Spurs' Gregg Popovich rethinks Pau Gasol deal

[2Cleva]

Spurs' Gregg Popovich rethinks Pau Gasol deal
Spurs coach concedes deal worked for Griz

By Ronald Tillery

Friday, January 29, 2010

SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich still believes the Grizzlies changed the landscape of the Western Conference for the foreseeable future.

Once a major critic of the February 2008 decision to trade Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers, Popovich now concedes Memphis also made out good in the deal.

"They gave up a great player but it helped them extend the franchise's success into the future," Popovich said. "It's shown that they've done a good job. Whatever they were thinking a couple of iterations ahead at the time has paid off for them."

Popovich's immediate reaction to the Gasol deal wasn't as kind.

Popovich, who also serves as the Spurs' president of basketball operations, called the trade that sent Gasol to the Lakers for draft picks and salary-cap flexibility an incomprehensible deal.

The Griz received Kwame Brown, rookie Javaris Crittenton, the rights to Marc Gasol and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010.

"What they did in Memphis is beyond comprehension," Popovich said at the time. "There should be a trade committee that can scratch all trades that make no sense. I just wish I had been on a trade committee that oversees NBA trades. I would have voted no to the L.A. trade."

What Popovich -- or no one -- could forecast is that Marc Gasol would evolve into a top NBA center, and the Griz could eventually use money under the salary-cap to acquire Zach Randolph in a trade.

Randolph is the only Western Conference player averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. He was named a Western Conference All-Star for the first time in his nine-year career Thursday when the coaches voted him in as a reserve.

The Gasol trade was frowned upon nationally and locally in part because the Grizzlies' benefits would be seen over time.

"When you make decisions you try to make them good," Popovich said. "Obviously, the decision they (the Grizzlies) made then has served them well in the future, which is now."

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jan/29/popovich-re-thinks-pau-deal/?print=1

[Allanon]

Oops, Collusionists.

[Killakobe81]

BUT, BUT it was Stern!!!

[Chieflion]

LOL just read the 1st sentence.

[Killakobe81]

I did but Alanon argued this very point sice the deal went down ...and all many have done has killed him for it ...

[Allanon]

I did but Alanon argued this very point sice the deal went down ...and all many have done has killed him for it ...

Thanks for remembering Killa. Props to 2Cleva for finding the article.

There were some other fellow Lakerfans that felt the same way...Cobbler, Killa, 21_blessings and PGDynasty and a few others.

But to be honest, with this acknowledgement from Pop, the argument has come full circle since his original comment started most of it.

I'm done with the whole "collusion" cliche. I won't bring it up again unless somebody else does. Maybe I'll do it for laughs when Marc makes the All Star team. :lol

[Spursfan092120]

I didn't like the deal at first, no doubt. But it seems as though the deal is even, if not in favor of the Grizz. Marc Gasol is a monster, and has the ability to be better than his brother. He's definitely a better defender, and a more authentic Center than Pau. But at the same time, no one knew that was going to happen when the trade went down. Bad trade at the time, evened out in the future, though.










lol Crittenton

fucking idiot.

[Killakobe81]

The thing is as I hang out in memphhis they LOVE Marc ...
his toughness combined with basketball IQ and smarts ...Marc would not of worked with Bynum but the Gasol brothers would of been a nice frontcourt

[Killakobe81]

i'll also say this
it's cheating a bit to include ZBO
But just countig the picks and Marc I would say trade favors Lakers 60-40 cuz we have a title ...
if you factor Zbo it flips to even cuz of title ...
On just talent and money saved? they won the trade ...

[Mark in Austin]

If anybody thinks this was Chris Wallace's plan when he traded Gasol, you're full of shit.

The odds that they could trade for Randolph and that he would be a good citizen instead of a cancer were lower than the odds of Jerry Buss "dating" somebody over 30.

[hater]

CIA Pop. he just moved on

[Killakobe81]

Unlike most here Pop can admit when he is wrong ....

[Pelicans78]

Moving Pau's salary allowed them to get Randolph.

[PGDynasty24]

who did the spurs give up for Dick Jefferson? Did they give up a prospect like marc gasol. they gave up effing bowen who was done and just retired,and that gimp old center guy who i cant even think of

[Killakobe81]

agreed^ but Wallace did not know that at time ...

