Suns explore deal for Pau Gasol

[TucsonDevil]

I heard Gambo 'hypothesize' that the trade for Gasol was really a move to eventually land Kevin Love in the offseason as sign and trade bait for Minny (because he is tight with Rubio)... The proposition of getting Love for (in a round about way) Okefor and a couple of picks had me giddy all night.

... but then I remembered it was Gambo.

 

[elindholm]

I heard Gambo 'hypothesize' that the trade for Gasol was really a move to eventually land Kevin Love in the offseason as sign and trade bait for Minny (because he is tight with Rubio)

Yeah, having spent more time looking at the "advanced metrics" that show Love to be one of the league's worst interior defenders, I'm much less enthusiastic about him now. Remember how much the Nash Suns struggled thanks to Stoudemire's bad defense, even though he was a terrific offensive force (pre-injury).

 

[TucsonDevil]

Yeah, having spent more time looking at the "advanced metrics" that show Love to be one of the league's worst interior defenders, I'm much less enthusiastic about him now. Remember how much the Nash Suns struggled thanks to Stoudemire's bad defense, even though he was a terrific offensive force (pre-injury).

Agree, but in my dreams Len (and his backup Plumlee) become rim protectors and great help defenders. Also, Love is a superior rebounder compared to our current front line. I don't recall Amare being a great rebounder, just an opportunistic one. Love grabs boards and gets fast breaks started with gusto!

 

[TucsonDevil]

off topic... its sad to watch Amare now in New York, he is a slow shell of himself. He struggles to move in the lane and almost has zero flexibility.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I heard Gambo 'hypothesize' that the trade for Gasol was really a move to eventually land Kevin Love in the offseason as sign and trade bait for Minny (because he is tight with Rubio)... The proposition of getting Love for (in a round about way) Okefor and a couple of picks had me giddy all night.

... but then I remembered it was Gambo.

You have to know how to interpret Gambo.

He said the Suns have been trying to get Kevin Love for a long time. That is probably true. He is tight with the owner and probably knows this.

He speculated that because Pau is tight with Rubio, the Suns could use him in a sign and trade to get Love. Likely total garbage. Gambo is at his worst when he is speculating.

 

[slinslin]

Coro wrote that Gasol is one of MANY options. Gambo said the same. Gambo also said we are not willing to give up anything more than Okafor for Gasol which is good. Gasol is a 3 months rental that is obvious. No way we should re-sign a gimpy and soon 34 year old to a multi-year contract that will likely be at least 3yrs/30+ or so.

Coro also mentioned:

Larry Sanders - last year I would have loved to get him. Now I would never take him for Okafor straight up unless Milwaukee offered to swap picks.

Turner and Young - sounds like great value but where would the minutes come from? They would replace the Morri, do we really want that? I'd say no, Morris brother are steadily developing and seem to be important pieces to team chemistry.

 

[slinslin]

Plus nobody even knows if Gasol would make us better this year. His entire NBA career he never played for a team that likes to run the ball.

About Love -> I am not a believer. He goes into the mold of Malone, Barkley, Amare, Griffin etc.. PF that scores a bunch of points and grabs rebounds but does not protect the rim.

I want a PF in the mold of Tim Duncan, Anthony Davis, Kevin Garnett or dare I say even Dirk Nowitzki an underrated defender in his prime. Or LaMarcus Aldridge or a young Gasol.

Also Love is putting up ridiculous fantasy numbers. How can Minnesota be so bad every season with such a guy on the team? It is not like OKC is so much more talented that other NBA teams with Westbrook injured but Durant carries them anyway. Love despite all the numbers seems to fail as a franchise player.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Plus nobody even knows if Gasol would make us better this year. His entire NBA career he never played for a team that likes to run the ball.


Also Love is putting up ridiculous fantasy numbers. How can Minnesota be so bad every season with such a guy on the team? It is not like OKC is so much more talented that other NBA teams with Westbrook injured but Durant carries them anyway. Love despite all the numbers seems to fail as a franchise player.

I agree about finding a complete player. But this team does need a go-to scorer and finding one of those that plays both ways is extremely rare--Jordan, LeBron, Kobe, Duncan etc. It is only a small subset of the top 50 all time players that are in that category.

Love's team is bad because Ricky Rubio is on pace to be one of the worst shooters in the history of the league.

 

[slinslin]

I agree about finding a complete player. But this team does need a go-to scorer and finding one of those that plays both ways is extremely rare--Jordan, LeBron, Kobe, Duncan etc. It is only a small subset of the top 50 all time players that are in that category.

Love's team is bad because Ricky Rubio is on pace to be one of the worst shooters in the history of the league.

Love is a HORRIBLE go-to scorer.

There is a reason Minnesota is something like 1-12 in close games. It would be Love's job to step up there too, it is funny how Rubio gets blamed for that. Rubio is a role player, it should not be on him to finish games. It is at least as much on Love if not more.

