Be Careful What You Wish For

[MickeyMgl]

By Zach Lowe on November 21, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/btxqbb5

"It'd be remiss to overlook the puzzling determination among a segment of Laker fans to deal one of the league's great all-around players. That's not to say there are no grounds for trading Gasol. As I've written before, he's a center the Lakers have had to shoehorn into a power forward role over the last two seasons, a makeshift setup that (along with shaky perimeter shooting at other positions) cramps the Lakers' spacing; there's a reason the Lakers almost always closed games with Lamar Odom and just one of the Gasol/Bynum duo, back when Odom was actually an NBA player. With three $1 players already onboard, it might make sense to deal Gasol for two 65-cent players who bring shooting and fit Mike D'Antoni's offense. (Let's ignore that one of those $1 players is recovering from back surgery, and another is almost 39 and dealing with a broken leg.)

"But the "trade Gasol" fervor has masked — in some corners of Laker Land — what a brilliant player Gasol is. And though Kobe Bryant has backed Gasol publicly, his habit of chastising Gasol for alleged passivity, including after Bryant shot the Lakers out of Game 4 against the Thunder last season, has emboldened that fervor.

"The Lakers' offense has remained pretty efficient overall because Gasol is the rare 7-footer with the versatility to make the awkward setup work. He can hit 18-footers consistently, though he needs space and time to load up. He may be the world's best passing big, though his brother is giving him a run in Memphis. He is unselfish and team-oriented despite a prodigious individual skill set. And though he's an uneven defender, at times badly overextended as a power forward, he works hard at it and has the right instincts.

"Want to deal this guy? Fine. Understand that it might not work out as well as you'd hope. Gasol is 32, due $19 million this year and $19.3 million next season; the other 29 teams appreciate Gasol, but not many are stoked about taking on that contract, even though it will become an expiring deal before you know it. The Lakers' ceiling may be higher without him, given the right package, but take a minute to appreciate Gasol's game while you can."

[truplayer199]

Stop reading after "It'd be remiss to overlook." I must be dumb because i don't know what that mean. I disagree vehemently with most of this article. IMO the Lakers must trade Gasol ASAP.

[PGLakers]

Stop reading after "It'd be remiss to overlook." I must be dumb because i don't know what that mean. I disagree vehemently with most of this article. IMO the Lakers must trade Gasol ASAP.

You stopped reading after first line but you disagree with most of the article?

[Mave1002]

Stop reading after "It'd be remiss to overlook." I must be dumb because i don't know what that mean. I disagree vehemently with most of this article. IMO the Lakers must trade Gasol ASAP.

Thanks for the justification. Ignorance at it's finest.

"The Lakers' ceiling may be higher without him, given the right package, but take a minute to appreciate Gasol's game while you can."

That was the best line. Im not even sure when we can ever see a center as skilled as this Big man. He's Vlade Divac with the best offensive skill set and an extremely high IQ.

[truplayer199]

You stopped reading after first line but you disagree with most of the article?

I was joking when i said i stopped reading after the first line.

[Chavacano]

He can hit 18-footers consistently, though he needs space and time to load up.

^^ If you call shooting 41% consistently... llullz

[truplayer199]

Thanks for the justification. Ignorance at it's finest.

"The Lakers' ceiling may be higher without him, given the right package, but take a minute to appreciate Gasol's game while you can."

That was the best line. Im not even sure when we can ever see a center as skilled as this Big man. He's Vlade Divac with the best offensive skill set and an extremely high IQ.

I have plenty of reason why the lakers should trade Pau, but i simply dont have time to list them right now. Next time ask me what my reasons were before you make a stupid comment.

If a player doesn't fit within a system, being very skilled alone doesn't mean sh**. Pau is not a pf and he will never fit well playing with a true center. I don't dislike Gasol as a player, I just don't think he'll have the opportunity to utilize his full capabilities on this team.

[handle]

take a minute to appreciate Gasol's game while you can Yeah, yeah, we get it, he's a skilled big man. Who wrote this, his mom?

