Why the hell didn't Orlando trade their expirings for Gasol?

[Typhoon20]

I understand Grizz wanted young and expring... But does anyone ese wonder if they even asked about Bynum??

If they truly wanted young and expirings...Chicago offered them Nocioni (expiring) + draft picks (much higher then Lakers).

It's a conspiracy no doubt.

[Max Power]

You guys are whining at Otis Smith about not going for Gasol, well did you guys think maybe our expirings weren't going to get it done? We probably didn't want to drop 2 first rounders for him. Maybe Otis doesn't want a scoring big next to Dwight, that's going to be Dwight's job. Our team needs defense, and Gasol does not provide much of that. Maybe Memphis thought our package was crap if we made an offer. This board is so off base sometimes it frustrates the hell out of me. You can't have an all star at every damned position people. We already got 3 practically.

[Optimus_Steel]

The BIG winner here is Aaron Mckie, what a lucky SOB. He gets to make a cool mill or 2 for signing a paper.

[Optimus_Steel]

did anyone else see this little item at the bottom of sportsline's recap of tonight's game?

"Aaron McKie, who had been a volunteer assistant coach with the Sixers this season, was signed earlier Friday by the Los Angeles Lakers and then traded to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the deal for F Pau Gasol. A 13-year veteran with Portland, Detroit, Philadelphia and the Lakers, McKie is expected to be released by Memphis. Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski said McKie was signed for a "substantial amount of money."

what the hell is THIS about? you can sign retired players just to be apart of a trade for expirings?!?!? i've never, ever heard of this.

if this report is true, and i haven't heard mckie's name in any other report, it goes along way to discrediting the validity of this trade.

Well according to what i heard, the Lakers had an option for his contract this year which they hadnt picked up until now. So the question would be if he officially retired. If he didnt officially retire then it should be perfectly legal and shrewd. Something just dont feel right though.

[ORL]

McKie never filed retirement papers, so Lakers still had his rights. This is not without precedent, although I can't remember the name of the guy that received a gift like about 4 or 5 years ago (I think it may have been the Kings, but I'm not 100% sure).

[flyingvee]

what the hell is THIS about? you can sign retired players just to be apart of a trade for expirings?!?!? i've never, ever heard of this.

if this report is true, and i haven't heard mckie's name in any other report, it goes along way to discrediting the validity of this trade.

If your the Lakers or Celtics you can do this. Or any other team Stern would like to see in the finals.

Otis is a bonehead. For a star like Gasol we could have moved Turk as we're crowded at SF and all of a sudden have

Nelson
Evans
Lewis
Gasol
Howard

which looks mighty sweet. And anyone that says they rather have Turk than Gasol, well I have sympathy for you. Of course Turk and expirings.

But this stinks all over. You have Jerry West with his ties to the Lakers and the the Lakers still trying to get him back, and all his ties, this reeks of conflict of interest. Like if Otis had gone to Memphis this year and traded us Gasol for the nonsense the Lakers sent over, Stern would have investigated it or stopped it.

[magictreat]

What the ****! They talk and talk about how they need a power forward then let one go to the Lakers for salary papers while they have their thumbs up their ass! I'm sure the Grizz would have been happier not to keep him in the West. Wow, Just wow. Way to drop the ball Otis. Way to drop the **** ball.

Calm down bud, Jerry West still a Laker at heart, if the choice was to help us or LA he will help the Lakers all the time.....

[Wally Cleaver]

But this stinks all over. You have Jerry West with his ties to the Lakers and the the Lakers still trying to get him back, and all his ties, this reeks of conflict of interest. Like if Otis had gone to Memphis this year and traded us Gasol for the nonsense the Lakers sent over, Stern would have investigated it or stopped it.

In that case, petition the league to prevent former players from becoming GMs. There is no interest to conflict here. There are just a bunch of fans who hate to see the Lakers score a big name for nothing. If that were Jerry Krause and they traded him to Chicago, you wouldn't be crying.

[Bensational]

-= original quote snipped =-



In that case, petition the league to prevent former players from becoming GMs. There is no interest to conflict here. There are just a bunch of fans who hate to see the Lakers score a big name for nothing. If that were Jerry Krause and they traded him to Chicago, you wouldn't be crying.

if Krause traded him for the same package then i'd be crying. heck, even if it was John Gabriel and he sent Gasol here for our expirings i'd feel like he'd done us a massive favour.

[richboy]

I think way to much is made of the West connections to the Lakers. Listening to the other offers sounds like the Lakers came up with by far the best package. Javaris is a stud prospect that has Baron Davis like physical tools at the PG spot. IMO its overstating if you think this deal was done just because West played with the Lakers. He is getting potentially 3 young players and enough cap space for a max player for a guy that no longer wanted to play for them. Personally that is exactly what you want out of these kind of trades.

[Bay_Areas_Finest]

[quote="flyingvee"][/quote]

Dude, there is no way I trade Turk for Gasol.

F that noise. Turkoglu is the guy that has carried us to the record we have right now.

I'd want more than just Gasol if Turk is involved.

[lovehoops01]

Right....and it's just a coincidence that the only team in the league that could offer that was the Lakers. Sorry, not buying it.

