According to Grizzlies.com, Rudy Gay is out for the season:
Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a left shoulder subluxation, as recommended by team physician Dr. Fred Azar of the Campbell Clinic. Gay also received this recommendation from Dr. Barry Phillips and Dr. Robert Miller of the Campbell Clinic and Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.
The need for surgery has always been a possibility in the event that non-operative rehabilitation was unsuccessful. The date of the surgery is yet to be determined.
The 6-8, 240-pound forward has missed the last 14 games, including last night’s 103-85 victory over Utah, since suffering the injury on Feb. 15 vs. Philadelphia. Memphis is 8-6 over that span.
Currently, Memphis is sitting at the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race which would mean a first round date with San Antonio. The Grizzlies loss of Gay will be crucial should these two teams face off in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
He ranks second on the team in scoring with 19.8 points, averages 2.8 assists, shoots .471 from the field, .396 from the three-point line, .805 from the free-throw line in 39.9 minutes. Last season versus the Spurs, he averaged 12.8 points per game and averages 12.7 points versus the Spurs for his career.
However, Memphis showed it can go toe-to-toe with the Spurs without Gay.
In the Spurs’ last two meetings versus Memphis without Gay, the Spurs edged out a 95-88 win in San Antonio back in Febuary – though the Spurs did lose Tony Parker in that game due to injury. In the next meeting, Memphis won 109-93 in Memphis and as Darrell Arthur put it, Memphis won’t go down without a fight:
“We’re not going to lie down at any point. We’re going to keep fighting. We’re going to try to make the playoffs. That’s our goal for this year. And we don’t care who’s in our way. We’re going to fight and not give up.”
Memphis and San Antonio will square off one more time on March 27 in Memphis.
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