I would rather see the ball in Bledsoe or Dragic's hands in the end than running plays for Love.

I would rather get Noah Vonleh (or Embiid, Parker, Wiggins for that matter) in the draft than getting Kevin Love.

 

[HooverDam]

Yeah, having spent more time looking at the "advanced metrics" that show Love to be one of the league's worst interior defenders, I'm much less enthusiastic about him now. Remember how much the Nash Suns struggled thanks to Stoudemire's bad defense, even though he was a terrific offensive force (pre-injury).

You're not done on defense until you take the ball out of the bottom of the net or grab the rebound. Love is particularly adept at the latter, so while he's not a great defender, rebounding is in some way an element of defense so that helps.

But the notion that the Wolves would give us Love for Gasol+a boatload of picks, seems bizarre and unlikely. If they trade Love, it means they're starting over, you don't start over with a 34 year old. Further, why build around Rubio and his busted jumper? Build around Love if anything, or blow it up all together.

 

[jandaman]

Plus nobody even knows if Gasol would make us better this year. His entire NBA career he never played for a team that likes to run the ball.

About Love -> I am not a believer. He goes into the mold of Malone, Barkley, Amare, Griffin etc.. PF that scores a bunch of points and grabs rebounds but does not protect the rim.

I want a PF in the mold of Tim Duncan, Anthony Davis, Kevin Garnett or dare I say even Dirk Nowitzki an underrated defender in his prime. Or LaMarcus Aldridge or a young Gasol.

Also Love is putting up ridiculous fantasy numbers. How can Minnesota be so bad every season with such a guy on the team? It is not like OKC is so much more talented that other NBA teams with Westbrook injured but Durant carries them anyway. Love despite all the numbers seems to fail as a franchise player.

A Karl Malone or Charles Barkley on this Suns roster or any NBA team would be a contender.

They are a step up better than Griffin or Stoudemire...or Love.

Defensively... As long as your center is a banger or defensive minded it's Ok to have a player like Malone and Barkley who would be among the leaders in Points, Rebounds and field goal percentages if they play today...
Grouping them with Griffin and Stoudemire isn't right.
A Kurt Thomas / Chandler or even a prime Perkins next to Malone or Barkley would make a perfect balanced front court and would be a championship front court even...

Just like when Nowitski had Chandler... Nowitski is not as good as Malone or Barkley overall as well... So take that to account.

Anthony Davis would be perfect but he is a hybrid Center / Power forward.. A better version of KG (eventually) IMO... But NO will not trade him any time soon...

 

[Mainstreet]

More from ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/...d-caution-injury-los-angeles-lakers-pau-gasol

I think if I were the Suns, and I wanted this deal to happen, I'd try to make it happen right now. If the Lakers are right in feeling a more robust market may develop for Gasol (likely, teams get more desperate near the deadline) it could end up costing the Suns more.

Roll the dice on the groin injury, offer them Emeka & Indy's pick and get it done. I'd hate to see the Suns wait and then have to give up 2 picks, or Archie Goodwin or something.

Let the Lakers wait for a better offer than Okafor if they want more. Let the Lakers spend that cash. I'm not sold he makes the Suns better. He might just end up sitting on the Suns bench injured for the rest of the season.

 

[Gaddabout]

Best culture ever had?
Huh?

Ever?... Hmmm

Absolutely. Everyone's young, about the same age, and willing to be coached. It's a lot like a college locker room environment. Plenty of Suns teams have had chemistry on the court, but I can't think of any that have had this kind of culture. There aren't any veterans around to demonstrate how to fake it through practice, how to mix vodka and Kool Aid on the team bus, or the numbers of the most expensive hookers in every NBA city.

I'm not saying these guys are a bunch of milk drinkers, but there's an earnestness and naivete that is wholly beneficial to every person on this roster. Coaches are able to do their jobs. That didn't even happen with the Barkley/KJ teams. That locker room was as divisive as any in Suns history. Just imagine if Oliver Miller had hung out with Mark West instead of Barkley.

 

[Superbone]

Absolutely. Everyone's young, about the same age, and willing to be coached. It's a lot like a college locker room environment. Plenty of Suns teams have had chemistry on the court, but I can't think of any that have had this kind of culture. There aren't any veterans around to demonstrate how to fake it through practice, how to mix vodka and Kool Aid on the team bus, or the numbers of the most expensive hookers in every NBA city.

I'm not saying these guys are a bunch of milk drinkers, but there's an earnestness and naivete that is wholly beneficial to every person on this roster. Coaches are able to do their jobs. That didn't even happen with the Barkley/KJ teams. That locker room was as divisive as any in Suns history. Just imagine if Oliver Miller had hung out with Mark West instead of Barkley.

What a difference a year makes!

 

[Chaplin]

Lakers say Gasol should be back playing the day before the trade deadline. Coincidence?

 

[JCSunsfan]

Lakers say Gasol should be back playing the day before the trade deadline. Coincidence?

Not soon enough for a deal.

