10-28-2006, 06:44 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Run GMC
Join Date: Sep 2002
Age: 13
Posts: 7,513
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Grizzlies expect big things out of Gay
Grizzlies expect big things out of Gay
Quote:
Kyle Lowry knew Rudy Gay was a star in the making long before Memphis Grizzlies president of basketball operations Jerry West traded away one of his most popular players to acquire his rights from the Houston Rockets.
The two were ninth graders at the time, Lowry in Philadelphia, Gay in Baltimore. Their AAU teams were squaring off against each other. A few minutes into the game, Lowry knew.
"He got about seven dunks in a row, was shooting 3's, and all that," Lowry said. "I said, 'He's going to be a great player.'"
It didn't West long, either, to come to the same conclusion, which was why he was willing to part with Shane Battier, an icon in the community as well as a key component in helping the Grizzlies reach the playoffs the last three seasons.
But after seeing his team swept in the first round of each of those appearances, West knew his squad needed more. They needed a player with special abilities, someone other than all-star Pau Gasol who could do special things.
"From my perspective, any time a basketball player has a special skill like (Gay), he can get his shot whenever he wants to get it," West said. "That's absolutely invaluable in the NBA. Absolutely invaluable.
"Last year, we basically had one guy that could do that, and that was Pau Gasol because Damon (Stoudamire) was hurt all year. Most of the other players, at times they'll be able to do it, but on a consistent basis, I didn't feel like we had anyone that could do it."
West believed Gay was the best player in last year's draft to fit that bill. In just two seasons at Connecticut, the 6-9 forward was an All-American and one of four finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year Award.
In him, West saw a player with tremendous athleticism, with the ability to dribble and shoot from the perimeter, causing a difficult matchup for many opposing defenders.
"We knew he was going to be in the upper echelon, athletically, in the NBA, and he is," West said. "From a skill perspective, you're just not going to find many kids as skilled as him. It's just that simple."
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Grizzlies expect big things out of Gay
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