Memphis owner now questions value of Gasol deal

[ducks]

For months now, maybe the man most responsible for Los Angeles’ championship run has been ripped over the Pau Gasol trade. The mere mention of suspicions over Memphis’ motives gets the Grizzlies owner’s voice rising on the telephone, gets him going on the gossip that suggests something unseemly happened on the way to a Lakers renaissance.

Michael Heisley starts to ask, well, who is ripping Minnesota for the Kevin Garnett trade?

How about Seattle and Ray Allen?

“Is anybody jumping on Popovich in San Antonio because he traded that center to Houston for virtually nothing?” Heisley wondered.

Heisley was talking about Luis Scola, the forward, whom had been a long-ago draft pick of the Spurs. Only problem was, Scola never played a minute for the four-time champions. Gasol was the Grizzlies’ franchise player, and it was Spurs coach Gregg Popovich saying on the record what most of his peers had only the guts to say without attribution: What in the world was Memphis management thinking on the Gasol trade?

When much of the league was determined to make a serious bid for the 7-footer, how could Memphis settle so long before the February trade deadline for such a paltry offer out of the Lakers?

For the first time, even Heisley wondered whether his general manager, Chris Wallace, blew it by caving so soon to the Lakers.

“I don’t know if I got the most value,” Heisley confessed. “Maybe our people should’ve shopped (Gasol) more and maybe we would’ve gotten more, done a better deal. Maybe Chris did call every team in the league. I don’t think he did, but maybe he should’ve…”

Around the league, nothing will change this belief: Whatever the reasoning, this was one of the NBA’s worst trades in years. Most of all, rival executives wonder why they never had a chance to submit a best offer. For Gasol, the 7-footer who transformed the Lakers in the absence of Andrew Bynum, the Grizzlies were willing to take back the expiring contract of Kwame Brown, rookie point guard Javaris Crittenton, two future No. 1 picks and the draft rights to Gasol’s brother, Marc.

Crittenton is nothing special, and those draft picks in 2008 and 2010 will be near, if not at the end of, the first round. Gasol had demanded a trade out of Memphis, had been moping around, giving less than his best. Yes, he had to go, but you don’t trade your franchise player without getting back a minimum of a sure-thing young star and/or two solid young starters. For Memphis, salary-cap space will probably turn out to be money that’ll never make it back into the roster.

The one-sided nature of the trade inspired a lot of people to believe that retired Memphis GM, Jerry West, a Lakers’ legend, played a part in facilitating the deal. West was instrumental recruiting Wallace as his replacement in Memphis and still holds a close relationship with Heisley. His history in Los Angeles, especially his bond with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and star Kobe Bryant, made even the fair-minded cynical about the scenario.

Several sources close to the process insist West played no part, and Heisley swears, “Jerry didn’t know about the trade until after it was done.”

Still, it hasn’t stopped a rampant anger around the league that this wasn’t so much of a trade, as much as it was the word that Bryant himself used: a “donation.” Privately, the Lakers were thrilled that they were able to keep negotiations with the Grizzlies quiet because Los Angeles officials were blown away that they could get Gasol for so little.

One source with knowledge of the process said the Bulls had made the most credible offer. For Gasol and Memphis’ Hakim Warrick, the Bulls were willing to part with Andres Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah, Thabo Sefolosha, possibly Adrian Griffin and draft picks.

Heisley didn’t offer up those names, but insisted, “Chicago wouldn’t offer us any of their good, core players,” he said. “Our people told me that we weren’t able to get equal trade value for Gasol and that we needed to do a deal that would give us cap space and draft picks. It was no secret in the league that we were considering offers for him, but the Lakers were the one team that stepped up.”

Heisley has been losing money in Memphis, a small market where the franchise has come to flounder. He tried to sell the team, but no one has reached his asking price. Around the league there are those who believe that Wallace was forced to turn the Gasol trade into a salary dump, and there are league officials, including a close friend, who believe, “There is no way that Chris ever would’ve made that trade on his own.”

“I have no buyer’s remorse,” Heisley said. “Listen, I can’t tell you how many people would tell me, wherever I went in Memphis, ‘Get rid of Gasol. …Trade Gasol.’ And then some of the same people are booing us because we traded him. But I don’t mind that. I’m a big boy. I can take it.”

He could live with watching Gasol playing an immense part in bringing the Lakers to the Finals, but he just wonders: When do we get our just reward for gutting this roster, for relentless futility? He keeps watching teams with better records get the luck of the bouncing balls in the draft lottery and the Grizzlies never get that transcendent player to save the franchise’s fortunes. Memphis missed on LeBron James and just one year ago, with the worst record in the sport, they still didn’t get a top two pick to take Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.

“We’ve been in the lottery more than anyone in the NBA, and we’ve definitely had the worst record twice as much as anyone else,” Heisley said. “This is sure a fantastic system we have – isn’t it? – where we’ve never gotten the No. 1 pick. Our ticket sales just stopped last year when we didn’t get one of the top picks. What’s the sense in of all this?”

