Popovich pops off on Grizzlies' controversial swap

[ShoogarBear]

The "change" was actually the ins ution of the draft lottery, instead of drafting just based on record (with a coin flip between the two worst records determining #1), and happened as a result of the Houston Rockets tanking in 1984 to get Hakeem:

http://reclinergm.wordpress.com/2008...-get-olajuwon/

(EDIT: that's not exactly the best article, as it has some factual errors, but the gist is there.)

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Jerry West is not the GM of the Grizzlies. You want to blame someone blame Wallace and the owners of the Grizzlies. They are 100% behind this trade.

Jerry West he is the last person on the planet to do something like that to help out a former team. Don't disrespect his name like that. There is a reason why he is on the NBA logo, and it's because he represents class and dignity that all NBA players should follow. If you all remember your history he didn't exactly leave the Lakers on good terms anyways.

If you know the history, and read a little bit of the articles when Kobe was doing his prima-donna act, you can infer a bit on Jerry West's influence in this trade.

Jerry is close with Mitch Kupchak, who succeeded Jerry over there, and with his job on the line because of Kobe. He probably left the folder for Wallace to orchestrate the trade, and gift-wrapped Gasol for his former ball-club, and (his buddy Kupchak). Kind of like, babying his incompetent successors. Either Kupchak became machievilian overnight in pulling off the steal of Gasol when he's had a pretty bad track-record so far (traded Shaq for Odom, Grant, Butler. Got rid of Butler after being baited into trading for Kwame Brown, ) , or West's fingerprints are on it, (who pulled off the Shaq trade from Orlando, and got Kobe Bryant out of Charlotte.)

That's just the theory people are sniffing around. And I'm sure others here know more than that stuff.
People are only surmising with the information at hand.

Also trade collusion is a little bit different on the scale of fairness, from the natural incentive for bottom feeder teams, due to a flawed lottery system.


All in all, the criticism must have some sort of validity to it, if Pop, a coach, publicly states he smells something fishy about it.

[George Gervin's Afro]

I don't want to start a flame war here but I don't think anyone in the Spur's organization should be saying anything about unfair trades. We all know that they rested perfectly healthy players and tanked a season to land Tim Duncan. Even Charles Barkeley, who seems to be a huge Spurs fan these days, publicly called out the Spurs for what they did at the time. In fact the NBA had to change the rules because of what the Spurs did that year. Don't throw stones when you live in a glass house.

Pop is pissed because he knows what this deal could potentially mean for the Lakers. Another dynasty.

what players did they rest ?

[FvckMavs]

It doesn't matter if he is consultant now.

So...

Ignoring the Confused one, does JWest still have a consultant role with the Grizzlies? I know that he stayed as a consultant for a few months after he stepped down last year, but I don't know if that continued into this season.

[T Park]

what players did they rest ?

Willie Burton.

Dude was huge until that, patella tendonitis hit.

[slayermin]

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/54/...y-Sr_93KG.html

Apparently not.

I had him confused for someone else. Cie la vie.

[tmtcsc]

Cry me a river tankers. You guys had "David soft as a marshmallow Robinson" and tanked it to get Duncan. Pop replaces Mike D as the biggest whiner in the league. Lakers already did y'all a favor by blowing up their team the first time around. Just goes to show you guys can only win by default or cheating like how you did when you tanked the season to get Timmy.

SILENCE ! Just for that, we're going to beat your ass in the playoffs again. Now got to your room. LOSER..again and again and again and again.....

[WildcardManu]

SILENCE ! Just for that, we're going to beat your ass in the playoffs again. Now got to your room. LOSER..again and again and again and again.....

LOVE YOUR SIG

[Don Quixote]

I remember that crappy 20-win bunch from 1996-97. That team sucked butt, but they did not tank. They honored the game and played hard all season. And you can say the gods looked on them with favor and rewarded them with Tim.

