Pau Thread: Surgery a success; now rehab & rest for 12 weeks

The Rock wrote:

dj vitus wrote:I think Gasol’s best excuse is having to play outside more with Bynum clogging the middle. Most GM’s probably see that and know that, so he still has value, especially with teams that need inside scoring and championship experience.

2 years in a row. 4 series in a row is enough of a sample size to see he really struggled.

As a power forward. He still has a lot of value as a center.

The Rock wrote:

JUST-MING wrote:

The Rock wrote:2 years in a row. 4 series in a row is enough of a sample size to see he really struggled.

As a power forward. He still has a lot of value as a center.

He can't handle the physicality that comes with the Center position. I dont have enough faith in him to produce at an All star level at PF or C for 82 games + playoffs. His All star days are over

He was at his best here as a Center next to Lamar, Phil Jackson, triangle, etc. None of those variables will ever play a part the rest of Pau's career. He used to be a quicker guy for a Center, he has lost that step as well.

You're right he has regressed, but if it means anything, Pau was our third best shooter in the playoffs (43.4%) behind Drew (47.7%) and barely behind Kobe (43.9). We were just terrible as a team. Pau still grabbed rebounds and passed well. And again, Drew ate up a lot of space in the paint.

I think a new environment that gives him freedom to post-up closer to the basket would fit his game much better and be enticing for other teams that don't have a low-post presence.

khmrP wrote:^^^32 yrs old and declining making $20mill/yr for next 2 years.....take that in and curb some of that expectation and NO he is not GREAT, he is good at best these days.

It's stupid Jim's money, I don't care.

lol no way the raptors give up the pick for gasol they have bargnani/ valenciunas coming next year and gasol? pipe dream i say no way there this dumb

Trade Gasol and fillers for a package revolving around a late lottery pick. I want Austin Rivers. He has the pedigree, the mindset, the talent, and the skills to excel in the NBA. He's only projected to go 13th in draft. I guess his stock plummeted because he didn't dominate at the college level the way he did in high school. Which bodes well for us because he have a shot at him now. To me, there's isn't a direct correlation between what you can do in college and what you can do in the NBA. It's a different game. Different rules. Different style of play. Austin Rivers was bred to play in the NBA. Let these other teams pass over him just so they could get a great athlete with a "high motor". Last time I checked this was basketball, not track and field.

The most obvious trading partner is Houston because we know they want Gasol. Gasol and fillers for the 14th pick, Scola, and Parsons.

The Warriors 7th pick, David Lee, and Dorell Wright.

The Raptors 8th pick, Amir Johnson, and Linas Kleiza.

The Pistons 9th pick, Rodney Stuckey, Villanueva, and Austin Daye.

The Bucks sign and trade Ilyasova and the rights for Austin Rivers.

Blazers sign and trade JJ Hickson and the rights for Austin Rivers.

The Hornets 10th pick, Trevor Ariza, and Jason Smith.

Rivers has speed and a jumpshot. He’s sort of like Steph Curry. One of his stand-out plays this past year, was against Virginia Tech. It was a 5-point game, in the final minute. He ran down a full-court back-tap, controlled it, then split two guard defenders to score the and-1 layup to put in the dagger. Reminiscent, when Rajon Rondo ran down that loose ball and beat Jason Williams to it.

I wouldn't mind having Rivers coming off the bench for Kobe. He could become a good player under Kobe, but he better not leave to go play with the Celtics and his dad.

therealdeal wrote:The Lakers already said they're not rebuilding that way. They're going to look for experienced players to build around right now. Kobe doesn't have time to bring along a rookie, he needs proven talent.

That's the thing, I don't think Kobe would really have to bring him along. You don't think his Dad has been preparing him for this moment? Sure, there's things that you can only gain from personal experience, but, he's not going to be a normal wide-eyed rookie. He's the son of a former NBA player who also happens to be a top coach in the NBA today.

Is it more realistic for us to get Deron Williams for Gasol or for us to get a late lottery pick plus players for Gasol?

I'm not going to say Austin Rivers is on Deron Williams level. But, I think he could potentially provide a similar impact. Add that to the fact that you also get a couple of rotation players in the deal, you'd have to take it.

Just saw some Austin Rivers highlights. Holy cow, this dude is a stud. How did I overlook him?

