If you want to know what the definition of turbulent is, look no further than Rudy Gay. Here's a man who has been called a possible starter, a superstar, a flop, untradeable and most recently, a Sacramento King.
Selected with the eighth pick in the 2006 NBA draft, Gay was involved in a draft day trade that sent him swiftly from the Houston Rockets to the Memphis Grizzlies. Gay had the starting small forward role for much of the year and was solid without being spectacular. In a season where the Grizzlies ended up with the worst record in the league of 22-60, Gay averaged 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds, shooting 42 percent from the field. Even though he had good rookie season, it would turn out to be his sophomore year that would set the standard for the rest of his career.
Gay entered the 2007-2008 season with proven ability of being a good starter at the NBA level after his rookie season, but barely anybody would have expected the vast improvement from the athletic forward. Gay lifted his game to new heights in his second season, as he turned the NBA world on its head, and he almost doubled his points per game output from the previous season by averaging 20.1 points on 46 percent shooting from the field. Though the Grizzlies had the improvement of Gay to rely on, they still struggled, stumbling to a 13-33 record by the end of January. It was here that the Grizzlies decided to start a full-blown rebuild and trade their franchise centerpiece, Pau Gasol.
The Grizzlies felt supremely comfortable that their rebuild would go well as they already had a massive building block in place with Gay. Gay had emerged as a star throughout that season and many felt that with more touches and complete control of his team, he could become a superstar and a franchise cornerstone.
Rudy Gay's next two seasons, in comparison to his second, were highly disappointing. As mentioned, the Grizzlies expected him to become their superstar since he was able to hit the heights that he did at the age of 21. Sadly, he failed to do so. In the following two seasons, a combination of more talent on the roster and worse shooting, led Gay to points per game numbers that would not match his breakout year.
Then came a crucial point in Rudy Gay's career after the 2009-2010 season, as Gay hit restricted free agency. As a player that had shown flashes of superstar potential, he received interest from many teams around the league, but Memphis were able to keep him around with a five-year, $82 million deal, all in the hopes he could become the main man in Memphis.
The Grizzlies were a team on the rise at this point, and they had a good core that was starting to become great. With Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo, the Grizz had a powerful team that was getting ready for a playoff run. They showed this in the 2010-2011 playoffs, whereas the eighth seed they became one of just five teams in NBA history to knock off the first seed by beating the San Antonio Spurs. Although they were eliminated in the second round, this would prove to be the start of the Grizzlies' constant contention in the Western Conference.
With a playoffs series win under their belt, Memphis would have felt that they were ready to start challenging for the Western Conference crown but the 2011-2012 season just would not be the time to do it. They finished the regular season as the fourth seed and faced off against the upstart Los Angeles Clippers in the first round. However, the Grizzlies lost game seven at home, finishing off a tough, grueling series.
Throughout their two seasons in the playoffs, Gay still didn't improve. It had been four seasons since his breaking out and he still had not topped his production from that season. It was becoming clear that Gay was not the player that people thought he could be and might not be the man to lead the Grizzlies to the next level.
This theory was reinforced once the 2012-2013 NBA season began. Gay immediately struggled in his 42 games with the Grizzlies, averaging 17.2 points (worst since his rookie season) on 40 percent shooting and 31 percent from three-point territory (both career lows). It was this type of play and his gigantic contract that caused GM Chris Wallace and new owner Robert Pera to deal Gay to the Toronto Raptors in a salary dump trade.
Pera, as a new owner, wanted no part of Gay's $36 million that he was owed over the next two seasons. As soon as he got to Memphis, he signaled the intent of clearing up cap space and getting rid of players that were making him pay the luxury tax. This was shown both through this trade and the Marreese Speights trade not long beforehand.
Gay was never the guy that everyone hoped he could be in Memphis. He constantly failed to live up to the expectations and potential he created for himself in 2008. The expectations and potential that made the Grizzlies give him his big deal, which would eventually lead to Gay being devalued and under appreciated by almost every NBA team, general manager and fan.
Gay's Toronto days were rough. In the remaining games he played in the 2012-2013 season after the trade, Gay looked better, but still not great. When new Toronto GM Masai Ujiri arrived in town after the season, he, like Pera and Wallace, wanted to clear out cap space. Once again, Gay was on the trade block. Just like in Memphis, Gay's start to the season where he would be traded was pitiful. Rudy Gay started the 2013-2014 season by being one of the least efficient scorers in the league, shooting just 38.8 percent from the field. He was moved in another salary dump in early December to his third team in two years, the Sacramento Kings. The Raptors improved leaps and bounds after trading Gay. With Gay on the roster, Toronto went 6-12, but they finished the season with a record of 48-34.
The rest of that season was much better for Gay. He finally reached the 20-point benchmark again and his field goal percentage skyrocketed to 48 percent. Last season, Gay looked even more at home in Sacramento. He reached his highest points per game average of his career of 21.1, and although they didn't make the playoffs, the Kings looked good for parts of the year.
Rudy Gay is now entering his 10th NBA season. He is coming off a career year and at last, is in the perfect situation for him.
On the Kings, he no longer has to be the go-to man that an entire city has to rely on, as they already have DeMarcus Cousins. Gay was reborn as a second option last season, and he found solace in the role as he didn't have all the pressure that he had in Memphis and even in Toronto. With Cousins and other offensive threats on the roster, he doesn't get double teamed and on certain occasions, is left open because Cousins is such a threat.
Coach George Karl is in charge for a full season and should be able to incorporate Gay into his offense even better than he did in his first season. Karl has had a history of coaching up-tempo teams and with the high-flying Gay on the squad, Karl will be sure to utilize him to the best of his abilities.
In the offseason, the Kings signed Rajon Rondo, who will be more motivated than ever to get back to the form he showed in Boston. Gay is actually a close friend of Rondo, so the two will get along both on and off the court. Also, with Rondo alongside of him, he has one of the best passers and play makers in the entire NBA. Rondo almost certainly will help Gay to become even better with his passing, vision and basketball IQ.
Gay will also benefit from the new found small-ball era of NBA basketball. Gay, on occasion, has played at the power forward spot, and now with small-ball becoming more popular, Gay will thrive. His long frame and athleticism will make him a nightmare for large big men who attempt to guard him.
Sacramento will be looking to make it to the postseason this season, and they have made no secret of this. While Rondo and Cousins have stolen the headlines in the offseason, Rudy Gay is just as crucial and important to making their first playoffs appearance since 2006.