[midnightpulp]

Never really had a problem with this deal. It was no secret that Marc Gasol was going to be a strong player. Surprised the Spurs FO, renowned for their overseas scouting, never had their eye on Marc Gasol. Maybe all their big man eggs were in the Splitter basket during that time?

[Pelicans78]

As long as Memphis has Mike Conley Jr running the point, they will never be a complete team.

[Ice009]

Allanon, I'd say 99% still disagree even though you tried pimping the trade.

When the deal was done maybe only about 5% of the people thought Gasol would be as good as he is now. I thought at best he might be 10 and 8 type of player. I seriously doubt Memphis had any clue he would be this good and I doubt anyone knew that Marc would lose that much weight over the summer to help better his game. Losing the weight has helped him a lot.

As far as Randolph goes you could probably say 0% people on this board thought he would be an NBA All-Star.

Read the first sentence. I am pretty sure Pop still does not agree with the trade at all. He is just saying that Memphis took a big risk and it looks like it is paying off for them. What else is he going to say? He can't say they suck and it's not looking like a good trade. He is just stating the obvious.

I would have given it a 5% chance of actually paying off when the trade was done. Looks like they may have won a lottery of sorts. It's more luck than it was planned to turn out this way. You can't tell me you thought Memphis would be this good this season.

[Ice009]

The thing is as I hang out in memphhis they LOVE Marc ...
his toughness combined with basketball IQ and smarts ...Marc would not of worked with Bynum but the Gasol brothers would of been a nice frontcourt

If I had a choice to have either Pau or Marc on the Spurs I would probably chose Marc, but that is only after seeing him play against the Spurs. Watching him before that in International competition I wouldn't have ever taken him over Pau.

I just liked Marc's toughness and he didn't cry and scream anytime he got near the basket like Pau does. lol plus he seems to like the Spurs which is usually a plus in my book ;).

[timvp]

If you trade me your home for a lottery ticket and you win the lottery, that doesn't a good trade make.

[mystargtr34]

Marc doesn’t impress with his potential; he’s a below average athlete by NBA standards, lacking quickness and leaping ability. The guy is just a good player, plain and simple. Considering he’s 7-1 and a very strong guy, to think about the possibility of him going undrafted is out of the picture, while the first round shouldn’t be an impossible task, even if his most likely outcome at this point seems to be somewhere in the early second round.

DraftExpress 2007

Thats the guy the Lakers drafted at #48, and thats the guy the Grizz got in the trade. The Lakers even took Sun Yue at #40 with their other pick, obviously they didnt think that highly of Gasol knowing he was likely being picked in that 40-50 range.

[Ice009]

If you trade me your home for a lottery ticket and you win the lottery, that doesn't a good trade make.

That's what I was trying to say basically they won a lottery. They definitely had no idea they'd be in the position they are in now when that trade was made.

[mystargtr34]

Yet Laker fan talks about him like he was a lock to be a 15-10 guy by his second year, even though the Laker brass thought Sun Yue was the better prospect.

[21_Blessings]

agreed^ but Wallace did not know that at time ...

Then why did Chris Wallace come out right after the trade claiming that Marc Gasol was a 'big part' of the trade?

Marc would have been a LOTTERY pick had he waited a year to come out. He was winning the ACB MVP which is arguably the toughest league in Europe. Most considered Marc the best player in Europe at the time of the trade.

The deal does not happen without Marc Gasol in the package. Good trade for the both teams.

[Ice009]

Then why did Chris Wallace come out right after the trade claiming that Marc Gasol was a 'big part' of the trade?

Marc would have been a LOTTERY pick had he waited a year to come out. He was winning the ACB MVP which is the arguably the toughest Euro league around. Most considered Marc the best player in Europe at the time of the trade.

The deal does not happen without Marc Gasol in the package. Good trade for the both teams.

Because Marc Gasol was the best player out of the ones they traded for. They can't say they made the trade for Kwame Brown because then they'd look like even bigger idiots.

Give me some quotes and links with people saying Marc was the best player in Europe. First time I heard that is when Lakers fans started saying it.

