For a point guard in basketball, the foremost responsibility on court is traditionally in playmaking and facilitating. Talented and multifaceted scorers are the shades of paint at the position’s artistic disposal.
These days Ricky Rubio, the Spanish point guard well-known for his passing creativity and ambition, suddenly has one of the richest palettes in the NBA on hand. And he can't wait to start experimenting with it.
Rubio is in Dubai this week, along with former pro Peja Stojakovic, teaching kids his craft at the BasicBall Academy at Dubai Sports World. It’s a moment of relative downtime and relaxation ahead of training camp in September and the early October beginning of pre-season.
Then he has serious work to get down to with the Timberwolves.
PHOTO GALLERY: NBA's Ricky Rubio and Peja Stojakovic conduct clinics at Dubai Sports World
It’s an exciting time in Minnesota, with the arrival of the top 2015 draft pick, Karl-Anthony Towns, and the continued development of Andrew Wiggins. Complementing young talents like Zach LaVine, Gorgui Dieng, Anthony Bennett and Shabazz Muhammad give the team the sort of potential it hasn’t had in years. And it will be Rubio’s job, as the on-floor visionary, to put it all together in some meaningful way.
“I’m so excited for this upcoming season,” the 24-year-old fifth pick of the 2009 draft said on Tuesday at Dubai Sports World. “We have a lot of talent, we have a lot of future, but we have to start showing it now.”
The 2015/16 season won’t necessarily be pivotal for the Timberwolves – Towns is only 19, Wiggins 20, LaVine 20 – but it can be the start of something big for a club that hasn’t been to the play-offs in over a decade. And Rubio, naturally, would like to see the growth sooner than later.
“It’s early to talk about how the season’s gonna go,” he said, “but I like to dream big, like to set high expectations. And I think it’s time we make the play-offs.”
His job now might be one of the most envious in all of basketball. Wiggins, the top overall pick last season, is as explosive a talent as any to come around in the last few years. A leaper, an audacious attacker and a wing who just scratched the surface of his talent last season winning the rookie of the year award while scoring 17.1 points per game. Towns is a fleet-footed 6ft 11in game-changer, sure around the basket in a traditional big-man’s role with the additional skill to play the game from the outside in, shooting and driving with the strength of his 250-pound frame with the touch and speed of someone five inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter.
“I met him during the summer, I was in Minnesota and I saw him working out. He has a lot of talent, not just as a big guy,” Rubio said of Towns. “He can shoot the ball very well, I think we can play the pick-and-pop very well. Nowadays in the NBA that’s one of the keys to being a good team.”
He called Wiggins a “special player” as well.
“He especially is an awesome person, a special player, he has a lot of talent and can score in a lot of ways so it’s great for me to play with them.”
Rubio has always prided himself on his passing and his vision – “those are my strengths” he said – and after an injury-hit 2014/15, he said he’s healthy and “can start feeling like a player again” with a Timberwolves team that has coalesced around him into maybe the most tantalisingly projectable in the league.
“We just have to build our chemistry and rapport in training camp,” he said. “The team is built around a lot of talent, but with a point guard who can pass the ball and set up my teammates. I feel pretty well in that scenario.
“No doubt they have a lot of talent, but now they have to show it. So it’s something I’m there to help them with. I have my experience, I’ve been in the league for four years, this is my fifth, and I can share with them and try to get them better.”
Getting Minnesota not just better, but into real contention, will be an uphill climb at best in the stacked Western Conference, with realistically probably only one play-off spot up for grabs. They finished 16-66, the worst record in the league. They were nearly 30 wins away from eighth-seeded New Orleans.
The post-season within that context is still, most likely, a fair reach. But with Towns and Wiggins – and a healthy Rubio – it’s also not blatantly impossible anymore.
Every summer, on every team, just about every player will talk about play-offs. For the first time in his career though, Ricky Rubio can speak about high expectations and dreaming big with realistic tailwinds inflecting genuine self-assuredness in his talk of play-offs.
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Pathaan
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Results
6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
Indika
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: AMG-enhanced 3.0L inline-6 turbo with EQ Boost and electric auxiliary compressor
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 429hp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh360,200 (starting)
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