I'd agree with the gist of the article if Pau wasn't on the downside of his career... at this point, the risk of trading him isn't high - it's not like he's going to come back and haunt us with years of All-Star seasons. And his contract IS one of the reasons he should be traded.

Right now (for the last two years, actually) I want to trade Pau, but only for pieces to improve the team, not just to dump him because he's declining and passive.

[Hellcrooner]

take a minute to appreciate Gasol's game while you can Yeah, yeah, we get it, he's a skilled big man. Who wrote this, his mom?

I'd agree with the gist of the article if Pau wasn't on the downside of his career... at this point, the risk of trading him isn't high - it's not like he's going to come back and haunt us with years of All-Star seasons.

Right now (for the last two years, actually) I want to trade Pau, but only for pieces to help the team. I hope that happens, and soon.

He wont haunt us at all if we send him to a team with 0 chances of doing something, what is more, traded to such a situacion he will completely lose interest in the league, stop caring, stop trying to do jack, collect his dollars and wait until it sover to come back to europe.

Raptors, Sixers, Bobcats, Wizards, Hawks, Magic,Pistons, Bucks, Pacers,Cavaliers, Suns, Kings, Warriors, Hornets, Rockets, Nuggets, Jazz, .

All those teams fill that bill .

Then there are a couple of teams where he would show some interest, and he would make them better, but probably not enough to bite us back in the *** ( depending of what we get from them) but therese some risk at minimum of his new team taing us down in playoffs.

Blazers, Wolves,Grizzlies, Mavs, Clippers,Bulls.

But if he gets to one of thhse teams ( deppending on who we get from them) or is traded to a bad team that buys him out and signs with one of them for vets min WE ARE GUARANTEED to have to bear him, getting a ring and smiling at our FO.

Heat, Knicks, Nets,Celtics, Spurs, Thunder.

[Iron24th]

MickeyMgl = Hellcrooner

[FernandoMania]

Thanks for the justification. Ignorance at it's finest.

"The Lakers' ceiling may be higher without him, given the right package, but take a minute to appreciate Gasol's game while you can."

That was the best line. Im not even sure when we can ever see a center as skilled as this Big man. He's Vlade Divac with the best offensive skill set and an extremely high IQ.

THATS EXACTLY WHY I CAN'T STAND GASOL. Divac was crap!! If you're 7 feet, 280 then freakin dunk on people and knock them down in the process. I couldnt stand Divac and remember where I was the day we unloaded him and got a REAL center in Shaq. Only European big man to get it a little is Marc. Everyone else wants to dance to the rim, shoot 3s and flop.

[Hellcrooner]

THATS EXACTLY WHY I CAN'T STAND GASOL. Divac was crap!! If you're 7 feet, 280 then freakin dunk on people and knock them down in the process. I couldnt stand Divac and remember where I was the day we unloaded him and got a REAL center in Shaq. Only European big man to get it a little is Marc. Everyone else wants to dance to the rim, shoot 3s and flop.

A Bit Xenohobic arent we?

[Citanoxeno]

THATS EXACTLY WHY I CAN'T STAND GASOL. Divac was crap!! If you're 7 feet, 280 then freakin dunk on people and knock them down in the process. I couldnt stand Divac and remember where I was the day we unloaded him and got a REAL center in Shaq. Only European big man to get it a little is Marc. Everyone else wants to dance to the rim, shoot 3s and flop.

We got Oneal via free agency and traded Divac for Kobe

[mekedubs]

YAY!!! Another Pau Gasol appreciation thread!!!! Here's a few names of people who's been traded in NBA history.... Wilt Chamberlain (I should stop there!!!), Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Alonzo Mourning, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Gary Payton, SHAQUILLE O'NEAL..... Just to name a few....

So in the famous words of Gary Payton after being asked about his thoughts on being traded from the Sonics to the Bucks, "Man they've traded WILT CHAMBERLAIN before so who am I to complain!!!!" 'Nuff said.

[MickeyMgl]

Stop reading after "It'd be remiss to overlook." I must be dumb because i don't know what that mean. I disagree vehemently with most of this article.

How do you know you disagree with it if you stopped reading after five words?