Rudy Gay Aparrently On The Trading Block

[cd021]

Zach Lowe recently wrote an article about Rudy Gay and the possibility that he could be traded before the deadline. Lowe also mentions several teams that could trade for him and the rammications on both the Grizzlies and the other team involved.

Entire article here (Great Read)

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/46581/the-rudy-gay-dilemma-if-hes-dealt-where-will-he-land

Excerpts for people who don't feel like reading a really lengthy but very interesting article.


"A lot has changed since the Grizzlies started the season scoring at a top-10 rate and looking like a legitimate title contender. Their offense has stalled out, falling to 19th

in points per 100 possessions, and three other Western Conference contenders — the Spurs, Clippers, and Thunder — have settled in at a slightly higher level than

Memphis. If Memphis can only squeeze a league-average offense out of this group, they’ll grade out as more of an “absolutely everything has to go right” fringe contender

than a true title threat."

Minnesota Timberwolves

"Minnesota has plenty of cushion between its current cap level and the luxury tax. They also have Andrei Kirilenko, a tweener forward on a semi-expiring $9.8 million deal,

and a bunch of interesting pieces in the $4 million-$5 million range. It’s very easy to build a Minny-Memphis trade around Kirilenko/Gay that gets Memphis under the tax

and provides either an intriguing high lottery pick (Derrick Williams) or a useful guard to round out the Grizz’s rotation (Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea)."


Milwaukee Bucks

"The Grizz need some creativity off the bench, and they have plenty of defensive stalwarts to cover for one sieve. A package of Ellis and Doron Lamb works and gets

Memphis under the tax. The Bucks could put seldom-used Tobias Harris in Lamb’s spot, giving Memphis a promising small forward and opening up the wing a bit more for

Gay."


Boston Celtics

Houston, Phoenix, and Cleveland are the only teams with major cap room, and any of the three could appear as a facilitator if Memphis does move Gay.


A package of Green, Courtney Lee, and Avery Bradley works, though it only saves Memphis about $1.4 million in salary Memphis might be able to cut the rest by salary-

dumping Marreese Speights or Bayless later (Speights isn’t trade-eligible until Jan. 15 and can veto any deal), and they could sell at least Lee and Bradley as helpful pieces

that fill needs now and going forward. Replace Green with the cheaper Brandon Bass, and Boston would have to work a lot harder — sending out more players, and

involving more teams — in order to find a deal. Paul Pierce for Gay works straight-up, but it’s sacrilege and does not save Memphis any tax money this season."




The Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, & Utah Jazz are all mentioned as strong possibles (All three happen to be teams that keep coming up in trade talk around this forum) He also mentions 5 or 6 teams with long shots at acquiring Gay including the Clippers.

The Grizzlies have struggled recently and look to be less and less likely to win a top 3 seed and more likely to battle with the Warriors for playoff position in the 1st round (like last season where the Grizzlies lost in the 1st round as the 4th seed to the 5th seed Clippers)


The Spurs are 5-0 against the Grizzlies since being upset in the 1st round of the playoffs in 2010.

[sananspursfan21]

nothing about spurs, eh? we have an nba forum

[Brunodf]

That's bad for us, Grizzlies will be better...

[cd021]

nothing about spurs, eh? we have an nba forum

You read the post right? because I mentioned the spurs in the post.

[exstatic]

You read the post right? because I mentioned the spurs in the post.

Editing a mention in doesn't really count.

[exstatic]

Gay is liked by purveyors of old school stats like ppg. He's a volume shooter who isn't very efficient.

Honestly, they should have traded him after upsetting us in 2011. Cleveland allegedly offered the #1 pick. They could have traded him last summer, and kept Mayo who is a better offensive player. Now, they've lost Mayo, and are finally figuring out that Gay isn't a franchise guy, or even a premier scorer.

[racm]

Gay is liked by purveyors of old school stats like ppg. He's a volume shooter who isn't very efficient.