The rest of the GMs in the Western Conference are mad as hell that the Lakers were able to get Gasol for that so they aren't buying it either. The Bulls have been trying to negotiate with the Grizzlies for almost a year, and they don't have the same talent to offer? The Blazers reportedly were interested, and their draft picks likely would be better.

By the way, if you think Crittendon is all that, then you must think Farmar is the next Jason Kidd because ESPN said Crittendon wasn't going to be able to get any time in the foreseeable future playing time behind Farmar and Derek Fisher.

[richboy]

Right....and it's just a coincidence that the only team in the league that could offer that was the Lakers. Sorry, not buying it.

The rest of the GMs in the Western Conference are mad as hell that the Lakers were able to get Gasol for that so they aren't buying it either. The Bulls have been trying to negotiate with the Grizzlies for almost a year, and they don't have the same talent to offer? The Blazers reportedly were interested, and their draft picks likely would be better.

By the way, if you think Crittendon is all that, then you must think Farmar is the next Jason Kidd because ESPN said Crittendon wasn't going to be able to get any time in the foreseeable future playing time behind Farmar and Derek Fisher.

Why we care what Espn said. They also said Kobe would never play for the Lakers during the summer and Kwame was going to be cut and return to the Lakers.

Javaris is a young kid and Farmer has experience but is not nearly as talented. In the triangle perhaps Javaris would struggle to get consistent playing time. He a guy that plays better with the ball and he should get that chance in Memphis.

What makes the Portland picks better? Portland already good and they have Oden, then would have Gasol and Fernandez added to the roster. Not to mention if they pulled a Jkidd trade.

Portland is giving you Raef Lafrentz contract. Which isn't even expiring. Portland really has nothing expiring to offer so you think picks and cap space is worse than just pick from the Blazers.

The Bulls didn't want Gasol bad enough. They were unwilling to do a PJ Brown S&T for Gasol that would force them to pay Luxury tax this year. Therefore they had no expiring contracts to offer.

Fact is fans are two busy looking at trades as two dimensional parts. As Memphis gets screwed and the Lakers get a deal. Fact is the Lakers do get a deal but that has happened before when unhappy superstars have been traded. Its not Memphis job to be sure that the Lakers pay in full for Gasol. Its there job to put themselves in a situation that they can improve there team and get what they want out of the trade. Memphis got themselves under the cap to potentially go after a elite free agent. Someone that likely could be better than Gasol. Received a young PG and 2 picks in the process. All while sending Pau somewhere he wanted to play. There are a lot of teams that can offer that?

I see only a few myself. Lakers, Miami, Orlando, San Antonio, Seattle, Detroit. You could take out Miami and Seattle right away. No way they give up there draft picks. The Spurs really have no good young prospects. Really the only team that could do something similar to the Lakers I see is Orlando and Detroit. Either sounded interested. I'm not sure the Laker deal is not better than them both anyway.

[ORL]

I don't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with richboy on this one. I don't see what the big fuss is about. I mean, Pau is a nice player and all, but he has a lot of miles on him, was injured for half a season last year, continues to play for the national team over the summer, led his team nowhere this year, and this is a league in which you're just not going to get anything near the value of your malcontent superstar. You're just not.

[Devin 1L]

Otis is a bonehead. For a star like Gasol we could have moved Turk as we're crowded at SF

Yeah, because if Otis proposes it, they have to accept it...

[craig01]

I don't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with richboy on this one.

I'm going to check the weather reports to see if it is really a "cold day in hell".

LOL.

[drsd]

Fact is fans are two busy looking at trades as two dimensional parts. As Memphis gets screwed and the Lakers get a deal. Fact is the Lakers do get a deal but that has happened before when unhappy superstars have been traded. Its not Memphis job to be sure that the Lakers pay in full for Gasol. Its there job to put themselves in a situation that they can improve there team and get what they want out of the trade. Memphis got themselves under the cap to potentially go after a elite free agent. Someone that likely could be better than Gasol. Received a young PG and 2 picks in the process. All while sending Pau somewhere he wanted to play. There are a lot of teams that can offer that?

I also agree with this well thought-out point.

Let's look at a similar example the Magic were placed within. The Orlando Magic traded a far-less-than average Ben Wallace (at that time) for Grant Hill. Why would Detroit do this? To get "something." And why for Orlando? The-then Wallace for Grant Hill was a terribly lopsided trade far favoring the Magic.

As an aside, who really won that trade?

Anyhow, Memphis made a move to improve their roster. No more, no less. Will Memphis win a title this year? No. Does Memphis care if they scr*wed the rest of the west to "give" the Lakers a tile? Also no. Why should Memphis care which Western elite wins the title? They don't.

[lovehoops01]

I just don't see that the deal improves the Grizzlies much.

Yes, they got a nice point guard.

But the draft picks they got back are going to be late in the draft. I don't know how much they get out of that.

They're not going to keep Kwame long term.

[richboy]

Until how they use the cap space they receive its impossible to say if it was a good deal or not.

[lovehoops01]

That's true. And who knows how long it will be before they spend it? It didn't sound from what their GM is saying like they necessarily will spend it this offseason. Money is green everywhere, but it will be interesting to see how many guys are clamoring to go to Memphis if its record doesn't improve. Crowds are pretty sparse, too. Never know, though, if they get some good draft picks, things could improve for them. Or, they might use their cap space to absorb a disgruntled or disruptive big-money player that some team wants to move.