Pau back to Memphis rumor

[popo85]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-on-basketball/19376875/rumor-memphis-could-have-interest-in-re-obtaining-pau-gasol

The Lakers are committed to moving Pau Gasol — the fall guy for their second-round ouster against the Thunder and previous playoff failures — even if they have to take back less talent. As long as Heisley retains the Grizzlies, Memphis will always have interest. Heisley has always wanted to bring Gasol back, pairing him with his brother, Marc.

via For the NBA after the bitter lockout, all's well that ends well with LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant in Finals - NY Daily News.

So that's a little crazy, eh?

This is the kind of thing that you can tell was likely sourced from the Lakers side of things, to 1. increase value for Gasol on the market and 2. gauge reaction. Memphis would have two options for trading back for Gasol. One, they could send Rudy Gay, giving the Lakers a sub-elite wing on a massive contract as the Lakers try and limit their payroll in advance of the repeater tax going into effect in 2015, or they can package Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, or a combination of the two for Gasol.

Gasol is arguably the best player of the four involved, but not for Memphis. Memphis' identity has been forged in toughness, grit, and defensive attitude, three things that the elder Gasol is, shall we say, not known for. It's not a bad thing, it's a stylistic thing. There's just no reason to bring Gasol in for Gay, since you'd be bringing in an older player who clashes with the two you already have on roster. There's no reason to trade Marc Gasol for his brother because the younger one does more of what the Grizzlies need. And there's no reason to trade Zach Randolph for Gasol because it's been his attitude and leadership that has helped the Grizzlies to legitimacy.

In short, this thing is bonkers. But the source is credible, and there's some truth to the elements around it. The Lakers are looking to target a new place for Gasol, and Rudy Gay may be the kind of player they're looking to get in return. Just don't count on seeing Gasol back in the baby bear blues anytime soon after he burned quite a few bridges with his exit with the fans.

[Asianiac_24]

How does Rudy Gay for Pau Gasol work for Memphis? They already have Randolph and Marc Gasol already. Personally I would ask for Conley/Randolph for Gasol/Sessions.

[popo85]

Conley would be a nice upgrade, problem with Z-Bo is if he isn't that efficient unless he gets alot of shots.

[TruSkool]

I'd only trade gasol for a tier 1 PG......or dirk =)

[Jetset]

I can't take anything seriously that basically says "Well x is interested in x and x could possibly get so many players for that player, but x isn't interested in trading the players that we just mentioned for that player."

[WCDYNASTY]

Pau Gasol Headed Back to the Grizzlies?
Written by Ryan Ward on 06/18/2012

The trade rumors surrounding two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol have taken an interesting turn recently with the Los Angeles Lakers starting power forward now being linked with a return to the Memphis Grizzlies.

At this point in time, it seems clear that the Lakers’ front office is prepared to move the four-time All-Star in order to bring in some new blood and a new attitude in the frontcourt and/or backcourt in Los Angeles. The reports of Gasol being shipped back to Memphis surfaced on Sat. June 16 via Mitch Lawrence of NYDailyNews.com:

“The Lakers are committed to moving Pau Gasol — the fall guy for their second-round ouster against the Thunder and previous playoff failures — even if they have to take back less talent. As long as Heisley retains the Grizzlies, Memphis will always have interest. Heisley has always wanted to bring Gasol back, pairing him with his brother, Marc.”

The real question that has been raised with the most recent trade rumor involving the Lakers and Grizzlies is which player(s) Los Angeles will acquire in return.

The obvious choice would be Zach Randolph. With Randolph being the polar opposite of Gasol at the power forward position in terms of aggressiveness and shoot-first mentality, the veteran forward might be at the top of the Lakers’ wish list from the Grizzlies in return. Small forward Rudy Gay might also be an option that the Lakers could explore.

Grizzlies Trade Options for the Lakers

Zach Randolph
Rudy Gay
OJ Mayo
Tony Allen
Mike Conley

It is uncertain how set the Grizzlies are in terms of bringing back Pau via trade to play alongside his brother, Marc. The combination in the frontcourt of the Gasol brothers would almost certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference. A taste of the Gasol brother’s dominance together in the same frontcourt was seen in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing on the Spanish national team.

