Rudy Gay, who was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Toronto Raptors earlier this season and will make more than $19 million next year, told Yahoo! Sports that the Grizzlies new ownership did not give him a fair shake at justifying his contract.
"You have to give me a chance to see if I'm worth that," Gay said. Gay was averaging 17 points and six rebounds in Memphis this season, his lowest totals since 2007 when he was drafted with the eighth overall pick out of UConn in the 2006 NBA draft. Ever since Robert Pera bought the Grizzlies Gay had been dogged by trade rumors. When asked about the new ownership, Gay said "With [new management], I don't think anybody's comfortable," Gay said. "They're rookie owners. They come in there and they want it their own way, and you can't blame them for that. But it's a player's league."
Gay has flourished in Toronto, averaging 19 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 15 games. A source close to general manager Bryan Colangelo has said that the Raptors are considering an extension beyond 2014 for Gay. Colangelo had this to say about his new swingman-"We had targeted Rudy as a dynamic player who would fit a number of things we would add to our team. Rudy was a guy who I thought would eventually be available."
Gay intimated that he's feeling the love from Toronto's front office. "I needed a new situation. A new task. I needed a new task with something I could grasp, something I could take over. I need to be challenged. I was challenged in Memphis, but it was tug of war at times. Here I'm being challenged and they're seeing what I'm made of." Gay is not focused on the future, however. He said he is leaving any decisions beyond next year up to his agent.
If Gay is to reach the high expectations set for him, Gay will have to improve his field goal percentage (39 percent in Toronto), his putrid 3-point shooting (23 percent in Toronto), and handing out more assists (two per game for his career).
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