Welcome to Canada, Rudy

   Less than a month until the trade deadline and the first big move has just been made. Rudy Gay is now a Raptor.
   That's right, the fourth-place Grizzlies have sent their leading scorer to Toronto. The Pistons are involved in the trade too, getting Jose Calderon and sending out Austin Daye and longtime froward Tayshaun Prince to Memphis. The Grizzlies also receive Toronto's Ed Davis and sent out Hamed Haddadi in addition to Gay.
   So, how does this trade effect all three teams? Let's start with Memphis.
   To some, the move may be a headscratcher. Gay is a near all-star level talent with his athletic ability, but he never did fit the bill in Memphis. A team which prides itself on blue-collar play fits players like Tony Allen, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, not so much Gay.
   Also remember, it's the NBA. No league requires as many purely financial decisions and the Grizzlies are looking a year and a half ahead with this trade. It's all about getting under the cap. Gay has been expendable since the 2011 playoffs when the Grizzlies made a great run without him.
   Losing the best player in a trade is always unpopular at first, but Memphis didn't just give him away. Tayshaun Prince will be available to guard opposing small forwards and Ed Davis is an athletic power forward who can provide rebounding and some scoring. Now, on to the Raptors.
   Gay fits the bill in Toronto. A perimeter athlete more than capable of breathtaking dunks. Only problem is that so do two other guys. Rookie Terrence Ross and DeMar DeRozan are the future plans in Toronto, but will Gay's arrival block one of them? Ross probably. And don't forget Landry Fields is another wing player who will need minutes. It's getting crowded in Toronto.
   It looks like the Raptors will try to make a run at the playoffs now with Rudy Gay, but for what, a date with Miami? Even if Rondo-less Boston and Philadelphia don't get in, Toronto's chances are incredibly bleak. Hopefully the plan will be clearer when we actually see Gay in that Raptor red.
   For Detroit, it's simple. They have some good young guys. They'll be a lottery team. And they want Calderon to teach point guard Brandon Knight a few things.
   Gut feeling: This trade won't change much short-term for Toronto and Memphis. The Grizzlies are still a second-tier team out West and the Raptors are still not a playoff team.
   But hey, those seven basketball fans in Canada will see some nice dunks.