This one is easy. A year ago, Kevin Love was the brightest-shining star on the T-Pups, but his luster faded a bit this fall after he gave an interview to Yahoo! in which he questioned the direction of the team and suggested that if things don't change he might have to bolt for greener pastures. (Knuckle Pushups-Gate didn't help his cause, either.) Rubio's play this winter was hampered a bit by his gradual recovery from the ACL surgery he underwent last spring, but his late-season surge indicates his unique skill set remains on track to blossom sooner rather than later. Couple that with his irresistibly positive attitude — "Alexey, change this face. Be happy. Enjoy!" — and Rubio is the biggest reason to believe the Timberwolves' future is bright, curse from the basketball gods aside. Plus, he's just so darn cute. We realize that doesn't do him any good on the court, but still.