[Allanon]

Allanon, I'd say 99% still disagree even though you tried pimping the trade.

When the deal was done maybe only about 5% of the people thought Gasol would be as good as he is now. I thought at best he might be 10 and 8 type of player. I seriously doubt Memphis had any clue he would be this good and I doubt anyone knew that Marc would lose that much weight over the summer to help better his game. Losing the weight has helped him a lot.

As far as Randolph goes you could probably say 0% people on this board thought he would be an NBA All-Star.

Read the first sentence. I am pretty sure Pop still does not agree with the trade at all. He is just saying that Memphis took a big risk and it looks like it is paying off for them. What else is he going to say? He can't say they suck and it's not looking like a good trade. He is just stating the obvious.

I would have given it a 5% chance of actually paying off when the trade was done. Looks like they may have won a lottery of sorts. It's more luck than it was planned to turn out this way. You can't tell me you thought Memphis would be this good this season.

I admit I didn't know about Randolph...all I knew is that they had cleared major cap room.

But I watched Marc Gasol become the Spanish League MVP being a tougher, better D version of his brother. I said he'd be at least a tough 15/10 guy over a year ago. Now it looks like that was a conservative number.

Kobe even admitted in the Summer Olympics 2008 that he wished the Lakers had kept Marc. Marc played great against Bosh and Dwight. It wasn't just because he lost weight this summer. He was very solid in his first year...losing the weight gave him the flexibility to play Power Forward as well as Center.

I haven't changed my story, I (and several others including some Spurs fans) knew he would be legit.

It's no different than knowing Splitter's gonna be pretty good when he gets here. It's a no-brainer and I'm sure Chris Wallace saw it as well since he insisted on getting Marc in return. If not for drafting Thabeet, I'd think Chris Wallace is the Executive of the Year, hands down. I still think he's going to either win it or be in the running.

Y'all have given me shit and laughed at my notion of Marc being good for over a year now...if you ain't gonna give me props or eat any crow, at least be man enough to let it go.

:toast

[Ice009]

I admit I didn't know about Randolph...all I knew is that they had cleared major cap room.

But I watched Marc Gasol become the Spanish League MVP being a tougher version of his brother.

I haven't changed my story, I (and several others including some Spurs fans) knew he would be legit.

It's no different than knowing Splitter's gonna be pretty good when he gets here. It's a no-brainer and I'm sure Chris Wallace saw it as well since he insisted on getting Marc in return.

What is legit? Most people thought his ceiling might be 10 and 8 or 10 and 10. Are you saying all those people that said he would be legit thought he could be 15 and 10? shit he might even be 18 and 10 sooner or later. He is better than 99% of people expected him to be at this stage when he first entered the NBA. Memhpis simply won the lottery, not even the Lakers knew he would be this good if they took Sun Yue before him in the draft.

I really don't think it was a no-brainer he would be this good, this quick or even at all.

[doobs]

It doesn't matter what a deal looks like in retrospect. The deal was dirty because Memphis could have gotten SO MUCH MORE for Gasol. And everyone knew it.

[Ice009]

Also, if you want props I want to see some posts or links before the Pau Gasol trade was done where you said Marc Gasol would be this good. Not after the trade. I don't care what was said after the trade because well lots of people had to come up with something to justify the trade.

[Allanon]

What is legit? Most people thought his ceiling might be 10 and 8 or 10 and 10. Are you saying all those people that said he would be legit thought he could be 15 and 10? shit he might even be 18 and 10 sooner or later. He is better than 99% of people expected him to be at this stage when he first entered the NBA. Memhpis simply won the lottery, not even the Lakers knew he would be this good if they took Sun Yue before him in the draft.

I really don't think it was a no-brainer he would be this good, this quick or even at all.

What is legit? 15/10. I toldja all that this is what he'd be and y'all were laughing.

EVEN during this summer, before the season began, I said the same thing and just got back laughter.

Chris Wallace obviously thought he was getting a good deal.

I said it was a good deal.

Midnight Pup earlier in this thread thought it was a good deal.

