Rudy Gay to Sacramento!!!

Ugh, I don't know how I feel about this. On one hand, we've definitely consolidated talent, which is always a good thing. This is kind of the opposite of the "movable pieces" trade that saw us say goodbye to C-Webb. I wasn't high on any of the guys we traded, so I feel like we got good return for them.

However...is Rudy Gay the right fit for us? I really really don't want us to play him as a stretch 4, which apparently is the plan. He's been turning the ball over a lot this year and isn't the greatest outside shooter. He deserves the benefit of the doubt, though. Hopefully he starts as SF and only plays minutes at the stretch four when JT or Cousins are on the bench. We lost two "big men" in Hayes and Patterson so our depth up front is pretty thin. Gay is a solid on the boards, which we could certainly use.
Also getting back Gray and Acy, both who can admirably fill in at back-up big positions. People might not know a ton about Acy, but he def goes to the school of Reggie Evans/Jon Brockman for basketball. Extremely physical, will bang with anybody and not afraid to rebound or defend. He might actually be the guy we keep long-term as our "enforcer" 10th-11th man for the team
 
FWIW Kings are getting ripped by the national media for this. People are claiming the the Raps GM is a Wizard to pull off a trade like this.

I coudn't care less what the national media think. They really know very little outside of sweeping generalisations and cliches, especially when it comes to teams like ours. I mean, cool, Raptors will save some salary, but it's not like we're crippled with the a contract for the next four years. It's just a year and a half if we don't trade him as an expiring next year or re-sign him. And talent wise, anyone that thinks Salmons/Patterson/GV/Hayes is even close to equal to Gay needs their heads checked. It's a trade that works for both teams.
 
I said today I would never disparage any player who was playing as hard as he could but this is like spring cleaning and we are throwing out the trash.
I can't believe we got that level of talent for our garbage. Amazing.

You're right Rondo is perfect now, Kings need his playmaking and defense plus he doesn't need to shoot the ball because Kings already have Gay and Ben.
This move signals just the opposite intent of our management..
But how you be upset at dumping so much junk for a guy that expires next season? I'm a cynical and pessimistic guy, but this is a talented player, plus acy, for nothing we will miss for one second.
A lot of naysayers in here for one of the best players we have traded for in 10 years
for once I have nothing bad to say at all about this. I was feeling miserable thinking about watching those 4 guys in particular the rest of the seasom. I'll take gay any day.

Frankly, this doesn't make us that much better. Time will tell. And I don't mean that as a negative at all. But it makes us entertaining. Exciting even. And we unload some supremely not so exciting players. This makes me want to go to a game, and I wasn't feeling it that much. I'm ecstatic.

This also takes some pressure off Ben. A legit scorer. A new environment may be what Gay needs. Yeah, his shot is off, he's inefficient, blah blah blah. But he's a TALENT. We need that, either as a trade piece or just to make us more interesting. Upgrade talent and potential , then figure out how to make it work. And if it doesn't work, and I'm not sure this is anything close to an ideal potential starting lineup, it doesn't.

I have no idea how IT and Gay and cuz can exist in the same lineup unless IT really changes his game. Or we start mccallum? Seems way too early for that.

I'll be pessimistic and cynical 2 weeks from now. My gut though says this is a steal that doesn't hamper us for the future. It's a gamble, cause there's only one basketball, but so what? It could be really fun. When was the last time that was around here?
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If they traded MT instead of Salmons I would love this trade. It may not seem like a huge difference, but Salmons' expiring contract at SG looks a lot nicer than an extra year of MT.

I expect MT to bounce back, but with Gay and Landry a scoring guard is not what this team needs.
 
I coudn't care less what the national media think. They really know very little outside of sweeping generalisations and cliches, especially when it comes to teams like ours. I mean, cool, Raptors will save some salary, but it's not like we're crippled with the a contract for the next four years. It's just a year and a half if we don't trade him as an expiring next year or re-sign him. And talent wise, anyone that thinks Salmons/Patterson/GV/Hayes is even close to equal to Gay needs their heads checked. It's a trade that works for both teams.

Guys like Lowe, Haralabob and N3twrk are not random national media guys. These guys live and die NBA and Lowe and Haralabob could both be GMs.

That being said, I don't 100% agree with them. but there is a reason that everyone thinks that Gay is a succubus.
 
Folks here who thinks Gay/Williams at SF/PF would not work should take a look at games where Miami plays Lebron at 4 or OKC playing Durant at 4 not only in regular season but in playoffs as well. I'm not against JT starting but the game is changing and the use of "stretch 4" is nothing new now even in elite teams.
 
