San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay has seen what “The Spurs' Way” is all about in only a season of being in the organization, getting the full effect of the spectrum even in an oddball season like 2017-18 was for the Western Conference powerhouse.
Kawhi Leonard's nightmare is finally a wrap in San Antone, but being a part of the entire process gave Gay the proper perspective, having also played for the Toronto Raptors, who gave up on him with less than a season under his belt.
“The best part about San Antonio, they do right by you,” Gay told Dom Amore of The Hartford Courant. “They do right by their players, do right by their staff. That doesn’t happen much in the NBA, to be honest with you. It doesn’t happen much. On one side, there was [Leonard] that was trying to get out, get to a bigger market, and they were totally being up front with him, and then they trade him for a guy [DeRozan] where, that organization wasn’t being up front with him at all. So, I mean, it’s just night and day. That trade right there shows you the difference between the San Antonio Spurs and other organizations.”
DeRozan felt betrayed by Raptors president Masai Ujiri after he was allegedly promised he wouldn't be traded, but he's coming into the very opposite end of the spectrum in the Spurs, an organization known for its transparency from the top down.
Gay played 18 games for the Raptors in 2013-14 after playing in 33 the season before following a trade from the Memphis Grizzlies, eventually winding up in the nightmare that was his stint with the Sacramento Kings.
If healthy, he can potentially regain a starting gig alongside DeRozan, allowing rookie Lonnie Walker IV to get some time off the bench.
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