[Yahoo Sports]Memphis owner now questions value of Gasol deal

Oops I guess I got it mixed up with his asking price. But if you're trying to cut costs, why would you sign free agent in the first place? And for more than the MLE?

 

i don't care, you're not running their team. memphis did what they did for memphis.

so after proving you guys wrong about darko's contract, after it being more than 50% less than what you omg, remembered, I am still they guy who has to provide an explanation? I don't know why they signed darko, they took a chance on a guy who was a number two pick in the best draft since 84 hoping it would pan out. it didn't. so what, it still doesn't change the fact that pau was a salary dump.

its hilarious, people look at the bulls and ask why they didn't take that deal. the bulls are a mediocre team for a reason, why blow up your team to be mediocre signing more mediocre players. you might as well blow it up, be bad and hope for a high end free agent and/or a high draft pick

 

Gasol was no cancer, but they had several reasons to dump him.

1) He had requested a trade the year before. And they were shopping him.
2) He was not earning his max salary.
3) The team was hemorrhaging money.
4) Fan attendance was already dismal.
5) They were one of the worst teams in the league with him anyway.

I don't even think Memphis fans are as upset with the trade as fans of other teams. I think people just really hate the lakers, because I honestly believe no one would be complaining if he got sent to a team like Atlanta for expirings.

 

From what I remember, I think you are dead wrong about Memphis fans' reaction.

Just take a look at what Minny got for KG. They weren't winning with him either. They didn't get equal value, but it's clear they got something to look forward to. The Grizz gave the few fans they have even less reason to come to their games. Just because their situation was dismal doesn't excuse giving away a borderline All-Star for shark chum.

 

You don't think so? I think Minnesota arguably got the better end of that trade. A 23-year-old franchise player, a solid role player in Gomes, two first-round picks and Ratliff's $12 million dollar expiring contract. All that for a talented but flawed star like KG? Minnesota was wise to take that deal. All of sudden now they have a top three pick in this year's draft and the ability to be a key player in free agency.

Not to derail the thread, just saying it is what it is. Furthermore, Heisley's comparison of the KG trade to the Gasol trade is absolutely hilarious to me for these reasons.

 

Of course if that was Atlanta, the outcry wouldn't be so great, not because people hate the Lakers, but because Gasol wouldn't have made the Hawks a contender.

If Gasol was "donated" to any of the WC playoff teams, the outcry would have been the same. If the Rockets got Gasol for peanuts, the Lakers fan would say exactly what we are saying now about the deal because we would have become an instant contender too.

I don't know why you and pgabriel cannot see how this trade is bad for the Grizzlies, bad for the NBA, and especially bad for WC teams. The only happy people are the Lakers and people who want to see the Lakers rise. And the outcry is not just because it is bad, but because it makes no sense to do what Heisley did.

 

I was using the Minny trade as a point of comparison, where you had a star player who wasn't helping a team win and it was time for both sides to move on. At least Minny got a solid young player who will likely end up a star and possibly a franchise player. The Grizz got Kwame Brown!

KG is a flawed star but all players are flawed, even Kobe and LeBron. If the Celts win the championship, NO WAY you can say the T-Wolved got the better end. For that matter, with their great regular season and Finals appearance, you'd have a hard time saying the Celts didn't win the trade even now. Maybe it was a "win/win" as Dr. Covey would say.

 

That's what pgabriel does. He ignores any statements where he can't handle the truth, and then restates his original argument to save face. That's why I ignored chiming in on this back and forth.

 

That's ok.
He's just saying that Heisley tried to dump salaries and didn't care for lakers, didn't care for equal value, didn't care about fans, didn't care about the attendance, didn't care about any basketball related stuff.

Unfortunately he helped lakers on the way.. Team that was good before deal, and then became super good. And made him question his deal.

 

how are the grizzlies any worse, record or attendance?

 

what question haven't i answered

 

Fixed....

The hardest thing to find in this league are skilled bigs and PG's. You don't give away either for Kwame Brown, a young PG when you already have two and near 2nd round picks.