The Grizzlies have been waiting for something, for someone to save them – maybe the bouncing the ball, maybe dumb luck – but they’ve done little to help themselves. The owner of the Memphis Grizzlies says, yes, come to him with criticism for the Gasol trade because he had the power to stop it. Now, he’s watched the Lakers rush to the NBA Finals, the immense impact Gasol has had with Bryant, and he’s asking the same question the rest of the league hasn’t stopped grumbling for months.

Did the Grizzlies get the best value possible for Pau Gasol?

“I don’t know if I got the most value,” he said.:lol:lol:lol:lol

Even so, you get the idea that, yes, the man most responsible for the Lakers’ championship run does know now.

Between February and now, that truth hasn’t changed. The answer’s still the same.

No way.

Not even close.

[exstatic]

Buzz Aldrin forum.

[ducks]

One source with knowledge of the process said the Bulls had made the most credible offer. For Gasol and Memphis’ Hakim Warrick, the Bulls were willing to part with Andres Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah, Thabo Sefolosha, possibly Adrian Griffin and draft picks.

[ducks]

What The Hell Was The Gm Of Mem Thinking

[Mr. Body]

This guy is as stupid, incompetent, and insiderish as George Bush.

[ducks]

this guy makes isiah thomas look like a genius

[SPURSGOAT]

this guy makes isiah thomas look like a genius

:lol:lol:lol

[T Park]

This guy is as stupid, incompetent, and insiderish as George Bush.

This coming from the person who doesn't understand buyouts.

[v2freak]

A donation? Haha

That's pretty accurate. Make a huge donation, file a tax return and get a little bit back. The Grizzlies got so little in return, that's what it's beginning to look like.

[Spur-Addict]

This coming from the person who doesn't understand buyouts.

YIKES!!!.......:wow

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

What The Hell Was The Gm Of Mem Thinking



Go Lakers!

[Avitus1]

No wonder the Grizzlies suck so hard.

[Blackjack]

What??? Kwame isn't equal value....

Well, at least they'll have all that cap space to not sign a marquee free-agent. :lmao

[Russ]

Whether it's a fantasy league or the NBA, you're always at the mercy of your dumbest owner. :rolleyes

[spursfan98]

Kwame is not equal to Gasol??? I did not knoww that....

[Blackjack]

Kwame is not equal to Gasol??? I did not knoww that....

You aint the only one... :lmao

[spursfan98]

You aint the only one... :lmao

I thought Kwame was a beast!
:lol

[Blackjack]

I thought Kwame was a beast!
:lol

Maybe beasts just aren't worth a damn when it comes to basketball. :lol

[spursfan98]

Maybe beasts just aren't worth a damn when it comes to basketball. :lol

Apparently not no one seems to want Kwame. Exept 4 the grizzlies... They traded their best player 4 him:lol

[YellowFever]

The guy wanted to dump salaries and Kwame had a huge one and it goes off the book this off-season.


Of course Chicago offered a much better deal but then those would be contracts Memphis would be stuck with.

You'd be fooling yourself if you think every owner has the ultimate goal of winning a championship as their number one goal.

If it happens, fine, they'll take it but obviously Memphis can't win and they're not going to go out of their ways to add on more contracts for a chance to win.

[angelbelow]

well what do you know.

[The Truth #6]

I had thought it was a firesale because the owner wanted to sell the team. I'm not sure if that's still true but it makes the most sense. That trade won't endear the fan base.

[MoSpur]

Two words: Jerry West

[2centsworth]

all this tells me is that the spurs may of had of chance at trading splitter, Ian, + some expiring contracts for Gasol.

[MoSpur]

all this tells me is that the spurs may of had of chance at trading splitter, Ian, + some expiring contracts for Gasol.


Nah. Jerry West wouldn't have done it.

[BacktoBasics]

WHEN ARE WE FUCKING GOING TO BE DONE TALKING ABOUT THIS.

It was a good trade for Memphis. They were able to free their entire franchise to rebuild around a great SG and PG. You have to give to get. They basically moved this guy for whoever it is that they pick up in FA this year or next so you don't really truely know what the full value of the trade is.

You people have this unbelievable ability to not see the forrest from the trees.

[LakerLanny]

Don't worry, Mitch Kupchak is going to make it right by sending them Chris Mihm for Hakim Warrick this summer!

[Mr. Body]

This coming from the person who doesn't understand buyouts.

:lol

Getting chippy when your boy Bushie gets a chuck?

:lol

[SenorSpur]

I've never uttered one bad word about former Fakers and Grizz GM, Jerry West, but I will now.

Even though his hand-picked successor, Chris Wallace, pulled the trigger on this deal to send Gasol to the Fakers, I have no doubt that West brokered the deal. Based upon his lingering connections with the organization and with Kobe, how could he not be culpable. After all, it was Koke who was clamoring last summer to have West rejoin the Fakers organization. West is an unethical punk-ass for having orchestrated this fire sale.

[Fake Dynasty]

Of course he'd question the trade now that Pau is in the Finals.

[sedale threatt]

There was no conspiracy, West had nothing to do with it, and my Spurs brothers who keep saying otherwise are clowning themselves.

