"The kid is ready. Start him on opening night and just leave him out there for as long as his legs hold out. Long-suffering Timberwolves fans deserve to have some fun.

On Saturday night, Ricky Rubio finally made his basketball debut in Minnesota. The girls squealed. The guys high-fived. And the coaches and players got an eyeful. Rubio may not be the most polished rookie in the NBA, but he probably is the most entertaining. After years of basketball misery at Target Center, it was as if he descended on a cloud.

There was a lob pass - off the dribble, no less - to a soaring Derrick Williams. There was a steal and a rip-roaring fast break. There were no-look passes, passes off the drive, cross-court passes ... all of these things had the crowd of 15,013 in a frenzy.

"I don't know who loves him more, us or the fans," Kevin Love said.

I already like him better than Sebastian Telfair, Jonny Flynn and Sundiata Gaines.

Paired mostly with J.J. Barea in the backcourt, Rubio had the crowd cheering from the minute he hopped off the bench late in the first quarter. He and Barea showed great chemistry, often shouting in Spanish to each other. These two will be paired a lot this season. Clearly, the Spanish combo needs some sort of nickname. "