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Gregg Popovich on the Pau Gasol deal
December 13, 2009 | 7:21 pm
We had a fun exchange with Gregg Popovich tonight at Staples ahead of San Antonio's tussle with the Clippers (yes, we do attend LAC games from time to time), when the subject of the Pau Gasol trade came up. "You mean the one where I fainted?" he asked with a smile.
Pop, no surprise, still sees that deal as a watershed. "Pau Gasol changed the landscape of basketball in the NBA, as far as the west is concerned, and championship caliber basketball. He's a great player, perhaps the most versatile big man in the league right now, and it makes them really, really good."
Andy then asked him if the development of Pau's lil' bro in Memphis makes the deal perhaps a little less lopsided. Marc has, after all, become a very good NBA player down in Memphis, and is still very early in his career. Maybe, just maybe, it was a more equitable swap than he originally thought?
"Please," he said with a sarcastic eye roll. "Please."
From his perspective, it doesn't really matter how good Marc becomes, since he's concerned about winning les, not the rebuilding effort in Memphis. Thus anything that creates a dominant team in LA will seem disproportional. But it does drive home how Pau's presence turned an already quality Lakers team into something truly feared around the league. It's hard to think of another deal that, as Popovich says, "changed the landscape... in the NBA." Not just because of what it did for the Lakers, but how it affected the way other teams operated around them, their moves, and so on.
BK
ing about the Gasol deal always makes me warm inside and puts a smile on my face.
Last edited by 2Cleva; 12-14-2009 at 10:32 AM.
que the Dirk lobbyB "Pau Gasol changed the landscape of basketball in the NBA, as far as the west is concerned, and championship caliber basketball. He's a great player, perhaps the most versatile big man in the league right now, and it makes them really, really good."
Followed by the Matt Bonner contingent
versatile
Dirk's the better player, but I think Gasol has a case has "more versatile", subject to interpretation of versatility.
So a trade that over time shows to be a fair one, or at least more fair than originally thought, is not okay should it put one of the teams over the top? By this same logic, where does this put the Ray Allen for a draft pick deal? KG for some youngsters?Andy then asked him if the development of Pau's lil' bro in Memphis makes the deal perhaps a little less lopsided. Marc has, after all, become a very good NBA player down in Memphis, and is still very early in his career. Maybe, just maybe, it was a more equitable swap than he originally thought?
"Please," he said with a sarcastic eye roll. "Please."
From his perspective, it doesn't really matter how good Marc becomes, since he's concerned about winning les, not the rebuilding effort in Memphis. Thus anything that creates a dominant team in LA will seem disproportional.
Any deal that elevates a team to elite status should be null and void, only trades that ensure mediocrity permitted-- got it.
Collusion.
I don't think Popovich has ever ACTUALLY advocated for invalidating the Gasol deal or any such thing. In its immediate aftermath, there was the famous Pop lobbying for a trade committee soundbite, but what's never been fully understood about that quote is that it was 100% smartass Popovich. How a guy who has drawn disdain for his dry wit and smartassedness in responding to stupid (or unanswerable) questions can be taken seriously about something like that has never made any sense to me.
Yeah, the deal made things tougher for his team (and for almost everyone else), but it would be entirely unlike Popovich to whine about his team facing a difficult challenge or to complain that third parties had treated his team unfairly. It's not as if he's ever called the officiating of a playoff game "ridiculous" in a post-game press conference or anything like that.
The Ray Allen trade is legit - top 5 picks are a valuable commodity in the NBA.
The KG trade is slightly dubious but at least the Celtics gave up something of proven value in the NBA in Al Jefferson. They didn't give up the biggest bust of the past decade along with an unproven second round pick and some other bull .
The Gasol trade was 100% collusion, which cannot be said about the Allen or KG trades. But there's no point ing about it now, what's done is done.
I am sure Popovich is not the only one associated with the NBA bitter about the trade. Although he was the only one with enough balls to criticize it.
The comments he made were tongue in cheek...obviously you missed that part.
Agree completely. Love pop and his wit ...some L.A. guys asked him the question he answered it's not like he still bemoaning (if he ever was serious)
Pop is one of the best NBa coaches yall lucky to have him would take him in La when Phil leaves...
No one knows what is in Pop's mind.
I didn't get the ing part.http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakers...sol-deal-.html
ing about the Gasol deal always makes me warm inside and puts a smile on my face.
Are you ing re ed?
Cap space, stupid. Proven = best player in Europe at the time.
What did Jefferson prove? That he couldn't play a lick of defense and could fill the box score on one of the worst teams in the league.
I think he, along with most people, agree that it appeared shady. But ing about it doesn't get you anywhere...and i think he knows that. He's never been that type. At the time, Gasol made the Lakers a potential powerhouse, but there's no reason to genuinely call for a trade committee. It's pop's style to make comments like that...he realizes it's ridiculous. But he gave a ridiculous answer in response to a ridiculous question.
It was a collusion trade, so what?
It is what it is, and you have to beat the Lakers on the floor
That's the thing, though...where was the collusion? Who exactly colluded?
Don't teams "collude" all the time? Didn't the Spurs collude with the Sonics to get Barry back?? He was traded and waived the very next day.
I agree that when it comes down to it, you have to beat those bas s on the floor.
Yes, a top 5 pick is a valuable commodity, I did/do not dispute that. What I did say is that Ray Allen elevated the Celtics to another tier, one of legitimate contender, whereas a top 5 pick does not likely help win a le and elevate you to contender status like a bonafied all-star SG does.
The Lakers gave up capspaceKwame, Euroleague MVP Marc Gasol, Crittenton (a 17th overall pick who had excelled in summer league), and 2 future first rouders. Marc Gasol had proven worth, to what worth you compare it to Jefferson's worth is debatable. To sum up, that is 3 first round picks + a young but Euroleague MVP center + $9million in expiring money.From his perspective, it doesn't really matter how good Marc becomes, since he's concerned about winning les..
The KG trade where McHale traded KG to his Celtic teammate he played with for years? That has by far the most su ion for collusion. The Lakers offered the Wolves Bynum and Odom plus picks for KG. That was a better deal than what the Celtics offered.
What would you call the Jefferson trade then? That trade was even more lopsided than the Gasol trade. At least the Grizz got a good young center out of it. What did the Bucks get for an all-star caliber player?
Marc Gasol best player in Europe?
You must be smoking some powerful . Or I missed something. This is the first time I'm hearing Gasol was MVP of Euroleague.
My error, ACB League MVP.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_GasolHe originally played with FC Barcelona before moving to Akasvayu Girona, where he played two seasons and was named the 2008 ACB Most Valuable Player.
well he is "2Cleva"
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