With Pau and Marc leading the way and rookie phenom Ricky Rubio running the show in the backcourt, Spain made it all the way to the gold medal game against Team USA. Despite being the underdog, Spain gave the U.S. a run for their money, and if it weren’t for a brilliant performance by Kobe Bryant, the Spanish may have very well won the gold medal.

SOURCE:
http://www.lakersnation.com/lakers-rumors-pau-gasol-headed-back-to-the-grizzlies/2012/06/18/

[Jetset]

I'm sure you saw the thread that was made on this topic about an hour ago just sitting there as the second unpinned thread. You can't miss it.

[Wavy Q]

@ LakersNation being a source to anything

[Gek]

Not doing it without Kwame.

[dub81]

At this time Randolph is a much better player than P. Gasol. So if they wanna trade him away I'm fine with that.

[Kalidogg24]

I don't think Memphis has anything that will make us dramatically better .

Pau's worth is much better than most of their players even if he is fading away on father time or just having a lack of focus these past two playoffs.

If were gonna trade away Pau it's gotta be for another superstar .
Not these sub par players who proved they can make it to the 2nd round.
Pau's proved he is/was a Championship Caliber player.


Mike Conley is basically another Ramon Sessions.

Rudy is inconsistent on the defensive end and not a player you can build your future on.

OJ Mayo is pretty much the same problem as Rudy but with a much more deadly shooting touch.

Z-Bo is good but as of last season with recovering off the knee injury or not he has never been a first class athlete on terms of his conditioning.

Basically if Deron or Dwight isn't in the discussion involving Pau+ a few other Lakers players
I don't want to hear about it.
Anything else would be an uneven exchange.

[OOO]

At this time Randolph is a much better player than P. Gasol. So if they wanna trade him away I'm fine with that.

Much better? Explain how Zach is MUCH BETTER than Pau Gasol. He came off an injury and stunk it up. Average 11/8 on 46 percent shooting with no defense what so ever. Please explain.

[hazy_01]

Let's rob the Grizzlies again!

[magic wand time]

Say no to blackhole Zach. Only Gay + Mayo.
Upgrade SF with another potent scorer, Mayo plays PG with Sessions and backs up Kobe at the 2. Ron plays more PF as Hill's backup.

[XXIV]

Say no to blackhole Zach. Only Gay + Mayo.
Upgrade SF with another potent scorer, Mayo plays PG with Sessions and backs up Kobe at the 2. Ron plays more PF as Hill's backup.

It really depends on what type of contract Mayo gets. We don't want to receive two overpaid players for one.

[tlifeset]

This rumor is BS for a variety of reasons.

-Namely, the Memphis Grizzlies are being sold and the framework of the deal is anything but solid. Blockbuster trades don't typically happen in that atmosphere.

-The article states that the Lakers are trying desperately to get under the tax by 2015. Um, if they kept Gasol he would expire by then. And, guess what, if they traded for Rudy Gay that assuredly would not happen.

-As mentioned numerous times in this thread, Memphis isn't going to pay 40-50 mill a year for 3 PF/C players.

In short, I still believe Gasol will be dealt this offseason but if he is ... it will be to get younger and cut salary. AKA The Minnesota Deal: Derrick Williams/Wes Johnson/Draft Pick.

[magic wand time]

The NY Daily news article is much more specific with only a sentence or two, and saying credible source states Memp wants Gasol bros, nothing about who would be dealt. The rest of what is linked here (cbssports and lakernation) is just speculation after the fact on that.

[dub81]

At this time Randolph is a much better player than P. Gasol. So if they wanna trade him away I'm fine with that.

Much better? Explain how Zach is MUCH BETTER than Pau Gasol. He came off an injury and stunk it up. Average 11/8 on 46 percent shooting with no defense what so ever. Please explain.

Not going to entertain you bro. God Bless

[One Love]

The trade doesnt make sense for either party... Lakers have only 7 players under contract with Pau... I would endorse a deal starting with Mayo & Spreights but they would have to add some other pieces to get close to 25% of Pau's salary...

[LALegend]

Can't we just trade McRoberts, Murphy, and a 2021 2nd for Gay, Allen, and Randolph?