Here's a great picture of Jerry and Bootsy:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j314/backsliding/jerry_west_bootsy_collins_sm180.jpg

[Twisted_Dawg]

“Is anybody jumping on Bufford in San Antonio because he traded that center to Houston for virtually nothing?” Heisley wondered.

....Fixed.

[spursfan98]

Don't worry, Mitch Kupchak is going to make it right by sending them Chris Mihm for Hakim Warrick this summer!

Yeah and yall are also getting Artest, Baron Davis and everyone else yall cant afford

[K-State Spur]

“Is anybody jumping on Bufford in San Antonio because he traded that center to Houston for virtually nothing?” Heisley wondered.

....Fixed.

Not to defend that trade in the slightest - but we shopped Scola for 2 years and couldn't get anybody to offer anything of remote value in exchange for him.

[jack sommerset]

Who pulled the trigger on the trade? You or Pop?

[21_Blessings]

Not to defend that trade in the slightest - but we shopped Scola for 2 years and couldn't get anybody to offer anything of remote value in exchange for him.

Just like Memphis shopped Gasol for 2 years

[21_Blessings]

Yeah and yall are also getting Artest, Baron Davis and everyone else yall cant afford

Can't afford? Please. Jerry Buss wipes the jizz off his hookers with Benjamin Franklin's face.

[Twisted_Dawg]

Not to defend that trade in the slightest - but we shopped Scola for 2 years and couldn't get anybody to offer anything of remote value in exchange for him.

That is what the Spurs have always tried to make people believe. Just like they originally said Scola could never play with Tim. The summer of 2006 the Spurs negotiated with Scola but his buy out was still too large. So to say the Spurs shopped him for two years...I do not buy it. Bufford may have briefly shopped him last summer before making that horrific trade with the Rockets.

[Mulletino]

David Stern happened in this trade

[K-State Spur]

That is what the Spurs have always tried to make people believe. Just like they originally said Scola could never play with Tim. The summer of 2006 the Spurs negotiated with Scola but his buy out was still too large. So to say the Spurs shopped him for two years...I do not buy it. Bufford may have briefly shopped him last summer before making that horrific trade with the Rockets.

You can believe whatever you want regarding how the Spurs dealt with Scola personally...

there were many rumors on this board that they were looking to move Scola as early as the 2006 draft, but couldn't get anybody to pony up a 1st or even an early 2nd round pick for him.

but from the franchise's standpoint - do you REALLY think that they would have taken that deal if it wasn't the best one available to them? the Spurs came out looking terrible in that deal - no doubt. But obviously nobody else saw his game translating this well to the NBA either, otherwise those teams would have easily trumped the Rockets offer.

[TypicalSpursHater]

Can't afford? Please. Jerry Buss wipes the jizz off his hookers with Benjamin Franklin's face.

Yeah!!! The cap doesnt matter spursfan!!!

[K-State Spur]

Just like Memphis shopped Gasol for 2 years

Memphis still had weeks until the trading deadline. There was no reason to push the panic button.

At best, it's just complete idiocy by Wallace.

[ChumpDumper]

Can't afford? Please. Jerry Buss wipes the jizz off his hookers with Benjamin Franklin's face.Please. I remember when they waived Brian Shaw midseason so they could force him to re-sign for the minimum.

Every owner has his limit.

[TypicalSpursHater]

Please. I remember when they waived Brian Shaw midseason so they could force him to re-sign for the minimum.

Every owner has his limit.

Well our owner is much richer than yalls so we can get anybody

[ChumpDumper]

Well our owner is much richer than yalls so we can get anybodyNot anybody.

Lame attempt at a forum run, BTW.

[TypicalSpursHater]

Not anybody.

Lame attempt at a forum run, BTW.

name 1 player we couldnt get if we wanted

[Twisted_Dawg]

You can believe whatever you want regarding how the Spurs dealt with Scola personally...

there were many rumors on this board that they were looking to move Scola as early as the 2006 draft, but couldn't get anybody to pony up a 1st or even an early 2nd round pick for him.

but from the franchise's standpoint - do you REALLY think that they would have taken that deal if it wasn't the best one available to them? the Spurs came out looking terrible in that deal - no doubt. But obviously nobody else saw his game translating this well to the NBA either, otherwise those teams would have easily trumped the Rockets offer.

I think they solely made that deal to dump Jackie Butler and his contract. And to do so, they had to sweeten the deal with Scola. They had just drafted Splitter thinking he would fill Scola's spot.

The first mistake was Pop EVER listening to that worm Larry Brown who praised and recommneded Butler. Ironic that Butler made less money that what we signed Matt Bonner to.

Hey, Pop was also mad we gave away Scola to Houston. It is clear he also thinks Bufford fucked up royally...which he did.

[ChumpDumper]

name 1 player we couldnt get if we wantedTim Duncan.

[TypicalSpursHater]

Tim Duncan.

first of all we wouldnt want him.
second, im sure if he were a FA he would choose LA because we just shut his team down...

