Since he’s on the Raptors, they have to start rippin him apart.
http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/ Tim W.
ESPN writers were big critics of him when he was in Memphis. One of the interesting things about John Hollinger being hired by Memphis was that he’d ripped Gay so much everyone wanted to see if he’d backtrack. He just ended up trading him.
Believe it or not, ESPN doesn’t rip on players just because they’re on the Raptors.
Biggest Raps Fan Ever
Alright, I retract my statement then
http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/ Tim W.
Gay is not nearly as good a defender as a lot of Raptor fans seem to think. He’s okay. He’s got the ability to be a very good defender, but doesn’t do it on a consistent basis. He is too often a lazy and inattentive defender.
2damkule
maybe if he was a better defender it would be…
mike, prague
All ESPN dudes just love hatin on Gay … I’ve gotten used to it. It’s what they do when there bored.
2damkule
or, it’s what they do when trying to provide big-picture analysis. unless you want to argue – empirically, of course – otherwise?
beaverboi
So you’re saying they’re a bunch of Gay-bashers??
hello
Had he stayed in memphis, they would have won the championship.
http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/ Tim W.
Or not. I highly doubt Memphis would have gotten past the Spurs, if they still had Gay. The Spurs were simply a better team.
2damkule
except that they were better without him. otherwise, solid argument!
ItsAboutFun
“better without him” is a lame argument based on biased anecdotal evidence,,,,,,,,, simplistic use of numbers (win/loss) to “prove a point”. Of course, all the armchair experts know better than coach Hollins who publicly (very unusual) expressed his discontent with the trade, clearly stating it made them weaker. I know one thing: the Griz surely missed having his skills/threat when they ran up against a healthy Spurs team, unlike when they faced an injured Clippers and Thunder.
Caprice
exactly they didnt know how to score and according to the politics of basketball…thats all Gay knows how to do
black angus
Unfortunately, the Raptors two highest scorers should both be second or third options. Gay and DD are almost carbon copies of each other – inefficient scorers, poor ball handlers (DD being worse than Gay), poor passers, ball stoppers, unwilling rebounders and only passable defenders (DD again being worse than Gay). One of them needs to be moved for a hard-nosed defensive minded wing who can shoot the three… wait a second the Raptors may already have one of those on their bench…hello T Ross. Masai has to look at trading either DD or Gay and getting a legit PG, for when Lowry walks.
CalgaryRapsFan
You had me until “…hello T Ross”… I was expecting “…welcome back L Fields”! Of course I hope that Ross develops into exactly that type of ’3&D’ player that a lineup with Valanciunas, Amir, Gay/DeRozan and Lowry needs.
I completely agree with you otherwise. The sad thing for Raptors fans is that this entire article could be cut & pasted, with “DeRozan” replacing “Gay”, and none would be the wiser.
Dr.Scooby
BOOM! Nail on the head observations.
Hopefully more Raptor fans will come to realize that Gay’s abilities (tantalizing as they are) will not take this team to the promised land.
More importantly fans must understand that this roster, pushed to the luxury is – like or not – nowhere near being able to compete in a meaningful way.
Buck-up Raptor Fans, this roster gotta change; the sooner the better.
Van Grungy
Gay just had Lasik surgery
He will do better this coming season.
2damkule
TRUTHINESS!!
Jebediah
Buddy of mine had Lasik surgery. Before he used to wear glasses, now he sees bees everywhere and runs into lamp posts. Not saying it’s going to happen to Gay, just that things can go south and if everything goes perfectly, what 20/20 vision does is enables you to see and brings you up to par with the rest of the league.
I’d even argue he’ll have to “re learn” how to shoot if his vision does correct itself. Once you’re used to playing with a “disability”, you compensate for it and it eventually becomes a pretty much non-factor. Gay is basically “changing his swing”, if I can use a golf analogy.
Roarque
Everyone on this site has confirmed that Gay won’t be any better because of the eye surgery that corrected his vision from “barely able to pass a driver’s test” to better than 20/20. The reason? Apparently you don’t need good vision to star in the NBA.
Now we’re told that his ball handling skills are second rate – ie, equal to DDR’s. Why? By what measurement standard? Why because he is an inefficient scorer. Just see the second half of last season.
Well I say hogwash and I feel quite confident that My Gay is going to prove that I am right. Why? Because now he’s got a Center who will draw a double team and give him the room to create. Why else? Because now he can actually SEE where his team mates are on the floor. Why else? Because this year he will have a coaching staff who can call plays that use his incredible talents.
Stand back and get ready to eat crow RR.
Raptorlover
He had two post presences in Memphis so that excuse goes out the window.
If Rudy was as blind as you claim, and it took him over 8 years to realize a leading scorer should be able to see the basket, then that just makes him an idiot.
http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/ Tim W.
“Everyone on this site has confirmed that Gay won’t be any better because of the eye surgery that corrected his vision from “barely able to pass a driver’s test” to better than 20/20. The reason? Apparently you don’t need good vision to star in the NBA.”
