How good is Rudy Gay

Raps199412 · Post #1 » by **Raps199412** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:39 pm

Toronto guy here and I just wanted to ask a couple questions about Rudy Gay. Since the trade speculation is back on I was just wondering other than his contract if you guys already dumped salary why are you still trying to trade Rudy Gay ? Toronto has been dying for a guy that has the ability to take over games in the 4th quarter and be a closer, can Rudy Gay fulfill that role ? and just how good is he, I know he played on team USA, what are his strengths and weaknesses ? Can he be a number 1 or at least 2 option ?

Post #2 » by **SD2042** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 6:14 pm

RG22 is a more of a versitile PF playng in a SF's body. Meaning he's more certified for attacking the basket and get some boards. Which leads to the issue of being another player who's offensive skills leads him to the post like Zbo and Marc Gasol. In other words, RG22 does not do he Grizz justice when it comes to spreading out the offense on a consistant basis. Hence the overpay issue that fans have when former owner Michael Hiesley signed RG22 to in the first place. Rudy is a 2nd tier complimentary player like your Shawn Marions, and your Danny Grangers of the world. Not a 1st option like the Durantula or LBJ. RG22 is what he is.

This is where ppl can get it twisted. Mgmt signing players to top tier contracts when they are 2nd tier players. Toronto did this twice with Chris Bosh and now Andrea Bargnani. Memphis did it with Pau Gasol and now Rudy Gay. Personally I would like to keep Rudy right now and see where the road will take the Grizzlies. If we succeed, then pay the luxury tax, if we fail, then blow it up.

Strengths:

Attacks the basket at will.
Mid-range jumper
Rebounds efficient
Team defender
athletic
when he's on, he's clutch

Weaknesses

consistancy with perimeter jumpshot
mental aspects could be better
man to man defense can be better
high dribble step

vanjulio · Post #3 » by **vanjulio** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:54 pm

I thought this would be the year we took 2 Grizzlies to the Allstar game and was hoping one would be Rudy. Word was that he was very upset he wasn't included in the 2012 Olympic Team. I thought he'd come into this season with a huge chip on his shoulder and ready to take it to the next level. Our team pretty much completely folded collectively against the Clippers during and after they blew that 20 point lead at home in game 1 against them in the playoffs in May. The only player who gave it 100% throughout that Clippers series was Rudy Gay. He was the only one that matched the intensity throughout that the Clippers brought.

Unfortunately, as you can see this season, he didn't make the allstar game and has been shooting career low percentages and his statistics do not support his contract. Our new ownership operates their business by advanced statistics. They have him on the chopping block because his stats are off this year and from a stats point of view he isn't an essential member of the Grizzlies team. They will tell you of course he's a GREAT PLAYER, and they love him, but in the big picture he's irrelevant. That is why he is being shipped out.

I think for sure he could still be an allstar in this league and I am certain one day he'll join the long list of former Memphis Grizzlies with titles: Shane Battier, Jason Williams, James Posey (2x), Brian Cardinal, Mike Miller, Pau Gasol (2x), and Darko Millicic (JUST KIDDING).

btw -SD2042's strengths & weaknesses are spot on.

Nothingface · Post #4 » by **Nothingface** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:55 pm

I see what you are saying, but I don't think Bargnani is paid first tier dollars...

vanjulio · Post #5 » by **vanjulio** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:59 pm

Nothingface wrote:I see what you are saying, but I don't think Bargnani is paid first tier dollars...

under the new CBA it is

kidr1211 · Post #6 » by **kidr1211** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 11:04 pm

Give us ed davis back

jefe · Post #7 » by **jefe** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 2:21 am

He can be one of the top SF in the league on any given night; however, much too often, he seems content to get his 20 points and call it a night no matter the outcome of the game. At his best, he can go toe-to-toe against Durant and Lebron - at his worst, he's a ballstopper than can chuck you out of a game.

darkangle901 · Post #8 » by **darkangle901** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 3:54 am

He's a good player. But like SD2042 alluded to, he isn't a pure wing player. He's basically the league's best tweener forward.

There is a lot of offensive repetition of talent between he and Randolph. That's why we've been just as good (if not better) when one or the other is hurt.

I hate the trade that just went down. That's the sort of package i would have expected for the 31 year old Randolph. Gay should have returned a lot more.

It would have been prudent to wait until summer since we were already under the tax threshold. As it began to sink in that this was a pretty weak draft class, teams might have been willing to offer more for Gay to kickstart their rebuilding projects.

jefe · Post #9 » by **jefe** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:36 pm

darkangle901 wrote:He's a good player. But like SD2042 alluded to, he isn't a pure wing player. He's basically the league's best tweener forward.