[Allanon]

Also, if you want props I want to see some posts or links before the Pau Gasol trade was done where you said Marc Gasol would be this good. Not after the trade. I don't care what was said after the trade because well lots of people had to come up with something to justify the trade.

Dude, I don't need your props. Reasonable fans know I've said this for a long time now.

It's also well known I joined this site AFTER the Gasol trade...and I manned up to it and ate crow when it was shown. :lol

But, some people just can't man up.

[21_Blessings]

Draft Express


Gasol on the other hand looks like an absolute steal for the Lakers, having drafted him in the late second round (#48) this past June. His skill level is looking better and better these days, knocking down a 3-pointer calmly, hitting a pretty turnaround jumper, and doing a terrific job moving off the ball and creating space for his post-mate Vroman to operate. He’s a team player who really knows how to pass the ball and is looking much more comfortable in his own skin than we ever remembered him. He also utilized his size very nicely both on the glass and inside the paint, making his presence felt here and altering quite a few Charleroi shots. In short, we’re talking about an absolute stud at this level. It’s still not 100% clear that he’s athletic enough to play substantial minutes in today’s NBA, especially early on, but to land a player this big with this kind of skill level and basketball IQ is an absolute coup. He might be the best big man in the ACB these days, which is saying an awful lot.

This before the trade. Gasol was the 2008 ACB MVP which is a big deal in Europe. There were plenty of scouts at the time calling him the best player in Europe. Lakers fans were getting super excited about him long before the Gasol trade ever happened.

[tlongII]

Who gives a shit? The Lakers won't be winning any more titles anyway.

[Ice009]

Dude, I don't need your props. Reasonable fans know I've said this for a long time now.

It's also well known I joined this site AFTER the Gasol trade...and I manned up to it and ate crow when it was shown. :lol

But, some people just can't man up.

That is my point then. After seeing Gasol in the NBA it is a lot easier to say he would be good. When the trade was made Pau Gasol was a proven commodity and Marc Gasol was not. No one had any idea what he could do in the NBA. Even when a foreign superstar enters the NBA hardly anyone knows what to expect. They could be great or they could be a bust.

If you actually said Gasol would be this good long before the Lakers traded him I would say you either fluked it or really knew your shit.

For the record I have no idea how good Splitter would be as he hasn't played in 1 NBA game. I'd have to see him in the NBA against the best competition before I'd know if he's any good.

[Allanon]

That is my point then. After seeing Gasol in the NBA it is a lot easier to say he would be good. When the trade was made Pau Gasol was a proven commodity and Marc Gasol was not. No one had any idea what he could do in the NBA. Even when a foreign superstar enters the NBA hardly anyone knows what to expect. They could be great or they could be a bust.

If you actually said Gasol would be this good long before the Lakers traded him I would say you either fluked it or really knew your shit.

For the record I have no idea how good Splitter would be as he hasn't played in 1 NBA game. I'd have to see him in the NBA against the best competition before I'd know if he's any good.

I said Marc Gasol was 15/10 good before he played an NBA game.

I said it based upon me watching him in the Spanish league.

And I'll say it now, if Splitter makes it to the NBA, he's going to be around 15/10 good as well.

[Ice009]

Draft Express



This before the trade. Gasol was the 2008 ACB MVP which is a big deal in Europe. There were plenty of scouts at the time calling him the best player in Europe. Lakers fans were getting super excited about him long before the Gasol trade ever happened.

"He might be the best big man in the ACB these days"

All that says is he might be the best player in the ACB. That doesn't equate to people saying he is the best player in Europe. They are the quotes I am looking for. Best player in Europe.

[Ice009]

I said Marc Gasol was 15/10 good before he played an NBA game.

Did you say that before the Lakers traded him?

[Allanon]

Did you say that before the Lakers traded him?

No, I was not a member at ST until after the Gasol trade.

But I did say it while everybody was pissed that they had traded Pau for Kwame. I pointed out that Marc will make the trade very even, if not unfair for the Lakers.

I even argued with some fellow Lakerfans over it, unfortunately. :lol

[21_Blessings]

"He might be the best big man in the ACB these days"

All that says is he might be the best player in the ACB. That doesn't equate to people saying he is the best player in Europe.

You're fucking stupid, congrats!

