I’m not hear to tell you that Gay can replicate what Marion did in that offense. Marion shot better from the field, but was worse from long range. One of the key players in that offense was Shawn Marion, who averaged between 17-21 points per game during the Suns’ runs to the playoffs. The Rockets hired Mike D’Antoni this past offseason, famous for his seven-seconds-or-less offense. Those numbers are much better than I anticipated. The season before, Gay averaged 21.4 points and 6.0 rebounds on 45.5 percent shooting from the field and 35.9 percent from distance. In 70 games with the Sacramento Kings last season, Gay averaged 18.2 points and 6.9 rebounds on 46.3 percent shooting from the field and 34.4 percent from distance. When the Rockets played against him I always believed that letting Gay shoot the ball 25-30 times was in the Rockets’ best interests.ĭelving into the numbers however, I was impressed to see his percentages and stats. Many, including myself, believe he loves to shoot, shoot, shoot and isn’t the best at it. You see, Rudy Gay has a “chucker” label attached to him. But yesterday when I read Kyler’s tweet I decided to think about it a bit more. I’ll be honest and tell you that when co-editor Elliot wrote this piece about Gay and the Rockets, I turned a blind eye and didn’t bother entertaining such an idea.
#RUDY GAY TRADE PACERS FREE#
… so it’s possible Gay might believe that a team would be willing to take a similar chance on him once free agency opens in July. Remember, though: Portland's Wes Matthews tore his Achilles in March of 2015 and signed a $70M free agent deal with Dallas that July. Gay holds a $14.3 million player option for next season, and made it very clear back in September that he planned to exercise that option and, in all likelihood, leave a team whose inner workings have left him confused and dismayed over the years, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical: 6.Īfter Thursday’s MRI confirmed Gay did tear his Achilles tendon, his 2016-17 season is over, and he now faces a difficult decision come the summer. 12 win over the Los Angeles Lakers that sidelined him for 10 of Sacramento’s next 11 games, and he’d been up-and-down in the half-dozen games since his return to the lineup on Jan. But he suffered a right hip flexor strain during a Dec. Gay hard started his 11th NBA season strong, averaging 19.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 34.4 minutes per game through his first 22 appearances while shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from the 3-point arc, and 84 percent from the foul line.