Honestly, they should have traded him after upsetting us in 2011. Cleveland allegedly offered the #1 pick. They could have traded him last summer, and kept Mayo who is a better offensive player. Now, they've lost Mayo, and are finally figuring out that Gay isn't a franchise guy, or even a premier scorer.

Mayo wasn't a Hollins guy, despite the fact that he's a better three point threat. Guess Memphis hates spacing (and no surprise, they went 12-2 when Ellington, Conley, and Bayless all hit 3s).

[cd021]

Editing a mention in doesn't really count.
You must of read it before i fixed some of the errors and added to it. My bad

[Seventyniner]

If it wasn't for the Grizzlies already having a loaded frontcourt, Paul Gasol for Rudy Gay would be hilarious.

[MaNu4Tres]

Memphis is a better team without Gay. The guy makes some of the worst decisions on the offensive end of the court.

Very overrated/dumb player.

[Embedded]

Did you see the block by Rudy Gay in the Phoenix Suns game last night? He volleyball blocked a shot waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay into the stands - goaltending was called! What the heck was he thinking?!?!?! Didn't know whether the shot would miss or not, and he purposely slapped it 10 rows up - I like his game, but dude makes some SERIOUS mental mistakes. He needs a Duncan type as a father figure, I guess, but I'm not wanting to mess with our team chemistry.

[quentin_compson]

Gay is not a bad player (decent defender also), but he needs too many touches for a system like the Grizz'.

[exstatic]

Gay is not a bad player (decent defender also), but he needs too many touches for a system like the Grizz'.

He needs too many touches in ANY system. He's not efficient as a scorer.

[szkorhetz]

TBH, we can only hope that Leonard once develops into something Gay is right now, both sides of the floor...

[TDMVPDPOY]

spurs have nothing grizz wants, unless its duncan or parker....

[bklynspursfan]

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA (https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA)
Y! Sources: Memphis, Phoenix engaged in trade discussions on Rudy Gay. http://tinyurl.com/bdopadj (http://t.co/LAjz9tNY)

[Bruno]

Memphis will miss Gay if they him away. He might be a ball-hog but without him and Mayo, Grizzlies just won't have enough offensive firepower.

For Spurs, it's changing their landscape. Before the season, Memphis and Lakers were the two teams that could really out-powered Spurs in the paint. While it's too soon to write Lakers off, they might turn quickly as a non-factor for this season. Memphis will be weaker without Gay. The need for Spurs to get another quality low post defensive bigman could disappear.

[timvp]

Hollinger has always been low on Gay and high on Dudley. If that's the trade that happens, you can bet he played a big role in it.

Honestly, I think it probably hurts the Spurs a little bit against the Grizzlies. Leonard was built to guard Gay. More touches for Randolph and Gasol isn't good news for the Spurs.

Although I agree with Bruno that trading Gay for Dudley would make the Grizzlies weaker overall. It's difficult to win nowadays if you have no perimeter scoring threats.

[DPG21920]

Hollinger has always been low on Gay and high on Dudley. If that's the trade that happens, you can bet he played a big role in it.

Honestly, I think it probably hurts the Spurs a little bit against the Grizzlies. Leonard was built to guard Gay. More touches for Randolph and Gasol isn't good news for the Spurs.

Although I agree with Bruno that trading Gay for Dudley would make the Grizzlies weaker overall. It's difficult to win nowadays if you have no perimeter scoring threats.

While it may seem counter intuitive to say the Spurs could use some more offense, if his price is just a Dudley type player, would it not make sense to make a pitch? Spurs, while a very good offensive team, still need a guy who can create for himself - especially when TP is game planned against and effecively removed from the game (as in the OKC series). Given, Gay has a rather large contract, is it just too much to spend on a guy like Gay even though the price seems to be right?

Also, I know PHX is under the cap, but a deal with just Dudley won't work. They will still need to add about ~6-7M for the trade to work no?

[quentin_compson]

The last time the Spurs traded for a perimeter player who needs quite some touches to be effective, it didn't go down all that well. Just sayin' ...

