One stud and one dud for Cavs in win over Timberwolves on Friday

Cavs dud: Ricky Rubio

Of all the Cavaliers that played meaningful minutes against the Timberwolves last night, no player stood out as a “dud,” but it was Ricky Rubio by default.

Rubio played 23 minutes and was the only Cavs’ regular rotational contributor (in their eight-man rotation) that failed to reach double figures in the scoring column. Rubio did a nice job dishing out assists, eight of them to be exact, but he did have a few turnovers to go with those assists.

This isn’t to suggest Rubio had a bad game. He didn’t fill the stat sheet quite like the rest of the rotation.

However, stuffing the stat sheet isn’t necessarily Rubio’s primary job. On a team full of young players, Rubio’s is one of the few players that provide the Wine and Gold with much-needed veteran experience.

While the Cavaliers’ future at point guard is locked down with Garland, who looks to really be taking the leap many thought he would, every good NBA team needs a quality backup point guard. Cleveland has that in Rubio.

Overall, Cleveland has gotten to 15-12 while facing one of the more challenging schedules thus far. If the Cavs can remain healthy and play at this level, the playoffs may be an obtainable goal.