partly also due to z-bo maturing to a better player
This has some truth to it, however it's misleading. The Spurs are behind to Memphis (not losing).
The trade is part of the reason why the Grizz are in the playoffs. It has nothing to do with why the Spurs are struggling against them. They are no better than they were when they had Pau, certainly not better than the Cavs were in 2007 when we swept them in the Finals.
SA is struggling for internal reasons, not external ones. The Grizz aren't dropping 120pts a game on us. They aren't defending particularly well. The Spurs are just playing like a D League squad right now that's coached by a HS coach who's red headed son is on the team. It really has nothing to do with the trade. We would be struggling against the Hornets as well if we played like this.
partly also due to z-bo maturing to a better player
I think the key to the series is the next game. If Memphis loses home-court advantage, I don't think they go into San Antonio in game 5 or 7 and beat the Spurs. If they fall into a 3-1 hole, I think the Spurs will find it difficult, not impossible, to win this series. I predicted before this series that it would go seven games and that San Antonio would get the scare of their life. So far so good. I don't see San Antonio getting past Oklahoma City in the next round, but I do think they will climb out of the 2-1 hole and win this series in seven.
milky sup ?
Longtime no see. Hit me up next time you swing through here, gotta show you how I'm livin, gotta new place
And then that Lakeshow team set a new record for worst loss in the Finals... that's how it goes sometimes...
Spurs in 6
True Jerry West Laker collusion has directly hurt the Spurs.
2 asterisk championships for Lakers Tim Duncan 4 Kobe 3**
Rudy Gay being injured has been a blessing in disguise for this Memphis team. He demands touches and shots, which you would need to take away from ZBo and Gasol.
At the time of the trade, someone whose opinion I trust told me that Mark would be as good or better than Pau in the long run. I do not think he will ever be the offensive player that Pau is, but he's already a better defender and he is definitely tougher.
Marc Gasol and Zach acquired as a result of moving Pau? What a terrible move by the Grizz. Their GM didn't have a clue.![]()
I love how Lakers fans still try to defend the rigged . Marc Gasol was a project, not projected to be nearly as good as he is now. ZBo was a cancer of the highest order, Wallace completely lucked out.
Wallace is one of the worst GMs I have ever seen. Let's see his Joe Johnson-for-Rodney Rogers trade and Vin Baker for Kenny Anderson trade as the context for this trade. He gave away Gasol and lucked into two great players.
Been hearing how the Lakesr "just lucked out" for decades. It's called....
sour grapes.
Also known as collusion...
Luck or not it was a good trade for the Grizz. The Lakers also had no way of knowing a guy who was labeled as soft and was 0 for 12 in the playoffs would be the right fit.
How is it collusion when Jerry West didn't work for the Grizzlies when the trade was made?![]()
Jerry was obviously still pulling the puppet strings of the league from his laz-y-boy at home.![]()
No more collusion than Kevin McHale/Garnett/Boston
Teams gather pieces. Some do it better than others.
The odds that one team will win so many times with different lineups are really small if those lineups are random. They aren't random. They come from well cultivated and crafted moves that other teams do not make.
Two different companies after the same goal, but with different operating capital, will use two different approaches to get there. One company will have a better approach and the lesser company will get a smaller percentage of the pie.
I don't have any sympathy for team owners who allow their teams to suffer by hiring friends or anyone else who's less than the best they can possibly get. It's all entertainment, yet some here seem to feel they are being cheated. If you are being cheated, it's not by the Lakers, it's by your own ing team.
Did I say it was Jerry West's fault? Please quote where I said that...
As I told you before, Memphis didn't even shop Gasol. They could've received a much better deal at the time, obviously. Looking at how things turned out 3 seasons later is revisionist history at it's best...
I know huh?![]()
The trade helped both teams and that's all that really matters. Any complaints are just meaningless noise.
You saying collusion occurred implies that Logo helped broker a deal for his former team. That can't happen if Logo had no power to make that happen to begin with.
It was written that Memphis was shopping Gasol but the timing wasn't right to unload him and his huge KT (huge for a losing small market team that is). MK had been after him for at least 2 years (I'm too lazy to find the link right now - Neal with it) and he would have went after him regardless if Bynum went down or not. Meanwhile, after another losing season ($$$ and wins that is) the time was ripe for the Lakers to swoop in and get Gasol. Lakers got their championship piece to pair with Kobe and Memphis got the financial flexibility they wanted. It worked out well for both teams tbh.
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Claiming it helped Memphis 3 seasons later is just silly... That trade, when it was done, helped only one team. People were right to complain back then...
At this stage, what's done is done.
Sure if you want to look at it on a talent standpoint. That's shallow thinking. How about the Lakers when they traded Shaq? I know they could have gotten better than a package featuring Lamar Odom (he was inconsistent as back then but is beasting now, but still). I didn't hear you guys ing then. Matter of fact, Pop mused that the Shaq/Kobe break up was akin to the Soviet Union splitting up. Remember that ? You can't have it both ways ElNono.![]()
No, it implies that Memphis took a lesser value to help another team (for whatever reason). Which they clearly did.
What teams want is irrelevant if you don't have the pieces and cap space to pull it off. That's the reason the cap is in place. If Memphis really wanted the best deal out there, they would have shopped him and they probably would have ended up with even better cap flexibility (both more expiring contracts and potentially better talent in return). I don't blame Mitch for pulling that deal under the table, he did what's best for his team. Obviously, Memphis didn't. To come back 3 seasons later and try to somehow justify that with the current roster is no excuse.
Memphis fans sure aren't complaining now. If you know anything about sports trades you know that teams often give up a proven commodity (to save money or to get rid of a malcontent) for prospects with potential and draft picks. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. And the very nature of these types of trades is that it never looks like the team that received the prospects made a good deal until a few years down the line.
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