[ChumpDumper]

first of all we wouldnt want him.
second, im sure if he were a FA he would choose LA because we just shut his team down...He has been a free agent twice.

Lakers didn't get him.

[TypicalSpursHater]

He has been a free agent twice.

Lakers didn't get him.

Oh well. He's too old anyways

[K-State Spur]

I think they solely made that deal to dump Jackie Butler and his contract. And to do so, they had to sweeten the deal with Scola. They had just drafted Splitter thinking he would fill Scola's spot.


Exactly. That was Scola's value on the open market - getting a team to eat Jackie Butler's deal.

Nobody was willing to eat Butler's deal and offer any value in exchange for Luis.

[Lakers08Champs]

haha too late now, NO REFUNDS! :lol

[ChumpDumper]

True enough. Bitching about it won't do anything. Memphis has always been a poorly run organization -- even when the "great" Jerry West was in charge.

[Mulletino]

He has been a free agent twice.

Lakers didn't get him.

It's not that ya'll didn't want him, it's that ya'll didn't stand a chance on getting him.
Besides, if he would have gone over there, Kobe would demand a trade because there is no room for 2 superstars. That's what he did with Snaq.

[spurs50_]

It does not take a genius to realize something shady went down when this `trade` was made. I have to wonder if pop also feels he didn't get equal value with the scola trade.

[ChumpDumper]

Of course the Spurs didn't get equal value for the Scola trade. It was a salary dump.

[sedale threatt]

Did New Orleans get equal value when they sent Baron Davis to Golden State for Dale Davis and Speedy Claxton? Baron Davis . . UCLA . . Los Angeles . . . sounds like Jerry West may have been involved in this "trade" too.

[Mulletino]

The NBA even screwed the kids because Pau Gasol is further from Sesame Street now.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn64/Mulletino_photos/TherecanonlybeoneBIGBIRD.jpg

[cherylsteele]

Oh well. He's too old anyways
Lakers signed Derek Fisher, he is older than Tim.

[Capt Bringdown]

but from the franchise's standpoint - do you REALLY think that they would have taken that deal if it wasn't the best one available to them?

Yes. It was a horrible miscalculation. Hard to believe anyone would believe Bonner has more upside potential than Scola, but we did.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

He's now questioning it?
Did it go like this?:
February: We trade Gasol to Lakers for Kwame Brown.
March: Nothing.
April: Nothing.
May: Nothing.
June: Wait... what the fuck was I thinking?

[21_Blessings]

Of course the Spurs didn't get equal value for the Scola trade. It was a salary dump.

So was the gasol trade. Salary dump which will allow them to sign an all-star type player and they got two prospects and two picks out the deal as well.

[picnroll]

Did New Orleans get equal value when they sent Baron Davis to Golden State for Dale Davis and Speedy Claxton? Baron Davis . . UCLA . . Los Angeles . . . sounds like Jerry West may have been involved in this "trade" too.

Lakers' fans seem to top the list of those too stupid to figure out how to go to the control panel and select their favorite team to list in their profile. Why am I not surprised?

[ShoogarBear]

http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/images/2006/1775/44bf7e1fbaf37_md.jpg

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

:lmao

[pauls931]

Salary dump. What I hate about the trade is it also had the effect of making Dallas and Phoenix implode in the west taking questionable actions. I know people cited the Spurs as the reason for the Shaq trade, but I think the Gasol deal pushed it to the tipping point.(heck the Spurs even picked up Tim overrated Thomas) Memphis didn't care about winning or the effect they would have on this league. The owner wants to sell and by the time they're good, Gasol will be retired.

[ShoogarBear]

He's now questioning it?
Did it go like this?:
February: We trade Gasol to Lakers for Kwame Brown.
March: Nothing.
April: Nothing.
May: Nothing.
June: Wait... what the fuck was I thinking?

More like

February: We trade Gasol to Lakers for Kwame Brown? Okay, if you say so, Jerry.
March: Nothing.
April: Nothing.
May: Nothing.
June: Wait... Jerry hasn't worked for us since when?

[BOHOLANO#21]

Salary dump. What I hate about the trade is it also had the effect of making Dallas and Phoenix implode in the west taking questionable actions. I know people cited the Spurs as the reason for the Shaq trade, but I think the Gasol deal pushed it to the tipping point.(heck the Spurs even picked up Tim overrated Thomas) Memphis didn't care about winning or the effect they would have on this league. The owner wants to sell and by the time they're good, Gasol will be retired.
just curious, when did the spurs picked up tim thomas?:wow

[ShoogarBear]

They got him in the Damon Jones deal.

[Natural Science]

Another piece to this trade that is conveniently left out - the Lakers included the "retired" Aaron McKie to the deal. He had no intention of returning to play in the NBA and didn't play a single game with Memphis. But the league approved the deal because he made a "good-faith effort" to return as a player. If he had said that he didn't want to return, they couldn't have used him the trade. And if he wasn't included, the trade as it stands would not have happened.

Would they have added someone else to replace his salary? Who knows? But this part of the trade is as questionable as the rest of it.

[Allanon]

Although this deal hasn't panned out, it still has potential.

