Rudy Gay Will Remain in Memphis

[noido]

Im ok with this. Ots more than i expected (i was thinking 14 per) but Rudy is good and SHOULD have room to improve. As others have said, now its time for Rudy to put up.

[Shalaska]

Congrats on resigning him but max deal? Wow.. Hope you won't regret this..

[JustAwesome]

They needed to keep him around, and there were suitors. That explains why they had to pay just a little bit more. Also, keep in mind that this contract is also about upside and potential as well. Gay could still improve quite a bit.

[360]

And one more thing; Chauncey was in the league for quite awhile before he found any success at the point. The same thing could happen with OJ, but don't try to pretend like he's been ready to play point for the Grizzlies since the moment he stepped into the league. Because that clearly is not the case and anyone who claims otherwise is delusional.

Conley has flat out sucked for the past two seasons. Jaric is horrific and isn't even in the **** league anymore. Williams has been in and out of the league and I thought that Tinsley was dead. What the hell makes those guys more capable of running your team than OJ Mayo? Any other franchise would have put the **** ball in Mayo's hands and told him to go for it. Instead, all we've heard from Grizzlies' coaches and personnel is what Mayo CAN'T do. Your pg rotation is the worst in the league and you have the nerve to say that OJ Mayo is not an option for you? GTFO

Lionel Hollins let Quinton Ross and Greg Buckner bring the ball up the floor when Conley got knocked out of the game and Jaric was in foul trouble. He was showing his stubborness and stupidity with that move and he has not changed. He gives OJ summer league to "prove to himself that he can't do it" when he's had plenty of opportunity to gain real experience at point during the regular season. I have never heard something like that from a coach. You're dealing with a 22 year old and you're telling him that you want him to prove to himself that he can't do something? I sure as hell hope that isn't the way Lionel raises his kid. How can you wish failure on your own player? This dude should be praying like hell that OJ is capable of being the starting pg. The Grizzlies would be a hell of alot better off for it.

Westbrook's handles and decision making was no better than Mayo's his rookie year. He turned it over like crazy and to top it off he shot like 38% from the field, but the Thunder didn't announce to the world how much he sucked at pg everytime questions were raised. They gave him a chance to prove himself. He made tremendous improvement from year 1 to year 2. So don't tell me that OJ wasn't ready to play point because experience would have readied him. The Grizzlies have been a **** lottery team every year so they lose nothing by developing OJ Mayo at point starting his rookie year. It's inexcusable to have this guy running off of screens half the time and standing in the corner the other half. I'm not saying that he's Kobe; I don't believe that one bit. I'm not over the top like lilojmayo, but I do believe that OJ is too smart and talented to be misused this way, especially by a team like the Grizzlies. Truthfully, they've done a piss poor job at developing ALL of their talent. Marc probably got better only because he played with the Spanish team.

At worst, he should be used as a combo guard. They can't even get that right. Mayo can draw doubles. Something no other guard on this team can do. Why not put him in more situation where he can be a facilitator. I know...it just makes too damn much sense. The Grizzlies will continue to be sorry as hell with their decision making.

[mid-post]

The Grizzlies lose nothing starting OJ at point his Rookie year?
How about the fact that they drafted Mike Conley to play the point guard the year before? Mike was the number 4 overall pick. What do they do with him? Just give up and admit (to the entire league) that Mike Conley is now a devalued commodity?
How about the fact that they drafted OJ as a shooting guard and needed shooting as much as they needed a reliable distributor (as if it's a given OJ would have brought that to the table as a rookie)?

If OJ wants to play point-guard, people are just asking that OJ prove himself as a point guard. And people who are complaining about Lionel here need to get a grip. The man consistently asks that players prove themselves before they are given the responsibilities that come with a specific task or position.

Nobody is writing (or has written) off OJ. Way too many OJ fans seem to have a really weird obsession with him getting praise, acknowledgment and love from the fans. They would rather bitch and moan about OJ's development and path to superstardom than present a realistic assessment of what kind of player he was coming into the league.

[Joe Kleazy]

^^^^^^^ Who gives a damn where you drafted conley, that draft was soo weak after the first few picks that it made conley look better than he was. If you have a better option you use it.

OJ has played the point for most of his basketball career up until college so without a oppourtunity to develop against PRO PG's how will he be where he needs to be? Playing the point against rooks will only do so much for his game when compared to what he will see during the season.

