With Gasol's injury, I think the Grizzlies are most likely regretting the Battier trade now. No way, I think, would they have made that trade if they had even imagined a Gasol injury. Swift is not a first teamer, I think everybody knows that now, even Swift himself. While not being as good a player, Battier was the one guy they had who could spell Gasol. Now we will see the stuff Gay is made of much sooner than we thought.
With Gasol injured, it will give Swift a chance to start which he never get in Rockets. Swift will be able to prove whether he is really a bust or not.
we all know that grizzlies w/ or without gasol are out in the first round. I think it's unfortunate for them that gasol is out but now they get to accelerate Gay's progress. To make an analogy, it's like what happened to luther only gay will be much better, and still have playoff hope with the return of gasol in 07. I really think that Memphis could be right there at the 7 seed come season's end. I think the hornet's might trade ranks with memphis, with memphis being a liitle better then last year's hornets. I hate the grizzlies but love west. I think the griz will be alright, possibly better off then w/out the gasol injury.
Regret? If I were a Grizz fan, I wouldn't mind so much. Ho long will Gasol miss out? 3 months? If Gasol comes back by December, he won't miss too many games. Plus, it'll only give Gay a chance to shine. Good opportunity for him.
i would think that theyd be better off. if we were to trade now, we'd know that jerry west is in need of a power forward to start. at least we know he needs the trade to happen. and maybe we'd be able to get away with smething extra
Stro has already proven he's a bust. Comparing Gay and Luther is quite a stretch. Luther replaced Rafer and Wesley. Gay is possibly replacing Pau Gasol. Memphis' teams the last couple of years are very geared toward regular season success so maybe Fratello has enough depth to win some games. To play it safe, they will bring Pau back very slowly so I think the playoffs are out of reach. It will be a long season for Grizzlies fans.
See, as a professional, people don't GIVE you a chance to start ...you have to earn it. Stro never earned it. The thought of Stromile as our starting PF gives me chills.
how could battier even come close to gasol's scoring? battier is a very nice complimentary player, not a centerpiece player.
^^ This world is funny. You will never know what happen next. The only thing I can say is, we will wait and see.
Memphis would make that trade yesterday, today or tomorrow! geez. In fact, if you are rebuilding the team, you'd hope the team doesn't make the playoffs somehow, and get a high draft pick in this year's best draft of the decade. I like Battier, but we got screwed ... we all know it, even though we see Battier in the World Championships and hope he was worth it. I don't think most of us disagree that Battier is a valuable piece of our puzzle, the role player who is the glue, the great character guy with high BB IQ, and we don't like losing Gay, but can live with it ... we just don't like having to give up so much for who we got, when we had minimal chips to trade. We all feel screwed, while the Logo crows that this was the second best moment of his management career, obviously after the Kobe trade. JVG is probably the one most excited, since he was sick of Swift, but CD should be ashamed for not getting more in the deal. Gasol's injury doesn't make this trade less valuable for Memphis ... maybe even more valuable for making them a contender ... now expectations are low.
If I found out Pau and Mike Miller got hurt and Damon would never play again, I would still hope the Grizzlies make this trade.
While I understand your point and think that even after the Pau injury this makes the trade better for your team (player development/lottery standing improvement), I think you've let Pau's weaknesses cloud your judgement of Battier. Battier is not an all-star. He is not a player to put a team on his back in the playoffs and carry them for a game much less a series. But Memphis' poor showings in the playoff's are due mainly to the weaknesses in paper mache Gasol's game and dissapearing Miller than a role player not taking an open three. Last years Grizzlie's team, like all other Grizzlies team needed a go to guy other than Pau and didn't have one. This is why West rolled the dice on a questionably motivated but definitely talented player in Gay. I would also bet that West has dangled Pau for every decent star under the sun.
With Gasol injured, it will give Swift a chance to start which he never get in Rockets. Swift will be able to prove whether he is really a bust or not. swift had the chance, he just didnt earn the job. And after 7 years in the league, i think thats enough time to label him. For a #2 pick, he is a bust. i think the battier trade hurts and helps the grizz. they wont be as good without battier and swift but they will be able to play their young guys more and see what they can do.
if west knew that gasol was gonna be out will he still have traded battier for gay and swift? hell yeah.. they get a superstar who they can develop and they have a starting PF.. battier won't make a difference anyway if gasol is out.. if cd knew that 1 or 11 was gonna be out will he still have traded number 8 pick and swift for battier? hell no
they get a superstar who they can develop and they have a starting PF are you calling Gay a superstar? he has superstar potential, but at this point thats all it is. and are you calling swift a starting PF? maybe by default but if he's starting for the grizz at PF then they are in serious trouble.
superstar?? starting PF?? I don't think Gay and Swift have done anything yet to deserve those labels.