Winning ACB MVP = best player in Europe argument. Regardless.

Regardless, the trade was clearly legit. Worked out for both teams. Don't be bitter about Milwaukee sticking their 14 million dollar Dick right up the Spurs asses.

[BadOdor]

No, I was not a member at ST until after the Gasol lolz.

[Allanon]

I refuse to act with common decency

lolz.

[HarlemHeat37]

Of course it was collusion, no-brainer..

If you actually look back at what Laker fans were saying at the time, Gasol was actually the 3rd most important piece involved..the cap space was #1, which is understandable, but Crittenton was actually a lot more hyped than Gasol in this trade, which speaks volumes..

If you look at what non-Laker fans were saying, the majority had the obvious reaction, which was outrage..it was obviously a worked trade, also due to the fact that no other team had any chance to make an offer against the Lakers..obviously not a coincidence that this was a team that Jerry West was acquainted with..

The Zach Randolph trade was also met with huge outrage and ridicule from everybody..look at any forum when it happened, everybody thought it was ridiculous..luckily for Memphis, it worked out, but it certainly wasn't a smart move at the time..

If you believe this was all strategic and smartly planned, then Chris Wallace has to be one of the smartest men on the planet..this is a guy that was known as one of the worst GMs in NBA history, even before joining Memphis, he was ridiculed as the GM of the Celtics..

Then again, Laker fans were the same people that criticized Mitch Kupchak for a LONG time about his inability to surround OJ Bryant with a good supporting cast..yet Kupchak pulled off arguably the greatest trade of all-time, supposedly without collusion..how can this be?..Kobe was shitting on him for his poor skills as a GM just a few months earlier, how did he become a genius in such little time?..

Who knows..that's just how it is..it happened and it's over with..something you have to accept as an NBA fan, but it was obviously planned..

[HarlemHeat37]

Also, Marc Gasol is one of the most overrated players in the NBA..for obvious reasons though..

[Allanon]

Some Laker fans agreed that it was a steal.

Some Laker fans (and some knowledgeable Spur fans) knew Marc Gasol would be a very good NBA player and saw the fairness of the trade.

As usual, broad stereotypes are in-accurate.

[Ice009]

You're fucking stupid, congrats!

Winning ACB MVP = best player in Europe argument. Regardless.

Regardless, the trade was clearly legit. Worked out for both teams. Don't be bitter about Milwaukee sticking their 14 million dollar Dick right up the Spurs asses.

No you are stupid. Winning ACB MVP doesn't mean shit to me.

Do you think all those guys winning MVP when Jordan played mean they are better than Jordan? Absolutely not. If MVP means you are the clear cut best player then all you Lakers fans have to start saying Lebron is the best because after all he won the MVP.

What's it going to be? Is Lebron the best or are you going to blow your own statement to pieces by saying MVP = Best.

Just because he won MVP does not mean he is the best player in Europe at all. All I want is clarification because I personally have never heard anyone call Marc Gasol the best player in Europe before he came to the NBA. I recall before Scola was in the NBA that a lot of people regarded him as the best player out side of the NBA. I have just never heard anyone say that about Marc, which is why I wanted some quotes to back up what you are saying. I'm not saying no one said that, but I have never heard or read that anywhere. I would like to.

[Allanon]

Y'know.

I said in my 2nd post that I would just drop this from now on. But after seeing all these people who won't man up (with a few exceptions like Spursfan90210 and Midnightpulp), I'm going to add Pop's quote to my sig just to rub it in for another year or two.

[MiamiHeat]

JUST Because Mark Gasol turned out to be decent does NOT excuse the trade

at the time, he was an unproven bench euro player.

[Blackjack]

It still amuses me that no one realizes or acknowledges, outside of SA, that Pop was saying that shit tongue-in-cheek, dripping with sarcasm; he hated the trade because he knew how good it made the Lakers (it was an absolute steal).

Pop wanted to start a trade committee, one in which he would head?

Yeah, there was nothing facetious about that; nothing..

