Rudy Gay Refuses to Be Shut Down by the Toronto Raptors

There was talk last week about the Toronto Raptors possibly resting Rudy Gay and his ailing back for the remainder of the season. Rudy, however, says no way. Per the Toronto Sun: “Rudy went through practice (Monday), what he could,’ head coach Dwane Casey said, ‘and his back is loosening up so there is going to be no talk about shutting him down. He will be a day-to-day thing and he’s going to see how his back responds to therapy, working hard to keep it loose. He wants to continue to play and we are going to allow him to.’ Asked afterwards about the talk of him being shut down for the year, Gay seemed to be suggesting it was all a misunderstanding. ‘That’s just talk. That’s just talk,” Gay said of the myriad of breathless reports which went from ‘Could be shut down’ to ‘Will be shut down’ depending on where you happened to be looking. The only way I’m going to get shut down is if the doctors tell me I need to stop playing,’ Gay said. ‘I’ve been forced out before and that’s not something I look forward to again.’ Gay was referring to the 2010-11 season when with 25 games remaining, he went on the shelf with a partially dislocated left shoulder. When the shoulder didn’t heal sufficiently or properly, he was forced to undergo surgery but only after consulting with at least four different physicians, all of whom told him surgery was his only option. In addition to the 25 games of the regular season he missed, Gay was also forced to watch as his Grizzlies knocked off San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs that year and then took Oklahoma City to a seventh game before bowing out in the Western Conference semifinals. Gay said playing means too much to him to just shut things down early if there are still games to play regardless of the sliver-thin chances of any post-season games with this Raptors team this season. ‘Some people are different,’ Gay said. ‘Personally, I’m the type of guy if there is basketball to be played, I want to be a part of it. I love the game, I love my job.’ In truth, there is very little to be gained by Gay playing the final dozen games, outside of the obvious building of familiarity with some of his new teammates.”