Rudy Gay left Raptors, Traded to Sacramento Kings
(Needs Grammar Check)
Rudy is now part of the Sacramento Kings family as Toronto Raptors agreed to trade trade him to the Kings for John Salmons, Vasquez, Patterson and Chuck Hayes. A few players were also part of this rather suprising deal. Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray will also be sent to the kings.
I believe that it is a good move for the Raptors because aside from Rudy Gay’s huge contract, their bench becomes deeper now with the inclusion of John Salmons who is a good shooter and a proven veteran, Grievis Vasquez who is a very good court facilitator with above average talent, and the two hustle players in Patterson and Hayes.
“I think Rudy is a natural target because of his salary, and because his team isn’t winning,” said Steve Kerr, a TNT analyst who spent three seasons running the Phoenix Suns. “If you’re a max player and your team isn’t winning, or in Rudy’s case your old team does better after you leave, like Memphis did in the playoffs, and a couple years before that in the playoffs, as well, then you’re the obvious target, and that’s just kind of the way it goes.”
However, the Kings management might have seen something in Gay that made them pursue this trade. Gay is a legitimate star small forward in the league and is also clutch the the game goes down the wire. They will also receive Quincy Acy and big man Aaron Gray which is not a bad idea as well.
Let’s take a look back at Rudy Gay’s history as an NBA player.
Over the past few seasons, Gay has become the symbol of the overrated, overpaid player in today’s NBA, defined by his massive contract – which pays him $17.9 million this season with a player option for next season at $19.3 million – while being a volume scorer who barely averages more points (19.6 per game) than shots (18.8) on a team that is 6-11 and in 10th place in the dreadful Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, after Gay was traded away from Memphis midway through last season, the Grizzlies went on to make the Western Conference Finals.
That’s definitely the way it’s gone for Gay, who more than any other player in the league has become known for the inefficiencies in his game. Gay has seen his shooting percentage drop each of the past four seasons, from a high of 47.1 percent in 2010-11 down to 38.8 percent this season.
Nowadays, he is just consideres as a volume shooter who struggles from 3-point range. A big reason has been his shot selection. Gay is prone to taking contested mid-range jumpers, the most ineffective shots in the game. In addition, he’s struggled from 3-point range, finishing below 33 percent each of the past two seasons and at 34.4 percent for his career.
It's never fun moving across the country to play with new teammates, a new coaching staff, and a new organization. Fans never look at this facet of a player getting traded, but once you know a player personally, you will understand how much he and his family have to go through in this whole procedure. I believe Rudy Gay will find it hard to adjust at first but in the weeks to come, he will then be able to prove that he is an irrefutable asset to the Kings.