[Mel_13]

While it may seem counter intuitive to say the Spurs could use some more offense, if his price is just a Dudley type player, would it not make sense to make a pitch? Spurs, while a very good offensive team, still need a guy who can create for himself - especially when TP is game planned against and effecively removed from the game (as in the OKC series). Given, Gay has a rather large contract, is it just too much to spend on a guy like Gay even though the price seems to be right?

Also, I know PHX is under the cap, but a deal with just Dudley won't work. They will still need to add about ~6-7M for the trade to work no?

Yes, they will, but the net result will be to get Memphis under the luxury tax. Getting under the tax is a major part of Memphis' motivation to trade Gay. The Spurs can't help them accomplish that. As best I can tell, Phoenix and Houston are the only two teams that can.

[timvp]

While it may seem counter intuitive to say the Spurs could use some more offense, if his price is just a Dudley type player, would it not make sense to make a pitch? Spurs, while a very good offensive team, still need a guy who can create for himself - especially when TP is game planned against and effecively removed from the game (as in the OKC series). Given, Gay has a rather large contract, is it just too much to spend on a guy like Gay even though the price seems to be right?

1. "Just Dudley" is selling him short. He's an above average small forward signed for three more years at $4.2M per season -- a very modest number. He has a higher PER than Gay and his TS% is elite this season. The Spurs would have to include Leonard or Splitter to match an offer built around Dudley.

2. Gay would be a bad fit on the Spurs. There are only a small amount of touches once the Big 3 eat their share. And the better TD and Manu play, the smaller that number will become. Gay would likely cut into touches for the Big 3, which wouldn't help the offense since he's such a low efficiency player. Even if TP is gameplaned against, I'd rather take my chances on TD and Manu. Gay has chemistry-buster written all over him for the Spurs.

3. Yeah, Gay's contract is too big for what his role on the Spurs would entail. Plus, his defense would be a step backwards for this team, especially since they don't have someone like Tony Allen who can erase a lot of perimeter mistakes.

[DPG21920]

I wasn't trying to slight Dudley, I like his game. Very good role player, very good 3 point shooter and by all accounts will fit in and do what you ask of him. I definitely understand the touches (see Jefferson, Richard) the difference being that I feel Gay, unlike RJ could/would actually want to step up in the event of Manu going down with injury or TP being triple teamed. Plus, he's an elite athelte (don't know how he's performed at PF in small ball line ups, but might be an option).

Overall I agree with your assesment. Especially defensively and the contract. Another question you would have to ask yourself is what happens beyond this season. With the Spurs and Manu, plus potential cap space, would they care to sign another big name player to keep going or will they bring back the same team. If Manu is considering retiring, a bird in the hand may be more than two in the bush (perhaps not for a player like Gay since we have Kawhi, but the overall philosophy).

[DPG21920]

Yes, they will, but the net result will be to get Memphis under the luxury tax. Getting under the tax is a major part of Memphis' motivation to trade Gay. The Spurs can't help them accomplish that. As best I can tell, Phoenix and Houston are the only two teams that can.

For sure - that wasn't the angle I was thinking though when I posted that (although it's a great point). My angle is that it can't just be Dudley if it's a deal straight up with PHX. It will likely include someone like Gortat or Frye.

[spurraider21]

Thats probably a good trade for both teams. Getting a guy like Dudley will be a good fit for Memphis since he will make defenses pay for collapsing on Z-Bo and gasol. Gasol being a great passer also caters to Dudley's shooting ability.

Gay will help Phoenix because they need something on that offense, and he'd fit in well along with Dragic and Gortat.

[temujin]

Memphis is a better team without Gay. The guy makes some of the worst decisions on the offensive end of the court.

Very overrated/dumb player.

Absolutely correct.
gay in the final 2' is a death sentence.

[Mal]

Suns should offer them Beasley + Frye + 2013 pick and wait for response. Memphis looks desperate

[ace3g]

Ken Berger ‏@KBergCBS (https://twitter.com/KBergCBS) The Grizzlies-Warriors talks stalled with Golden State's desire to include HWMNBN ($21m left over two years) in the deal.

