Battier vs Gay

Geoff Calkins, sports editor of the Commercial Appeal, wrote an article that compares Gay to Battier.

He compared their stat lines:

S.Battier

F

41:33

4-10

2-5

2-2

2

3

5

2

2

4

1

0

12

R.Gay

17:25

5-10

2-3

0-0

0

2

2

0

2

0

0

1

12

Throw in Swift:

S.Swift

22:49

6-13

0-0

3-3

0

2

2

0

4

1

2

0

15

and consider that Battier had over twice as many minutes as Gay, and it seems like Memphis got the better end of the deal.

Granted, a player's value can't be reduced to his stat line. Chemistry and intangible contributions also make the difference between a win and a loss.

Still, we can make some judgement as the season goes on by comparing their averages. My main question after looking at this stat line echoes a subtle point Calkins makes: Why did Gay play only 17 minutes?

Calkins link