The thinking that Cousins will suffer because he has better players around him is ridiculous. If that's the case the Kings should just sign me and my sunday league buddies to 4 year contracts since we will always throw the ball into cousins. A good coach can manage talent and what we have now is a go to post scorer, wing scorer, a shooter in McLemore and a dynamic modern day example of an NBA PG in IT(there is no such thing as a facilitating PG anymore). I feel much better with Cousins having Gay, Williams and IT as options off of double teams than John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Grievis Vasquez, but thats just me.
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

Doryphore of KingsFans.com
Staff member
Folks here who thinks Gay/Williams at SF/PF would not work should take a look at games where Miami plays Lebron at 4 or OKC playing Durant at 4 not only in regular season but in playoffs as well. I'm not against JT starting but the game is changing and the use of "stretch 4" is nothing new now even in elite teams.
It's a lot easier to go small at the PF position when you've got a do-everything guy like LeBron James than it is when you've got a do-one-thing guy like Rudy Gay.
 
Analytics don't exactly love Drrick Williams either. Or for that matter, DeMarcus Cousins.

methinks evidence is mounting that analytics may not be quite the governing force anticipated in the new front office.
indeed, and that's precisely my point. right now, i think the focus is on stockpiling assets of any kind, given the near-worthless state of the roster upon new ownership's acquisition of the kings. rudy gay the player is, in my opinion (and the opinion of most around the league), not a terribly valuable asset in a professional basketball landscape in which PPG is no longer the be-all, end-all of statistical analysis. however, rudy gay the contract will become a tremendous asset as an ender in the 2014-2015 season. the kings could either trade him, let him walk to make way for a member of the rich 2015 free agent class, or re-sign him to a considerably more reasonable figure...

in the meantime, i hardly expect gay to make this team significantly better, which still bodes well for the kings' draft position. the word "tanking" may be uncomfortable for people, or they may take semantic issue with it, but i seriously doubt vivek ranadive is interested in missing out on the opportunity to draft a potential difference-maker in 2014, not when every word out of the new regime's mouth has been about "patience" and "process" since they took over...
 
I coudn't care less what the national media think. They really know very little outside of sweeping generalisations and cliches, especially when it comes to teams like ours. I mean, cool, Raptors will save some salary, but it's not like we're crippled with the a contract for the next four years. It's just a year and a half if we don't trade him as an expiring next year or re-sign him. And talent wise, anyone that thinks Salmons/Patterson/GV/Hayes is even close to equal to Gay needs their heads checked. It's a trade that works for both teams.
Yep. The only way this trade would be a mistake is if Ben, The pick, IT, or Cousins were included in it somehow. We had no cap room next season anyway, so Gay doesn't interrupt any plans in FA.

We trade a bunch of our unwanted/overpriced players for a potential legit 2nd option if he gets back to where he was a few years ago. Might be a long shot to depend on that happening, but it certainly puts us in a better position than keeping all those other guys. And honestly, did anyone see any of those 4 guys lasting past their contracts? This is another move looking towards the future and accumulating more value assets. As Padrino said, if Gay can somewhat rebound here this season, take his PO next year, he becomes a huge asset 1year rental for a contender.
 

rainmaker

Hall of Famer
Well ****, I go to the gym, come back and we have Rudy Gay while shipping out multiple poor contracts and dead weight.

I'm mixed on this as I'm not that big a Gay fan but, and it's important, he's a legit 2nd option who can get his own shot. He can board. He's at least average defensively. Yes he can be a black hole but I'm going to wait and see what effect Malone has, what effect Cuz being the clear top option has and will wait to see if Gay will refuse hitting a guy like MLM off a double. You never truly know how a guy fits in new surroundings with different talent around him. I've been campaigning hard to get a legit 2nd option since we let Reke go and well I'll be damned, PDA, you pulled it off and did so without moving MLM, JT or even IT.

How Gay adjusts to us and how much success he has as a 2nd option obviously remains to be seen. I haven't read this entire thread as I just got home but I do see people talking about Rudy's time at Mem. Point taken. But, I don't see people talking about Rudy's time with Team USA(might haven't read it yet) where he happily played more as a role player and committed to defense and moving the ball. If we can get some of that Gay here, knowing Cuz is the first option and being willing to move the ball when doubled, this could be a good fit.

Is he the perfect player? No. Doesn't solve our defensive issues but he doesn't hurt them either. He actually probably helps a bit as he starts and we have Williams backing him up(at least some mins) which is a much more solid SF rotation than we previously had. Our defensive improvement for the most part will have to come at the PF and PG positions. IT starting will help instead of GV but we still need a PG upgrade this summer. We also need a legit starting, defensive minded PF next to Cuz. But our defensive issues were never going to be solved by bringing in a SF so the concentration on Gay's defense misses the point imo.

We just got a VERY valuable asset. If he works out, a Cuz/Gay/MLM trio is a pretty good start. If he doesn't work out, we have a valuable expiring next year and a huge chunk of salary coming off the books. And while I think this makes our starting unit better, our bench has been gutted so for all you pro-tankers out there, I'm not really worried that this suddenly means we start winning and our pick is in jeopardy. This team still isn't built all that well. But what we have done is added a very talented asset.

