Why the Raptors Need to Acquire Rudy Gay

As I was watching the Raptors on Monday night, I knew they were going to lose. The Warriors were up just 2 points heading into the 4th quarter, but the game was already over. This Raptors team is clueless in crunch time, routinely throwing games away late, so I already knew how the story would play out. Needless to say, Golden State outscored Toronto 30-20 in the final frame. The Raptors lost.

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Over the last 5 games, Toronto been outscored in the 4th quarter by an average of 7.6 points. This isn't a new trend either. The Raps have lost a ton of tight games this season, and it always seems to be the result of a collapse in the final few minutes. Toronto simply doesn't have the personnel to win games late. DeMar DeRozan, for all the improvements he's made this season, is not the type of player to put a team on his back and lead them to a win. Jose Calderon always looks to dish in late-game situations rather than shoot himself. Kyle Lowry just hasn't found his role yet. For the Raps to really develop into a playoff threat, they need to make a splash. That splash should be Rudy Gay.

The Rudy-Gay-to-Toronto trade rumors have been flying around for about a month now, but seem to be heating up as of late. The current iteration of the deal has Toronto shipping Jose Calderon and Ed Davis for Rudy Gay and (depending on which report you listen to) Darrell Arthur. There are some pros and cons to this proposed deal—to be sure—but Toronto has to pull the trigger.

Let's start with the pros. First, Rudy Gay is a scorer. His 17.2 points-per-game would instantly put him in competition with DeMar DeRozan as the best per-game scorer on the team. Gay's scoring rate is the lowest since his rookie season, too, so it's likely to improve as the season progresses.

Second, Gay plays a position the Raptors have been trying to fill since the Vince Carter era. Here are some guys who have played small forward for the Raptors the last 3 seasons: Alan Anderson, Dominic McGuire, James Johnson, Rasual Butler, Ronald Dupree, Julian Wright and Sonny Weems. So... ya, the Raps could use some consistency at small forward, which Gay could definitely provide.

Finally—and most importantly—Rudy Gay can, and does, hit shots in the 4th quarter. He wants the ball in his hands with the game on the line. I can't stress how important this is. The Raptors currently have 5 players who have attempted 43 or more shot attempts with under 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter (also known as crunch time). Other than Terrence Ross (who is shooting an insane 53.8%), they've all been bad. John Lucas III leads the team with a 32.5% crunch time field goal percentage, followed by Kyle Lowry (30.5%), DeMar DeRozan (27.6%) and Alan Anderson (a pathetic 20.9%). Gay, conversely, is having one of his worst crunch time seasons to date, and yet is still shooting 38.5% from the floor when it matters (he's also only one year removed from shooting a solid 44% in those situations). Terrence Ross may be killing it in late-game situations this season, but he's years away from being trusted with consistent big shots. The Raptors need a guy who elevates his game in the 4th frame, and Gay does just that. He'd instantly become Toronto's go-to scorer.

DeRozan's classic 4th Quarter Move
The Canadian Press

This potential trade does have some cons as well. First, there is the contract. Gay is essentially a fringe all-star being paid like a superstar. He's due almost $18 million next season, and is set to make just over $19 million the following year. While those numbers are big for a team out of title contention, and would handcuff the franchise to some degree, the Raptors have made similar moves for less-than-stellar players before. Toronto has to overpay for free-agents all the time, and rarely are the players as consistent as Gay. Remember the 5-year $53 million for Hedo Turkoglu? Or how about Landry Fields' big deal? Then there was the time Bryan Colangelo traded for Jermaine O'Neal, who was coming off a season in which he averaged just 13.6 points-per-game and still had 2-years and $44 million left on his contract. At this point, Gay is a much safer bet than any of the three above mentioned players were when they came to Toronto. Colangelo has added a ton of salary to non-contenders before, so I don't understand the hesitancy here.

Another potential negative aspect of this deal is Gay's declining play. Gay is currently on pace to set 6-year lows in scoring, shooting percentage and 3-point percentage. Sure, his role in Memphis has been lessened slightly this season, but there's no denying he hasn't been great this year. Let's keep in mind, though, that he is still just 26-years old and has shown in the past that he can be an efficient player. He's a career 45% shooter from the field who snatches just under 6 rebounds-per-game. You can't tell me with a straight face that the Raps don't need a guy like that.

The last snag regarding this potential deal is the one that gives me the most trouble: the deal apparently hinges on Toronto giving up Ed Davis. I really like Davis' game, and think the Raptors play nicely with him in the lineup. He's young, and has a bright future. Ideally you don't want to give up a piece like Davis, but to get a guy who instantly becomes your best player you have to. Also, the Raps are rumored to be insistent on getting Darrell Arthur back from Memphis, which would ease the pain of losing Davis a little bit.

Ultimately, to me, the pros dramatically outweigh the cons (the cons are all kind of weak anyway). I'm sick of watching the Raptors sleep-walk through the final few minutes of games, while no one steps up. Rudy Gay can be that guy in Toronto, and the Raps have to be aggressive and get him. I know some fans want to build through the draft, and don't want to commit a lot of money to a player like Gay. But with the possibility of losing next year's first-round pick to Oklahoma City anyway, the Raptors may only have this one chance to acquire a big time talent.

Toronto doesn't have a single player who strikes fear in opposing fans come crunch time. I mean, no Knicks fan is going to be shaking in their seat while DeRozan rises up for a game winning jump-shot. Rudy Gay isn't one of the 20 best players in the game, sure. But he shows up when it matters. And other teams' fans don't want him to get the last touch. That much I know:


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