Critter has probably the biggest upside of any young player you don't know about. He's a big guard with show-stopping handles and the quickness of Monta Ellis. He has talent no doubt but can they hone his skills. He's wild but has already shown flashes of brilliance that would rival Kevin Durant.

Marc Gasol, from what I've seen is a solid young player. He's not quick but he's big, strong with decent skill. Probably a low end NBA starting center right now with potential to be a decent center.

Right now, the deal looks crazy but so did Pau's paycheck for a perennial loser. But in the future, I think it won't look bad at all.

[GSH]

Several sources close to the process insist West played no part, and Heisley swears, “Jerry didn’t know about the trade until after it was done.”


"The Grizzlies got what they wanted out of the deal." That smacks of urban legend. Like, "A guy traded his Bentley straight up for my friend's Hyundai. The guy said that all he wanted was better gas mileage." High school students tell those stories to each other - and a few mentally defective adults. If your kid comes home with a new $800 bicycle, and tells you that he traded his $50 skateboard for it, you probably aren't going to believe it. If you do, you're either hopelessly naive, or you don't want to look at the unpleasant truth.

I hear people talk about Occam's Razor - the idea that "all other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best one". And that line of reasoning always rules out any sort of conspiracy. Because conspiracies are, by nature, complex. But the problem is, we know that sometimes people conspire.

The other problem is, everything here isn't equal. On the one hand, we have the idea that Jerry West greased the wheels to help out his first love - the Lakers. On the other hand, the new Memphis GM threw away millions of dollars and the future of his team, because it just didn't occur to him to pick up the telephone. Those two theories aren't equal. The first may be unpleasant to think about. But at least it doesn't insult your intelligence to consider, like the second one does.

How is it easier to believe that Mitch Kupchak http://www.firemitchkupchak.com/ :http://hoopshype.com/general_managers/mitch_kupchak.htm went from idiot to genius overnight, than to believe that Jerry West had a hand in things? For that matter, how can anyone think that the league believed that Aaron McKie was going to play for Memphis?

[T Park]

Marc Gasol, from what I've seen is a solid young player. He's not quick but he's big, strong with decent skill. Probably a low end NBA starting center right now with potential to be a decent center.



Actually, from what I've read, he seems to be a damn damn good player.

[GSH]

Did New Orleans get equal value when they sent Baron Davis to Golden State for Dale Davis and Speedy Claxton? Baron Davis . . UCLA . . Los Angeles . . . sounds like Jerry West may have been involved in this "trade" too.

How quickly they forget. Baron Davis didn't want to be in New Orleans, because they were losers. And he essentially refused to play for them. He faked injuries (yes, some were legit) and stayed on the bench when he was perfectly healthy. Anyone who followed the game knew that he was faking, to force their hand on a trade.

His attitude problem was so obvious, and so well-known that he did interviews where he said that he "wasn't uncoachable". http://hoopshype.com/interviews/davis_narducci.htm That was because it was widely accepted that he was a serious risk due to his attitude. And that made him worth a lot less in any potential trade. New Orleans got what they could for him. And there were still plenty of questions about whether Golden State was stupid for taking him.

You can't even compare the two scenarios. Baron Davis screwed New Orleans, not some back-door deal.

[wildbill2u]

this guy makes isiah thomas look like a genius

Come on, comparing him to Isaiah is demeaning to the title of worst GM in the league.

You can't judge his one really bad trade against a career legacy of bad trades by Isaiah.

[Mr. Body]

Although this deal hasn't panned out, it still has potential.

Critter has probably the biggest upside of any young player you don't know about. He's a big guard with show-stopping handles and the quickness of Monta Ellis. He has talent no doubt but can they hone his skills. He's wild but has already shown flashes of brilliance that would rival Kevin Durant.

Marc Gasol, from what I've seen is a solid young player. He's not quick but he's big, strong with decent skill. Probably a low end NBA starting center right now with potential to be a decent center.

Right now, the deal looks crazy but so did Pau's paycheck for a perennial loser. But in the future, I think it won't look bad at all.

This is retarded.

Also, I know about 'Critter' and you're a retard for pimping him.

[Allanon]

This is retarded.

Also, I know about 'Critter' and you're a retard for pimping him.

Obviously, you don't know "Critter" if you don't think he's worth mentioning. Look at this year's draft and tell me a player after the first 5 draft picks who's definitely better than him.

With Marc Gasol and Critter, the Griz basically got 2 top 10 draft picks this year.

[Mikesatx]

Bump:

Every run at a title for LA with their current group should have this thread re-hashed.

[silverblk mystix]

it is still sickening

[vander]

people must keep talking about this, it must be what is remembered from the 2008-2011 NBA era. the era of corruption...

[ShoogarBear]

Critter has probably the biggest upside of any young player you don't know about. He's a big guard with show-stopping handles and the quickness of Monta Ellis. He has talent no doubt but can they hone his skills. He's wild but has already shown flashes of brilliance that would rival Kevin Durant.

Holy crap. :lmao

[Mikesatx]

He's the same guy that was playing guns with Arenas right?

