Michael Jordan took off from the foul line. Dominique Wilkins had the windmill. Rudy Gay is putting his signature dunk in his fans? hands. Gay, a Baltimore native in his second season with the NBA?s Memphis Grizzlies, is one of four players set to compete in the league?s Slam Dunk competition.
Even though Gay is one of the more athletic players in the NBA, he admits to not being the most imaginative with his dunks.
That?s why the 6-foot-8, 222-pound forward, who was in Washington on Friday as the Grizzlies played the Wizards, is turning to the Internet for help. He is soliciting fans for suggestions, and he promises to use the best one at the competition, set for Feb. 16 in New Orleans.
Fans can click here to upload their suggestions to his YouTube site.
“I?m nervous. I don?t know what I?m going to do yet,” Gay said. “Me and a couple of friends were sitting around thinking about what to do, and I couldn?t think of anything. I have just two dunks, and after that I?m lost. They joked that I?ve got to go on YouTube to find some. My agent heard the discussion and gave me the idea the next day.”
Many basketball fans in Baltimore have followed Gay, 21, since he starred in high school at Eastern Tech and then Archbishop Spalding before spending two seasons at the University of Connecticut. The Slam Dunk contest, however, may be the coming-out party for one of the true rising stars of the NBA.
The eighth overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft is averaging 19.6 points and six rebounds and is shooting 39.5 percent from three-point range. This compares to 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc in his rookie season. But not everyone is aware of him yet because the Grizzlies are one of the worst teams in the NBA at 13-32 following a 103-84 loss Monday against the Dallas Mavericks.
“Already, I?ve lost more here than I did in high school and college combined,” Gay said. “It?s just tough. That?s part of the reason I?m here ? to make this team better. It?s going to take some time, but it?s going to take some time for me to get better too.”
Gay said he feels more comfortable in the NBA after getting though his rookie season. He added he enjoys playing in the up-tempo style employed by first-year coach Marc Iavaroni.
Iavaroni said Gay is perfect to build a franchise around.
“He?s learning that this offense is wide-open, that he can prosper, and he has prospered,” Iavaroni said. “He?s adjusted very well. Last year he was grabbing the ball and holding the ball. Now, he?s learning he plays better off the ball with others, and it?s fun.”
Memphis rookie guard Mike Conley agrees with Iavaroni and envisions Gay being one of the elite players in the NBA for years to come.
“The sky?s the limit with Rudy,” Conley said. “He has the talent to be as good as he wants to be. He has the talent and does stuff so easily and seamlessly that he could do it every game. Sometimes he picks and chooses when he wants to be that player, but he?s a great player and is only going to get better.”
