On the Raptors though, he’s a man among boys. Rudy Gay, to the rest of the NBA, is a freak of nature that never quite lived up to his potential. While Jose Calderon late three-pointers were met with varied success, Rudy Gay is an experienced closer that will undoubtedly add to the Raptors fourth-quarter arsenal.
For Raptors fans, it’s a tale as old as time, they stay within striking distance for the majority of the game, compile a late run that eventually gives them the lead but somewhere along the lines, they Raptor it all up and the opponent comes out victorious. Toronto may be close to the bottom of the league in the standings, but their average margin of points is much closer to the middle. In a vacuum – and under the right circumstances, those are recipes for success. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY SportsĪfter all, Rudy has spent his entire career being known as an athletic, lengthy forward with a high release point and as Matt Devlin likes to put it, a “silky, smooth” jump shot. At the same time, while Lionel Hollins’ strategy played to the strengths of the team, it cast a shadow on Gay’s ability as a player for the past few seasons.Toronto, ON, Canada Toronto Raptors forward Rudy Gay (22) makes his Raptors debut against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Air Canada Centre. If you’ve got Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph at the helm, you’d better be going inside. That’s no knock on the Grizzlies, by the way. This can be attributed partially to the Grizzlies spacing, or lack thereof and partially to their front-court focused offensive schemes. In a short sample size, the 6’8″ small forward is looking like a transformed version of the Rudy Gay that had been the subject of a million different trade rumors in Memphis. Tonight, he managed to one-up his earlier performance with a season-high 29 points, albeit taking a loss to the Miami Heat. In his debut at the Air Canada Centre, Gay came off the bench and scored 20 points to help the Raptors fend off the Clippers. It’s a skill that is greatly appreciated as Toronto’s roster isn’t exactly filled with players that can get their own shot. While the trade was initially met with vehement opposition, the logic behind the deal is becoming more and more solidified with every time Rudy finds a way to get the ball in the basket. Most of all, it’s meant that the Toronto Raptors, for the first time since Chris Bosh took his talents to South Beach, have someone who is simultaneously their best player and doesn’t induce fans to vomit. It meant the end of the short-lived Ed Davis era, inspiring cries for what could have been. It meant the departure of Jose Calderon and the cementing of Kyle Lowry in the starting point guard slot. Despite that hot stretch, the Raptors are only 22-32 overall, but are 14-13 at home.Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sportsįor the Toronto Raptors, trading for Rudy Gay has meant a plethora of different things. Although Toronto started the season slowly, the trade for Gay has re-energized the Raptors, and they’re 6-2 since the deal was finalized. In addition to Gay, the Raptors have an intriguing core, led by DeMar Derozan and Kyle Lowry. He’s shooting under 40% in his Raptors career, but has already hit two game-winning jumpers, so his first few weeks in Toronto has been the full-on Rudy Gay experience. He shoots a low percentage and is inconsistent. The truth is that Gay has been pretty much the same guy as a Raptor that he’s always been as an NBA player.
Why do I think there could be some hard feelings? Because when he was asked what he missed about Memphis, he responded with a resounding “Nothing.” While there are likely no hard feelings between any Pistons or Grizzlies players, there will almost definitely be animosity tonight in Canada as Rudy Gay takes on his old Memphis teammates for the first time since being traded to a different country. The third part of that three-teamer? The Toronto Raptors.