Why Make the Deal?
Gasol is a polished offensive presence with the ability to operate in the post and to hit the mid-range jumper. He presents the potential of a 4 headed offensive monster for the Lakers with Pau, Kobe, Andrew and Lamar. Gasol is an established all-star caliber player (2006) with career averages of 18.8 points and 8.6 rebounds.
Year | Team | FG% | RPG | BPG | APG | PPG |
01-02 | MEM | 0.518 | 8.9 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 17.6 |
02-03 | MEM | 0.510 | 8.8 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 19.0 |
03-04 | MEM | 0.482 | 7.7 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 17.7 |
04-05 | MEM | 0.514 | 7.3 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 17.8 |
05-06 | MEM | 0.503 | 8.9 | 1.9 | 4.6 | 20.4 |
06-07 | MEM | 0.538 | 9.8 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 20.8 |
07-08 | MEM | 0.501 | 8.8 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 18.9 |
Career | -- | 0.509 | 8.6 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 18.8 |
It is an adage that you want to get the best player in the trade and the Lakers achieve that. In terms of how to get better, both long term and short term while Andrew Bynum is out, the Lakers needed a front court presence and had few trading chips to do that. One of the big ones was Kwame's expiring deal and Mitch was able to use that to help the team.
Why do the Grizzlies make this deal?
The Grizzlies weren't going anywhere with Gasol and are already firmly in rebuilding mode. They get some salary cap space with Kwame's expiring contract. On the court, they get the benefit of Kwame's defensive prowess. They also get Javaris Crittenton, who has shown immense promise in his limited time on the court. With the development of Jordan Farmar, he has been pushed to the background, perhaps more than was envisioned when he was drafted last summer. While the Grizzlies already have 3 point guards in Conley, Jr., Navarro and Lowry, they are all shorter point guards and Javaris with his height will bring a different dimension to their point guard mix. The Grizzlies also get 1st round picks in 2008 and 2010.
Making the Money Work
In order to get the numbers to balance, the Lakers also signed and traded Aaron McKie.
Gasol in the NBA
After playing with FS Barcelona in the Spanish League, Pau was drafted 3rd overall in the 2001 draft by Atlanta and had his draft rights traded to Memphis with Lorenzen Wright and Brevin Knight for Shareef Abdur-Rahim. He would go on to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award and be named to the All-Rookie First Team in 2001-02. Pau has delivered consistent points and rebounds each year of his career and was awarded with an All-star berth in the 2006 NBA All-star game. In 12 career playoff games, Pau has averaged 20.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks. This season, Pau has continued his steady play, averaging 18.9 points and 8.8 rebounds.
Additional Facts