By the time the Kings sat at the table with Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio on Tuesday night, the tables had certainly turned.

They were the ones traveling great distances to see him last month, when Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie had gone to Spain to see Rubio in action and returned to the news that he was unlikely to be a realistic option. It was the May 19 NBA draft lottery, and the Kings' fate at No. 4 in the June 25 draft seemed to all but eliminate Rubio from their wish list.

But it said everything that Rubio set foot in Sacramento on Tuesday, arriving from Los Angeles in the afternoon after flying from Spain the day before and eventually sitting at a downtown dinner table with Petrie and other team representatives.

This was the 18-year-old's first visit with an NBA team, the man showing up and leaving the myth behind. And depending on the night's events, it may wind up being his only visit.

"I want to be a really good point guard here in the best league in the world, and I want to have minutes," Rubio said in an exclusive interview with The Bee from the Embassy Suites hotel in Sacramento. "So I have to find the team who wants me, who really wants me."

This was much more than a first date to gauge the interest level, though. With Rubio's talents and international fame so intriguing for a team badly in need of the buzz he could bring, these two days were about asking questions and getting answers before a possible match is made.

While it once appeared that Rubio would be gone by the time the fourth pick arrived, that likely has changed. The Clippers have made clear their intention of picking Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin, while Memphis isn't expected to take Rubio, and Oklahoma City looks primed to pass on him as well.

And while the Kings have worked out a number of high-profile point guard prospects, none has as much global cachet as Rubio.

He played professionally the last four years, establishing himself as a mature-beyond-his-years player who was a dynamic distributor and one-man YouTube phenomenon. After seeing him play in person last month, Petrie focused more on Rubio's leadership ability than on his pizzazz.

"I'm only 18 years old, but I'm on the court like big big man," Rubio said of his leadership skills. "If your teammates don't respect you, you can't be a point guard, so that's very important. When you are a leader, the point guard who leads your team, your team gets better."

Rubio showed his NBA potential in the 2008 Summer Olympics, producing throughout before Spain fell to Team USA 118-107 in the gold-medal game and becoming the youngest ever to play in an Olympic final.

"The Olympic game was one of the best championships that I've played before," Rubio said. "(I played) the best NBA players, and the best point guards, like Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Jason Kidd. I learned a lot to play against them. I watched all the games from the U.S., because I want to learn from these people. I think I proved a lot in this championship."

But his situation remains complicated enough that the Kings may opt not to get involved, from the sticky buyout situation with his current team in Spain, DKV Joventut, to the fact that they may not see as much of Rubio as they want today.

Rubio's representatives initially said he would only interview in Sacramento, but the question of what basketball activities he would engage in during his visit – if any – was still being discussed while the two parties shared dinner.

Rubio still is attempting to get out of his contract with DKV Joventut. His contract reportedly has a buyout worth approximately $6.6 million that increases by $1.4 million next season. But Rubio said he is confident it would be resolved and he would play in the NBA next season.

"That's hard, but my agents are working on that," Rubio said. "I have all confidence to resolve this problem. And then, if I come here, I want to play, (because) I know that I can play here."

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