Rubio speaks about knee injury: 'You just have to be strong'

Ricky Rubio met with media members this afternoon at Target Center for the first time since he suffered that season-ending knee injury on March 9 against the Lakers.

He's back in Minnesota after spending more than two weeks in Colorado following knee surgery to repair two torn ligaments there.

Here's some of what he said:

* He made no promises when asked about being back in time for the start of training camp.

"I don't if it will be training camp, don't know when I'll come back," he said. "The most important thing is to make sure when I come back it's 100 percent. I don't know if it's training camp, I don't know if it's first week, second week (of regular season). I don't want to put a date. It depends how my knee feels."

* When asked if he's worried about being the same player when he comes back, he said, "Of course, you always think in my mind what can happen, especially the first couple days after surgery when you can't move your knee. You just think about it, think about if you can come back. You just have to be strong and do your best to come back even harder. I love basketball. I love playing basketball. I'm going to do my best.

"You always have to think about everything. You just have to keep the right one. If not, I think, `I got hurt, I'll be out 6-9 months, maybe I won't be the the player I was before.' It's not the right thing. I mean, it can be. It can be that you are better than you were."

He will be here for the next month until his next checkup in Vail with Dr. Richard Steadman.

"I don't know yet. See how the knee goes. Everything after that, we'll talk about it. I want to make sure my knee is 100 percent when I get bacfk. I think being back in Spain is an option for my mind, especially to be with my family. But I don't know yet."

* On what he thought the night he was injured: "It was hard because when I get the hit in the game, I was thinking it hurts. I didn't think it hurts to be out 6, 8, 9 months. But when they explained the injury I had, it was sad, mad. But after seeing all the support from my teammates, all players from the league and everybody, I was feel good. I knew it'd be long process. I just have to be positive."

* On not only losing the season, but missing this summer's Olympics in London: "It's going to be sad losing an Olympic Games, but the good point is I play one already so I know what I'm going to lose. It's hard. It's going to be hard. Like I said, there's nothing I can do to be there right now."

* He mentioned more than once the 6 to 9 month timeline.