They not trading Rudy to no damn Clippers
Too much of a backlash to trade him to the team we had a bloody playoff series with and still hate.
These are the deals on the table for Rudy from what I know:
Rudy for Tyreke + fillers
Rudy for Josh Smith (don't know the exact deal but Atlanta wants him, they also like ZBO)
Rudy for Ariza, Crawford, Singleton + protected pick
Rudy for Dudley, Brown + picks
Rudy for Calderon, Ross and Kleiza
Rudy for Gerald Henderson and Ben Gordon
Rudy for Prince and Stuckey
Rudy for JJ, Hedo and unprotected pick
Rudy for Kirilenko and Derrick Williams
Rudy for Barnes and Jefferson
Either these deals have been talked about, presented by the other team or brought to light by the media. I'll try to find out the ZBO deals so far. I know the Kings, Hawks, Bucks and Pistons like him. That's all I really know for now.
Also....
There is, however, a human nature factor to constant trade talks, according to veteran forward Zach Randolph, who also has been discussed in potential deals.
"We're mentally up and down," Randolph said. "We have to focus on us being together and play with confidence. All this trade talk definitely has something to do with (the team's psyche) but it's the business of basketball and we've got to deal with it.
"It was definitely (former owner Michael) Heisley's plan to keep us all together and make a run for the championship. So when you come in with something different, of course, it kind of bothers you. You're like, 'Wow,' but it's the business of basketball. People have to understand that."
There are players on the team who still communicate with Heisley. There clearly are players who are still adjusting to the difference in ownership style and wonder about their value to the organization.
Griz CEO Jason Levien, who has declined requests from The Commercial Appeal to talk publicly about his plans for the team, has talked to Gay a few times about the team's situation. Levien's first question to Gay centered on whether the 6-8 forward still wants to be in Memphis.
Gay indicated his desire to continue as a Grizzly. Yet neither Gay nor Randolph received an invitation to dinner with team owner Robert Pera last week when the team concluded a three-game road trip at Golden State.
Mike Conley and Marc Gasol were the only players invited to dine with Pera.
"It is what it is," Gay said. "I just hope it wasn't at my favorite restaurant."
Randolph's reaction?
"It ain't personal," he said. "I tell the young guys all the time. It's not like they love you. It's business."