Ricky Rubio, the Spanish sensation who severely damaged his left knee last season, deems his rehabilitation from reconstructive surgery on schedule. That’s the good news.
But here’s the rub. He’s not quite sure exactly when the process will be complete.
“I’m trying to do as much things as I can do. They have to stop me sometimes because I want to do more. Sometimes it’s bad for my knee to do more,” Rubio said Thursday at the team’s practice facility.
He could be playing in games by December. Or maybe not until January. Just as long as he doesn’t try to come back too soon and risk re-injury or be too rusty
“I don’t want to say a time because I don’t want to rush it. I just want to be ready when I’m ready,” he said.
Rubio started running three weeks ago, at about 6 mph on a treadmill. Jumping is still prohibited, so his shooting is essentially limited to the free-throw line for the next few months. Agility work will come in three or four weeks. He’s at that point in the anterior cruciate ligament recovery when patience becomes even more difficult to maintain. Missing the end of last season was tough enough. Then he had to skip the Olympics for his native Spain. Now he has to continue to watch while the work on the court goes on without him.
“You always have doubts and think about how you’re going to come back. You just have to trust. I’m doing my best to be ready to be as strong as I can. I can’t do more. I just want to be back soon as possible, but healthy as possible, too,” Rubio said. “You feel how lucky you are when you’re playing. So I’m going to be blessed when I come back and play.”
