1. Bill Simmons and others have opined that Gasol is a center and not a PF and is best playing next to a PF like Odom and not a C like either Bynum or Howard. If the team trades for Gasol, I think the plan would be to play him at C as much as possible-- stagger his minutes with Asik's. It may be a good idea for Asik to play only 25 mpg or so anyway right now since he tends to get gassed playing 35mpg. Anyhow, you never quite know these "fit" things until guys actually p,ay together. 2. Remember when Charlie Sheen said "I don't pay for sex, I pay them to leave"? It is the same with Pau and his contract, which expires 2014. You don't trade for Pau for him to ball, you trade for Pau to leave (or resign at a smaller rate) in 2014. This is the real reason to try and trade for Pau or Granger (also expiring 2014) as oppose to using the cap room to sign a FA in 2013 summer (good FAs likely require long term deals).
I'm a little surprised that a Pau Gasol trade is highly unlikely simply because it's impractical. The Rockets will have a difficult time making the salary swap work, even with their unused/available cap space. Gasol makes a boatload of money this season. $19 mil, I think. $19 mil! A trade for Gasol would absolutely have to include either Jeremy Lin or Omer Asik. Since Houston would be bailing the Lakers out on a ton of 2012-13 (and 2013-14) salary and 2012-13 (and 2013-14) luxury tax, Houston wouldn't really have to give up anything particularly valuable for Gasol. They'd have to give up either Asik (fairly valuable) or Lin (not so valuable) and that's about it. Here would be the trade, if it were to happen: Pau Gasol and filler (Devin Ebanks, Darius Morris, Robert Sacre, Darius Johnson-Odom; all contracts expire at the end of the season, and the Rockets would let all four guys walk, obviously) to Houston Either Jeremy Lin OR Omer Asik (pick one of two), Cole Aldrich (expiring contract), Toney Douglas (expiring contract), Patrick Patterson (owed $3.1 mil in 2013-14 and he then becomes a restricted free agent, will likely be allowed to walk by L.A.), and Royce White (good riddance!) to Los Angeles. The Lakers would presumably insist on Asik; the Rockets would presumably insist in Lin, who is looking like a questionable investment (would you want to pay this guy $15 mil in 2014-15?). I believe the Rockets would present this as a take it or leave it proposition, i.e., no draft picks, no prospects (unless you consider either Patterson or White a prospect; I don't). The Lakers don't really have any leverage and everybody knows it. Do I think the Lakers would cave in and settle for Lin? Yes, I do, especially since I don't know if Nash will be on this roster for much longer (see below). Anyway, as others have pointed out, a trade for Gasol means that you can forget about pursuing any free agents this summer, and you'd be waiting until the summer of 2014 instead (as Gasol's contract is off the books after the 2013-14 season is over). That's a negative. However, you'd be getting Gasol, who is really an outstanding player, for next to nothing. That's obviously a positive. Yet another example of how to utilize cap space. You don't blow it on idiots like Michael Beasley, like most teams in the league will do. You sit on it and use it to exploit teams in desperate situations, like the Lakers. It will be interesting to see if the Lakers also shop around Steve Nash. They should absolutely shop around Steve Nash. I think they obviously keep Kobe Bryant for a variety of reasons. I think they are also going to want to keep Dwight Howard, at least through the end of this season. They may wind up signing-and-trading him this summer, we'll see (I doubt this happens). The whole idea at the beginning of the season was two-fold: a) compete for championships with Kobe-Howard-Gasol-Nash in 2012-13 and 2013-14, and b) attempt to lure Lebron James during the summer of 2014, when James is a free agent and everybody on the Lakers payroll (with the exception of Howard, if he's still around, and Nash, if he's still around) will be coming off the books. The plan to acquire James is still achievable, obviously, but the plan to compete for a championship with this current core is not. So it makes sense to move Gasol AND Nash for valuable assets (that will make L.A. an even more attractive destination for Lebron, and for Howard, for that matter) either prior to the February trade deadline OR this summer. There are any number of teams that would gladly trade for Nash, although I have a feeling that the Lakers will get more for him this summer than they would right now. So yes, I can see Houston acquiring Gasol, if they can get him for the package above. Will Houston want to do this? I think Daryl Morey has better ideas but who knows, maybe.
Correction, this should read: "I'm a little surprised that no one has pointed out that a Pau Gasol trade is highly unlikely simply because it's impractical."