There is a lot of offensive repetition of talent between he and Randolph. That's why we've been just as good (if not better) when one or the other is hurt.

I hate the trade that just went down. That's the sort of package i would have expected for the 31 year old Randolph. Gay should have returned a lot more.

It would have been prudent to wait until summer since we were already under the tax threshold. As it began to sink in that this was a pretty weak draft class, teams might have been willing to offer more for Gay to kickstart their rebuilding projects.

I agree that we should have waited until the summer, but I think the sentiment was not shared by the front office for the following reason: Gay has the ability to opt out of the final year of his deal in the summer of 2014 (according to Calkins & Tillery) - I think there was some concern that Gay would torpedo his value in the summer by letting certain teams know that he would opt out and leave after a year if he did not like being traded to certain teams.

GrizzledGrizzFan · Post #10 » by **GrizzledGrizzFan** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:45 pm

jefe wrote:I agree that we should have waited until the summer, but I think the sentiment was not shared by the front office for the following reason: Gay has the ability to opt out of the final year of his deal in the summer of 2014 (according to Calkins & Tillery) - I think there was some concern that Gay would torpedo his value in the summer by letting certain teams know that he would opt out and leave after a year if he did not like being traded to certain teams.

Levien touched on those very points in his interview with Vernon on the radio this afternoon.

Post #11 » by **jman3134** » Fri Feb 1, 2013 1:27 am

Do you guys honestly believe that's what was going to happen? If Rudy would play in Memphis, why do you think that he would restrict most trade partners?

Given his relationship with Lowry, I'm pretty sure that he would have been open to a Raptors trade after the season. So, even if he was hellbent on opting out for every other team, we could have at least waited to the end of the season and gotten more out of the Raptors.

mid-post · Post #12 » by **mid-post** » Fri Feb 1, 2013 2:59 am

jefe wrote:I agree that we should have waited until the summer, but I think the sentiment was not shared by the front office for the following reason: Gay has the ability to opt out of the final year of his deal in the summer of 2014 (according to Calkins & Tillery) - I think there was some concern that Gay would torpedo his value in the summer by letting certain teams know that he would opt out and leave after a year if he did not like being traded to certain teams.

But isn't the upside of that the fact that you can effectively turn him into an expiring? Toronto doesn't necessarily want to be a treadmill team.

Post #13 » by **jman3134** » Fri Feb 1, 2013 4:49 am

^ I don't believe Gay was super particular about where he wanted to play. That seems like smoke and mirrors to me. But, the reason why teams would want to take on Rudy Gay is because they want him to be a part of the core for a long time.

T-D0G · Post #14 » by **T-D0G** » Sat Feb 2, 2013 7:16 am

From what I saw tonight (I know, only one game) Rudy was a victim of being on a team that didn't suit his skill set.

Memphis seems to play a slower, grind it out, half court type of basketball. Rudy is better in the open court running.

With Gasol & Randolph, there wasn't enough spacing for Gay to penetrate. Memphis likes to dump the ball into the post & let Gasol & Randolph go to work which limited Rudy. He also didn't have a scorer like DeMar on the wing to take some pressure off him.

I think he will do much better on the Raptors and will have the opportunity to be the All-Star he was paid to be.

jefe · Post #15 » by **jefe** » Sat Feb 2, 2013 4:07 pm

T-D0G wrote:From what I saw tonight (I know, only one game) Rudy was a victim of being on a team that didn't suit his skill set.

Memphis seems to play a slower, grind it out, half court type of basketball. Rudy is better in the open court running.

With Gasol & Randolph, there wasn't enough spacing for Gay to penetrate. Memphis likes to dump the ball into the post & let Gasol & Randolph go to work which limited Rudy. He also didn't have a scorer like DeMar on the wing to take some pressure off him.

I think he will do much better on the Raptors and will have the opportunity to be the All-Star he was paid to be.

I agree with that simply because he'll get the credit if the Raptors get a better record and there's less competition for him in the East

darkangle901 · Post #16 » by **darkangle901** » Mon Feb 4, 2013 3:22 am

jefe wrote:
T-D0G wrote:From what I saw tonight (I know, only one game) Rudy was a victim of being on a team that didn't suit his skill set.

Memphis seems to play a slower, grind it out, half court type of basketball. Rudy is better in the open court running.

With Gasol & Randolph, there wasn't enough spacing for Gay to penetrate. Memphis likes to dump the ball into the post & let Gasol & Randolph go to work which limited Rudy. He also didn't have a scorer like DeMar on the wing to take some pressure off him.

I think he will do much better on the Raptors and will have the opportunity to be the All-Star he was paid to be.

I agree with that simply because he'll get the credit if the Raptors get a better record and there's less competition for him in the East

I also think he didn't totally have the Green light in Memphis. I'm certain he does now.