 

[devilalum]

Lakers say Gasol should be back playing the day before the trade deadline. Coincidence?

pass

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Absolutely. Everyone's young, about the same age, and willing to be coached. It's a lot like a college locker room environment. Plenty of Suns teams have had chemistry on the court, but I can't think of any that have had this kind of culture. There aren't any veterans around to demonstrate how to fake it through practice, how to mix vodka and Kool Aid on the team bus, or the numbers of the most expensive hookers in every NBA city.

I'm not saying these guys are a bunch of milk drinkers, but there's an earnestness and naivete that is wholly beneficial to every person on this roster. Coaches are able to do their jobs. That didn't even happen with the Barkley/KJ teams. That locker room was as divisive as any in Suns history. Just imagine if Oliver Miller had hung out with Mark West instead of Barkley.

I just don't see how adding Gasol would be detrimental. From all his interactions with LA/team Spain, he seems to be a consummate team player.

Running and gunning has served us well, but once the playoffs start and teams can scheme, I don't like our chances with the way our roster is currently constructed. We have no big men that can create their own shots, and they are all dependent on service from Goran. At least with Gasol (and hopefully Bledsoe) we'll have alternative options to drive our offense.

Further, if the Gasol experiment is a failure, cut bait in the offseason and move on.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I just don't see how adding Gasol would be detrimental. From all his interactions with LA/team Spain, he seems to be a consummate team player.



Running and gunning has served us well, but once the playoffs start and teams can scheme, I don't like our chances with the way our roster is currently constructed. We have no big men that can create their own shots, and they are all dependent on service from Goran. At least with Gasol (and hopefully Bledsoe) we'll have alternative options to drive our offense.



Further, if the Gasol experiment is a failure, cut bait in the offseason and move on.

No problem. Just no picks.

 

[Griffin]

No problem. Just no picks.

LA Times appears to believe that the Suns did offer one of their first-round picks, but the Lakers want a higher one.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...40204,0,4631302.story?track=rss#axzz2sHjtIvdK

I don't like the idea of using picks in a trade for a player that doesn't figure into the Suns long-term plans.

 

[devilalum]

LA Times appears to believe that the Suns did offer one of their first-round picks, but the Lakers want a higher one.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...40204,0,4631302.story?track=rss#axzz2sHjtIvdK

I don't like the idea of using picks in a trade for a player that doesn't figure into the Suns long-term plans.

I for one cannot stomach the idea of doing anything that might even remotely help the Lakers rebuild. Trading for Gasol to help them avoid luxury tax doesn't really make their team any better. Sending them picks is another matter all together.

I can't wait for the Suns to use their #6 pick in next years draft to select a future star.

 

[Cheesebeef]

LA Times appears to believe that the Suns did offer one of their first-round picks, but the Lakers want a higher one.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...40204,0,4631302.story?track=rss#axzz2sHjtIvdK

I don't like the idea of using picks in a trade for a player that doesn't figure into the Suns long-term plans.

the Lakers can eat a bag of ***** if they think they're getting salary cap relief AND one of our better 1st round picks for a guy who's been injured on and off this season and is a three month rental.

unless he comes for either our pick or Indy's pick plus Okafor, I tell the Lakers to pound sand and enjoy eating the multiple offender cap tax they're about to swallow for one of the worst teams in the league.

and to tell you the truth, even if it's OUR pick, I still probably say no way. There is the good chance we don't get Minny's pick this year and even an outside chance we don't get Washington's (although that's looking more likely by game). But if we gave up our pick and didn't get Minny/Washington, only having the 30th pick in a very strong/deep draft is a mistake for a 3 month rental who probably at most helps us win a series, but doesn't make a real contender, IMO.

 

[Cheesebeef]

LA Times appears to believe that the Suns did offer one of their first-round picks, but the Lakers want a higher one.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...40204,0,4631302.story?track=rss#axzz2sHjtIvdK

I don't like the idea of using picks in a trade for a player that doesn't figure into the Suns long-term plans.

interesting thing in that article I noticed is that it says the Lakers don't have their pick in 2015 because of the Nash trade. Is that sportswriter just unaware of possible lotto protections there or have we been wrong about the lotto protection and that pick is ours no matter what?

 

[sunsfan88]

I wonder if we could have traded Tucker and Okafor to Chicago for Deng (and filler if needed).

Deng is a much more of a offensive weapon than Tucker and is as good or better defensively too.

He also is on an expiring contract though.

 

[Hoop Head]

I don't think Gasol would be a chemistry issue in regards to his complaining to the media about his offensive role with the Lakers this year. I think all of that is amplified by playing for LA. It's a huge market and the Lakers are a storied franchise that is going nowhere in the immediate future so their writers need some stories to cling to. Personality wise he has never been an issue elsewhere or up until recently and what's been reported isn't that bad compared to other instances of players bashing their role in the media. Kobe has complained about Gasol a number of times in the past and Gasol always seemed to take the higher rode and not retort, at least through the media.