Let's get this straight. Paul Gasol is the third best player in his team in regular season, and arguably the fourth best player in the playoff performance so far, yet he is taking 19 m in cap space. Why would anyone still like trading for him with 2 starters, is beyond me.
The pau you see with LAL is the worst possible used basketball player in the NBA. If he's mentally engaged he would give the Rockets a go to player and finally give them a facilitating big man they could utilize. The Rockets roster would actually make sense with the surrounding cast you would have around him in Houston.
We need a talented 4/5. Pass, score, rebound. He probably enjoys being 2nd star but with Bynum's emergence he's underutilized, and doesn't really have the same place there as before. McHale wants BBIQ on the team. Although overpriced, Gasol provides this. If the trade price isn't grotesque like last year's attempt, you'd have to look into it. And I don't think Gasol would mind a trade here as badly as some suggest. You can bet at the trade deadline his agent was whispering in his ear, Look, if they're gonna trade you, let me see if I can get you to a contender now. Hence the Chicago rumors. Make a reasonable effort to upgrade the team otherwise and it'd be all right. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are other players I'd rather have. We need athleticism, shot-blocking; but that might be more of a draft target than a FA target.
What's scary about that is Scola and kobe especially would trive together. They would play off each other very well. Better complement to Bynum as well.
I like Gasol, but he would probably bolt after two years. Consider that with his age and I wouldn't give up much.
But doesn't make the team markedly better in any area. They'd be the same team they are now...might make the playoffs, might not. Probably finish with a winning record but no where near in contention for anything. Gasol is not a center piece.
<Throws hat in the ring. Puts on body armor.> I think if we can trade Gasol for Lowry+Scola+Dally (or something like that, with Dragic resigned) then we do it ASAP. Look, Gasol makes us a 7th or 8th seed by himself and makes us more attractive to other players in the league (all good points brought up by previous posters). There's no one better than Gasol that will be available. He starts as our Center and we need to determine who will be our starting PF (Scola's traded). Or he starts at PF and we start Camby at C.
I wouldn't give up that much. Scola + Dalembert (this depends on what they do with Hill) + MAYBE Marcus Morris to match salaries.
6 years ago. 3 straight times getting SWEPT out of the first round behind "star" Player G. And hey, remind me what their record was the next year with STAR player G? Phony Franchise Player, and that was on the good side of his prime. You're also intentionally omitting Mike Miller and Bobby Jackson. Is that what the Rockets are shooting for? So long 14th pick, we're off to the 15th pick and humiliating sweeps!
I not sure if you mean "marketable" here or not? He makes them more interesting on a national stage only slightly, but on the basketball court he makes complete sense for the current roster that would be built around him. That being said, as with last years trade, I dont think Morey trades for him again unless there are other deals that will domino off of this one. -Keep in mind the 07 Celtics Summer as the plan that Morey is trying to set in motion. Nobody thought that KG, Ray Allen, and even Paul Pierce could single-handily lead their team to a title by themselves, but together they really worked well. Gasol is in that calliber of player. Your still another all-star type player away from something special, but you have a key part of the ingredient right there.
Building the Rockets around Pau Gasol and the leftovers that the LAL didn't want is absurd. Totally ignore his age and price tag. Then look at what he does in the playoffs on a team that has Kobe, Bynum and Metta. Gasol is the 3rd best playe on a team struggling to put away the Nuggets A team that has been rebuilt on the fly with what could be obtained for Melo. That ought to scream volumes to how long it would take a perennial 14 seed to close the gap to the Thunder in the next 2-3 seasons. There is one and only one way for the Rockets to ecsape Mediocrity Hell in less than 5 years. Get a true Center. Not a mid-block PF.
Remember when folks are frustrated that the team was playing either Scola or Patterson at the 5 in the 4th quarter too often? They were often forced into it because they had to choose between having a 7 footer and having a better all-around skills. With Gasol, you don't have too make that choice. And this is what makes him valuable. This makes you markedly better. And it's not just a matter of lineup flexibility in one quarter or one game, but rather what a player like Gasol allows you to do in terms of building your whole roster. With Gasol, you don't have to pay $8-9 million or more to sign a center who has a high rate of being a bust and may need to sit against many matchups. You can pair him with a versatile 4 (maybe Motiejunas) without worrying too much about having no rim protection or getting killed on the boards or next to a fellow 7 footer and exploit the size advantage. There is just much more you can do with Gasol vs., say, Luis Scola.
My problem with almost any deal for Gasol doesn't center around what he has left on the court. I have no doubt that he would put up good numbers ( a post presence that provides better D than he gets credit for in LA) and mesh well with a signed Goran, Chandler, et. al. It's the philosophy of locking ourselves into being, MOST LIKELY... perennially good, w/o a shot at contending that bothers me. For the thousandth time, Les needs to let Morey rebuild on his own terms. But, alas ... we can forget about that. So, expect a serious play for Dwight with Gasol being the consolation prize.
I was for it at the beginning of the season, but now it doesn't make much sense. We are bringing Donatas over and if we really do believe he is the real deal then we need to prevent bringing in players that will take away his minutes. We definitely need to deal Scola as well to guarantee that we get a solid look at Donatas.
I don't see how having Gasol locks the Rockets up. Any Gasol trade would require similar $ going back-- likely in the form of Lowry + Scola. The Rockets will end up pretty similar to where they are for the next couple years in terms of salary flexibility in such a scenario. There are still plenty of things they can do to obtain max-level cap room even after acquiring Gasol.
