Ricky Rubio to play before Christmas, says T'wolves owner

Christmas will come early this year in Minnesota.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said Wednesday morning that Ricky Rubio will be back playing with the team before Christmas, according to a tweet from Darren Wolfson of ESPN. The All-Rookie first team point guard hasn't played since he torn his ACL in March in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the initial timetable for his return was sometime around the new year.

Rubio was in the middle of a promising season that was already shortened because of the lockout. In 41 games last season, he averaged 10.1 points, 8.2 assists and 2.2 steals in 34 minutes per game. He will return to a revamped roster that saw the offseason additions of Brandon Roy, Andrei Kirilenko and Chase Budinger.