The Grizzlies have already hit their quota for injury concerns on this roster they don’t need to add another.Įven if he did once cross up LeBron and dunk on Chris Bosh. And even if he’s not markedly worse…well, this Achilles injury probably isn’t going to magically make him better.Įven if the Grizzlies are looking for pieces to maximize the potential of the Core Four (or what’s left of it following this offseason), Gay’s flaws and downside potential make for a bad match. The Rudy Gay you get on his next contract is probably going to be markedly worse than the previous iterations. In case I haven’t hammered this point home well enough to this point: RUDY GAY IS OVER THIRTY AND COMING OFF AN ACHILLES INJURY. Though he hasn't produced at a consistent clip, he has shown flashes of greatness when playing in the right atmosphere. Few players can match his combination of length, athleticism, and skill. Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay opened up Monday regarding his feelings about the franchise, the trade rumors this summer, his recent surgery and what went wrong last season. Rudy Gay 's potential to be great is undeniable. I mentioned earlier that the Grizzlies should use the mid-level exception on Rudy because they know what they’re getting with the player.īut there’s also a counter argument to that: the Rudy Gay of most recent vintages is likely the best case scenario. 1.5 Turnovers, 0.9 Blocks, 1.0 Steals, 37.7 FG, 63.8 FT. Using the MLE on Rudy, a player already past his prime coming off a major injury, doesn’t offer any upside for a team looking for value. It’s worth wondering if Gay might be willing to take more of a back seat to Conley and Gasol with experience - and an injury - under his belt, but Gay’s history isn’t encouraging there, and that could cause issues with ball movement for Fizdale’s offense. And even during the lone season that Gay spent with Rondo on the roster, Rudy’s usage only dipped down to 22.4%. The Kings aren’t particularly talent rich, but even so, Gay frequently shared the court with Cousins, who used a whopping 34% of the Kings’ possessions himself. For reference LeBron James’ career usage rate is 31.5.) (Amazingly, Rudy averaged a 30% usage rate in Toronto. Excluding his rookie season, Rudy averaged a 24.5% usage rate. Rudy is still a high-usage player with the potential to gum-up the offense. In other words, Achilles injuries, especially to players over 30, ain't no joke. Last season, Chalmers couldn’t find his way onto a roster at all, even while the Grizzlies were relying on Andrew Harrison and Toney Douglas. Remember when the Grizzlies had Mario Chalmers? Chalmers provided ball-handling, shooting, and a legitimate backup to Mike Conley for Memphis in 2016 before blowing out his Achilles. Rudy Gay: 26.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.3 apg in 36.2 minutes LeBron James: 26.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.0 apg in 42.5 minutes Rudy Gay misc. He’ll be 31 and coming off an Achilles injury. Now, the Grizzlies SHOULDN’T sign Rudy because: