.B. Bickerstaff affectionately refers to him as a starting point guard despite his backup role.
Then a wretched three-minute stretch changed the complexion of Rubio’s night. Cleveland’s as well.
Rubio, who turned 31 on Thursday and is in his 11th NBA season, was the primary offender during a turnover-filled start to the fourth quarter that flipped a one-point game into a Charlotte runaway and ruined Cleveland’s home opener. The Cavs had six miscues in their first eight fourth-quarter possessions, fueling an unstoppable 19-2 Hornets run. Four came from Rubio, with each turning into Charlotte points. By the end of it, the Cavs trailed by a game-high 18 points.
“It was all on me,” Rubio said following the 123-112 loss. “It was bad passes. There’s nothing to blame on them. It was all on me and I take that blame and I take this loss. It’s something that, as a veteran, I have to lead the way and know that if there’s one or two turnovers, the next play you can’t really rush it. I pushed it too much. Something I will learn and it won’t happen again.”
Leadership. Accountability. Two things that, at times, have been lacking with this organization during a painful rebuild.
Even after an awful finish, Rubio didn’t dodge questions. He didn’t point the finger elsewhere, admonish a teammate or make excuses. He kept tapping his chest, owning his mistakes -- even though Collin Sexton said it wasn’t necessary.
“Not at all,” Sexton replied. “At the end of day, we got to have his back. He might turn the ball over, I might turn the ball over, whoever turns that ball over, has to just continue to get back and we have to help that person and get a stop. It’s not just on Ricky. It’s all of us as a team, as a group. I know he’s probably really hard on himself, but I know he’s gonna be better tomorrow.”
Beyond the expected on-court impact, which has already shown in the first two games with a pair of point-assist double-doubles, leadership is big reason why Rubio is here.
The Cavs want him around young guards Darius Garland and Sexton. They’re hoping Rubio can nurture the exciting backcourt duo just like he did All-Stars Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell, and 2020 No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards, who called Rubio the “best leader” he’s ever been around. It doesn’t hurt that Rubio had a pre-existing relationship with temperamental Kevin Love and could help Love remain engaged when adversity hits.
Throughout a turbulent 2020-21 season, Cleveland’s three primary leaders -- Love, Larry Nance Jr. and Matthew Dellavedova -- all had extended stints on the sidelines, leaving the youngsters to stand on their own, especially after three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee was traded to Denver. For a large chunk of the first half, Dellavedova, who was recovering from a severe concussion and neck injury, couldn’t even be around the team because of travel restrictions and the noisiness inside the arena.
Everyone admitted the veterans didn’t do their part. It played an unquantifiable role in the Cavs finishing 22-50 and tumbling out of the Play-In picture after a surprising start.
If Friday is a sign, Rubio can help make sure there isn’t a repeat.
“It’s huge,” Sexton said of Rubio showing accountability. “He’s our brother and whatever he feels like he needs to improve on, we’re gonna go out there and help him. Maybe it was a step into the ball and making sure that he didn’t turn the ball over. Just little things. We’re gonna talk about it, we’re gonna watch it. I know a few plays, me and him have to make sure we’re on the same page because he’s really smart with the ball and he might see something I don’t. You can tell he’s a vet. In some things and some plays he’ll be two or three steps ahead.”
Rubio started in place of Garland, who missed the game with a sprained left ankle. Prior to the fourth quarter, Rubio had the look of that needed, reliable, stabilizing fill-in Cleveland lacked last season.
With Rubio orchestrating the offense, the Cavs scored at least 29 points in each of the first three quarters. They were shooting 54.1% from the field and had 23 assists against 12 turnovers -- a respectable number given how fast they’re trying to play this season. Rubio was already sitting at a double-double, scoring 15 points to go with 10 assists, and the Cavs had outscored the Hornets by eight points with Rubio on the floor.
That’s the kind of value he can bring on a Garland-less night. It shouldn’t be ignored because of an out-of-character spell that cost the Cavs a win.
“On the court, I was saying, ‘My bad.’ But it’s not going to work saying, ‘My bad.’ The way to really fix it, tomorrow don’t get any turnovers,” Rubio said. “It’s something that I have to buy in on and play my game, and I’m a risky player, but at the same time controlling the tempo of the game.
“We were having a really good game. I think we were playing really good basketball. It started on me. The last turnover in the third quarter and it was a snowball we couldn’t stop. ... This league doesn’t stop. Doesn’t feel sorry because you’ve got two games (in a row), D.G. out, whatever it is. It’s going to keep coming and it’s a snowball if you don’t want to stop it.”
The first fourth-quarter mistake from Rubio came on an offensive foul, bumping Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball with his shoulder while coming off a screen. The Hornets followed with a layup.
The next one came as Rubio drove to his left, got caught in the air around the foul line and threw an ill-advised pass that was snatched by Ball. It ignited a fastbreak that ended with Gordon Hayward going to the free-throw line.
The next Cavs possession, Rubio raced up the floor, drove right of the lane and tried (for some unknown reason) flipping a pass behind him to center Jarrett Allen who was trailing at the 3-point line. Ball deflected it to Hayward, who set up teammate Cody Martin for an easy transition dunk.
The final one was also perplexing. Rubio tried a one-handed post-entry pass to Love with his left hand that Ball intercepted. Back the other way, Hayward drained a 3-pointer, forcing Bickerstaff to call timeout and pull Rubio for the rest of the night.
“Some of ‘em were difficult plays, but I trust Ricky Rubio with the basketball in his hands,” Bickerstaff said. “There’s too much history there, too much experience that we’ve seen playing against him and watching tape and all those things.
“We’ve just got to make sure we’re solid with the basketball. Guys will get comfortable playing with one another and where we deliver the ball and those things, that will take a little bit of time. We’ve just got to cut back on when we’re pressing and just make a simple play.”
The early-quarter collapse wasn’t about a lack of chemistry or fatigue. It wasn’t about this increased pace, which has helped Cleveland’s offense hum in the first two games. It was about unexpected carelessness (six total turnovers) from the most reliable -- and seasoned -- ball-handler. Everyone knew it. Rubio especially. The snowball got too heavy.
As Rubio said, put the loss on him. That’s what leaders do.
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