To sum up: You have done the right think giving Memphis the rights of Marc, you don’t need Marc having Bynum. And you have Pau, who is 4 years older but much more experienced. Pau’s weakness in defense has been exaggerated due to the poor defense of Memphis. In the Spanish National Team he is quite good, you can ask to Dirk Nowitski 14 pts in a game, or AK. He’s a bit weak individually speaking, but he defends quite well in a team (which excludes Memphis). He’s a talented player but he’s not selfish at all, I think he will fit with Kobe, Bynum and Odom perfectly. I’m looking forward to see them playing together. It’s gonna be AWESOME!!!

Best regards from Spain

Pau Gasol is gone to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers made the move for the present; the Grizzlies made the move for the future and both sides got what they wanted.

I’m going to confess right here and now: I’m a Pau Gasol fan.

I’m a fan of his professionalism, his candor, his recognition of the little people (like broadcasters) in the organization and his passion for the game.

So it was a little stunning to see the news today. Not unexpected mind you, just stunning. I hate to see him go, but understand the Grizzlies’ rationale for making this deal.

Pete with Pau at luncheon

Pau was the singular lightning rod for criticism of the Memphis Grizzlies. Bad service at the concession stands? Had to be Pau’s fault. Long lines at the restrooms? Gotta be Pau’s fault. It seemed that every single failing was laid at his feet.

Yes, there’s the issue of the 0-12 playoff record. In two of the three postseasons, Gasol scored above his season average in the playoffs (the exception being the Dallas series when he was .1 off his season average). And in two of the series, his FG% was higher than that of the rest of the team. In the Dallas series, Gasol averaged 20.3 points per game. Eddie Jones was second on the team in scoring at 10.3 (below his seasonal average) and Mike Miller was five points off his seasonal average. Before that, when the Grizzlies were swept by Phoenix, Gasol went from 17.8 points per game in the regular season and 21.3 per game. Jason Wiliams and James Posey outdid their seasonal averages, but Mike Miller and Shane Battier did not. And in the series against San Antonio, Gasol shot 57% from the floor; the rest of the team shot all of 35%.

That stats simply don’t bear out blaming Gasol for 12 straight post-season losses. It’s a team game, and you can make the case that Gasol got limited support from the rest of his teammates.

Whatever criticisms are leveled at him, the numbers reveal that Gasol is one of the most efficient big men in the game and is capable of going large (see the game at Golden State this season) or putting up a triple double. He is not at the elite level where he’s an automatic 20/10, but he’s more than capable of averaging those types of numbers.

I spoke with Lee Hamilton on the Lakers’ flagship radio station, KLAC this afternoon and Laker fans are turning cartwheels on Rodeo Drive at this trade. They believe that Gasol is the piece that can help put them over the top against an aging Spurs team. With Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf handling the rough stuff, it will free Gasol to score the ball against smaller forwards. And since Pau has always been more comfortable in a team concept, he should fit perfectly into Phil Jackson’s triangle offense.

So the Lakers will make a run at the title.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies will re-tool. The deal was done with an eye toward salary cap flexibility for this off-season and next. It was also made with an eye toward developing young talent such as Pau’s younger brother Marc and Javaris Crittendon (who, by the way, is the all-time leading scorer in Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy history, topping that Dwight Howard fellow). Figure that the Grizzlies go back into the lottery, get another high pick, add another free agent and pull the pieces together.

If you want inspiration, look to the Portland Trail Blazers who went on a total youth movement. They’re the youngest team in the league and even without Greg Oden, they stand a decent chance of making the playoffs. The Grizzlies appear headed that way. This team now belongs to Mike Conley and Rudy Gay with a healthy dose of Kyle Lowry thrown in for good measure.

As far as the Lakers go, this trade was made for now. For the Grizzlies, it was made for the future of the franchise.

Check out Gasol and John “Who Stole my Lucky Charms” Ireland:

http://cbs2.com/video/?cid=92

this video just confirms that gasol is the right player for the lakers….i will even go with the possibility of the sighting of SKY HOOK in the future by this guy.

he has a sweet hook shot, with both hands…
he drives to the lane a lot (for a big guy)
i don’t doubt his outside shooting (he’s euro afterall), but when he drives, it keeps the defense honest (unlike sarbonis who rarely drives to the hoop or ilgauskas)

i cannot wait for the game against wiz, hopefully we could watch him for the first time as a lakers….

GO LAKERS

http://www.pe.com/sports/basketball/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_D_lakers_02.40d5aeb.html

I think the Lakers and their fans will find him to be a very adequate defender.

As to re-signing Kwame… at the right price I don’t see why the Lakers WOULDN’T sign him. I agree that somebody is gonna give him the mid-level. Kwame is worth that to somebody. Maybe he’ll choose to come back to the “nest.” Doubtful, really.

With this group, the Lakers shouldn’t have a hard time signing quality veterans. The LA situation is an excellent one. The only issue I see is that what do the Lakers even really NEED at this point?

Other then that, here are some reasons why I think our defense will be much improved.

1. Easy baskets = less turnovers because of less forced shots, or shot clock violations, out of bound passes, etc. Hopefully we won’t see as many bad jump shots.

2. Easy buckets = more energy available for defense. If Kobe doesn’t have to score 40 a game he can play better defense. Same for our other players.

3. Smushtraction = less turnovers, less momentum killing fumbles, stolen passes, dropped balls from Kwame. On our first game after trading Kwame, we posted 5 turnovers for the ENTIRE game.

4. Wear down the opposition = I’m pretty sure it takes a lot of energy to guard Kobe Bryant. Now try guarding Kobe Bryant and two All-Star 7 footers. Any defense that has to guard these guys is going to get tired over 48 minutes. A tired defense is a tired offense.

We also have a giant lineup now. Fisher’s pretty big and stocky for a point guard, Kobe’s tall for a shooting guard, Lamar lengthy, and Bynum and Gasol are 7 footers who can clog the paint.

Also the possibility of creating a lot of foul trouble for opponents.

5. Rebounding = Gasol averages 9, Bynum averages about 10, Lamar averages about 10. That’s a lot of rebounding just between the three of them.