Well, there were probably more people that thought the surgery would help him, and none of us “confirmed” anything, so I’m not sure where you’re getting that. My point was that if Gay can see where the hoop, teammates and opponents are, then being able to see them more clearly won’t help much. LeBron James got eye surgery a few summers ago, and his shooting didn’t change much.
“Now we’re told that his ball handling skills are second rate”
Who is saying that? I haven’t heard anyone say that. The article certainly doesn’t.
“Because now he’s got a Center who will draw a double team and give him the room to create.”
Didn’t he have Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph in Memphis?
“Why else? Because now he can actually SEE where his team mates are on the floor.”
That’s the thing. He COULD see his teammates. He wasn’t blind. He just needed glasses, but didn’t like the wear them. There are lots of people who need glasses to drive, but don’t wear them to play. Lots.
2damkule
yup. further, ‘ball-handling skills’ generally go hand-in-hand with playmaking ability, either for yourself (i.e. getting to the hoop, drawing fouls, creating open looks, etc.) or for teammates, neither of which gay has shown to be overly proficient at. well, he’s proficient at shooting the ball, just not so much at making those shots. but hey, NOW HE CAN SEE! HE WAS PLAYING BLIND BEFORE!
LOLs at the ‘now’ part that he has a centre to draw double-teams, for the reason mentioned (apparently, having the the best low-post scorer in the L on your team – z-bo – doesn’t count in this argument). also…aren’t we jumping the gun just a bit (read: a whole lot) on the ‘jonas needs a double-team to be stopped’ yarn? i mean, yeah, he MIGHT ONE DAY require doubling, but that day isn’t now, and no one should be assuming that all of a sudden DD & Gay et al are gonna be running around with free looks all over the place. and even if they ARE getting free, open looks from the perimeter…it’s demar derozan & rudy gay, fer chrissakes. not exactly a duet of scoring efficiency from the perimeter. shit, if i’m scheming to stop the raps, i’d look at doubling JV too, not necessarily because he warrants it, but because doing so practically guarantees that DD & Gay will be foisting more long 2s…pretty much exactly what any D would want.
thegloveinrapsuniform
“He contributes little outside of scoring” – 6.4rebs, 2.8asts, 1.7stls i think he does a little bit more than just score.
“Would be best suited as a second or third option on offense” – i kind of agree. JV should be the focal point of offense. Let the Raptors run a type of Spurs offense where Lowry and JV can do the pick and roll, if not, let JV post, if not, let Lowry attack the basket. Give DD and Gay isos from time to time to open up the defense.
I think all he really needs to work on is his FG efficiency, 42% is a bit disgusting, specially for a guy who is relied on to score. If JV, Lowry and DD can score 30 a piece and just let Rudy close out games then thats fine with me, unfortunately, it doesnt work that way.
SR
Gay’s a good player. He’s overpaid and he shouldn’t be a franchise guy, but that doesn’t negate all the things he CAN do. He’s becoming underrated because he’s overpaid and easy to pick on.
thegloveinrapsuniform
That play he did in the pacers game that led to Amir getting the tying basket, who, on the Raptors, Pacers let alone the league, would have the presence of mind to do something like that? Not too many i believe.
I think thing that he does like that still makes him valuable, specially to a young team like the Raptors. Decent to good defender, scorer and has a lot of the intangibles.
http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/ Tim W.
You’re pointing to one play. In isolation, Gay is a tremendous talent, which is why he was traded for. Certain games he is spectacular. Certain games he is a very good defender. But that’s the whole problem with Gay and always has been. It’s the consistency. He isn’t a good defender over the entire season, and isn’t nearly as good as he seems over the entire season.
thegloveinrapsuniform
Obviously! j/k
Mind you, he entered the league at 19 years old and played in the exact same situation in Memphis his whole career.
Would you say there’s a possibility of being a great player, now that he is in a different situation, given that he is a good scorer, a good defender and has so much talent that he just needs to work on his consistency?
De Mar
You guys dont know shit about Gay, he’s a very good player just doesn’t get that exposure. Raptors fan wouldn’t know cuz they stuck watching eastern conference game, but when he plays durant or lebron, rudy gay is a handful and shuts them down!
Take it in
Rudy is a good player critics Alway have something no matter he s young and he has alot of basketball left people just mad he is in toronto
Caprice
Like I said in another post a year ago whose shoulders was this team on? Ill give a few minutes to find this one out….Yes it was the 7’0 foot primo pasta dude, Gay is not the best rebounder for 6’8 but if he can grab 6-8 bounds a night that would certainly help jonas and amir. The annalytical aspect of his game does not do justice to what he actually brings to the table. What happened when Gay came last season, my boy Derozan suddenly found his touch and was more consitent….that alone can make you a valuable assest (but with this eye surgery and the fact hes sayin he practices day and night he needs to have that J stick) As the 1a face of the franchise when 1b comes along (jonas) I think we could have some brighter days
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