[Memphis Commercial Appeal] Pau Gasol traded to Lakers

There are rich owners who have fire sales. Just because he's a billionaire doesn't mean he couldn't have a fire sale. Look at the Clippers. I mean, Memphis fans can come up with all the excuses in the world, his contract sucked, he didn't have heart, etc., etc. The bottomline is that the team is badly managed and badly coached.

 

You rebuild by trading for low draft picks and players in positions that you need. You already have two young PG's...you don't need Critt. The draft picks that you got will be very late ones unless someone from LA get's hurt. You basically traded for cap space and two very late draft picks....for an all-star big-man...which is a premium in the NBA. You guys got raped plain and simple...but it's ok, ya raped us for Gay last year so that's how it be sometime....

 

Have the Memphis Grizzlies ever turned a profit from year to year in the entire history of their existence? If Heisley can sell the Grizz for anywhere near his asking price, he'll probably still get out of the NBA making a decent profit. IIRC, he bought the Grizz for $150 million. The Grizz can probably fetch at least $325 million and I believe Heisley's asking price is said to be in the neighborhood of $360 million. I'm sure Heisley really appreciates what the citizens of the wonderful city of Memphis did for his net worth when they approved the construction of the FedEx Forum. There's no doubt that getting rid of Pau's contract makes the team much more attractive to potential investors...

 

I wasn't aware Jonathan Feigen writes for the Memphis paper too

 

Agreed - if there was any doubt about what's going on in Memphis, this deal ended it. Already at the bottom of the league in payroll (2 beneath them) and still making a pure salary dump trade with their franchise guy. Wow.

Evan

 

Anybody else scared after seeing Kobe with the biggest smile on his face since the last Lakers' Championship? He looked like a kid who just got everything he wanted for Christmas.

BTW, he scored 6 (yes six) points and the Lakers beat NJ by 15.

 

Lakers are fun to watch.

 

Good game for Pau, but going up against Josh Boone and Sean Williams isnt exactly a tough matchup

 

Gasol is a known commodity. We know he is good for a double/double on a regular basis. Actually, he may be better than we have previously seen now that he has the best player in the league to take the focus off of him. He seems like a guy that will thrive as a second banana.

I was becoming a believer in the Lakers before this trade but now I wouldn't count them out in May/June.

 

Step aside Kobe, this is now Pau's team.

 

I still can't believe that such a one-sided trade can be made between teams in the same conference.

Isn't Jerry West still the GM of the Grizzles?

 

Unfortunately I missed the game tonight. But the box score says it all: Kobe played 40 mins, went 3/13, scored 6 points and the Lakers still won by 15 points. I don't care if it's the Nets. The Lakers have championship-level talent on their team and I predict only injuries will derail them from coming out of the West.

The more I think about this trade, the more unreal it seems. If the Lakers end up winning the championship, people will talk about this deal for years & years. Lakers fans are probably still pinching themselves.

 

Kobe jammed his pinky on the shooting hand early in the game; scored 2 pts in the 1st half.

every starter, except Kobe (who had 7 asst), scored in double figures.

Pau Gasol had an auspicious start w the boys in purple. he played 35 min ended up with >22 pts, 13 reb and 3 asst. what a luxury to have a 3rd option of this caliber !

 

THAT WAS A DIRTY TRADE. THEY BETTER NOT WIN.

 

That WAS a dirty trade. The league office shouldn't have let this happen. They have a moral obligation to ban this kind of trades.

 

The game was on live over here on local TV. I saw Gasol comfortably bury two 15 footers and switched the damn channel....

 

wow i guess its back to the lakers and boston rivalry.

 

Damn, I had NO idea about this till I saw him playing tonight.

 

"Chicago tried to tempt the Grizzlies with Andres Nocioni and Tyrus Thomas"

Hmm, that wouldnt have been a bad deal.

 

Have you been living under a rock for the past few days?

After reconsideration, this deal doesn't look so bad for the Grizzlies. The trade is still lopsided (and honestly, most superstar trades are), but if Marc Gasol does turn out to be a stud after all, they will essentially have three first rounders out of this deal. Not such a bad return for a rebuilding team.