Nobody expected the Kings to compete for anything other than a lottery pick this year before or after the trade so that's irrelevant. What is relevant is the positive impact he's had on the team since being traded to Sacramento. He's putting up over 20 ppg on over 52% shooting and the Kings are pretty much .500 in all the games he's appeared in since being dealt. This includes victories over the Mavs, Rockets (twice), Portland, and Miami.
It's a contract year and shows Rudy's failures in Memphis and Toronto were of his own making. He should have been doing this the last 3-4 years instead of the last 2 months. The sudden turnaround of the Raptors after dumping him cannot be denied. They started the season 6-12 and have gone 20-11 since. It's known as addition by subtraction. Now we understand it didn't have to be that way. Too bad for the Grizzlies and Raptors. Good for the Kings while it lasts.
It's not a contract year. He has a player option for next season that I'm sure he'll exercise. I'm glad you're acknowledging the positive impact he's had on Sacramento. The Kings are much more competitive and playing at a much higher level since the trade including a victory over those same Raptors last night, who play in a much weaker conference and the weakest division in all the NBA. Sacramento is also the #1 team ats for the last month or so as well, which is evidence of their elevated level of play since Gay has joined the team.
Hi ORIGINAL KING OF COMEDY - how are the Raptors doing? Clowning aside, it's pretty amazing that Rudy Gay is in his second straight year of epic addition by subtraction. Memphis became much better and went on to their best seaon ever after they got rid of him last year, and this year it's the same story again in Toronto. I mean you can't really call it just a fluke anymore - the guy is literally a team killer (and a team saver, once he leaves).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Rudy Gay admitted today that he was inefficient as a Raptor</p>— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) <a href="https://twitter.com/WolstatSun/statuses/441719709684465664">March 6, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>“I was inefficient when I was here. I’m not anymore. I was when I was here.” - Rudy Gay</p>— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) <a href="https://twitter.com/WolstatSun/statuses/441721212171870208">March 6, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Rudy Gay: "I was inefficient (w <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Raptors&src=hash">#Raptors</a>). I was inefficient then, Im not now. Why do I think I was? I dont know, could be a lot of things."</p>— Matthew Scianitti (@TSNScianitti) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSNScianitti/statuses/441688139204407299">March 6, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
So he's okay to have stats sheets in the locker room now? <iframe style="display: none;" allowtransparency="true" id="rufous-sandbox" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Just a player who can score, looks the part, but lacks any real substance. Any player with star value would have made the Kings at least competitive. What is their record since acquiring him? Glad his stats are decent in SacTown but even now, "playing well" , seems like he has no impact on a team's W/L.
Seriously. He also just indirectly admitted that he's overpaid. After Sacramento has the misfortune of paying him close to $20M next year and his contract expires, Gay's new goal should be to take a Kevin Martin type deal and try to help a team actually win without swallowing up that team's entire payroll.
I used to like Rudy Gay (not as a player). Seemed like a really good guy who was fortunate to get ridiculously overpaid. But he seriously ripped off the Grizzlies by not playing up to his capabilities. Same for the Raptors but they were stupid enough to trade for him and deserved what they got. Kings reap the benefits of a guy playing for a contract. Good for them. b4l, Rudy will never get paid again. He isn't worth a dime to a good team. His best role is as a 2nd/3rd option on a bottom-feeder. We'll find out for sure in the summer of 2015. He ain't about to opt out.
imagine if rudy gay played like chandler parsons..and embraced the "glue guy" role. scored when necessary, hit open jumpers, cut, facilitated, ran the floor, played D, and rebounded.
I'm curious how he'd play here, whether we'd have him coming off the bench or playing him and Parsons together. It either be a cluster**** or something beautiful (since Lin, Gay, and Asik are all starting calibre IMO). I'd be even more interested to see what Morey would have done differently with Gay on the team. Maybe we make the playoffs with a team of Dragic, Lowry, Gay, Patterson and Hayes and that's the core for a few years (yikes). Maybe Gay gets traded for Kevin Love or maybe he gets traded to Toronto instead of Lowry for Steve Adams. A lot that could go difference
at the time it was a good roster change to contend, and i thought there'd be more changes. but unfortunate that was the only move rockets made. should've kept rudy, we needed desperately needed 3rd scorer.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sacramento Kings reportedly shopping Rudy Gay in hopes to create cap space to sign Rajon Rondo <a href="http://t.co/AKaXkgi5YS">http://t.co/AKaXkgi5YS</a> <a href="http://t.co/9q7DJih7bF">pic.twitter.com/9q7DJih7bF</a></p>— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BR_NBA/status/613418819453878272">June 23, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
