Everything Rudy Gay

[Nilanka]

Looks like Rudy at PF is not first priority.

Rudy doesn't necessarily need to spend more time at PF, but he should be posting up more often. Melo did a good job of increasing his efficiencies last year by posting up more, and shooting more 3's (and taking less mid-range jumpers).

[Chr1s1anL]

Rudy doesn't necessarily need to spend more time at PF, but he should be posting up more often. Melo did a good job of increasing his efficiencies last year by posting up more, and shooting more 3's (and taking less mid-range jumpers).

The emphasis in training camp has been three or get to rim.

[wallz]

The emphasis in training camp has been three or get to rim.

Looks like the advanced stats are sneaking their way into practice after all..

[Xixak]

The emphasis in training camp has been three or get to rim.

Honestly I'm not sure why this wasn't the emphasis before.

We have a ton of guys that can finish in traffic, draw fouls and score in the paint.

Don't mind utilizing mid-range as well, especially if we're in the playoffs you need to be able to make those shots. I'd rather see mid-range J's from 10-15 than 16-23 though.

[Rapstor4Life]

Honestly I'm not sure why this wasn't the emphasis before.

We have a ton of guys that can finish in traffic, draw fouls and score in the paint.

Don't mind utilizing mid-range as well, especially if we're in the playoffs you need to be able to make those shots. I'd rather see mid-range J's from 10-15 than 16-23 though.

Hard to really measure where you are in game though..

looking forward to finally seeing the legitimate Casey system in play.

[mcHAPPY]

Hard to really measure where you are in game though..

looking forward to finally seeing the legitimate Casey system in play.

How so? That is focus and execution. It is hard but the really well coached teams and top talent find a way.

[S.R.]

Honestly I'm not sure why this wasn't the emphasis before.

We have a ton of guys that can finish in traffic, draw fouls and score in the paint.

Don't mind utilizing mid-range as well, especially if we're in the playoffs you need to be able to make those shots. I'd rather see mid-range J's from 10-15 than 16-23 though.

Agreed, but it takes both a certain mentality and a whole next-level skill set to be able to finish in tough traffic. Do Gay and DeRozan partly finish well at the rim because they avoid attacking in really tough situations? Could they sustain a higher level of attacking in traffic and absorbing a lot of contact over an entire season? A lot of guys can't - even guys who do start to break down early (Dwayne Wade), other guys have the skills to get to the basket but not finish in tough traffic (Evan Turner), other guys don't even have the mental makeup to be that aggressive (Vince Carter).

At this point in his career, I'd say Rudy is most like Vince - I just don't think it's in him to attack hard over a full season. I also think he must have one eye on the $18 mil/year he's making, and weighing that against physical risks/career longevity considerations (how could you not consider the length of your career?).

"Attack the basket more" is probably one of the easiest things to say and hardest things to do. When teams know you'll attack, they pack the paint, bring help, and get ready to cram that ball back down your throat.

I like your "10-15 feet" suggestion. Some more pull-ups, floaters, hook shots, etc. would be a great way to compromise between driving blindly into a group of bigs (a lot of contact) and firing up fade away J's from 20 feet.

[Mundy]

How so? That is focus and execution. It is hard but the really well coached teams and top talent find a way.

That's a really good point. It's not ALWAYS the player, sometimes they're taking the shots that they've practiced but good defenses/poor offensive execution push them back a few feet. Metrics are teaching us a lot about good basketball, it doesn't have to be about ball-stopping and shot-blocking, sometimes it's just taking a 48% shot and turning it into a 39% shot that wins games throughout the season.

[S.R.]

That's a really good point. It's not ALWAYS the player, sometimes they're taking the shots that they've practiced but good defenses/poor offensive execution push them back a few feet. Metrics are teaching us a lot about good basketball, it doesn't have to be about ball-stopping and shot-blocking, sometimes it's just taking a 48% shot and turning it into a 39% shot that wins games throughout the season.

Shane Battier is slow-clapping right now.

[Mundy]

Shane Battier is slow-clapping right now.

