We are nearing the 1 month anniversary of the 7 player trade between the Toronto Raptors and the Sacramento Kings. Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy where sent to the Kings in exchange for Grevis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes. Since this trade, both organizations have seen a some positives as a result of this exchange.
Toronto is playing as a more cohesive unit and better defensively, similar to what is seen in an intense Ultimate (Frisbee) game, and Sacramento has the additional offensive punch it was lacking. As a result, both teams are winning at a better rate.
Living in Toronto at the time of the trade, I like others liked the idea of having a name like Rudy Gay coming to the Raptors, but was a little perplexed on how he would fit. After a string of bad losses early this season, like the loss on an away game against the Golden State Warriors where the Raptors gave away +20 point lead at the half, it was only a matter of time until we were going to changes in Toronto. Those who have followed Raptors GM Masai Uriji know that has proven to be proactive, much like his predecessor and mentor, Bryan Colangelo. We all know that the Rudy Gay "experiment" in Toronto did not work with what Coach Casey is trying to do with the team. This was not Rudy's fault by any means. The acquisition of Gay on the Raptors, in hindsight, was an attempt by Colangelo to salvage his job. Gay simply didn't fit the team, and the team did not fit Gay. Gay is now playing in Sacramento and is kind of producing like the player the Memphis Grizzlies had signed the 5 year extension for $82 million. There is a reason why Gay is playing better, and this may have to do with the fact that he is playing on a team with a dominant big man (or men).
Rudy Gay is a top 5 small forward in the league, despite the unfair scrutiny he had to endure over the last 2 seasons. The strongest criticism about Rudy was his shooting percentage. If we take a look at Rudy's career, we'll see that people may have taken this WAY TOO FAR. Let us remember, Rudy suffered a shoulder injury in 2011 and as a result was slow to return to form. We'll see (below) that prior to this injury, Gay has consistently improved each season. Perhaps it can be argued that he has been an all-star snub during his seasons with Memphis. It would be tough to make it as an all-star small forward in the Western Conference over the likes of Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony in those years (2007 - 2012), the only SF voted during those years.
Living in Toronto at the time of the trade, I like others liked the idea of having a name like Rudy Gay coming to the Raptors, but was a little perplexed on how he would fit. After a string of bad losses early this season, like the loss on an away game against the Golden State Warriors where the Raptors gave away +20 point lead at the half, it was only a matter of time until we were going to changes in Toronto. Those who have followed Raptors GM Masai Uriji know that has proven to be proactive, much like his predecessor and mentor, Bryan Colangelo. We all know that the Rudy Gay "experiment" in Toronto did not work with what Coach Casey is trying to do with the team. This was not Rudy's fault by any means. The acquisition of Gay on the Raptors, in hindsight, was an attempt by Colangelo to salvage his job. Gay simply didn't fit the team, and the team did not fit Gay. Gay is now playing in Sacramento and is kind of producing like the player the Memphis Grizzlies had signed the 5 year extension for $82 million. There is a reason why Gay is playing better, and this may have to do with the fact that he is playing on a team with a dominant big man (or men).
Rudy Gay is a top 5 small forward in the league, despite the unfair scrutiny he had to endure over the last 2 seasons. The strongest criticism about Rudy was his shooting percentage. If we take a look at Rudy's career, we'll see that people may have taken this WAY TOO FAR. Let us remember, Rudy suffered a shoulder injury in 2011 and as a result was slow to return to form. We'll see (below) that prior to this injury, Gay has consistently improved each season. Perhaps it can be argued that he has been an all-star snub during his seasons with Memphis. It would be tough to make it as an all-star small forward in the Western Conference over the likes of Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony in those years (2007 - 2012), the only SF voted during those years.
On March 22, 2011 it was announced Gay would undergo season-ending surgery to repair a left shoulder subluxation sustained during a February 15, 2011 game versus the Philadelphia 76ers. At the time, Gay was averaging 19.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in his fifth NBA season while posting career highs in assists (2.8), steals (1.69), blocks (1.07), field goal percentage (.471), three-point field goal percentage (.396), free throw percentage (.805) and minutes (39.9, 3rd in the NBA).
Any player in the league is susceptible to a slump at any point of their career, especially when coming back after lengthy time off due to injury. If we look at Gay's numbers, aside from his rookie season, Gay has shot around the 45% mark consistently. This would place Rudy well in the top 10 starting small forwards today. So why the drop in shooting percentage in his last season with Memphis and tenure with Toronto? One can say the contract extension he signed put more pressure on him to take more shot attempts from everywhere on the court. While in Toronto, his shooting percentage may have likely dropped due to him now being the focal point of an offense, along with living up to the contract the Raptors had inherited. Rudy Gay is not a franchise player. This is not a knock on Gay, as he is a top player in this league. Rudy's contract extension does misconstrue his team value, hence I wouldn't be writing this piece today.
Since joining Sacramento Rudy's numbers have risen slightly above his career averages because he is no longer a strong focal point of offense, something he was going to have to become familiar with when with Memphis. Sacramento with their new ownership is willing to do a lot, such as taking on Gay's contract. New majority Kings owner, Vivek Ranadivé , and the front office in Sacramento needed to make some moves to show their team and fans that they want to be better, and I applaud them. Getting Rudy Gay is a start. Rudy Gay,, satisfy positions that organizations find troublesome to slot. They are all young and are part of a franchise that is serious about bringing a contender to Sacramento. Cousins is the Zach Randolph (or Marc Gasol), and Thomas is the more offensive minded Mike Conley whom Gay played with in Memphis. Coach Mike Malone is known to be defensive minded. We have seen the improvements in both Thomas and Cousins defensively this season. Rudy Gay, with this physical gifts, will hope to continue to improve on that area of his game as seen with his new teammates to be the player that we once saw starting to blossom. Isiah Thomas and DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins
Since joining Sacramento Rudy's numbers have risen slightly above his career averages because he is no longer a strong focal point of offense, something he was going to have to become familiar with when with Memphis. Sacramento with their new ownership is willing to do a lot, such as taking on Gay's contract. New majority Kings owner, Vivek Ranadivé , and the front office in Sacramento needed to make some moves to show their team and fans that they want to be better, and I applaud them. Getting Rudy Gay is a start. Rudy Gay,, satisfy positions that organizations find troublesome to slot. They are all young and are part of a franchise that is serious about bringing a contender to Sacramento. Cousins is the Zach Randolph (or Marc Gasol), and Thomas is the more offensive minded Mike Conley whom Gay played with in Memphis. Coach Mike Malone is known to be defensive minded. We have seen the improvements in both Thomas and Cousins defensively this season. Rudy Gay, with this physical gifts, will hope to continue to improve on that area of his game as seen with his new teammates to be the player that we once saw starting to blossom. Isiah Thomas and DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins