Ricky Rubio
Oct 24, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) dribbles the ball as Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) and guard Derrick Rose (1) defend during the first quarter at Scottrade Center. The Timberwolves won 113-112. Reuters

The Minnesota Timberwolves are getting some kind of good news as starting point guard Ricky Rubio is expected to return in two weeks or in mid-January. The fifth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft has been sidelined since the first week of November when he suffered a severe ankle sprain against the Orlando Magic.

For the Timberwolves, the return of their ace playmaker is a sigh of relief as the team is struggling to compete in a talented Western Conference as it currently sits in the cellar, sporting a 5-24 record. At the onset of the year, general manager and coach Flip Saunders was hoping that the team could contend for a playoff spot in the crowded west but health concerns which robbed the team of Rubio, starting center Nikola Pekovic and starting guard Kevin martin turned the season from a reload to a rebuild.

Rubio is no stranger to the struggles of the team as he saw up close and personal how his rookie teammates such as number 1 pick Andrew Wiggins (12 points per game) and Zach LaVine have been trying hard to grasp the NBA atmosphere and competition. The Spaniard joined his teammates in drills Saturday night before their game against the Golden State Warriors but the ankle was still giving him much trouble, limiting his mobility. He would have to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging test to confirm if the ankle is healing as planned before he can help out the struggling T-wolves.

"It's painful seeing them struggling some games," Rubio told Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports. "But we're young. ...We didn't know that three of our best players would go down. It's hard when 20-, 19-year-old kids have to take 40 minutes a game."

Apart from the losing, the Timberwolves are adjusting to life sans superstar Kevin love who they traded to acquire young talents in Wiggins, Bennett and Thaddeus Young. The team have also let go of small forward Corey Brewer who was shipped to the Rockets for some future considerations. In the midst of all the losing, the team is hoping that the return of Rubio who is arguably their best perimeter defender and unquestionably their best passer will ail some of the wounds.