The following summer, the Grizzlies lost a member of the Rudy Gay trade, while gaining another. The season was a wild success, and all without the wing play of one Rudy Gay. Then, of course, was the gut-wrenching four game exit in the Western Conference Finals at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.
They then went on to avenge their 2011 playoff series loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder by finishing them off in five games. They were able to avenge their defeat in the 2012 playoff series to the Los Angles Clippers by beating them in 6 games despite losing the first two games of the series. Both rarely saw action, and, when they did, it was often in small portions, too small to really get a feel of how either one would do in Memphis.Īs I'm sure we all very fondly remember, the Memphis Grizzlies made an unprecedented run to the Western Conference Finals. Ed Davis and Austin Daye played minor roles during their first half season in Memphis. Tayshuan Prince fit in very well, despite not putting up great numbers, with the whole Grit-N-Grind style of play the Grizzlies had become well-known for over the past couple of seasons. In fact, they had the 3rd best record in the entire NBA since February 1, 2013. Like a dominant team, they wrapped up the season with a 27-10 record. The Grizzlies went 2-6 out of the gate after the trade, and they were a mediocre 19-19 since December 1, 2012. Initially, the naysayers and critics were right. He was on record saying he would have traded Zach Randolph to save money instead of Rudy Gay and the infamous, "You can't have champagne taste on a beer budge" was made in reference to the trade. Even Lionel Hollins, then head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, was critical of the trade. The backlash from the Memphis fan-base was swift and harsh. The Grizzlies received Ed Davis, Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye, and a 2013 second round pick the Raptors received Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi and the Pistons received the expiring contract of Jose Calderon. On January 31, 2013, just three weeks before the league's trade deadline, the one time dubbed "star in the making", Rudy Gay, was traded to the Toronto Raptors in part of a three-team-deal that included the Detroit Pistons. What most fan did not realize was despite all of the phenomenal plays that we attribute to Rudy, he was wildly ineffective, and often times, he was just taking away shots from the far more efficient interior duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Good times.), to his patented one-handed tomahawk dunk, there was never a shortage of highlight-reel moments with him. From his iconic game winning shots (Especially the one over Lebron to beat the Heat and the one on the road in Golden State. Rudy had always been a fan favorite in Memphis. Trade rumors began to swirl as the 2013 NBA trade deadline quickly approached. There was a growing sentiment in and around the organization that Rudy Gay may be hurting the Memphis Grizzlies more than he is actually helping them.
The downward spiral continued as Rudy averaged 17.2 points while shooting a measly 40.8% from the floor in 2012-2013.Įd Davis made an unrestricted free agent by Griz Memphis Grizzlies Free Agency Primer During the 2011-2012 campaign, he averaged 18.2 points while shooting 41.6% from the field. However, over the next two season, Rudy's numbers and efficiency began to slip. During the 2010-2011 season, it appeared that he was going to develop into such star averaging 19 points while shooting 45.5% from the field. Rudy Gay was supposed to be the star that the Grizz were looking to build around.
The deal would start at $13.3 million and have an annual increase of 8% (allowed under old Collective Bargaining Agreement). Instead, he signed a 5-year $82 million contract extension to remain with the up-and-coming-in-the-West Memphis Grizzlies. The then 23-year-old never made it to Minneapolis. On July 1, 2010, Rudy Gay was scheduled to meet with the Minnesota Timberwolves on his first of several free agent visits. Now, with Ed seemingly on his way out, it seems like a good time to revisit the highly discussed and controversial Rudy Gay trade.įirst, let's take a look back at the contract extension that seems to be at the root of this entire ordeal. Often the butt of jokes, Ed Davis was never able to truly live up to his hype coming out of North Carolina here in the Bluff City. Ed's time in Memphis has been laced with potential, disappointment, and mockery. The Memphis Grizzlies, per multiple reports, have decided not to extend a Qualifying Offer to the 25-year-old "hidden gem of the Rudy Gay trade", Ed Davis.