Spurs' Gregg Popovich rethinks Pau Gasol deal

[La Bomba]

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich still believes the Grizzlies changed the landscape of the Western Conference for the foreseeable future.

 

Once a major critic of the February 2008 decision to trade Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers, Popovich now concedes Memphis also made out good in the deal.

 

"They gave up a great player but it helped them extend the franchise's success into the future," Popovich said. "It's shown that they've done a good job. Whatever they were thinking a couple of iterations ahead at the time has paid off for them."

 

Popovich's immediate reaction to the Gasol deal wasn't as kind.

 

Popovich, who also serves as the Spurs' president of basketball operations, called the trade that sent Gasol to the Lakers for draft picks and salary-cap flexibility an incomprehensible deal.

 

The Griz received Kwame Brown, rookie Javaris Crittenton, the rights to Marc Gasol and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010.

 

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jan/29/popovich-re-thinks-pau-deal/

[Real Deal]

Surprise, surprise.

[YugoRocketsFan]

I still think it was lopsided, but to each his own.

[La Bomba]

I don't think anyone, including Chris Wallace, thought Marc Gasol would turn into the player he is today.

 

If you think about it, the Grizzlies were able to bring in a Zach Randolph's contract thanks to this deal. I was spectacle at first, but we got rid of a second option getting paid franchise player money and we were able to gain a young center, cap relief, and youth from the draft. If I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing.

[YugoRocketsFan]

I don't think anyone, including Chris Wallace, thought Marc Gasol would turn into the player he is today.

 

If you think about it, the Grizzlies were able to bring in a Zach Randolph's contract thanks to this deal. I was spectacle at first, but we got rid of a second option getting paid franchise player money and we were able to gain a young center, cap relief, and youth from the draft. If I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing.

 

Yeah but you hate Gasol so there is some bias there.

[La Bomba]

Yeah but you hate Gasol so there is some bias there.

Pau Gasol is a 20 and 10 player.

 

Marc is a 15 and 10 player and Zach Randolph is a 20 and 11 player. If you look at the deal alone than it does look lopsided, but looking at what the Grizzlies get out of the deal, it's fine.

 

Memphis is a small market team and they can't afford to have contracts like the one Gasol had when the he's just a second option.

[YugoRocketsFan]

Pau Gasol is a 20 and 10 player.

 

Marc is a 15 and 10 player and Zach Randolph is a 20 and 11 player. If you look at the deal alone than it does look lopsided, but looking at what the Grizzlies get out of the deal, it's fine.

 

Memphis is a small market team and they can't afford to have contracts like the one Gasol had when the he's just a second option.

 

Sure, Memphis did somewhat get better since the trade, not arguing that. No way did your GM know that Marc Gasol was gonna become the player he is now. You guys originally traded Gasol for Kwame Brown a make it or brake it type player (Marc, who turned out to be exceptional), you did want expiring contracts but there is a lot of different routes that the Grizzlies would have taken to make them even better.

[La Bomba]

The point of the deal was cap relief. Small market teams often have to take the same route as the Grizzlies because they can't afford to keep big contracts like Gasol's. The Lakers may not have had the best deal on paper, but they traded us what we needed.