[Mel_13]

Ken Berger ‏@KBergCBS (https://twitter.com/KBergCBS) The Grizzlies-Warriors talks stalled with Golden State's desire to include HWMNBN ($21m left over two years) in the deal.

:rollin

Grizz really want to get under the luxury tax, but they're not quite that desperate.

[Kineto]

can't we use Gay for make a deal with a 3rd team ?

something like this : http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=al3sczn
Cleveland : Gay
Memphis : Kawai+Jackson (+picks from SA or Cleveland ?)
SA : Varejao+Casspi

another : http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bclp4aw
Atlanta : Gay+Splitter
Memphis : Jackson+L. Williams (+picks ?)
SA : J. Smith


something like this...

[cd021]

To me, Memphis should move Gay to Altanta for Morrow, Harris, & Korver, they save a ton with Harris's expiring contract and get 2 shooters and a backup PG.

[DPG21920]

What a terrible trade that GS move for RJ was. What were they thinking?

[Mel_13]

To me, Memphis should move Gay to Altanta for Morrow, Harris, & Korver, they save a ton with Harris's expiring contract and get 2 shooters and a backup PG.

I don't believe Ferry cleared all that cap space for this summer just to use 18M on Rudy Gay


What a terrible trade that GS move for RJ was. What were they thinking?

They were thinking that really didn't want to see Jack in a Warrior uniform again. That said, they would have been better off just buying out his contract. Thankfully, they didn't think of that.

[cd98]

Looks like he's going to Phoenix for Dudley and a no. 1 pick.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Not a good trade on the Grizzlie's part if it goes down - Gay may be a tad overrated, but he's their leading scorer.

[therealtruth]

What a terrible trade that GS move for RJ was. What were they thinking?

They did get Festus Ezeli.

[ace3g]

Raptors interested:

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/53353/raptors-want-in-on-rudy-gay-chase

[Chinook]

Raptors interested:

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/53353/raptors-want-in-on-rudy-gay-chase

That article also mentions the Kings being interested, which is sort of surprising. I guess they're in win-now mode, too. I could see them sending a package of Garcia (replacement for Gay), Freddette (perimeter shooting) and Robinson (instead of a draft pick). That would be pretty good value while also not messing with what the Kings are doing too much. If Sacramento is over trying to move Cousins, then Robinson has very little future. Thompson has just been too good recently for anyone to expect him to be part of the deal.

The only issue would be if Memphis doesn't want any part of Robinson. The Grizzlies have five bigs signed through next year, and they have been rumored to be trying to move two of them as an alternate way to stay under the tax. Sacramento can't really trade a draft pick right now, as they still owe Cleveland one which is protected through 2017. So the Kings' next available pick may not be for six years. Robinson (or Evans or anyone player who makes more than $3 Million or so this season) would have to go to a third team in exchange for draft picks. Maybe the Spurs could help there...

That's just wishful thinking, of course.

[bklynspursfan]

Fun Fact:

Tom Haberstroh ‏@tomhaberstroh (https://twitter.com/tomhaberstroh)
Rudy Gay and Tim Duncan have the same number of dunks this season (34). I just love that.

[ace3g]

Source with a team interested in Rudy Gay: the Gay-for-Jared Dudley/Michael Beasley deal was leaked in order to
generate more offers from around the league. The response when other GMs heard about the offer was, "Hey, we can do better than that." The Grizzlies, if they are going to move Gay, want a young SF on a smaller contract and a draft pick. The Wizards, as has been reported, will not put Bradley Beal in the deal and can only offer players (Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor) who would save the Grizzlies from incurring the super luxury tax in two years, not a luxury-tax hit this summer. Same goes for the Warriors, who would have to include Richard Jefferson or Andris Biedrins, both of whom have player options for next season that they're expected to keep.

http://sulia.com/channel/san-antonio-spurs/f/80d32407-8141-4bae-90cb-93bc250ff755/?source=twitter

[TrainOfThought5]

i pray that Gay stays with the grizzlies.

