Rudy Gay To Miss At Least A Month

Added on Feb 17, 2011 by Scott in

NBA

A partially dislocated left shoulder will sideline Memphis forward Rudy Gay for at least a month. He will begin rehabbing next week and could be back in late March if he shows enough progress. The 6’8″ forward is second on the team in scoring at 19.8 points and third in rebounding at 6.2 per game. Replacing his offense and clutch shooting won’t be easy. The Grizzlies don’t really have a legit small forward on their bench. Luckily, O.J. Mayo is back from a ten-game suspension to help fill the void.

Gay hurt the shoulder in Tuesday’s win over the Sixers after being fouled while diving in the lane. His absence will definitely be felt. The Grizzlies are fighting for one of the last playoffs spots in a crowded Western Conference. At 31-26, they are currently tied with Utah for the eighth seed.

Barring a trade, Memphis will have no choice but to wait out the injury. A combination of guards Tony Allen and Sam Young can probably pick up the scoring slack, although neither possesses Gay’s size or skill. They could slide reserve power forward Darrell Arthur into the starting lineup, but he isn’t quick enough to check athletic small forwards.

Mayo has been rumored to be on the trading block, so a pre-deadline deal is possible. However, Memphis’s best bet might be to sit tight and hope Gay is a fast healer. At least the management brain trust has the All-Star break to ponder their next step.

Source: ESPN.com