Thread: Gasol a Laker!

J.A. Adande: (3:01 PM ET ) Hi folks. Lot's going on, starting off with the news that Memphis traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers for a package built mostly around Kwame Brown and his vast potential...I mean expiring contract. We'll get into that in a bit, but let's get this rolling from my hotel in Phoenix, where I watched an ugly game between the Suns and Spurs last night. Hope that isn't an omen for the Super Bowl

More to come but it looks like the package is built around the expiring contract of Brown to help offset the contracts and a couple of 1st rounders.

And the top of the West becomes even tougher.

The Memphis Grizzlies will send Pau Gasol and a future second-round pick to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, the unofficially retired Aaron McKie , the draft rights to Pau Gasol's brother Marc and future first-round picks in 2008 and 2010, NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

It is believed that the Lakers would need to arrange a sign-and-trade for McKie to make the salary cap math work for the deal. McKie is not currently playing in the NBA but his rights are owneed by the Lakers.



According to The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal, which also reported the trade, the Grizzlies decided to move ahead with trading Gasol because the team felt it could not longer move ahead with him off or on the court -- and that the acquisition of Brown, who is earning $9,075,000 in the last year of his contract, would provide the franchise salary cap relief.



The Commercial Appeal also reported that the Grizzlies are sending Stromile Swift to the New Jersey Nets for center Jason Collins. The Grizzlies and Nets have been discussing that deal for the past week and expect to finalize it on Monday, according to the report.



Swift met with Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni and general manager Chris Wallace on Friday, was sent home and did not practice with the team and will not play in Saturday's game against Utah, the newspaper reported.



ESPN.com NBA writer Marc Stein contributed to this report.

good deal for the Lakers.

When Bynum gets back in another month and a half they will feature a front court of Bynum at center, Gasol at power and Odom at small.

That's a solid front line of low post scoring, solid rebounding and the versatility and mismatches of Odom against other teams 3's. Plus, Walton coming off the bench.

For now the Lakers can feature Gasol at center, Turiaf at power and shift Odom to small. That's better than the current Brown at center, Odom at power and Radmanovic at small.

I think Pau Gasol is the missing peice from the Lakers puzzle. Our starting lineup looks like this when Bynum's back:

PG - Derek Fisher
SG -Kobe Bryant
SF - Lamar Odom
PF - Pau Gasol
C - Andrew Bynum.

For the mean time I think we should play this:

PG - Derek Fisher
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Lamar Odom
PF - Ronny Turiaf
C - Pau Gasol.

NBA Championship here we come.

Laker fans feel free to use my Gasol sig.

Yikes...what a steal for L.A.

Does Kobe still want out? Probably not.

Originally Posted by TheWookieeBronco

NBA Championship here we come.
.

i spitted out my gatorade when i read this...heck im still spitting it out



nice trade though

Originally Posted by Escobar

i spitted out my gatorade when i read this...heck im still spitting it out



nice trade though

You really think your Suns are going to do better?

(You are a Suns fan right?)

Originally Posted by TheWookieeBronco

You really think your Suns are going to do better?

(You are a Suns fan right?)

yea i am.....and yes i know they will do better...they will win the division yet again.....im not scared of the lakers....derek fischer was the best pickup for the lakers..better than gasol. amare stoudemire knows how to stop gasol. Its fischer who scares me and of course kobe. But gasol doesn't automatically make the lakers ''nba champions''.

Originally Posted by Escobar

yea i am.....and yes i know they will do better...they will win the division yet again.....im not scared of the lakers....derek fischer was the best pickup for the lakers..better than gasol. amare stoudemire knows how to stop gasol. Its fischer who scares me and of course kobe. But gasol doesn't automatically make the lakers ''nba champions''.

Kobe, Bynum and Gasol are going to be a vicious lineup. A scary lineup.

Gasol doesn't automatically make the Lakers NBA Champions, but if you add Bynum and Kobe to the equation, the Lakers are definitely one of the best.

Originally Posted by Escobar

yea i am.....and yes i know they will do better...they will win the division yet again.....im not scared of the lakers....derek fischer was the best pickup for the lakers..better than gasol. amare stoudemire knows how to stop gasol. Its fischer who scares me and of course kobe. But gasol doesn't automatically make the lakers ''nba champions''.

The Sun may win their division but will have to show they can beat the Spurs in a pressure filled playoff series. Stoudemire doesn't play fundamental defense throughout the whole game and tends to leak out too early on d in order to get a highlight reel dunk from a Nash pass.

Originally Posted by TheWookieeBronco

Kobe, Bynum and Gasol are going to be a vicious lineup. A scary lineup.

Gasol doesn't automatically make the Lakers NBA Champions, but if you add Bynum and Kobe to the equation, the Lakers are definitely one of the best.

Nice job Lakers.

This will definatly help when Bynum comes back and I am glad to see they finally got rid of Kwame Brown.

Where's Benneto???

Good trade for the Lakers.

huge, huge trade.
Gasol will help avoid the slide that seemed eminent just two days ago.
Gasol playing along side Kobe & Bynum could be rediculous, but who knows how long Bynums knee will take. Could be most of the season.
For now Gasol saves our post season hopes, and I'm excited to see how well he fits into Tex Winters offense.

By the looks of things, Gasol will not play untill Tuesday's game against the Nets.

Nice first game by Gasol (24pts. 12reb.) He is definatly what the Lakers needed and we didn't have to give up any key players. Man, I can't wait until Bynum gets back.