25 5:34 PM PT 6:34 PM MT 7:34 PM CT 8:34 PM ET 0:34 GMT 8:34 5:34 PM MST 6:34 PM CST 7:34 PM EST 4:34 UAE (+1) 01:34 20:34 ET 6:34 PM CT 23:34 - Rudy Gay scored three points Friday, going 1 of 8 from the field, as the Utah Jazz fell to the Charlotte Hornets 107-101. Gay pulled down eight rebounds and had two assists, tallying a plus-minus of +7 in his 23:08 on the floor. Gay grabbed three rebounds and did not have an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -3 in his 15:57 of playing time. Gay pulled down four rebounds and dished out two assists, accumulating a plus-minus of +26 in his 18:26 on the floor. As in, not avoiding contact, but no longer seeking it.Apr. I still think I deserve that.”), but now more of a cactus than a porcupine. He’s still a little prickly (on the topic of his salary: “What I get paid is what they offered me, and what I deserved. What stands out now in talking to him is that Gay seems far more relaxed. The results of that work have yet to be seen. All the changes he’s made - vision, bulk, practice – should help in that regard. He also had a major shoulder surgery in 2011 that must have affected his mechanics.Īt this point, the Raptors would prefer he give up the middle ground altogether and either crash the rim or stay behind the arc. Who knows what role his vision played in that particular problem. Obviously, if it comes from the top, you’ve got to practise it.” “I got it from the coaches that we’re going to be a team that’s shooting a lot of threes.
Three hundred made jumpers a day, and with an emphasis on higher-value shots. So, he’s more of a sawed-off shotgun than a sniper. That’s the lowest percentage of any shooter in the league who takes at least three of those a night. Gay averages more than four shots a game from 16-23 feet from the basket. As has been noted so often it’s still echoing in the canyons of the NBA, Gay is the sort of guy who takes a lot of mid-range shots despite not being a particularly good mid-range shooter. Day two is the “This summer, I worked really hard on my (insert facet of the game that you are terrible at), and it’s better than ever.”įor Gay, this was shooting.
In unrelated news, we all had a very pleasant conversation on Tuesday.ĭay One of camp is the “I’m in the best shape of my career” day. And now I’m right back to where I thought I was.”Īmong the less important benefits of this process is that Gay no longer seems to recognize the people in the Toronto media he hated last year. I noticed right after it happened, but I adjusted. “The thing about a good surgery is that you don’t really notice it. They said, ‘Well, you need to wear glasses.’” “They said, ‘Do you wear glasses?’ I said, ‘No’. Department of Motor Vehicles that clued in one of the league’s best-paid players to a fairly significant sensory flaw. “I could barely get my licence,” Gay said, referring to how bad it got. The problem wasn’t spotted by team medics. There is also the evergreen topic of his wonky eyesight. For the first time in his career, Gay wants to be the bully. He committed to bulking up in large part so that he can fend off the agile 4s in the league who enjoy bullying 3s (i.e.
Relative to height, he’s probably now the most imposing physical specimen on the team. Either way, he is no longer one of the league’s long-limbed whippets. He’s calling it “20 pounds of muscle.” Coach Dwane Casey ballparked it at 15 or so. Rudy Gay is noticeably bigger this year through the chest and shoulders. Inflation being what it is, the Raptors only get a few biological off-season improvements for their 17.8 Million Dollar Man.