Rudy Gay admitted that he needed a change in scenery after he was traded to the Houston Rockets in late January. However, that is not stopping him from speaking out against his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies. Gay told Yahoo! Sports that he is upset the Grizzlies did not give him a chance to be the big-money player he believes he can be.
"You have to give me a chance to see if I'm worth it," Gay said.
Gay was part of a three-team, six-player deal that sent him from Memphis to Toronto. In his five seasons with the Grizzlies, he averaged at least 18 points, but the Grizzlies' half-court offense failed to capitalize on Gay's athleticism. In return, Memphis did not feel Gay was worth the $53.7 million he was owed over the next three seasons. While Gay's name was not necessarily the focus of trade rumors, he believed the team was looking to make a change.
"With new management, I don't think anybody's comfortable. 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 said.
The Raptors brought in Gay believing he could be the new face to the franchise and sources believe they will offer him a big contract extension in the offseason that he claims to deserve. After losing Chris Bosh, the team was in need of new star power to bring some excitement to the team. Former No. 1 draft pick, Andrea Bargnani, has been struggling and the team is likely to trade him in the offseason so they need Gay to be the scorer and power of the team.
Toronto has not made the playoffs since 2008 and even after the acquisition of Gay, is considered a long shot this year. Prior to the trade, the team was 16-29 and now after the trade they are 7-8. Gay is averaging a team-high 20.9 points per game, including two game-winning shots. Gay believes the team has a lot of potential and he believes with a few improvements, they could be contenders.
