Rudy Gay Resigns with Grizzlies

Now we're starting to get some of the big names. The Memphis Grizzlies have maxed out their would-be free agent Rudy Gay (number 10 on the Big Board) with a 5 year, $82 million contract extension. This is a bit of a surprise on two fronts: 1.) I think most people believed the Grizz wouldn't be able to come up with enough cash to sign Gay; and 2.) Instead, the Grizz came up with way too much cash. Don't get me wrong, Rudy is a nice player. But he's not a franchise player. He's not leading anyone to a title (or maybe even a playoff berth) and has career best averages of 20 points and 6 boards. Not shabby, again, but not someone you bank on as the building block of your franchise. When you consider Memphis' relative lack of money, this could be a contract that cripples them, at which point they will inevitably trade him to the Lakers for nothing, giving Kobe two more titles before he retires. (Seriously. That's not much of a stretch.) Gay is a good player but not deserving of a max contract. But I guess you can't fault the team for paying what it costs to keep their own.

Grade: C+