HoopsHype.com Rumors

The Raptors took a pounding here. One stat guru arrived wearing a T-shirt bearing the names of what his statistical model deemed the five most overpaid NBA players. Two of the top four, Andrea Bargnani and Rudy Gay, were Raptors. Toronto Star

Toronto Raptors, Rudy Gay, Andrea Bargnani 

Chris Mannix Show: Rudy Gay on whether he wanted to leave Memphis: "I definitely was not happy to leave the team at a point when we could have made a run." Twitter

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Rudy Gay 

Chris Mannix Show: Rudy Gay on Memphis team reaction to Speights-Ellington deal: "It was a shock to the team. We were just meshing so well together." Twitter

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Rudy Gay 

Alex Kennedy: Sebastian Telfair to TOR makes sense. He's close with Kyle Lowry, Rudy Gay and Alan Anderson. They train together every summer in Las Vegas. Twitter @AlexKennedyNBA

Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry, Las Vegas, Sebastian Telfair, Alan Anderson, Hamed Haddadi 

But before Gay can join really join the fun, he has to be given the chance to let go of the past. He wasn’t happy with the way Memphis pushed him overboard, mainly since it took months. He’s plainly still smarting over that. “It’s not about proving people wrong,” Gay said Tuesday. “It’s about proving yourself right.” And about proving people wrong. “We don’t have time for all that emotional stuff,” Gay said Tuesday. “It’s going to be emotional,” coach Dwane Casey said early Wednesday. Toronto Star

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Rudy Gay 

Ronald Tillery: Griz win 88-82. Every player and each coach hugged Rudy Gay before they walked off. Twitter @CAGrizBlog

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Rudy Gay 

As for the prospect of Gay staying in Toronto for the long-term, he laughed when pressed for an answer, "I've played six games. I don't know about (re-signing), but I love the organization. I possibly could be here for the rest of my career, but who knows." USA Today Sports

Toronto Raptors, Free Agency, Rudy Gay 

Colangelo has a realist's view of the situation. "It's been very clear that (Gay and his representatives) want to obviously see how this plays out, to be in a situation that's competitive," Colangelo told USA TODAY Sports. "He has now tasted a winning environment with the team they'd assembled in Memphis, and he wants to find that again. I'm hopeful to put us in a position where we can offer just that to Rudy and others that we are putting our stamp on this franchise. "He clearly is emerging as our No. 1 option right now, and to be a No. 1 option in a competitive situation is pretty appealing … It's a chance to establish a marketing identity and presence in two markets. You really have the best of both worlds. You can market yourself to the Canadian marketplace as a completely separate entity and the American marketplace as a separate entity." USA Today Sports

Toronto Raptors, Free Agency, Rudy Gay 

Yet while it has been reported that Gay was happy to get out of Memphis, he said both that and the idea that he definitely wouldn't re-sign with the Grizzlies wasn't true. "It was a total shock to me," he said of the trade. "I never went to any of (the new management) and told them that I wanted to be traded. I've never done that. The summer before, I did. I said this team has a chance to be a competitor in the West, and we're going to be good, but if you plan on doing anything – this is the summer before – I said I want to express to you that I may be wanting to move on. "And this was with Chris Wallace (the general manager who remains but who is no longer involved like he was under former owner Michael Heisley) … I wanted to see it through, because we started so well. We were playing so great as a team, it kind of made me feel like this is it. This could be the chance for us. There's not too many times when you can build a team like that. Obviously financial stuff goes on, but when you build a team like that you have to see it through." USA Today Sports

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Rudy Gay, Michael Heisley, Chris Wallace 

The NBA TV is harder to find for Rudy Gay since he came to Toronto, not to mention the SportsCenter highlights that the Baltimore native has been such a big part of since being shipped to Canada. There's the cold, the customs, and all the adjustments of international living that stars who came before him – from Tracy McGrady to Vince Carter and Chris Bosh – learned to live with. But Gay, who was traded from Memphis on Jan. 30 and has led the Raptors to a 6-2 record, five wins in a row, since his arrival, is fitting in just fine. "I see this (Raptors team) as another Memphis," Gay, who has hit two game-winning shots and is averaging 21.3 points per game since coming to Canada, told USA TODAY Sports by phone in a lengthy interview on Saturday. "A lot of the pieces are there." USA Today Sports

Toronto Raptors, Rudy Gay 

"Obviously that was just out of a little bit of anger," Gay said. "There were a lot of people in Memphis and a lot of relationships I left in Memphis that I'll always have. I'm so thankful for the city doing what they've done for me up until now." USA Today Sports

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Rudy Gay 

When reports surfaced that Gay was happy to leave town and that friction with Randolph was part of his reported discontent while in Memphis, Gay received a text message from his upset former teammate. "He texted me and was like, 'Man, I can't believe you would say this stuff about me,' and I didn't know what he was talking about," Gay said. "I hit him back, and was like, 'Yo, no matter what was said, that never came out of my mouth.' I never talked bad (about him) and I never will, because he's taught me so much about being consistent and about being out there every day. I learned a lot from Zach. "Obviously on the court sometimes, and you see it with everybody, you'll go at it or talk or have a difference of opinion. But as far as Zach, he's always been a great teammate. He's always been giving. If you need anything, you can ask Zach, and in return it was the same way. I never had a problem with Zach. Zach was always my boy. (The reports are) just crazy. I can't believe that. It's like, you've been with somebody so long and you're trying to ruin something that you built for so long." USA Today Sports

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph 

While Randolph said the two have since reconciled, he's ready to move forward. "That was definitely BS," Randolph said of the stories while at All-Star weekend. "We'd been together four or five years, and it was upsetting that we lost him. "But we were trying to get to a championship level (before), and we still can. We've got good players – Tayshaun and Ed. But they're different players. People are thinking we're not the same and that we probably can't do it, but I think we still can. We've still got a good team. We hate that the trade happened, but this is what it is and this is what we've got to go with." USA Today Sports

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph 

Rudy Gay: Me and @Wale was just joking y'all. Thats my boy right there. Twitter

Toronto Raptors, Rudy Gay 

Chris Tomasson: Sources say Nuggets turned down a trade offer earlier this season of Danilo Gallinari for Rudy Gay. Gallinari making them look smart tonite Twitter @christomasson

Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Trade, Rudy Gay, Danilo Gallinari 

Paul Jones: Great quote from @Rudy Gay on tomorrow night vs. Memphis. "Not about proving others wrong its about proving yourself right " #sn590 Twitter @Paul__Jones

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Rudy Gay 

Henry Abbott sits down with John Hollinger to discuss the trade deadline and find out the real reason behind the Grizzlies trade with the Raptors ESPN.com

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Rudy Gay, John Hollinger 

There was a similar sign that came earlier as well, as the Nets, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, were among the teams making a push for Memphis' Rudy Gay before he was traded to Toronto on Jan. 31. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because the talks were private. USA Today Sports

Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Rudy Gay 

The Raptors are looking for some serious frontcourt help, but may find the market a little bare, especially with Bargnani has the primary chip in a deal. Raptors sources peg Milwaukee’s Ilyasova as a target; however, it’s unclear how that would work with Rudy Gay now in tow. HoopsWorld

Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Rudy Gay, Ersan Ilyasova 

Q: Do you think Memphis’ trade of Rudy Gay is an indicator of the new collective bargaining agreement and the financial climate? Donnie Nelson: I think that’s kind of testament to the belt-tightening that Mark’s been predicting for a while. That’s a reality that’s coming up. So you’ll definitely see teams that are looking to be more flexible. Dallas Morning News

Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Trade, Rudy Gay, Donnie Nelson