Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph Thinking of Playing Overseas

With the 2011-’12 NBA season looking more and more like it might be lost, the Memphis Grizzlies’ two biggest stars have little choice but to seriously consider the overseas option. Per the Commercial Appeal: “Rudy Gay stood directly behind Mike Conley in New York as the National Basketball Players Association announced Monday it would disband and file an anti-trust suit against the NBA. Zach Randolph sat at home in solidarity and disbelief. The Grizzlies’ trio might not be seen together in action again for some time. In the wake of the players rejecting the owners’ latest proposal and a probability that the 2011-12 season will be canceled, Memphis’ franchise players are now seriously considering other options. Playing overseas is on the minds of Gay and Randolph as the league’s labor dispute heads into overtime. ‘If there’s no season, I’m definitely going to explore going over the water,’ Randolph said. ‘This is horrible. I feel bad for the fans and players like myself who love to play. … But I support the union. I want to play, but I stick by what they’re doing.’ … ‘With what’s going on now you have to explore your options,’ said Alex Saratsis, Gay’s agent. ‘A lot of people are going to find out that a lot of money isn’t there. But if you’re savvy enough you’ll find something. Rudy and everybody in the league have to explore those options. It’s just a question of what they’re going to find. Will Rudy consider going overseas? Absolutely. He missed out on a lot of time and he wants to be prepared whenever the NBA season starts. Saratsis said Gay had at least three offers to play in Europe during the early stages of the lockout. But Gay, who recently recovered from a left shoulder injury, declined offers because he wasn’t healthy enough to play.’It has to make sense,’ Saratsis said. ‘But I’ve reached out to people in anticipation of (missing a season).’ Meanwhile, Randolph echoed a sentiment he expressed two months ago. He still wants to confer with teammate Marc Gasol in hopes of playing wherever the Spaniard lands.”