[Raven]

i actually like Gay a lot, while i agree that he's been overrated when signing his contract, he is about the only player i can think of that could defend Lebron and Durant in a fair way, since he has basically the same type of athleticism+pace+strength kind of body. He is not a franchise player as his ball handling is not on par with the other two and neither is his shooting, but he is not so far off and surely he's closer to being them than anyone else in the league. I'm not sure what we could give them other than kawhi, but i would love to see him in a spurs uniform.
(needless to say, he will not come)

[cd021]

What a terrible trade that GS move for RJ was. What were they thinking?

At least they got a 1st rounder, but still a bad deal overall. He's not even starting for them but he's making 11 million thru next season.

[exstatic]

Source with a team interested in Rudy Gay: the Gay-for-Jared Dudley/Michael Beasley deal was leaked in order to
generate more offers from around the league. The response when other GMs heard about the offer was, "Hey, we can do better than that." The Grizzlies, if they are going to move Gay, want a young SF on a smaller contract and a draft pick. The Wizards, as has been reported, will not put Bradley Beal in the deal and can only offer players (Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor) who would save the Grizzlies from incurring the super luxury tax in two years, not a luxury-tax hit this summer. Same goes for the Warriors, who would have to include Richard Jefferson or Andris Biedrins, both of whom have player options for next season that they're expected to keep.

http://sulia.com/channel/san-antonio-spurs/f/80d32407-8141-4bae-90cb-93bc250ff755/?source=twitter
If Memphis is serious about dealing Gay to PHO, they need to hold their feet to the fire and demand the Laker pick. It's unprotected, and looks like it could well be in the lottery this summer.

[cd021]

Source with a team interested in Rudy Gay: the Gay-for-Jared Dudley/Michael Beasley deal was leaked in order to
generate more offers from around the league. The response when other GMs heard about the offer was, "Hey, we can do better than that." The Grizzlies, if they are going to move Gay, want a young SF on a smaller contract and a draft pick. The Wizards, as has been reported, will not put Bradley Beal in the deal and can only offer players (Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor) who would save the Grizzlies from incurring the super luxury tax in two years, not a luxury-tax hit this summer. Same goes for the Warriors, who would have to include Richard Jefferson or Andris Biedrins, both of whom have player options for next season that they're expected to keep.

http://sulia.com/channel/san-antonio-spurs/f/80d32407-8141-4bae-90cb-93bc250ff755/?source=twitter

That is odd Trade Gays contract for one of the worst contracts in the league 3 year 18 million and his P.E.R is 10.

[dunkman]

The Spurs could send them Green, a pick and Jack to make the numbers work. However, after the RJ experiment I don't believe the Spurs would take on another huge contract like that.

[Paranoid Pop]

That is odd Trade Gays contract for one of the worst contracts in the league 3 year 18 million and his P.E.R is 10.

Thing is Gay has a PER below the league average and is owned a lot more money.

[wildbill2u]

If the Spurs sometimes make mistakes by giving up on young cheap bigs with potential who go on to play successfully with other, lesser, teams (Mahinmi, Gee), they don't often make mistakes with "name" players (Richard Jefferson) with high dollar contracts. I think bringing in RJ was an exception to that philosophy that proves the rule.

Whether we like it or not, they are committed to staying under the cap and this means filling the bench roster with young cheap players and letting them go when it looks like they can command more money than the Spurs can pay. I think it is highly unlikely that they would bring Gay in.

[exstatic]

That is odd Trade Gays contract for one of the worst contracts in the league 3 year 18 million and his P.E.R is 10.


You're thinking they want Beasley? They don't. They want Dudley, who makes about 1/4 of what Gay does, and has a higher PER at 16.0. I think the fact that PHO is insisting on Beasley in the trade may be what's stopping it. Memphis is playing Moneyball now, and wants NO part of him.