[Chieflion]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pGOnGM04xgk/SRvCqqyHXZI/AAAAAAAADcY/AhFvmtOHXT0/s1600/Droids.jpghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pGOnGM04xgk/SRvCqqyHXZI/AAAAAAAADcY/AhFvmtOHXT0/s1600-h/Droids.jpg

[Danny.Zhu]

I admit that deal makes sense for Memphis at that time. I'm just cannot believe that no other team could make a better offer than that of Lakers. That was a steal anyway.

[Ice009]

Y'know.

I said in my 2nd post that I would just drop this from now on. But after seeing all these people who won't man up (with a few exceptions like Spursfan90210 and Midnightpulp), I'm going to add Pop's quote to my sig just to rub it in for another year or two.

What exactly are you looking for?

You want everyone to say it was a fair trade?

[Allanon]

What exactly are you looking for?

You want everyone to say it was a fair trade?

Anything but more excuses.

I understand now why Mavfan says Spurfan is always full of excuses. So few people who man up...always one excuse after another. Those 3 Spurfans came up and didn't make excuses, kudos to them.

I thought it was overblown, but I give up on Spurfan now, can't even admit it on something so apparent.

Pops was man enough to admit it, though, that will be good enough for me. :lol

[mavsfan1000]

If a team wants to screw themselves, they are free to do it. It's not dirty. Just stupid.

[Ice009]

Anything but more excuses.

I understand now why Mavfan says Spurfan is always full of excuses. So few people who man up...always one excuse after another. Those 3 Spurfans came up and didn't make excuses, kudos to them.

I thought it was overblown, but I give up on Spurfan now, can't even admit it on something so apparent.

Pops was man enough to admit it, though, that will be good enough for me. :lol

I still think it's a bad trade. I don't know why you can't respect people's opinions that say otherwise.

Anyway take out ZR and Memphis would probably still suck this season. Would Pop have even said anything if Memphis had 10 wins and 30 losses I doubt it. Gasol by himself isn't the main reason for the turn around. Pau Gasol was getting this team to the playoffs as their best player. Marc Gasol is like the 3rd or 4th best player on the team.

[hsxvvd]

They cheated. I don't care about the talent, they had to pull the bullshit signing of Aaron McKie to make the contracts work. I'm sorry, it might be legal, but it's cheating. It's clearly stated to be "frowned upon" by the league, but it's the Lakers and Stern's a pussy.

[2Cleva]

I'm sorry, it might be legal, but it's cheating.

:downspin:

[Jloyola]

Jerry Buss "dating" somebody over 30[/B].

:lol

I was thinking no more than 22

[BUMP]

Spew fan needs to quit arguing whether or not they have the right to whine or not. The trade happened 2 years ago, its done why is it so hard to get over it?

[Pelicans78]

Besides, Lakers have only won just one championship since the trade.

[Killakobe81]

I admit that deal makes sense for Memphis at that time. I'm just cannot believe that no other team could make a better offer than that of Lakers. That was a steal anyway.

This part i agree with ...MAYBE they could of got more AND Javaris did not turn out well ....

I say pretty even slight edge to Lakers for the title and best record in west for 2.5 seasons ...

[21_Blessings]

Besides, Lakers have only won just one championship since the trade.

So far.

[mavsfan1000]

Besides, Lakers have only won just one championship since the trade.
3 more to go. :depressed

[xellos88330]

Thanks for remembering Killa. Props to 2Cleva for finding the article.

There were some other fellow Lakerfans that felt the same way...Cobbler, Killa, 21_blessings and PGDynasty and a few others.

But to be honest, with this acknowledgement from Pop, the argument has come full circle since his original comment started most of it.

I'm done with the whole "collusion" cliche. I won't bring it up again unless somebody else does. Maybe I'll do it for laughs when Marc makes the All Star team. :lol

I remember that and completely agreed with you Allanon. Not sure why the other Lakers fans were so against it. I guess they can't see beyond today.

[PGDynasty24]

They cheated. I don't care about the talent, they had to pull the bullshit signing of Aaron McKie to make the contracts work. I'm sorry, it might be legal, but it's cheating. It's clearly stated to be "frowned upon" by the league, but it's the Lakers and Stern's a pussy.

like your trade for jefferson where you gave up a player that was bought out and then retired and u gave away that 40 year old center. we gave up a 11 million expiring and one of the best young center