Just to address Chupacabra, I have no agenda other than trying to get you to look at things a little differently than normal, to attempt to think outside the box, outside of the group think. I feel that I've made some very valid points, not just with the WS/48 stat that doesn't always apply. If you are going to accuse me of having some agenda then at least do me the courtesy of reading my post and actually think about what I'm saying. The Rudy Gay supporters seem to only say, "Rudy Gay is great, Rudy Gay is great!" However they have no arguments as to why that actually is other than the fact that is the common thought, everyone should just accept that Rudy Gay is great, it is what is, you just have to believe! He is the best SF we've had since Ron Artest so he must be worth $19 million!
I'm challenging that common thought. You see a player with a perfect basketball body, excellent athleticism, makes plays look easy, and hits clutch shots from time to time. That's not bad, I'll give you that. I see that too, but what I also see is a player who averages 20 points and 6.5 rebounds a game (there are a lot of players capable of that or slightly lower with better efficiency), a player who has an assist/turnover ratio lower than 1.0, a player who has never made players better around him, but has made them worse (Time in Toronto), and has almost always played on teams with losing records.
I will repeat, I'm not saying he's worthless! I'm saying that it isn't good business to give that type of player $19 million for one year or $14 million a year for a long-term deal. It isn't practical. Now for $8 million a year or so I'm all over it, now we have value. Anything higher and you take the chance of jeopardizing your franchise. Rudy Gay is not going to blow up into some star player, he's been in the league too long, we know what we are getting.
