On this day the Lakers acquired PF/C Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies what lied ahead no one could of imagined in their wildest dreams three straight finals appearances and back to back championships. Read the article below which I archived in my records from that day! Feb. 2nd, 2008 Los Angeles, CA: The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired forward Pau Gasol in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. The Lakers will also receive the Grizzlies second round draft choice in 2010. In exchange Memphis will receive forward Kwame Brown, guard Javaris Crittenton, guard Aaron McKie (who the Lakers signed earlier today), the draft rights to Marc Gasol and first round picks in 2008 and 2010. Gasol, a 7th year player out of Spain, is averaging 18.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.44 blocked shots per game this season. The 27 year old 7’0” forward/center has career averages of 18.8 points and 8.6 rebounds. A 2006 NBA All-Star and 2001-02 NBA Rookie of the Year, Gasol also won a gold medal with Spain at the 2006 FIBA World Championships while being named tournament MVP. “We’re extremely pleased to be able to make this trade.” said Kupchak. “Pau is a proven player of all-star caliber in this league who can score and rebound and he’s still a young player. We feel this move strengthens our team in the short term as well as the long term.” 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 Kwames expiring deal and Mitch was able to use that to help the team. Why do the Grizzlies make this deal? The Grizzlies werent going anywhere with Gasol and are already firmly in rebuilding mode. They get some salary cap space with Kwames expiring contract. On the court, they get the benefit of Kwames 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 Quick Facts 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 Pau was named MVP of the 2006 FIBA World Championships in leading Spain to the gold medal, despite missing the final due to a broken fifth metatarsal in his left foot. Also played in 2004 Olympics.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 14:02:31 +0000
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