BTW, **** the national media. We watch this team 82 times per year and know our guys in and out. National media doesn't. Same media who thought Smart and Westy were not a problem and same media who thought Cuz wouldn't be a star. Give me a break. Who gives a flying **** what Chad Ford or Adande or Woj or anyone else thinks who doesn't follow this team closely.
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

Doryphore of KingsFans.com
Staff member
Same media that said Brooklyn would be a juggernaut
That's not quite the way I remember it: I remember the media saying that Brooklyn could challenge the Heat, if everyone managed to stay healthy, and everything came together, but that their health and Kidd's lack of experience were going to be huge question marks. I don't remember anyone in particular saying that it was a lock, or anything close to that.
 
If Gay is the 2nd option, how effective will IT be as the 3rd option? He flourished as the #1 guy off the bench, and when he played with Cuz he was more 1b than #2.

IT has showed passing ability (or maybe he has just had the ball more), so if he can channel that as a starter maybe it'll work.
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

Doryphore of KingsFans.com
Staff member
If Gay is the 2nd option, how effective will IT be as the 3rd option? He flourished as the #1 guy off the bench, and when he played with Cuz he was more 1b than #2.

IT has showed passing ability (or maybe he has just had the ball more), so if he can channel that as a starter maybe it'll work.
The real joke is that Thomas is actually better suited to playing point guard with Gay than he is with Cousins.
 
Where is the National media trashing this trade? I would like to hear this. While Gay isn't an end all, this seems to be a win for the Kings. Only thing that reasonably could have made it better is Thorton being in the deal.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Only NBA tv... and the only analysis is "Cousins and Gay can't play together" ..
Which is a concern, especially with IT taking over at PG. Gay has a ridiculously large usage percentage himself, as does IT. Those guys can NOT keep on at those paces without freezing out DeMarcus Cousins, at which point he has my permission to actually just tear their heads clean from their bodies, and go back and post up.
 
It's a lot easier to go small at the PF position when you've got a do-everything guy like LeBron James than it is when you've got a do-one-thing guy like Rudy Gay.
Even though espn says lebron plays the 4 he doesn't and only does for about half a quarter. Battier is always on the other teams 4 just look at the playoffs he guarded West, boozer, and illyasova
 
This trade is a win. My emotions are the exact opposite of the night we traded Beno + pick for Salmons and Jimmer. Agreeing with all those pointing to the 2015 off season, it appears we are building for when the new building opens. I'm all for it.

We don't have to see Salmons or Hayes play anymore. That is worth 15 million right there. I don't care if Salmons is an expiring, and if he is an okay player - I despise seeing him on the court. Plus, I don't have to read or hear anyone talk about how he is a good defender when he is mediocre. Just like the rest of his game, mediocrity at its finest. Good riddance Salmons.

Bye Hayes, you did hardly anything for this team. You are short for your position, and you have absolutely no offensive game. Bye.

I liked Patterson, but oh well. Hope he does well down the road, but he wasn't a difference maker for this team and has been consistently inconsistent.

Vazquez is terrible on defense and really didn't solve any problems for this team. Yeah, he walked the ball up the court. He's pretty good at that. I liked his floater too. Wish him well. His heart hasn't been in the game lately like it was at the beginning of the season. I suspect now that he has known for at least a bit of time that he was being shopped.

Welcome Rudy Gay. If you shoot 11-37 this year, I will have so much fun telling you that you are terrible that it will be worth it times over in entertainment. If you make this team worse, it means we get a better draft pick next year. If not, and you actually make this team better, I will love you even more because I will have so much more fun cheering for this team now.

Great trade PDA, even if its just for the sake of making a trade that is exactly the opposite of every trade this team has made since Webber for Corliss, Thomas, and Skinner. So excited.
 

rainmaker

Hall of Famer
Which is a concern, especially with IT taking over at PG. Gay has a ridiculously large usage percentage himself, as does IT. Those guys can NOT keep on at those paces without freezing out DeMarcus Cousins, at which point he has my permission to actually just tear their heads clean from their bodies, and go back and post up.
That's the worry, and whether or not IT can be a team first PG and completely take a backseat to these two will now come to the forefront and be vitally important. As our only other scoring option and coming off the bench as a spark plug, we could live his his hero ball to some extent. Not now though. His job will be to come down and dump it into one or the other, not come down and start dancing, looking for his own or forcing contested jumpers.

Can he succeed as a guy who just dumps it in to those two and plays off the ball? Well, we're about to find out. My guess is it's just temporary though as PDA looks for acquiring a legit starting PG, either by Feb or this coming summer.
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

Doryphore of KingsFans.com
Staff member
Even though espn says lebron plays the 4 he doesn't and only does for about half a quarter. Battier is always on the other teams 4 just look at the playoffs he guarded West, boozer, and illyasova
What are you quoting me for? I never claimed that James played PF in the first place; I was just replying to the guy who did.