And Gasol is very crucial to LA's success. Just look at their record with him...it's that simple. After Bynum went down LA was losing before they got him.

I have been trying to think of a worse trade for a while but I can't. Some say we were gifted Drexler, but at least Thorpe was proven and Clyde was on the back end of his career. The McHale/Parish trade turned out to be a pretty bad one, but the receiving team did get the #1 pick in the draft and you never know how draft picks will pan out.

It was just a bad trade. Even the Mavs got more for an old Jason Kidd.

 

If Memphis did what was best for Memphis then this article wouldn't be out right now. There have been plenty of salary dumps but I can't think of too many with a player this skilled, where the receiving team got as little back. Again, a skilled big man is one of the hardest things to acquire in the league. Teams kill for them and overpay for scrubs with size. Memphis did not do what was in their best interests by giving one away, in their conference, for cap space and near 2nd round picks.

 

B.Diddy was very injury prone before that trade. You won't get as much for a player missing all of these games:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/davisba01.html

Carter was whining all summer, had alienated the fans and quit on the team. On top of that, the trade didn't elevate NJ to superstar status so the two draft picks they got were expected to be decent picks. Sending Gasol to LA pretty much means the picks you receive will suck unless someone gets hurt.

Butler didn't blow up until he got to Washington and Brown was still a #1 pick with potential at that time. Plus, he is a big man...and I've already covered how teams typically overpay for bigs because one with skill is very hard to find. How long have we been looking for a PF??

No double standard here. Just find me a trade that bad. I have been trying to find one and I can't....

 

C'mon now. Tmac did the same thing in Orlando and they went ahead and started a bidding war. You're telling me that Toronto couldn't fish around for some value? At least Memphis got some young prospects on top of the first round picks. Toronto settled for two aging, tweener fowards and one headache of an expiring contract.

And no, the nets were never expected to have good picks. In the two years before the Carter trade, the nets were one of the best teams in the eastern conference and earned picks #22 and #24 in 2003 and 2002, respectively. The lakers for the past two years have earned picks #19 and #21 (traded to Phoenix). When the Carter trade went down, people were talking about the nets possibly getting back to the finals again if they could stay healthy. And one of the picks was from Devner, which Toronto just traded away for cap relief anyway. The two first round picks were expected to be late. You're just revising history.

The Carter trade WAS worse. The raptors weren't doing as badly as Memphis record-wise, they must have had a better financial situation, they settled for a less valuable package, and they actually took on salary for the next year. That's right, they actually had to pay the Williams duo $8 million combined in 05/06. They got a lot less for a much better player.

But according to you, the raptors were justified because Carter was whining? Yes, that makes the trade so much better.

 

What young prospects...a PG when they already had two and a big that has never played in the league?

I'm not revising history. I said the trade wasn't supposed to elevate them to superstar status and the picks would be decent. LA had already been the #1 team in the West that season, and Bynum was expected back. So there is no way you would have expected those picks to be anywhere but near the end of the first, especially since Gasol is still fairly young.

It was justified because Carter was whining and had alieneted the fans, and the picks they got weren't guarenteed to be garbage picks. Additionally, swingmen are a dime a dozen and there isn't a premium on them like skilled big-men. Additionally, that trade wasn't predicted to set NJ up to contend for titles for the next 4 years or so.

 

This Heisley dude sounds genuinely retarted...he starts moaning:"ooohhh...attendance numbers are down cos we havent got top pick: wtf? heisley could have had a top pick in this draft if he had traded gasol in return for some meaningful pieces...

I cannot believe he is saying all these things after he committed all these things he is moaning about himself......he sounds like he is a boy who had been robbed of his psp by some stranger and moaning to his teacher...and hes now trying to "look good" by mentioning some other deals which he is trying to portray some similar to his deal. No way man! Scola deal wasn't any where near as onesided as whatever donation deal he had with the lakers.

I read the article the day it was published...and instantly thought grizzlies and in particular heisley and his gm are losers...