Laugh now . . .

When Pau Gasol left the Grizzlies this past February, many fans were excited beyond belief. While Pau was the team's best player, his European style of play and lack of a connection with the fans, caused him to receive the brunt of frustration by Memphis fans. The Grizzlies got seemingly little in return - and many think the deal was "highway robbery by the Lakers", and that Memphis is the "laughingstock of the league." But was the deal really that bad? Lets recap the deal: (note: if viewing this post via email or RSS feed, spreadsheet tables may not be viewable; click on blog link to view)

Kwame Brown really was just a warm body to complete the trade, as his $9M salary for 2008 was the last season on his contract, and he won't be re-signed. Aaron McKie was another expiring contract situation. All of this balancing has to occur as apart of NBA trade rules, relegating that trades must be near equal value. So the real trade was Pau for Crittenton, the two 1st round picks, the ability to use cap space, and none other than Pau's brother, Marc Gasol. Lets break down each piece:

• Javaris Crittenton was the #19 pick of the 2007 NBA Draft. During his one and only season at Georgia Tech as a freshman, he scored 15 points a game and had a solid season. Javaris is only 20 years old currently, and being a 6 foot 5 point guard, he definitely has some solid upside. He hit 20 points in a game twice for the Grizzlies, who played him quite a bit in March and especially April. The Grizzlies are still figuring out if Crittenton has the passing and defensive skills to be a solid NBA player, but the offense is definitely there. How he develops will be a big part of judging the deal.
  



• The 2 first round picks in 2008 and 2010 - The pick in 2008 is at #28 due to the Lakers having a top record in the league. That pick could net someone like Chris Douglas-Roberts, or possibly Joey Dorsey, both former Tigers that could be available at that spot, among others. If this pick nets someone who is on the team for 3 or more years, then the pick was a success. In 2010, we dont know where the pick will fall. If the Lakers are no good (unlikely), this could be a fantastic value if it were to fall within the top 10. What value we obtain from these picks must also be used to judge the balance of the trade.
  



• Cap Space - Many people were upset that Pau was traded for "nothing". Ideally we would have gotten an actual player that would help the team for a few years; however, people dont realize how tough it is to get rid of a deal the size of Pau's in the NBA given the salary structure. Unlike the NFL, you can't simply cut a player and not pay him in the NBA. Interesting column here from Memphis favorite Geoff Calkins, poking fun at the Cap space idea. But in reality, the trade of Pau Gasol cannot be judged until we sign a player with the vacated space. As I've posted about previously, there are a few free agents in 2008, but more in 2009. Luring a player to Memphis will take top dollar, however, as players won't to play for winners. Antawn Jamison, Gilbert Arenas, Elton Brand, and Shawn Marion are a few names over the next two summers that might spark interest. Whomever we sign with max $$ will be the most important decision the Grizzlies have ever made.



• Marc Gasol - What, another Gasol?!? Different Gasol though. This version is 7 Foot 1 inch, weighing in at 260 pounds - a much more physical and beefy version of his brother. The Grizzlies acquired his "draft rights", which the Lakers selected in the 2nd round of the 2007 NBA Draft. That means the Grizzlies have the right to negotiate and sign him, but at a cost. As Marc Gasol won the Spanish league MVP this past year, he has risen to be a candidate for the top overall player in Europe. Interesting article here about him, as well as another good one at Sporting News here, both very interesting. The skinny is that most think he is NBA ready right now, and that he would be a top 15 pick in this year's NBA draft if he hadn't already been drafted. He is known for having "very good upper body strength", yet "touch" on his shot and good post moves. Sounds appealing. If Marc comes over to the Grizz for the '08-'09 season, as many expect, and he performs as well as of the last few Spanish league MVPs to jump to the NBA (Luis Sciola, Juan Carlos Navarro, Andres Nocioni), the Grizz would be ecstatic. He would be a solid tandem with Darko at center. We still have a gaping hole at power forward, but you can never have too many centers that are at least decent.
  
  

The Grizzlies will net 4 players (Crittenton, 2 draft picks, Marc Gasol) plus whomever they sign with the cap space (1 or 2 people). So before everyone gets too excited about this deal being "the most lop sided in history", lets judge the deal based upon the 5 or 6 players that end up suiting up for the Grizz over the next few years because of the deal.

The Pope's prediction - Marc Gasol will be as good as his brother, but tougher and more likeable. The Lakers 1st round picks in 2008 and 2010 become solid performers for the Grizz. Javaris Crittenton is either cut or traded at some point in the next year. As for whom we might sign, my best guess would be Shawn Marion or Elton Brand, but thats really tough to predict. If we sign either of those, and my predictions hold true, how about a starting lineup/backup depth chart like this?

Plenty of fun assumptions made for that depth chart, certainly. But would anyone be able to say that our team isn't better off with this depth chart, than with this?