Haha.... just because he looks the way he does doesn't mean he can't clap right.

[Mundy]

Agreed, but it takes both a certain mentality and a whole next-level skill set to be able to finish in tough traffic. Do Gay and DeRozan partly finish well at the rim because they avoid attacking in really tough situations? Could they sustain a higher level of attacking in traffic and absorbing a lot of contact over an entire season? A lot of guys can't - even guys who do start to break down early (Dwayne Wade), other guys have the skills to get to the basket but not finish in tough traffic (Evan Turner), other guys don't even have the mental makeup to be that aggressive (Vince Carter).

At this point in his career, I'd say Rudy is most like Vince - I just don't think it's in him to attack hard over a full season. I also think he must have one eye on the $18 mil/year he's making, and weighing that against physical risks/career longevity considerations (how could you not consider the length of your career?).

"Attack the basket more" is probably one of the easiest things to say and hardest things to do. When teams know you'll attack, they pack the paint, bring help, and get ready to cram that ball back down your throat.

I like your "10-15 feet" suggestion. Some more pull-ups, floaters, hook shots, etc. would be a great way to compromise between driving blindly into a group of bigs (a lot of contact) and firing up fade away J's from 20 feet.

I was listening to Jalen Rose on the BS Report, he said he developed a runner and a floater because his local hoop was literally stolen all the time, so they had to play using a milk crate on an electricity pole. If you finished your dirve you crashed into the pole. Maybe that's not the worst way to learn.

[mcHAPPY]

In his fifth year, he was ascendant. Through 54 games he was averaging 19.8 points a game while shooting 47 per cent from the floor and 39 per cent from beyond the three-point arc. He was also averaging just over six rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks along with a career-high 2.8 assists. All of this as the fulcrum of a Memphis Grizzlies team that was surging to a 50-win season and a playoff spot.

The only player who has matched those numbers in the past 10 years was LeBron James who did it (and then some) last season on his way to his fourth MVP award.

Since the three-point line was introduced in 1979–80 only 10 players have shown that kind of versatility, and it’s a remarkable list, featuring the likes of Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.

But then Gay caught the ball on the right block in the second quarter of the Grizzlies game against the Philadelphia 76ers and whirled hard to his left. Overmatched, 76ers rookie Evan Turner had no choice but to deliver a hard chop across Gay’s arms, giving up a two-shot foul rather than the easy bucket in the paint that was surely coming.

It was a fairly innocent-looking play, but it changed everything for Gay. He was sent to the floor writhing in pain. His left (non-shooting) shoulder required reconstructive surgery for what was a conceivably career-ending injury.

“I don’t think people realized what kind of surgery that was,” he said this week as the Raptors opened training camp for what will be a pivotal season for Gay and the franchise. “It was basically a reconstruction of my shoulder. In the past people wouldn’t have come back from that.”

http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/n...-lead-raptors/

Good article from Grange.

Big cut out above but much more to article.

[Nilanka]

“I charted it all out. Over the past month he was shooting upwards of 65–75 per cent on non-contested (three-point) shots—he was in the mid-50s when he started,” says Gray. “He made a big jump.”

Me likey

[S.R.]

^^ Matt52 - Nice find. Here's to hoping Gay can evolve and stay healthy.

[Machine]

in response to a fan asking whether the blazers should trade for Gay:

Rudy Gay has become a pariah of sorts around the league, especially among the stat-savvy. Criticisms include inefficient offense (true), drifting farther out to the perimeter each year when he's actually not that good of a shot (true), bad defense (used to be very true but got disguised in Memphis a little...probably still accurate), selfishness (whooo doggy yes), and a huge contract. That last one increases the severity of all the others. If he made $8 million a year instead of $18 million he'd be far more intriguing.

http://www.blazersedge.com/2013/10/2...-dwight-howard

He has a bit more to say but we've heard all this before.. just thought id post it. After watching Rudy more closely last season I thought his defense was pretty good, no? Just his length on defense is a huge plus.. I don't get all the criticism over it