Rudy getting a cut (photo. Carnegie Lee)

Last Monday, we rode down I-95 to Baltimore for the next installment of Dime Fashion with Rudy Gay, whose fashion game is as versatile as he is on the court. When Rudy isn’t playing, he likes to rock a simple white V-neck with some fresh denim and kicks ranging from AF1′s to Gucci sneakers. But his wardrobe isn’t limited to casual gear. No matter whether he’s relaxing at the spot that he bought his mom in suburban B’More or donning a crisp three-piece suit designed by his custom clothier Billy Hooper when heading to an NBA arena, Rudy threads are legit for all occasions.

As he packed up his Escalade before heading to Las Vegas for a week of training with Joe Abunassar, we sat down with Rudy to talk about his role as the face of the franchise and how he’s prepped for a contract year.

Dime: Earlier this summer you sat behind the silver “Memphis Grizzlies” plate at the Lottery. How did it feel to represent the franchise?
Rudy Gay: Being there made me wake up and realize that how good this team is depends on me. Last year I showed my potential. But this year it isn’t about me – I’ll show what I can do, but it’s about what the team can do. I like the responsibility, I liked repping the franchise.

Dime: You were sitting right in front of Jay-Z – did you guys talk at all?
RG: He wasn’t talking too much to me – he was just talking. But it was good for me to get that experience being in a room with people like that. It’s good to rub elbows with them.

Dime: When you head to Vegas to train with Abunassar, what stuff are you working on?
RG: I shot over 46% from the field last year, but you can always practice your J. Like I said, I showed my potential last year and we need to build on everything that we did last year. Now we need to turn that into wins.

Dime: As the face of the franchise now that Pau Gasol and Mike Miller are gone, did you take a leadership role talking to O.J. Mayo and the young guys on the Grizzlies?
RG: Yeah, I definitely talked to O.J. We’re teammates, we can’t be strangers. I told him that everything that he does now will help the team.

Rudy rocking a Billy Hooper suit (photo. Carnegie Lee)

Dime: What about Darrell Arthur, especially after the Rookie Transition Program incident?
RG: I understand that everybody makes mistakes, but as a leader of this team, I had to tell him it wasn’t smart. But I’ve hung with Darrell before and I know that’s not his character. I can only speak for who I know and I know that he’s not that kind of guy.

Dime: There’s been that lingering rumor that Zach Randolph will come to the Grizzlies in a trade for Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric – what do you think about playing with Zach?
RG: One thing we need is someone who can score on the block and draw double teams. I know Zach – I don’t know how he is as a teammate, but he’s a good dude.