[024]

Holy crap. :lmao
:lol

what's amusing is that after they traded away gasol, they trade for randolph who makes the same salary with the same amount of years left, claiming they need a low post scorer. wtf?

[sabar]

Obviously, you don't know "Critter" if you don't think he's worth mentioning. Look at this year's draft and tell me a player after the first 5 draft picks who's definitely better than him.

With Marc Gasol and Critter, the Griz basically got 2 top 10 draft picks this year.

With a deal that good, L.A. should of stood pat!

[m33p0]

to memphis owner:

a bit late, don't you thunk?

[thispego]

hence, the reason why no one will take anything the lakers do seriously until the current team is dissolved. gasol for nothing :lmao

kobe was right, gasol was a donation, the only cost is illegitimate success. *finals appearances and championships.

[Chubby_Love]

It's a slippery slope when it comes to this subject because Memphis wasn't doing anything with Gasol, and the NBA needed to make Kobe "Diva" Bryant happy, so this trade is still one of the worst trades ever. Kwame Brown is not equal to anything, but at least this gives Memphis a chance to rebuild.

[21_Blessings]

Spur fan's butt still sore?

Funny that. Memphis couldn't be more happy with the trade yet you're still crying about it.

lol Rodman to the Bulls for shit

[Whisky Dog]

Although this deal hasn't panned out, it still has potential.

Critter has probably the biggest upside of any young player you don't know about. He's a big guard with show-stopping handles and the quickness of Monta Ellis. He has talent no doubt but can they hone his skills. He's wild but has already shown flashes of brilliance that would rival Kevin Durant.

Marc Gasol, from what I've seen is a solid young player. He's not quick but he's big, strong with decent skill. Probably a low end NBA starting center right now with potential to be a decent center.

Right now, the deal looks crazy but so did Pau's paycheck for a perennial loser. But in the future, I think it won't look bad at all.

What a fucking homer take this was. Incredible I thought this kid was better than that.

[Fabbs]

hence, the reason why no one will take anything the lakers do seriously until the current team is dissolved. gasol for nothing :lmao

kobe was right, gasol was a donation, the only cost is illegitimate success. *finals appearances and championships.
nicely done


With a deal that good, L.A. should of stood pat!
21_Sniffings and suchlike Kobe sheep will need to spin this. :lol

[TwoHandJam]

For me the day that farce of a trade went down was the day the NBA became fully comparable to the WWE. The league had already been spiraling downward for years with the quality of its product, especially the officiating. After that overt move to prop up one of the NBA's biggest markets that was floundering, I don't watch the league with the same eye anymore.

It isn't completely scripted but the storyline is largely already written.

[baseline bum]

Spur fan's butt still sore?

Funny that. Memphis couldn't be more happy with the trade yet you're still crying about it.

lol Rodman to the Bulls for shit

The Bulls are the only team out there that would touch Rodman after he sabotaged the 95 WCF.

[Cane]

Just wait until LA gets Chris Bosh for DJ Mbenga and always-injured Bynum....

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I'd love to continue to agree with hating on this trade, but with Marc Gasol's emergence the trade doesn't look nearly so bad. The 2008 pick turned into Darrell Arthur (a good defender and serviceable bench player), the 2010 pick is as yet undecided. Crittendon went nowhere.

Still looks pretty bad, but nowhere near as bad as it did at the time given that Marc is now a legit 15/8 NBA centre.

[MmP]

The Pau vs Mark comparson cannot be done. LA recieved a proven Center against a yet to arrive to the NBA Mark Gasol could have gone either way in LA.

[Mel_13]

I'd love to continue to agree with hating on this trade, but with Marc Gasol's emergence the trade doesn't look nearly so bad. The 2008 pick turned into Darrell Arthur (a good defender and serviceable bench player), the 2010 pick is as yet undecided. Crittendon went nowhere.

Still looks pretty bad, but nowhere near as bad as it did at the time given that Marc is now a legit 15/8 NBA centre.

With benefit of hindsight, the trade looks a little better. My problem with the trade was always the timing.

The trade was completed 3 weeks before the trade deadline. To say that Memphis did not exercise due diligence in getting the best possible return for Gasol is quite an understatement.

Of course, it's all irrelevant. The trade was approved by the league and the rest is history. Time to move on.

[ducks]

the trade should never been approve stern has no balls

[21_Blessings]

The Bulls are the only team out there that would touch Rodman after he sabotaged the 95 WCF.

Hakeem just punked Robinson like he always did. Get over it.

[PublicOption]

ok jerry west says ok lakers you get gasol

ok kevin mchale says oh yeah if your helping your old team I will help mine you get kevin garnett.

and the league says $$$$$


its easy to figure this on eout if you use commun fucking sense.

[silverblk mystix]

the ONLY way this would have been CLOSE to being fair is if the grizzlies would have made the finals once or twice in the last 2-3 years---THEN you could claim that it was a fair trade.

[TFloss32]

Just wait until LA gets Chris Bosh for DJ Mbenga and always-injured Bynum....

