Rudy gay spurs
The Spurs did not play him at all in the Conference Finals and he only had 14 minutes of garbage time in the Finals when the Spurs beat the Pistons. Robinson’s playing time fell to 8.7 mpg in the playoffs andhbe was not good in that span (.356 FG%, 11.7 PER). Robinson’s per was solid at 17.2 and his usage stayed at his career average. The Spurs grabbed him for the final nine games of the season and he scored 10 ppg in 17 mpg off the bench. He sat out most of 2004-05 with injuries before being traded and cut. Robinson was on Philly in 2004-05 and was 32 and was only two years removed from a 20 ppg season. Robinson was a scoring star small forward on the downside and had played mostly with bad teams. Glenn Robinson, 2004-05: The Spurs signing of Big Dog seems very similar to the Gay situation. After leaving San Antonio, Smith bounced around at the end of a few benches for a few years. He hung around long enough to win a title with 2002-03 team but barely played that year.
By 2002-03, Smith was clearly a bit player off the bench, as his mobility was severely limited and he even struggled to hit threes (.331%). Worse, he did terribly against the Lakers in the playoffs (Kobe held him to. Smitty did have real problems defending or getting to the line. Smith’s knees were pretty shot at that point but he took the starting shooting guard slot in 2001-02, where he was able to hit open jumpers (in fact he led the NBA in threes at. Steve Smith, 2001-2003: Smith was 32 when the Spurs got him from Portland for Derek Anderson (who was younger and forced a sign-and-trade to Portland). We won’t count vets the Spurs acquired who were never perceived to be stars (like Steve Kerr, Danny Ferry, or Robert Horry) or players who were stars but were far removed from their star years before coming to the Spurs (like Terry Porter, Kevin Willis, or Antonio McDyess). Some of these players were deeper into their declines than Gay is but we’ll look at any player that was once really good and was only recently in decline. In that vein, we took a look at all the former stars that came to the Spurs since 2000 to see how each instance turned out. More interesting to me, is to check the record Spurs’ veteran grab bags over the years. Also, Gay’s best asset, shot creation is not really a huge need or natural fit for the Spurs’ motion offense. Many ( notably Kevin Pelton), have noted that Gay is coming off of an Achilles tear and the bounce back record from such injuries has been quite mixed. But there is quite a bit of downside too. With respect to Gay specifically, this isn’t a terrible gamble. But the Spurs also have long been known to have a strong culture of winning that appeals to vets more than most good teams. This is in part because the Spurs have been really good that whole time and, therefore, would be in the position to sign older stars on the cheap. It seems that the Spurs have been in this market for such vets more than any other team over the last two decades. Less famously, the 1985-86 Lakers acquired Maurice Lucas and, while his numbers were decent, there are legions of stories of how management thought he was not worth the hassle. Famously, the 1985-86 Celtics brought in Bill Walton and he fit in beautifully and helped power the team to a title. This deal happens a lot and results may vary. The Spurs thinking is pretty simple…The former star wants a shot at a title and is willing to give up shots and minutes for that chance.
Gay also figures to see minutes in the rotation at the 4 spot, potentially functioning as a reserve dual big.Recently, the Spurs signed Rudy Gay to add yet another former star as a bench player. Meanwhile, soon-to-be sophomore Udoka Azubuike may see increased responsibility in situations where Gobert needs rest, and the Jazz need a conventional 5.
At 6’8 and 250 pounds, the man otherwise known as “Big Truck” certainly fits the bill, and his career 35% mark from three-point range will stretch defenses in five-out lineups. With Favors having been recently jettisoned to the Thunder in what was effectively a salary dump, Head Coach Quin Snyder may look to deploy some small ball lineups with Gay at the 5 in a similar fashion as the Clippers this season.
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The gamble paid off, as the Clippers shot a blistering 43.3% from deep throughout the series with neither Rudy Gobert nor Derrick Favors able to consistently close out three-point attempts. In last season’s Western Conference semi-finals, the Jazz’s lack of positional versatility was exposed by the Los Angeles Clippers, as they played forward Nicolas Batum for extended stretches at the 5 position. Last season, Gay contributed an impressive 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per 36 minutes for the San Antonio Spurs. Gay, a 15-year NBA veteran, fills a vital need for the Jazz as a backup 4 and potential small ball 5.