Question, If I took your house and wife w/ your consent, but made your house a million times better and made your wife actually happy...where's the sin in that. I'll be even more honest. Though we can't argue the past, even if the Lakers gave the Griz Odom and Bynum, I doubt they'd win a championship. Management, coaching, and the desire to win is what matters here. The truth in that trade was that Kobe got some DECENT help, which was all he needed
It just a confirmation that pau gasol remains underrated by the league. I think he wasn't selected for ALL STAR only because lakers had 2 players already. And to be fair, being in all star game does not make you better player. Pau is still better than Marc and Bynum. Period.
Except the Grizz could scout Gasol. They had an idea of what they would become. If they valued Marc more than any other team, that just means they actually did a better job of scouting than anyone else.
Marc Gasol was woefully overweight and was not looking like a great prospect, why do you think he fell so far in the draft? This was purely a case of luck, not scouting ability.
It was a terrible trade by the Grizzlies because they could have gotten more. It was obvious from the league-wide backlash that Memphis simply didn't put in the effort to see what other teams would offer. Don't forget that 3-way trades are possible. Even if they wanted Marc Gasol, at the very least Memphis could have gotten a 3rd team involved so that they would end up with draft picks higher than the two crappy first rounders the Lakers gave them.
Props to the Grizzlies for being in a relatively good situation now. But at the very least they should have ended up with Marc, a late lotto pick, and salary relief for Pau. In other words, take your current team but substitute Roy Hibbert or Brook Lopez for Darrell Arthur.
It's not even funny how lucky the Grizzlies got, and the younger brother who hasn't played one NBA game being a part of that trade. Actually, I'm not surprised, Pau is a better player offensively to his brother, better shooter, more versatility, (slightly) better passer, little more athletic/lengthier, and has better grasp of the offense. Most other areas, his brother is actually better, such overall defense, rebounding, brute strength (he doesn't get bullied around alot), and sometimes a better option in the post (not as versatile as brother, but versatile for most centers, while I think he is a better banger than Pau). The one area Marc best Pau is intensity. He plays with alot more fire in the NBA (now), and somewhat over the course of their careers. For some reason, people have always questioned Pau's heart, even in Memphis. You just do not see those same things with Marc, as he asserts himself very well on the court and doesn't mind doing the dirty work.