Hollins has the power to do what he wants as far as the rotations go so to coach any player while not encouraging them to succeed and get better at ALL aspects of the game makes no sense. OJ may be no more of a point now then westbrook was but he got the chance to develop. At 6'4 you would be better off letting him play where he can make plays and shoot the ball, since he will continue to be undersized at the SG.

[mid-post]

Where are people getting the idea that Hollins "isn't encouraging Mayo to succeeed," and why do I get the sense that this the next crutch for the OJ fanboys if he doesn't pan out as a point guard?

Most of these OJ fans don't really understand that for Grizzlies fans (people who watch the Grizz on a regular basis) the thought process is less of "OJ stinks and will never be a point guard," and more like "OJ isn't a very good ball handler, isn't the best decision maker and Mike Conley ran the offense pretty well last year. OJ is a pretty good shooting guard too." Basically when it comes to the Grizzlies offense, why fix what isn't broken.

The Grizzlies offense was their strength last year. Mike Conley was not the reason Memphis didn't make the playoffs. The bench (specifically its offense) was to blame. Which is why Memphis is going to experiment with OJ playing as a point guard with second-unit players this summer league.

To focus on the idea that OJ should have been playing point guard from the beginning ignores 90% of the progress the Grizz have made as a team over the last year and a half. If OJ proves he can run the Grizz offense well, I'd say good riddance to Mike Conley. Trade him for a first round pick and let that be the end of it.

It's not that Grizzlies fans don't think OJ might be able to play the point. It's that there's a constant stream of chatter by his "fans," who are obsessed with all things OJ. They will never understand why OJ wasn't given the keys to the team from the moment he stepped onto the floor. His stunning success as a point guard was a foregone conclusion in their minds. The only thing that's prevented him from being a superstar is when someone like Rudy, or Lionel or Mike "got in OJ's way."

I would love for OJ to step in and be a great point guard, and I hope he does. But I also hope some of the OJ fans chill with their obsession for a little while.

[lilojmayo]

Where are people getting the idea that Hollins "isn't encouraging Mayo to succeeed," and why do I get the sense that this the next crutch for the OJ fanboys if he doesn't pan out as a point guard?

Most of these OJ fans don't really understand that for Grizzlies fans (people who watch the Grizz on a regular basis) the thought process is less of "OJ stinks and will never be a point guard," and more like "OJ isn't a very good ball handler, isn't the best decision maker and Mike Conley ran the offense pretty well last year. OJ is a pretty good shooting guard too." Basically when it comes to the Grizzlies offense, why fix what isn't broken.

The Grizzlies offense was their strength last year. Mike Conley was not the reason Memphis didn't make the playoffs. The bench (specifically its offense) was to blame. Which is why Memphis is going to experiment with OJ playing as a point guard with second-unit players this summer league.

To focus on the idea that OJ should have been playing point guard from the beginning ignores 90% of the progress the Grizz have made as a team over the last year and a half. If OJ proves he can run the Grizz offense well, I'd say good riddance to Mike Conley. Trade him for a first round pick and let that be the end of it.

It's not that Grizzlies fans don't think OJ might be able to play the point. It's that there's a constant stream of chatter by his "fans," who are obsessed with all things OJ. They will never understand why OJ wasn't given the keys to the team from the moment he stepped onto the floor. His stunning success as a point guard was a foregone conclusion in their minds. The only thing that's prevented him from being a superstar is when someone like Rudy, or Lionel or Mike "got in OJ's way."

I would love for OJ to step in and be a great point guard, and I hope he does. But I also hope some of the OJ fans chill with their obsession for a little while.

Lance Stephenson has hands down the best player in summer league. He looked like the lottery pick on the floor not turner. He was playing pg, the guy lacks ball handling has no court vision, however just lie OJ he is a gamer that given the ball in his hands he can make plays for himself and others. Just like he did at Lincoln HS, University of Cincinnati, and now the Pacers.
Guys like Mike Conley can handle the rock, can pass, very fast, but he is simply not a gamer. Very similar to TJ Ford.

Just give OJ the ball and he becomes the best young player in the league and it won't even be close, just like he was the best hs player in the country. He will start showingt the basketball fans why his fans rave about him being the Next One because the first time ever he gets to legitly be the full time starting pg against NBA competition.

I feel sorry for whoever has to guard him come next week.