I'm waiting for this one too (especially if they lose to Boston and the LA bigs get punked like they did in '08)...

[Spurminator]

This trade was bullshit, and so was the Garnett trade. Fuck this league.

[rascal]

Although this deal hasn't panned out, it still has potential.

Critter has probably the biggest upside of any young player you don't know about. He's a big guard with show-stopping handles and the quickness of Monta Ellis. He has talent no doubt but can they hone his skills. He's wild but has already shown flashes of brilliance that would rival Kevin Durant.

Marc Gasol, from what I've seen is a solid young player. He's not quick but he's big, strong with decent skill. Probably a low end NBA starting center right now with potential to be a decent center.

Right now, the deal looks crazy but so did Pau's paycheck for a perennial loser. But in the future, I think it won't look bad at all.


Sure it will.

[rascal]

It's a slippery slope when it comes to this subject because Memphis wasn't doing anything with Gasol, and the NBA needed to make Kobe "Diva" Bryant happy, so this trade is still one of the worst trades ever. Kwame Brown is not equal to anything, but at least this gives Memphis a chance to rebuild.

Memphis has been rebuilding for years with or without that trade. They don't know how to build a winner.

[rascal]

The spurs front office needed to step up with some good moves but they didn't. Instead they watched the Lakers pass them by.

[21_Blessings]

The spurs front office needed to step up with some good moves but they didn't. Instead they watched the Lakers pass them by.

:tu

[TheChillFactor]

The spurs front office needed to step up with some good moves but they didn't. Instead they watched the Lakers pass them by.

i was just thinking this over the weekend. The Spurs were on top of the world in the summer of 07 and the Lakers were crap. Then they gave away Scola and the Lakers stole Gasol and LA passed them.

how embarrassing for Pop to call them out. worry about your own damn team and putting the best squad out there, not what other teams are doing. They didn't even get anything back with that damn trade, they just gave Scola away.

those two moves put them behind the Lakers, and they haven't recovered yet.

[Spurminator]

Yeah all the Spurs needed to do was luck into a dumb GM calling them (and only them) offering an All Star for their leftovers!

[Cane]

Yeah all the Spurs needed to do was luck into a dumb GM calling them (and only them) offering an All Star for their leftovers!

:tu

Not to mention it was three weeks before the deadline.

[21_Blessings]

Common knowledge Gasol on was the chopping block. That's no excuse.

[rascal]

The spurs need to get someone in the front office that knows how to improve the team with trades. That is one area the spurs have done next to nothing in improving the team.

[Cane]

Common knowledge Gasol on was the chopping block. That's no excuse.

No excuse not to wait until the deadline. Common knowledge you wait out since thats when the real deals come in.

[clubalien]

“We’ve been in the lottery more than anyone in the NBA, and we’ve definitely had the worst record twice as much as anyone else,” Heisley said. “This is sure a fantastic system we have – isn’t it? – where we’ve never gotten the No. 1 pick. Our ticket sales just stopped last year when we didn’t get one of the top picks. What’s the sense in of all this?”


more proof that the lottery is rigged
how else do spurs get david,tim
and clevland gets lebron

[mytespurs]

The spurs front office needed to step up with some good moves but they didn't. Instead they watched the Lakers pass them by.

Easier said than done! :hat

[galvatron3000]

“Maybe our people should’ve shopped (Gasol) more and maybe we would’ve gotten more, done a better deal. Maybe Chris did call every team in the league. I don’t think he did, but maybe he should’ve…”


:depressed:ihit

[admiralsnackbar]

The spurs need to get someone in the front office that knows how to improve the team with trades. That is one area the spurs have done next to nothing in improving the team.

When your team philosophy generally consists of explicitly underpaying the best players and stocking the rest of the roster with cheap high-value role-players, you tie your own hands as far as trade fodder goes. Who are you going to trade Manu for (at his salary) and get back equivalent value? Nobody. And even Mason... he had a much bigger year his first season with the Spurs than his salary suggested he would. Maybe the FO could've bundled him with Bonner for some scraps, but the fact that Mase's stock tanked last year made him useless for trade purposes anyway... can't blame the FO for that.

The only real trade we were able to do recently was get Jefferson, but that was at the cost of gutting our roster and eating a completely over-valued contract. Because of this, he's our only real trade chip going into the season that could realistically net us a better player than the one being shipped out in terms of price/performance. People may want to add Tony to the list of assets, but I still question whether we would get equivalent value in return for his contract.

Then there's the fact that, while trading-up is always exciting, it is often a cosmetic change to cover up a dysfunctional team dynamic. For every Gasol/Garnett trade that nets a title, there are countless exchanges that lead to nothing (Dallas, Cleveland, Portland, etc. etc. etc.) Prior to the Celtics/Lakers reboot era, Spurs, Detroit, and Lakers won by retaining un-glamorous role-players, drafting well, and building on strong team play.

