http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/24/raptors-keep-eye-on-rudy-gay TORONTO - With so much business that needs to be completed, so many areas that need to be addressed, there’s no point in rhyming off Bryan Colangelo’s off-season to-do list. Whatever direction Colangelo takes the Raptors, change is as inevitable as the changes that followed the club following each off-season under Colangelo’s watch. And now that he’s firmly in control, expect every option to be explored and every asset to be used as part of a trade scenario. If one listened carefully to Colangelo following last week’s draft lottery, it became abundantly clear that no player is untouchable, no stone will be left un-turned in accelerating a rebuilding process that resulted in a 60-loss season. Given his competitive nature, Colangelo will make a splash, either through free agency or via a trade. Given his restless nature, Colangelo will not stand still and nor should he. The business of basketball finds itself in a quiet period as the tedium of arranging for individual workouts for draft-eligible prospects continues. A lot of speculation will surface, plenty of innuendo will emerge and whispers will intensify as the countdown to the June 23 draft draws nearer. Even in the absence of a new labour agreement, teams are privately assessing their options with an eye on June 23, a date that promises to usher in change, not only in Toronto but also in other NBA markets. The Raptors, unlike many teams, have options, one of the by-products of sacrificing a season by going young and by refusing to pull the trigger on deals that would have compromised the financial flexibility Colangelo accumulated amid the losing. Had the Raptors won last week’s lottery, one of the most fluid positions in team history would have finally been settled. Kyrie Irving would have given Toronto its long-awaited and much-needed creator and facilitator at point guard, leader and a face fans would embrace. Had the Raptors seen their ping-pong ball combination drop at No. 2, the prize would have been the electric Derrick Williams, a guy who wants to be a star in a Toronto market craving a star. When neither scenario unfolded, it didn’t matter whether the Raptors stayed at No. 3 or dropped all the way down to No. 6. As fate would have it, Toronto would fall to No. 5. And now the waiting begins until Colangelo parlays his lottery pick and any available asset into something tangible, a piece that will provide legitimacy. The possibilities are endless, but one name worth tracking is Rudy Gay, Memphis’ mercurial small forward whose injury absence in the post-season only magnified how much the Grizzlies need the inside punch of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. In the past few days, Gay’s name has been liked with the Cavs, a team that won the lottery, a team unlike the Raptors that’s in need of a facelift. Irving’s expected arrival in Cleveland will help the rebuild, but more is needed, just like a lot will be required in Toronto. According to the buzz, the Cavs dangled the No. 4 slot in the draft and their trade exception acquired in the LeBron James sign-and-trade with Miami for Gay. Not surprisingly, Memphis said no. Memphis needs to re-up Gasol, and can use a perimeter threat to keep defences from collapsing the paint when Randolph and Gasol are wreaking havoc. Gay is a solid small forward, an all-star in the making who no longer fits with Memphis. O.J. Mayo showed signs of maturity and growth, there’s stability in Shane Battier and an edge in Tony Allen. Gay has suddenly become redundant, an asset the Grizzlies must use to make themselves more championship-worthy. Memphis came within one game of playing in the Western final because it rallied around Randolph and because it played tough. Naturally, the Grizzlies would have welcomed Gay’s shot making and offence, but it was a team that evolved in Gay’s absence, undergoing a culture change that can no longer be sacrificed. Colangelo could have acquired Gay in 2006 when the Raptors won the lottery and elected to use the first overall pick on Andrea Bargnani in a draft class many believed lacked a franchise player. If anything, history has shown that Colangelo eventually gets his man and will do whatever it takes. Perhaps the price may end up involving Bargnani, Toronto’s own trade exception obtained in the Chris Bosh sign-and-trade with the Heat, the No. 5 draft pick or any combination of assets for Gay. What must be made clear is that if Gay is indeed available, then expect the Raptors to be involved. Imagine a remade Raptors team with Gay as the primary scoring option, DeMar DeRozan entering his third year, an emerging Ed Davis and the prospect of acquiring via free agency a legitimate rebounding centre.
Bargnani and #5 for Gay? That seems borderline ridiculous to me. All you did was get smaller. And from the Memphis side, where do you put Bargnani? He can't hold his own at SF, and you're already set at the 4/5. Rudy Gay is going to be a sought after commodity. Several teams chasing Granger, with Gay as the second option.
