With last Sunday's NBA All-Star Game still on the minds of many, Rudy Gay boldly said there was only one thing missing from the contest: DeMar DeRozan.
According to Spurs beat reporter Jeff Garcia on Twitter, Gay was vocal on the surprising omission of his teammate.
DeRozan was a four-time All-Star while playing for the Toronto Raptors, earning nods in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018. But since getting traded to the Spurs three seasons ago, he has yet to make a return in the NBA All-Star Game.
Many felt the same way as Gay, especially with DeRozan's all-around numbers this season, not to mention the Spurs' decent record despite a spate of injuries. But there were also those who felt DeRozan not being selected wasn't a surprise, even as a replacement for the injured Devin Booker, whose spot was taken by Utah Jazz veteran Mike Conley Jr.
Marilyn Dubinski of Pounding The Rock has called DeRozan not making the All-Star squad a “snub,” adding that while he may not be posting the highest numbers of his career, his contributions to the Spurs were strong enough to put him in contention. Gay is somewhere out there, nodding.
“Not only is he the Spurs’ leading scorer and distributer on a young, rebuilding team that is headed towards a possible playoff appearance that seamed improbable before the season began, but he has found a near perfect balance between when to defer and when to take over.”
Rudy Gay has always been known as a vocal leader and he sure made his feelings known about the disrespect to his teammate. DeMar DeRozan also was mentioned by other pundits in the conversation about players who got snubbed for All-Star spots this year.