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More Reactions/Fallout To The Rudy Gay Trade

January 31st, 2013 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

Last night, Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors rounded up a number of links addressing the potential fallout of the blockbuster trade finalized by the Grizzlies, Raptors, and Pistons. Of course, given the magnitude of the deal, plenty more reactions surfaced overnight and this morning, so we'll round many of those up right here:

Grantland's Zach Lowe passes along a couple interesting tidbits of note related to the trade, reporting that Mike Conley and Zach Randolph are on pace to reach incentives that would increase their cap figures for next season. Lowe also says that Rudy Gay gave the Raptors no assurances that he'd pick up his 2014/15 player option.
In the long-term, Ed Davis may be the most exciting player the Grizzlies received in the deal, but in the short-term, Tayshaun Prince's play will likely dictate how the move is judged, says Sam Amick of USA Today.
The Celtics were never too seriously involved in talks for either Gay or Jose Calderon, a source tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
Appearing on TSN 1050 in Toronto, Bryan Colangelo said the first question Gay asked him after the deal was why Colangelo didn't draft him in the first place (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg). The Raptors passed on Gay to draft Andrea Bargnani in 2006.
In grading the trade for all three teams, Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com and Matt Moore of CBSSports.com both consider the Raptors the losers, but Zach Harper of CBSSports.com makes the case for why Toronto was smart to acquire Gay.
Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops also argues that the Grizzlies and Pistons came out ahead in the deal.
Pistons GM Joe Dumars has often talked about maintaining cap flexibility and building around the team's young core, and this trade reflected that philosophy, writes David Mayo of MLive.com.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer believes the deal was a "ridiculous coup" for the Grizzlies, while Joe Goodman of the Miami Herald isn't so sure (Twitter links).
Whether you believe the Grizzlies are that much worse than they were yesterday really hinges on your opinion of Gay as a player, writes Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Henry Abbott of ESPN.com shares six thoughts on the trade.

Conley, Gasol Met With Grizzlies Management

January 17th, 2013 at 7:53pm CST by Sean Highkin

Amid speculation that the Grizzlies are looking to trade Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph, Chris Herrington of the Memphis Flyer reports (via Twitter) that guard Mike Conley and center Marc Gasol recently met with new owner Robert Pera, where the two players reportedly urged him to keep the team's core together at least through this season.

Herrington also tweets that Grizzlies management knows it has to move either Gay or Randolph to preserve their long-term flexibility and avoid luxury tax penalties. He believes the meeting with Conley and Gasol was simply to take their pulse about the season and roster.

Southwest Rumors: Hornets, Allen, Mayo, Kidd

April 18th, 2012 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's check in on a few Wednesday updates out of the Southwest Division….

The Hornets are expected to waive Chris Johnson and sign another big man to replace him, reports John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. With Chris Kaman and Emeka Okafor likely done for the season, New Orleans is lacking in frontcourt depth, and Johnson hasn't played in over two weeks since he suffered a concussion.
Following up on the Ray Allen/O.J. Mayo trade rumor from Yahoo! Sports, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says he heard the Celtics' asking price also included Mike Conley, Dante Cunningham, and Josh Selby in a large deal that included draft picks. The Grizzlies didn't want to give up so many assets to rent Allen, says Tillery.
Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld examines whether or not Mayo has a place in the Grizzlies' future.
Asked if he could see Jason Kidd becoming a coach when his playing career ends, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle replied, "He'll probably be an owner" (Twitter link via Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).