And, really, how can a fan of the Nones talk smack about how another team won les? He's still butt-hurt over the past 3 championships for the Silver & Black, each of which featured an elimination of the team from Phoenix.

[pad300]

wonder if pop could get a collusion hook up with Seattle

Maybe try Cleveland for Ilgauskas?

[ludda]

Good for Pop

[ShoogarBear]

This pic made me LOL. They look like a couple of bobbleheads:

[DazedAndConfused]

This discussion is pointless. The facts remain that the Lakers took advantage of a unique situation and ponied up the cash when nobody else wanted to. And yes other teams were involved, Chicago's owner did not want to pay the luxury tax to get Gasol because even Gasol would not have made them a championship team. The Lakers had the best expiring contract and enough draft picks to entice Memphis to swing their way. Most importantly they were willing to go over the luxury tax to get Pau.

[remingtonbo2001]

Jerry West and the horse he rode in on. You are so full of ing ...that asshole has nearly put franchises out of business with his strongarming tactics and deceptive agreements with potential draftpicks and HOF C FAs.

You want to say the man is smart fine...but don't sit there and tell me that white trash piece of is inline for the Popedom...

STFU and go take that to a Laker board where it belongs.



PS: He was about as clutch as Chris Webber....you lose 15 finals, you lose the right to call yourself clutch.


Mr Clutch?

He ought to call himself Mr. Celtic



PSS: His logo is cool...for 1963.



PSSS: the Lakers



Never has such a huge group of ing assholes so misguidedly thought they were classy. Shaq, Kobe, West, Facebreaker...

They and LakersFan = biggest collection of assholes ever assembled...

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

This discussion is pointless. The facts remain that the Lakers took advantage of a unique situation and ponied up the cash when nobody else wanted to. And yes other teams were involved, Chicago's owner did not want to pay the luxury tax to get Gasol because even Gasol would not have made them a championship team. The Lakers had the best expiring contract and enough draft picks to entice Memphis to swing their way. Most importantly they were willing to go over the luxury tax to get Pau.

Okay.

[ShoogarBear]

I'm sure this trade would have happened even if Jerry West hadn't just stepped down.

[T Park]

[QUOTE=DazedAndConfused]I looked like an idiot so I gave up[QUOTE]

[WildcardManu]

This discussion is pointless. The facts remain that the Lakers took advantage of a unique situation and ponied up the cash when nobody else wanted to. And yes other teams were involved, Chicago's owner did not want to pay the luxury tax to get Gasol because even Gasol would not have made them a championship team. The Lakers had the best expiring contract and enough draft picks to entice Memphis to swing their way. Most importantly they were willing to go over the luxury tax to get Pau.

It got pointless when you failed to produce evidence from your accusations.

[ducks]

mem is in deep
the only think is sten loves the lakers big market and his old boy kobe

[DazedAndConfused]

So where were you guys when the Warriors got Baron Davis for Speedy Claxton+garbage? Trades like this happen in the NBA. You're just pissed because the Lakers are once again back into contention after only 4 short years of rebuilding.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Pop never comments on like this. His mantra is shut up and play ball.

For him to speak up, this had to be dirty.

[ducks]

you know the suns would have rather have gasol then then shaq
gasol>shaq

[DazedAndConfused]

Okay so where is your evidence that Jerry West had any involvement in this trade? It's just the same as me saying the Spurs tanked when they knew their season couldn't be salvaged. You can't have it both ways.

[ShoogarBear]

Remind me again: who was the ex-lifetime Warrior who was the GM for the Hornets?

Stupid trades happen all the time. That's not the problem. Collusion is.

[T Park]

So where were you guys when the Warriors got Baron Davis for Speedy Claxton+garbage? Trades like this happen in the NBA. You're just pissed because the Lakers are once again back into contention after only 4 short years of rebuilding.

Totally different situation mouth, if you can't figure it out then put a pillow over your face.