[exstatic]

If the Spurs sometimes make mistakes by giving up on young cheap bigs with potential who go on to play successfully with other, lesser, teams (Mahinmi, Gee), they don't often make mistakes with "name" players (Richard Jefferson) with high dollar contracts. I think bringing in RJ was an exception to that philosophy that proves the rule.

Whether we like it or not, they are committed to staying under the cap and this means filling the bench roster with young cheap players and letting them go when it looks like they can command more money than the Spurs can pay. I think it is highly unlikely that they would bring Gay in.
Gee is not a big He's 6'5"

Spurs are not under the cap, and haven't been in YEARS. Their payroll is $69M, coming in at #12 out of 30 teams.

[cd021]

Thing is Gay has a PER below the league average and is owned a lot more money.

I didn't even realize that, but still Beasley is the heir apparent to Ron "MWP" Artest in terms of crazy.

[superbigtime]

Rudy Gay is a terrific player who hasn't reached his ceiling. Same can't be said for RJ when Spurs traded for him. Man what a sack of sh!t he was. I remember being so excited when the news came in. A monumental let down RJ was. A good guy and teammate and community guy, but just SUCKED. I can't imagine Rudy Gay ever disappointing that extent.

[exstatic]

Rudy Gay is a terrific player who hasn't reached his ceiling. Same can't be said for RJ when Spurs traded for him. Man what a sack of sh!t he was. I remember being so excited when the news came in. A monumental let down RJ was. A good guy and teammate and community guy, but just SUCKED. I can't imagine Rudy Gay ever disappointing that extent.

:lol Rudy Gay is in his 7th year and is what he is. He hit his ceiling two years ago, and appears to not only have flatlined, but slid backwards.

[superbigtime]

:lol Rudy Gay is in his 7th year and is what he is. He hit his ceiling two years ago, and appears to not only have flatlined, but slid backwards.


Uh huh. Right.

[lurker23]

292998489024114689

[exstatic]

Uh huh. Right.

Nice rejoinder. Look at his stats page. He's going backwards.

[jermaine]

292998489024114689
Grizz management is very stupid. But good move for H-Town.

[Chinook]

Grizz management is very stupid. But good move for H-Town.

I don't think Houston even has the pieces to get that trade done. They'd have to give up either Asik (whom Memphis shouldn't want) or Lin (whom I don't think anyone wants for that contract). Or they'd have to give up five players just to take Randolph's contract back.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I don't think Houston even has the pieces to get that trade done. They'd have to give up either Asik (whom Memphis shouldn't want) or Lin (whom I don't think anyone wants for that contract). Or they'd have to give up five players just to take Randolph's contract back.

They're under the cap, they can arrange a deal easily and give Memphis the needed financial relief.

[cd021]

Nice rejoinder. Look at his stats page. He's going backwards.

I gonna have to side with you, besides players usually don't improve to much after 7 seasons. He doesn't seem to be an exception to that logic. "Superbigtimes" comeback was a little weak.

[SpursRock20]

292998489024114689
If the Rockets are able to land Randolph, they might be more dangerous to the Spurs than the Grizz were with Z-Bo, tbh.

[Chinook]

They're under the cap, they can arrange a deal easily and give Memphis the needed financial relief.

I know Houston has cap space. Look at the numbers: There's nothing easy about arranging a deal. They can take back enough money, but they can't send out enough players without needing to find teams to take some players for nothing. Memphis can only take three players back (or just two more than they send out), and Houston can't get three players that make a combined $10 Million without trading Asik or Lin.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I know Houston has cap space. Look at the numbers: There's nothing easy about arranging a deal. They can take back enough money, but they can't send out enough players without needing to find teams to take some players for nothing. Memphis can only take three players back (or just two more than they send out), and Houston can't get three players that make a combined $10 Million without trading Asik or Lin.

You're right, they would likely need a 3rd team to help out. In any case I don't think the Grizz are dealing Randloph, it's just smoke cause apparently there isn't much interest in Gay ( surprise surprise! ). They'd only deal Randloph at the trade deadline in case there's nothing else on the table to get them below the lux tax.

