Would be interesting to see if Boston and Los Angeles could've made it to the NBA finals if the Celtics were lead by only Pierce, Jefferson and Ray Allen and not the inclusion of Garnett and the Lakers were lead by Bryant, Odom and a healthy Bynum and not the inclusion of Gasol.
"I don't use the word 'trade' because that implies equal value, and there was no equal value going on there," ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy says of the deal that sent Kwame Brown, rookie Javaris Crittenton and two first-round draft picks to the Grizzlies. "Memphis donated Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers for whatever reason; I'm not sure what the Grizzlies' reasons were. Maybe they wanted out from under his contract."
Van Gundy calls the deal "life-saving" for the Lakers after center Andrew Bynum injured a knee in mid-January. "With Bynum hurt, think about where they'd be without Gasol," Van Gundy says. "They'd have been on the road to start the playoffs. At worst, they could've missed the playoffs."
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketba ... vior_N.htm