It was in December 2017 that Gay was diagnosed with right retrocalcaneal bursitis. The bad: That might not be the best indicator. The good news: He never looked hampered by his right heel or appeared in discomfort. Over and over it went with Gay scoring in a myriad of ways. He spun left into the paint to set up an easy short bunny he went to his right and opened up space for a fadeaway jumper. He and a couple of Jazz assistants had taken ownership over one of the hoops at the practice facility, and he was going to work in the post. Gay was one of the last players to leave the court Friday following practice. We want to make sure this is right to be as competitive as possible." "We've got the best trainers back there to help me get back to where I am, but it's one of those things where I want to be playing in the summer," he said. Surgery gave him the best chance to do that. So instead of wincing through yet another season, Gay wants to be fully healthy when the playoffs roll around. The Jazz, though, don't need him in October. Gay has missed the first two preseaosn games, will miss the final two, and at least the opening part of the regular season as he continues to heal from the surgery. The surgery, however, has made it so he can't contribute immediately for the Jazz. "I played with it for five years, but I feel like it's the chance for me to come into this Jazz organization with no setbacks, no pain or anything, just come in and just be able to contribute right away." "I see myself as a very tough guy," Gay said. Gay elected to have surgery to clean up the lingering issue. With Gay set to go to a new team over the summer, he figured enough was enough - new team, new heel, or at least a fixed heel. SALT LAKE CITY - At the end of last season, Rudy Gay was done.įor too long he felt the nagging bite come from his right heel - an endless reminder of the injury he first sustained in late 2017, and the one that just wouldn't go away.