[exstatic]

If the Rockets are able to land Randolph, they might be more dangerous to the Spurs than the Grizz were with Z-Bo, tbh.
No. It's the one/two punch of ZBo AND Fat Gasol that gives us fits.

[SpursRock20]

No. It's the one/two punch of ZBo AND Fat Gasol that gives us fits.

Yeah it did give us fits. But the Rockets have played us pretty tight this year without an offensive post presence. I think ZBo would make Houston a pretty scary contender, tbh.

[ffadicted]

292998489024114689

:dramaquee

[CGD]

Damn that would scary. Its the current grizz team but with a Harden. Here's hoping they move Gay. Ferry should do a Josh Smith for Gay straight up trade. Atl gets a more dynamic 3, Grizz a 1/2 year rental on Smith + the cap space they want.

[ginobilized]

In a perfect karmic circle, I'd like to see Rudy Gay traded for Kobe. Jerry West still around? That would be sweet!

[exstatic]

Damn that would scary. Its the current grizz team but with a Harden. Here's hoping they move Gay. Ferry should do a Josh Smith for Gay straight up trade. Atl gets a more dynamic 3, Grizz a 1/2 year rental on Smith + the cap space they want.

No. HOU has no defensive stopper like Tony Allen, no two way multi-skilled center like Fat Gasol, or a PG as good as Conley. Houston with Harden and ZBo is a playoff team, nothing more.

[cd021]

No. HOU has no defensive stopper like Tony Allen, no two way multi-skilled center like Fat Gasol, or a PG as good as Conley. Houston with Harden and ZBo is a playoff team, nothing more.

Osik is kind great defensively

[cd021]

No. HOU has no defensive stopper like Tony Allen, no two way multi-skilled center like Fat Gasol, or a PG as good as Conley. Houston with Harden and ZBo is a playoff team, nothing more.

They could leap frog GSW & Denver if ZBo plays at a high level in the post season. Harden is a better 1st option than Curry, or Iggy.

[exstatic]

Osik is kind great defensively

Yeah, but he is possibly the WORST offensive center in the league.

[cd021]

Yeah, but he is possibly the WORST offensive center in the league.

10.5 ppg in 29 minutes per game, 53.5% FG ( A little low) He is a good pick and roll player and cleans the offensive glass for easy points. You could do a lot worse [cough, Kendrick Perkins, Biedrins, Joell Anthony, Rashard Evans]

[exstatic]

10.5 ppg in 29 minutes per game, 53.5% FG ( A little low) He is a good pick and roll player and cleans the offensive glass for easy points. You could do a lot worse [cough, Kendrick Perkins, Biedrins, Joell Anthony, Rashard Evans]

He's passable on the pick and roll, but his hands aren't great. He's a garbage man. You don't have to defend him as much as put a body on him and keep him off the glass.

[SpursRock20]

Yeah, but he is possibly the WORST offensive center in the league.
That's exactly why Zach Randolph would help them out so much.

[exstatic]

That's exactly why Zach Randolph would help them out so much.

They have two very young, very inexpensive PFs already. They should get a better center.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

What would Houston give up for Randolph?

[superbigtime]

Nice rejoinder. Look at his stats page. He's going backwards.

No. I look at his game.

[exstatic]

No. I look at his game.

Do you watch all 82 Grizz games every year? Small samples yield poor conclusions.

[SpursRock20]

They have two very young, very inexpensive PFs already. They should get a better center.

They have a solid center already (he's in the top 10). The league is going away from centers, anyway. Why would they need 2 above average centers?

[CGD]

No. HOU has no defensive stopper like Tony Allen, no two way multi-skilled center like Fat Gasol, or a PG as good as Conley. Houston with Harden and ZBo is a playoff team, nothing more.

You're right that there are differences on the perimeter defensively between the two teams, but I think you underrate Asik some in the interior -- at least in comparison the Marc Gasol. Asik played a large role on those great defensive-minded Bulls teams.