[rascal]

When your team philosophy generally consists of explicitly underpaying the best players and stocking the rest of the roster with cheap high-value role-players, you tie your own hands as far as trade fodder goes. Who are you going to trade Manu for (at his salary) and get back equivalent value? Nobody. And even Mason... he had a much bigger year his first season with the Spurs than his salary suggested he would. Maybe the FO could've bundled him with Bonner for some scraps, but the fact that Mase's stock tanked last year made him useless for trade purposes anyway... can't blame the FO for that.

The only real trade we were able to do recently was get Jefferson, but that was at the cost of gutting our roster and eating a completely over-valued contract. Because of this, he's our only real trade chip going into the season that could realistically net us a better player than the one being shipped out in terms of price/performance. People may want to add Tony to the list of assets, but I still question whether we would get equivalent value in return for his contract.

Then there's the fact that, while trading-up is always exciting, it is often a cosmetic change to cover up a dysfunctional team dynamic. For every Gasol/Garnett trade that nets a title, there are countless exchanges that lead to nothing (Dallas, Cleveland, Portland, etc. etc. etc.) Prior to the Celtics/Lakers reboot era, Spurs, Detroit, and Lakers won by retaining un-glamorous role-players, drafting well, and building on strong team play.


Detroit traded for R Wallace. The Lakers built their teams from free agency and trades. Shaq Horry Artest Bryant were not drafted by the lakers. the spurs get their players through the draft with little from trades and free agency

The spurs had chances at times to get Barkley, Sprewell and R Wallace on the cheap and didn't. Every year teams get good players with trades. Dallas turned their team around without the benefit of getting Robinson and Duncan which are franchise centers. Without those lucky draft picks the spurs would have never even come close to a title.

[rascal]

When your team philosophy generally consists of explicitly underpaying the best players and stocking the rest of the roster with cheap high-value role-players, you tie your own hands as far as trade fodder goes. Who are you going to trade Manu for (at his salary) and get back equivalent value? Nobody. And even Mason... he had a much bigger year his first season with the Spurs than his salary suggested he would. Maybe the FO could've bundled him with Bonner for some scraps, but the fact that Mase's stock tanked last year made him useless for trade purposes anyway... can't blame the FO for that.

The only real trade we were able to do recently was get Jefferson, but that was at the cost of gutting our roster and eating a completely over-valued contract. Because of this, he's our only real trade chip going into the season that could realistically net us a better player than the one being shipped out in terms of price/performance. People may want to add Tony to the list of assets, but I still question whether we would get equivalent value in return for his contract.

Then there's the fact that, while trading-up is always exciting, it is often a cosmetic change to cover up a dysfunctional team dynamic. For every Gasol/Garnett trade that nets a title, there are countless exchanges that lead to nothing (Dallas, Cleveland, Portland, etc. etc. etc.) Prior to the Celtics/Lakers reboot era, Spurs, Detroit, and Lakers won by retaining un-glamorous role-players, drafting well, and building on strong team play.


You said it. The spurs are cheap.

[admiralsnackbar]

You said it. The spurs are cheap.

They have to be, unfortunately.

[admiralsnackbar]

Detroit traded for R Wallace. The Lakers built their teams from free agency and trades. Shaq Horry Artest Bryant were not drafted by the lakers. the spurs get their players through the draft with little from trades and free agency

The spurs had chances at times to get Barkley, Sprewell and R Wallace on the cheap and didn't. Every year teams get good players with trades. Dallas turned their team around without the benefit of getting Robinson and Duncan which are franchise centers. Without those lucky draft picks the spurs would have never even come close to a title.

Could've had Spree when he was a shell of his former self. Same with Barks. Could've got Wallace (and you're unhappy we didn't? :lol )

Also, there's a difference between being a highly desirable FA city like LA, and having a great FO, don't you think?

[rascal]

Could've had Spree when he was a shell of his former self. Same with Barks. Could've got Wallace (and you're unhappy we didn't? :lol )

Also, there's a difference between being a highly desirable FA city like LA, and having a great FO, don't you think?


No, Sprewell was still good when the spurs could have gotten him. Sprewell before he went to the Knicks was a good player, Spurs had interest then but didn't pull the trigger. he went to the Knicks and helped get them to the finals in 1999. Spree still had some good years even after that and would have helped the spurs in 2000-2002 when the lakers won their 3 peat.


R Wallace was traded 3 times before this last time. The last couple of years he was finished but the time to get him was before that, when detroit got him and he helped then get a title.

Don't understand the logic of your last question. The lakers have a history of success and that is on their front office. The Clippers also play in LA but you don't hear top free agents wanting to go there.

[Mel_13]

Jerry West just said on NBA TV that Grizz would have got more for Gasol if they shopped him around. "I don't know why the did that (deal)."

http://twitter.com/johnschuhmann

The logo has spoken.

[spurs50_]

Did Jerry West wink when he said this?

[Mr Bones]

With the emergence of Marc Gasol the trade doesn't look quite as bad as it once did, but even so, you have to question Memphis for basically making the Lakers a guaranteed powerhouse for at least the next half decade... even with Memphis's nice improvement as a team, they still have little hope of ever getting past the monster they helped create, and have pretty much guaranteed their own exclusion from a western conference title anytime soon.