but we would need Johnson to score Gay. on the other hand if we didnt get Gay then we wouldnt care about Johnson. double edged sword...
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4618764&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines says that memphis offered 5 yr 50 mill and rudy turned it down because he wanted the 5 yr 65 mill that LMA got... you gotta be kidding me.. he really thinks he's worth this much.. i guess it could be a negotiation tactic to state a high price, but damn he looks very foolish
He's implying that our current roster is NINTH in the NBA in points scored per game, so why waste money on a no-defense/black-hole?
Johnson turned down a 4yr/60 million dollar extension from the Hawks, so getting him in a rocket uniform will be a very expensive proposition. Gay's good, but he ain't worth $10 million/yr.
He just wants to get out of that horrible franchise and knows that desperate teams like NY will PAY for him this summer. Pretty good move IMO.
That's irrelevant to the fact that Gay is clearly a better overall player than Ariza. If Ariza can keep up his 4 game stretch offensively for the rest of the season, then I would rank him above Rudy. But I don't expect that to happen. Rudy is not a great defender, but he is a fairly decent pick-pocket, and from what I've seen from Ariza thus far, that is where he is good defensively. Ariza has been surprisingly lacking defensively, IMO, when it comes to really locking down players, or chasing his man around screens. Far too often this early in the season, he will give up an open shot or layup by overplaying or simply not paying attention. Last night's came when Ronnie Brewer snuck behind him on a mini-fast break by the Jazz, where Deron faked a pass to Boozer in the post, saw Brewer wide open underneath, and got the pass to him. I still think Ariza is a good defensive player, I'm just somewhat surprised in the type of defensive player he is. I expected more Battier defense, and less Artest-like defense from him. In either case, Gay gets a few steals here or there as well. And, more blocks then Ariza, and considerably more rebounds than Ariza...which to me counts somewhat towards the defensive side of the ball. But no, he is not the defender overall that Ariza is, but he is the better player to date, no doubt. The Rockets don't need him, though, of course. What they need is an athletic, tall, defensive minded bruiser at center, who can also throw in 4-7 buckets a game off rebounds, layups, dunks. Someone like a Nene, though not paid as much.
have you seen ariza on defense this year? it's atrocious. i suggest you actually watch the games and not just rely on what people say. i've watched him closely and his 1-on-1 defense is VERY lacking. he does play the passing lanes well, but which athletic wing player doesn't. i'm impressed with his offense (esp. his shooting), but jesus, his defense is way worse than what ron artest brought last year. we're actually winning with our OFFENSE right now and that's where ariza is making his impact (and rudy gay plays off the ball just fine - see how he has adapted to scoring 18 points without having the ball much in his hands and playing off OJ, randolph, and gasol). he would do the same things ariza is doing except with much better 1-on-1 skills.
i suggest you watch rudy gay play. get league pass and maybe watch a quarter. rudy gay usually guards the best player on the other team, but his teammates don't play any defense. secondly, see how the hell does he score 18 points when he rarely gets to initiate the offense (conley and mayo do that) and they have 2 post presence in gasol/randolph. he would fit our team just fine. the problem is what he's asking for salary-wise.
Um, lets not get this cancer boy on our team please. thanks. we don't need another heartless mcgrady.
I completely agree with you. Gay is a better player than Ariza. They do need him. Another player who can create off the dribble besides Brooks. I'll take a healthy Rudy over an injury-prone Tracy any day. Anyways, this is pointless since the Grizzlies are not trading him.
With their mismatched roster and overmatched front office (starting with the owner) I could absolutely see Gay traded (with Jaric, of course). Think not? Try looking at OJ/Gay as long term teammates. Looks unlikely, eh? The question might be what the Grizz would find to be fair value. (I have heard quasi-reliably that Heisley wanted a deal of Gay/Battier this summer.)
I don't know if Rudy Gay is actually delusional enough to believe he's worth 5 yrs $60 million or if he turned down Memphis' money so that he wouldn't be stuck with them in the future. Or that gamble where all the teams who don't get their hands on Wade, LeBron, Bosh, or Amar'e would spend their money on him instead. I hope for Rudy's sake he doesn't suffer the sort of injury where he finds he really, really should have taken the money in the first place.
