not really sure i'd want to commit major dollars to either one, regardless of which one is better than the other.
IMHO Bynum and Eddie Curry are twins, separated at birth. One discovered Zeke was his dad and eek, Curry's potential for greatness imploded. The other found his father to be PJax, and he flourished. But he cannot seem to stay on top without the Zenster. I think Bynum is all that, but I don't trust him as far as I could toss the lad. He's immature and not ready for prime time. Injury prone. (I would like to be his agent, tho, for his next contract [sigh]).
There are red flags flying all over the place around Bynum. And Cousins is not that far behind. And who would take a 1 year flier on Howard now? The guy is becoming a loose cannon. What is it with today's best centers? Gasol on the other hand seems like he has a head on his shoulders. An actual adult.
i wouldnt be tough on bynum, he is misunderstood. and in the last game the refs took him out of the game, couldnt do anything without a whistle. bynum was engaged in the thunder series, yes in the denver one he was taking days off. he was just hurt by perkins strength and more importantly the zone they surrounded him with. everyobody was sagging off their guys so badly it was incredible to watch. its a miracle bynum even got the ball.
Gasol seemed like he was rather uncomfortable the whole year. Part of it wsa the trade rumors, but perhaps a bigger part is how the game was being played-- new coaching staff, no triangle, no Odom, more Bynum in the post, being relegated to hanging around the free throw line more often, more touches being given to Kobe and Bynum. Bill Simmons mentioned in a recent podcast that he thought Gasol would flourish in a new situation and I agree. Gasol has been perhaps no less disgruntled than, say, Kyle Lowry has been, he just expressed it differently. For those who think that Gasol's salary is a big problem, take a look the the chart below showing that it's not really that big an issue. A simple Gasol trade would be something like Lowry + Scola for Gasol. Lets say the Rockets do this. Lets say they then trade Martin for limited salary in return (either to a team with cap room, or for mostly non-guaranteed contracts) or even amnesty him if it comes down to it (unlikely), they can still end up with cap room to add one more max-level player either by free agency or by trade (they'd still have plenty of young players and draft picks to play with) while holding on to the Bird Rights of Lee and Dragic. Below is an example where the Rockets trade Martin for Brad Miller and Webster (minimally guaranteed) and the 18th pick from Minny. <style type="text/css"> table.tableizer-table {border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;} .tableizer-table td {padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc;} .tableizer-table th {background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold;} </style> <table class="tableizer-table"> <tr class="tableizer-firstrow"><th> Name </th><th> Notes </th><th> 2011-12 </th><th> 2012-13 </th><th> 2013-14 </th><th>2014-15</th><th>2015-16</th></tr> <tr><td> Kevin Martin </td><td> Traded </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td> Luis Scola </td><td> Traded </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td> Samuel Dalembert </td><td> Waived </td><td> $7,000,000 </td><td> $1,500,000 </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td> Kyle Lowry </td><td> Traded </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td> Courtney Lee </td><td> Cap Hold </td><td> $2,225,093 </td><td> $5,560,000 </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td> Goran Dragic </td><td> Cap Hold </td><td> $2,108,000 </td><td> $4,010,000 </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td> Patrick Patterson </td><td> </td><td> $1,959,960 </td><td> $2,096,760 </td><td> $3,105,302 </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td> Marcus Morris </td><td> </td><td> $1,823,280 </td><td> $1,905,360 </td><td> $1,987,320 </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td> Chase Budinger </td><td> </td><td> $854,389 </td><td> $885,120 </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td> Chandler Parsons </td><td> </td><td> $850,000 </td><td> $888,250 </td><td> $926,500 </td><td> $964,750 </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td> Greg Smith </td><td> </td><td> $473,604 </td><td> $762,195 </td><td> $854,389 </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td> Derek Fisher </td><td> Waived </td><td> $3,400,000 </td><td> $644,005 </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td>Courtney Fortson</td><td>Waived</td><td> $473,604 </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td>Diamon Simpson</td><td>Waived</td><td> $473,604 </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td>Marcus Camby</td><td>Renounced</td><td> $11,071,500 </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td>Earl Boykins</td><td>Renounced</td><td> $762,195 </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td>14th Pick</td><td>Cap Hold</td><td> </td><td> $1,519,400 </td><td> $1,905,360 </td><td> $1,987,320 </td><td> $2,943,221 </td></tr> <tr><td>16th Pick </td><td>Cap Hold</td><td> </td><td> $1,371,200 </td><td> $1,719,480 </td><td> $1,793,520 </td><td> $2,751,260 </td></tr> <tr><td>Donatas Motiejunas </td><td>Cap Hold</td><td> </td><td> $1,134,500 </td><td> $1,422,720 </td><td> $1,483,920 </td><td> $2,288,205 </td></tr> <tr><td>Brad Miller</td><td>Trade-Waived</td><td>$4,752,000 </td><td>$848,000 </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td>Martell Webster</td><td>Trade-Waived</td><td>$5,256,000 </td><td>$600,000 </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td>18th Pick</td><td>Trade-Cap Hold</td><td> </td><td> $1,237,500 </td><td> $1,551,840 </td><td> $1,618,680 </td><td> $2,489,530 </td></tr> <tr><td>Pau Gasol</td><td>Acquired by Trade</td><td> $18,714,150 </td><td> $19,000,000 </td><td> $19,285,850 </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td>SUM</td><td>Add Lee/Dragic</td><td> $62,197,379 </td><td> $43,962,290 </td><td> $32,758,761 </td><td> $7,848,190 </td><td> $10,472,215 </td></tr> <tr><td># of Players</td><td> </td><td>16 </td><td>12 </td><td>9 </td><td>5 </td><td>4 </td></tr> <tr><td>$ below $58.04 mil Cap</td><td> </td><td> $(4,157,379)</td><td> $14,077,710 </td><td> $25,281,239 </td><td> $50,191,810 </td><td> $47,567,785 </td></tr></table>
Prearrange a deal of KMart to ________ with all sides agreeing to amnesty Martin then counterbalancing the announced trade.
So finding a PF better than Scola at all costs is the new goal? No one is arguing that he isn't better than Scola...we're suggesting that giving $19million/year to a guy who's about to turn 32 and has done a disappearing act when it mattered most the last 2 seasons MIGHT not be the best option out there. I feel like we're having this discussion in a bubble where the alternative to Pau is absolutely nothing.
Gasol a PF? Gasol has to have the low post to be most effective. And as has been pointed out by a lot of very intelligent and knowledgeable NBA people, Gosal is one of the top 4 centers in the NBA. (See Magic's comments among others). Sharing the low post with Bynum strangled Gasol's game this year.
Camby and Gasol would be the thinest centers in history, also pretty effective, IMO...especially together on the court at the same time. Much better finishing PF/C combo than Scola and PPat. DD
Camby and Gasol would be much more effective than Bynum and Gasol. Because Gasol would be able to play in the low block where he is better than Bynum anyways and Camby would be able to park up top and make the pass to the post or take that lil' jumper. And we haven't even gotten to the defensive side of the ball yet.
Maybe young Camby, not old Camby. Besides, you are sort of discrediting Andrew Bynum and Gasol's effectiveness together. During the regular season, they were pretty automatic together, while they were considered the reason no one could beat the Lakers a few seasons ago, because they had such dominant front line. Camby and Gasol would never be a dominant or feared front line, unless Camby was in his early to late 20s again.
[rQUOTEr]The Rockets could trade Lowry. He is proven starting point guard with a manageable contract. He would not be the Kobe Bryant successor that the Lakers thought Chris Paul would eventually become, but Lowry would be an outstanding fit for the Lakers. The Rockets still covet Pau Gasol, but are unlikely to offer quite as much as before last season. [/rQUOTEr]