What they lack in defense, the Rockets more than make up on offense should ZBo joins them. Houston would sure up their post production. The Grizz's biggest weakness is their offensive production comes from the wings, which is not the case with Harden and Parsons. With respect to Conley and Lin, they just have different PG styles.

[superbigtime]

Do you watch all 82 Grizz games every year? Small samples yield poor conclusions.

No. Wow, profound words. Like your conclusions with Asik and the Rockets. :lol

[exstatic]

No. Wow, profound words. Like your conclusions with Asik and the Rockets. :lol

So, you're just puling this "Gay is continuing to improve" out of your ass, since you don't watch most of his games, because everything else says otherwise.

Asik sucks on offense, BTW. Thinking otherwise is as unreal as thinking Gay hasn't already hit and bounced off his ceiling.

[superbigtime]

So, you're just puling this "Gay is continuing to improve" out of your ass, since you don't watch most of his games, because everything else says otherwise.

Asik sucks on offense, BTW. Thinking otherwise is as unreal as thinking Gay hasn't already hit and bounced off his ceiling.

No. How many of RG's games do you watch, or are you just looking at stats. He's loaded with talent and athleticism, and those things haven't diminished. I can't watch every game of his because Memphis is not my team and I have a life, but I do watch their games sometimes. You're just another Rudy Gay hater, that's fine.

Asik avgs 10 ppg and averages a double double. Obviously a better defender than an offensive threat, who would dispute that. But to say he sucks is incorrect.

[swaggerjackson]

Marc J. Spears: Grizzlies trade Speights, Selby and pick to Cavs for Lauer, (http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html) source said. Cavaliers also get a second round pick in trade. Twitter @SpearsNBAYahoo (http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html)

Puts the Grizz under cap. This probably takes Gay and Randolph off the block for now.

[exstatic]

No. How many of RG's games do you watch, or are you just looking at stats. He's loaded with talent and athleticism, and those things haven't diminished. I can't watch every game of his because Memphis is not my team and I have a life, but I do watch their games sometimes. You're just another Rudy Gay hater, that's fine.

Asik avgs 10 ppg and averages a double double. Obviously a better defender than an offensive threat, who would dispute that. But to say he sucks is incorrect.

I don't hate him, but I also don't over-rate him either. Realistically, he should be making $10-$11M a year. He's vastly overpaid for someone who's team advanced their farthest EVER in the playoffs the year he was out. He's a beta male making alpha male money, and that will ALWAYS draw criticism from almost all quarters.

[superbigtime]

I don't hate him, but I also don't over-rate him either. Realistically, he should be making $10-$11M a year. He's vastly overpaid for someone who's team advanced their farthest EVER in the playoffs the year he was out. He's a beta male making alpha male money, and that will ALWAYS draw criticism from almost all quarters.

Almost thought you were talking about Stephen Jackson for a minute there, haha, but Jax is an alpha male for sure. If RG is overpaid, that should bring criticism to who is overpaying him. He is more of an $11 mill player than jack. But they are both overpaid, making all star money. I don't think Rudy Gay is overrated. Because RG is athletic and can be exciting to watch, that does draw some praise bias though. I don't think he is playing as well as he is capable, especially on defensive end. Maybe I need to watch him more.

[jag]

As someone who has watched quite a few Grizz games over the past few years (because they're on local TV here), Rudy Gay has absolutely topped out. He is what he is. You're retarded if you think he has this bank of untapped potential just waiting to be unleashed. His shot selection is horrific. During almost every game he oscillates between being extremely passive/going through the motions on offense, and being a black hole with the ball. Sure he'll go for 20+ points ever once in a while, but for every time he does that, he'll turn out a few 3-17, 5-17, 6-17, 7-17 performances. No matter the game, defensive matchup or flow of the offense, dude is getting his shots.

Gay and ZBo have never really clicked, so one of them needs to go. I'm obviously no Grizz fan, but I do know people who are, and many of them wish Rudy Gay would have been gone years ago. There's a reason for that.

[superbigtime]

Word. What can I say I guess I'm biased. He's had a few good games against the Spurs.