The only problem with him (other than being a rookie) is that he's way too ball dominant to play alongside Kobe. What we need are guys like a young Fisher who can body up and hit the outside shot, and a Fox/Odom type that can do all the dirty work like rebound, defend, and score when everyone else is in a funk. Someone like Rondo would be nice (would have been nice?) if we could also add a couple of shooters.

therealdeal wrote:No you wouldn't. I honestly don't care what his pedigree is or who he's trained with. He's a rookie and he hasn't played a single NBA game. How you could possibly compare him to arguably the best point guard in the game is beyond me.

That would be like comparing Anthony Davis to Dwight Howard. The kid has done nothing to show he will be that good. Rivers is the same.

I would rather see the Lakers target an Andre Iguodala or a Michael Beasley. Those guys are proven, they fill a need, and when combined with other pieces can make us a championship caliber team.

Deron Williams isn't even close to the being best point guard in the game.

KeepBynum wrote:

therealdeal wrote:No you wouldn't. I honestly don't care what his pedigree is or who he's trained with. He's a rookie and he hasn't played a single NBA game. How you could possibly compare him to arguably the best point guard in the game is beyond me.

That would be like comparing Anthony Davis to Dwight Howard. The kid has done nothing to show he will be that good. Rivers is the same.

I would rather see the Lakers target an Andre Iguodala or a Michael Beasley. Those guys are proven, they fill a need, and when combined with other pieces can make us a championship caliber team.

Deron Williams isn't even close to the being best point guard in the game.

Helljumper wrote:

KeepBynum wrote:

therealdeal wrote:No you wouldn't. I honestly don't care what his pedigree is or who he's trained with. He's a rookie and he hasn't played a single NBA game. How you could possibly compare him to arguably the best point guard in the game is beyond me.

That would be like comparing Anthony Davis to Dwight Howard. The kid has done nothing to show he will be that good. Rivers is the same.

I would rather see the Lakers target an Andre Iguodala or a Michael Beasley. Those guys are proven, they fill a need, and when combined with other pieces can make us a championship caliber team.

Deron Williams isn't even close to the being best point guard in the game.

What's so funny? He's not. Chris Paul is clearly the best right now. After that Rondo, Parker, Westbrook, and even Nash all had better years than Williams.

therealdeal wrote:Deron Williams:
21 points 8.8 assists 1.2 steals 3.3 rebounds

Tony Parker:
18.3 points 7.7 assists 1.0 steals 2.9 rebounds

Chris Paul:
19.8 points 9.1 assists 2.5 steals 3.6 rebounds

Russell Westbrook:
23.6 points 5.5 assists 1.7 steals 4.6 rebounds

Steve Nash:
12.5 points 10.7 assists 0.6 steals 3.0 rebounds

Oh yeah. All of them were just so much better.

I never said they were much better just better. Also Williams efficiency was awful.

therealdeal wrote:Well they're not clearly better either. They're all comparable to each other. There is no one that stands clearly above the others. Maybe Paul, but even that is close.

No he wasn't efficient because he was forced to be the scorer and the distributor for a crap team. Last season he was far less efficient than he usually is.

I never said they were clearly better I said they were all better last year. To me Paul was clearly the best, but I never said the rest were clearly better.

The only thing Chris Paul is clearly the best at is flopping.

Lots of chitchat on other site about Ireland's supposed Milsap + Harris for Pau sourced (his) rumor. Possibly with a follow up for Utah of Jefferson for Iggy, balancing out both teams' lineups.

Milsap and Harris would alleviate the Lakers financial issue in '13-14 (freeing up Bynum resign money presumably or Dwight). Not sure if Ireland is right on these things or purely speculating.

I like Milsap's ability to get points without plays designed, and Harris's nice rebound year bodes well. With a Harris/Sessions PG rotation, that would be a good start competing against the likes of Westbrook, Paul, and Parker in the west.

Thoughts?

Phil XI wrote:Lots of chitchat on other site about Ireland's supposed Milsap + Harris for Pau sourced (his) rumor. Possibly with a follow up for Utah of Jefferson for Iggy, balancing out both teams' lineups.

Milsap and Harris would alleviate the Lakers financial issue in '13-14 (freeing up Bynum resign money presumably or Dwight). Not sure if Ireland is right on these things or purely speculating.

I like Milsap's ability to get points without plays designed, and Harris's nice rebound year bodes well. With a Harris/Sessions PG rotation, that would be a good start competing against the likes of Westbrook, Paul, and Parker in the west.

Thoughts?

I'm hoping a change of scenery will help recover Harris' game, back when he was a 19 & 8 type of player. Also, if we could somehow add someone to get Utah's pick it'll make the situation even better.