Why you you want Gasol. He has no up room except down. Beside, look at this contract, 19 m and still has another year to go. Houston is not LA. Houston's market is much smaller.
Agree. I think C is the position where he'd be more efficient. I've said before that I don't want him because of the age and contract but I'm starting to warm up to him. He might help Lin and Harden's game by having an option down low. Still won't bring a ring to Houston before he retires but if he helps the growth of the players who might, them I'm for it. There isn't any FA next year worth getting that realistically we could get so wasting Les's money on him this year and next isn't much of an issue to me. You could argue that you'd be missing out on deals like Cavs just got but it's hard to say what may or may not come along. Bird in the hand vs 2 in the bush kind of thing. That said, the only real thing I would give them would be LT money savings and some scrubs and PPat (maybe redundant by saying that). *I still think LA trades Howard though and keeps Pau (to move back to C)
You can't keep morris or patterson, in my trade idea. Delfino, Patterson, Morris, Aldrich, Douglas and cutting Anderson for Gasol and Jamison That's really the best deal the rockets could get IMO. Jamison in the only one with a cheap enough contract for the rockets to take back in that trade. Plus we'd really need a backup 3/4 man, we'd literally have no backups for Parsons gasol or harden. Yeah he will play bad D, but he will still do his job on O and provide valuable mins of the bench. Its just a random trade idea lol, but to me if were going to do a 1 on 1 deal, its a decent deal for the lakers and the best possible deal for the rox.
yeah, i like your idea in general. I just don't think the Jamison part is necessary. I think the Lakers wouldn't want to trade him (unless he asks for it). It goes beyond basketball reasons, no one wants to be perceived as a team that asks vets to take a paycut and chase a title and then ships them in a few months. And I think the Rockets wouldn't benefit from Jamison nearly enough to insist on getting him. Jamison plays no D and he's just mediocre at everything else. Overall he's a negative on the floor, so the Rockets might as well give those minutes to young guys. Pau/Asik/Smith/Parsons/Jones/Motiejunas = still a lot of bodies who can give a few minutes at 4 or 5. I just think the Rockets would ask for him to be included in the deal, and the Lakers wouldn't offer. Overall, I think it's a good trade idea.
a low post scorer is not gonna help. what's more important is a player who can play good defense like josh smith. the rocket's aren't gonna outscore or catch up to teams if they can't even play defense. no way you let omer asik go. he makes the biggest impact defensively on the court for the rockets. rocket's are ranked 2nd in points allowed per game.
I think we all subconsciously think that if Rockets don't get a black star player, they probably won't get the fair officiating to become legit contenders and possibly win the championship. I feel that some of the key guys don't get the officiated fairly and get crucified for flops that the league hasn't called on Durant, Lebron, Kobe, or Wade. Harden seems to get fairly officiated most nights and thats about it. On just sheer skill Asik, Parsons and others could probably compete pretty well.
I was less than thrilled when we traded for Pau last season. I was actually pleased when that trade was rejected for basketball reasons. That said, if Morey doesn't like the free agent class of 2013 and Pau can be had for peanuts, this would make a lot of sense. Pau would make our team dramatically better in the short term and if he isn't flipped as a massive expiring contract next year, he will still free up loads of cap room in 2014, when more desirable free agents become available. If Rogower is correct that either Lin or Asik would have to be included and the Lakers are willing to take Lin, this makes this even more of a no brainer. 1. Lin and Harden, so far, are a terrible fit together. 2. I'm beginning to doubt Lin's upside 3. WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO SEND ALL OF THESE FANATICAL LIN FANS TO LAKERLAND? I feel like the improved record Pau would help give us would probably make us more appealing to free agents in 2014 too.
Pau is the Jeremy Lin of the Lakers. Good soldier, doesn't complain or criticize management, does what he's told even if it makes no sense, stuck on a team where he can't coexist with a more dominant player that does the exact same thing he does I'm a Laker fan and I own a Pau jersey and I feel bad for the guy
And Daryl wouldn't be paying for Pau's contract to expire in 2014 without the expectation of "having sex" with him in a basketball sense until then.
DJO got waived already. I doubt they'll get rid of Sacre because he's been a serviceable backup so far
You'd only trade for Gasol if you were in a win now mode. we don't have the peices to be in win now mode and by the time we may be ready, gasol have even more bung up knees and will be ready for retirement!
I'm sorry, but Gasol would never be good for the Rockets. That was true 6 years ago, and it's more true now.
