Kobe: Time to trade Pau or say he's staying

[crazy8ights]

I don't know if you guys read got em coach but dude is going in on this whole situation, kinda lost respect for him and probably will stop reading his sh@t *takes a look at our PG and SF

[chefy]

i wonder how many trade rumors we're gonna get after this. i say an average of at least 2 a day till we passed the trade deadline.

[doozyj]

“As a former player, I understand how the days leading up to the trade deadline can be nerve-wracking for an NBA player. Nonetheless, as General Manager of the Lakers, I have a responsibility to ownership, our fans and the players on this team to actively pursue opportunities to improve the team for this season and seasons to come. To say publicly that we would not do this would serve no purpose and put us at a competitive disadvantage. Taking such a course of action at this time would be a disservice to ownership, the team and our many fans."

- Mitch Kupchak

Translation: Pau is getting traded. Deal with it, Kobe.

Fixed.

[Kilroy]

I know this is an older thread but there are a ton of 'Gasol Trade threads' and I think this article is a direct response to Kobe's statement...

Gasol, Lakers GM discuss rumors

Shortly after Bryant's very public demand for Lakers management to provide some clarity for the team, and specifically for Gasol, about its intentions at the trade deadline, Kupchak called Gasol and spoke to him at length about the situation.

"I have an understanding of where things are," Gasol said after the Lakers' shootaround in Detroit on Tuesday, "where they stand and where he stands and where I stand. He [Kupchak] told me to just keep doing what you do, keep playing hard and playing on and from that point on, we'll see."

While Kupchak did not tell Gasol that he wouldn't be traded, the conversation seemed to go a long way in settling Gasol's nerves because he hadn't been given much of any feedback about his status since he was involved in the failed Chris Paul trade in early December.

"It was kind of calming to have that feedback," Gasol said. "Since before training camp, it was the first time I was approached by them."

Gasol admitted he was disappointed that the conversation didn't happen earlier. As a four-time All-Star and a key figure in the team's back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010, he figured he deserved that.

Gasol does seem to understand why he hasn't been told much, however.

"It's hard because when an organization is going to pull the trigger (on a trade), I guess the less involvement and the less contact, the easier it is," he said. "That was the point if you watched that movie 'Moneyball', where Brad Pitt doesn't want to be involved with players. I don't know if that's the case or not, but you could see that kind of factor."

Gasol said he ended the conversation with one request of Kupchak.

"I told him, 'When there's something real on the table, just let me know,' " he said.

And did he get a sense that would happen?

"Ummm, there's always potential," he said, "because things can turn around or they're not willing to give up a certain player that they were before. You have to understand that."

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/7656496/pau-gasol-los-angeles-lakers-gm-mitch-kupchak-discuss-trade-rumors

[crazy8ights]

nice find!!