Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio, who has a penchant for making playground moves look effortless during games that matter, is entering the NBA draft. He’ll probably owe his international team some money, but for an 18-year-old (doesn’t turn 19 until October) who is projected as a top three pick, that’s nothing.

After seeing what Derrick Rose has accomplished in his first season vs. what Michael Beasley has done in Miami … is Blake Griffin still the automatic No. 1 pick over Rubio?

Rose was only 19 when he was drafted. He and Rubio both stand about 6-foot-3, 190-pounds. Rose, an aggressive point guard in the mold of Deron Williams (with a less-reliable jumper), led Memphis within one clutch shot of a National title; Rubio, by all accounts, is a pass-first PG who a few have compared to Pistol Pete Maravich, mostly due to his floppy hair.

Here’s how the three teams with the best shot at the No. 1 pick in the draft stack up:

Sacramento: Could use a point guard (27th in the league in assists), but also an inside factor (29th in rebounding). Rubio and Martin would give the Kings an exciting young Bibby/Peja-like backcourt; Martin-Griffin would give the Kings a potentially strong inside-outside tandem. The Kings did commit to PG Beno Udrih for the next four (probably) years, and they drafted Jason Thompson in the first round last year. Rubio and Griffin are better than both of them. We’d go Griffin.

Washington: Gilbert Arenas just signed a lucrative deal last summer, and he’s got the PG job. The Wiz play Jamison mostly at PF, even though he seems ideally suited for SF. It seems like the move is to draft Griffin first, play him alongside Haywood, and then surround them with gunners – Arenas, Nick Young, Butler and Jamison. The 2nd-worst 3-point shooting team last year will surely surge back into the Top 15 next season.

LA Clippers - With Baron Davis locked into a long-term deal and last year’s first-rounder Eric Gordon putting together a fantastic rookie year (16 ppg), Rubio doesn’t seem like he’d fit. With Zach Randolph hogging the PF minutes, and the presence of Camby and Kaman inside, how much PT could Griffin ear? If the Clippers somehow get the No. 1 pick, you have to assume the team will be busy trading this summer (either Davis or Randolph). The way Dunleavy and Davis have feuded, we think Baron could be on the move. They’ll deal with Randolph’s off-court issues and enormous contract, Griffin’s the pick.