Gasol on the block Options

[madisonsmadhouse]

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...bulls-headlines

Bulls fueling up with Gasol?
He's on the market for Bulls to grab, but they won't give up Gordon, Deng

By Sam Smith
Tribune pro basketball reporter

January 21, 2007, 9:09 PM CST


No, no, no, the Memphis Grizzlies kept protesting a few months ago when it was suggested here that the Bulls had a package of players to trade for Pau Gasol, that Gasol wasn't exactly hurrying back from his broken foot to be with the weak team and that a trade could benefit both teams.

Gasol is untouchable, Grizzlies management insisted.



Or not.

There was a report Sunday in the New York Post that Gasol, surprise, surprise, upset with the direction of the Grizzlies, is asking to be traded and general manager Jerry West is seeking offers.

First, the rumor: Luol Deng and Ben Gordon for Gasol.

Forget it! Not a chance.

Attempts to reach Bulls officials for comment Sunday were unsuccessful. But league sources familiar with the Grizzlies say there hasn't been a specific exchange of names with the Bulls or any trade proposal. But the Bulls, among other teams, have been notified that Gasol is available.

As suggested here two months ago, Gasol would be an ideal fit for the Bulls, just as Kevin Garnett would be. Though different players—Garnett more the defender and worker and Gasol more offensive minded—both are good passers who could provide the power-forward size and scoring the Bulls need to complement Ben Wallace.

The addition of either would make the Bulls the favorite to reach the NBA Finals from the Eastern Conference. Garnett seems unlikely to be traded with the Timberwolves in playoff contention. But the Grizzlies have the league's worst record and sources say Gasol told owner Michael Heisley last week he doesn't have the patience for another rebuilding.

It's great news for the Bulls. But an indication of how difficult making a major deal can be is how this has developed.

The Bulls, despite my advice, had not had any conversations with the Grizzlies regarding Gasol this season.

Then, a few days ago, a third party not connected with the Grizzlies was believed to have contacted the Bulls to say Gasol was available and the Grizzlies would be interested in Deng and Gordon.

Subsequently, sources say West spoke with Bulls general manager John Paxson, but no specific offers or players names were exchanged or sought. It seems likely now Gasol will be traded before the Feb. 22 deadline. One potential complication is the franchise remains for sale and insiders say Heisley is again in talks with a Memphis group of minority owners. It's not clear whether the new group would want to retain Gasol if a sale is consummated.

One factor in the Bulls' favor is Gasol is represented by Arn Tellem, who is close with the Bulls and last summer did the Ben Wallace deal. Tellem supposedly has talked for some time about getting Gasol into a better market.

Interestingly, Gasol's younger brother Marc, a 7-footer playing in Spain, will be in this draft and is expected to be a first-round selection.

Gasol is averaging 19.3 points, 7 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season and 21.7 points and 9.4 rebounds this month after making the All-Star team last season and then suffering a broken foot in the world championships last summer.

However desirable Gasol might be, Gordon and Deng appear to be off the table.

The Bulls would need Gordon's outside shooting to spread the floor and keep double teams off Gasol. Gasol has struggled when teams could collapse on him as they have with poor talent around him. Likewise, it would be questionable for the Bulls to trade Deng because he moves so well off the ball and Gasol is an excellent passer.

NBA rules limit trading the draft pick the Bulls could get from the Knicks, which could complicate a deal. Figure the Bulls would trade Tyrus Thomas, because Gasol would take minutes from him, and probably Andres Nocioni. Would that be enough for the Grizzlies, with future first-rounders thrown in? Probably not.

The Grizzlies probably also would ask for Kirk Hinrich, who seemingly would be a good fit because the Grizzlies desperately need a point guard. Dealing Hinrich is somewhat complicated because of his contract extension, but it is possible with at least a half-dozen players also in a deal to make salary-cap issues work.

Certainly, the Bulls want to keep Hinrich, but they are loaded at guard and have Thabo Sefolosha in the wings—unless the Grizzlies want him.

Figure these talks may take awhile, though, yes, they finally are talking seriously.



Copyright © 2007, The Chicago Tribune

[WHarris1]

And I'm finally starting to like Gordon, God that would hurt if he got moved.

But I guess we have no other options.

[eddog2]

And I'm finally starting to like Gordon, God that would hurt if he got moved.

But I guess we have no other options.

Damn right it will hurt. Who will make the 3's once he is gone. I don't think Kirk, Duhon, Nocioni or anyone else on that team is a consistent enough 3 point shooter.

We need to find a way to make a 3 team deal where we send Nocioni, Kirk, P.J. & possibly Tyrus & any combination of picks that don't involve this years 1st rounder that we are going to swap with NY in return for Gasol and another starting point guard that is still making a relatively low amount for the next couple years. (D. Williams is 1st on my list).

That will allow us to have a completely balanced offensive attack. A point guard that distributes the ball and can shoot the 3 if left open, a SG in Gordon who is lethal from anywhere on the court, a slashing/cutting/automatic jumper SF in Deng, a lethal post-up/good passing/attrack the double team PF in Gasol, and a GarbageDisposal/Good Passing C in Wallace.

The trade can be done with that combination of players. Whether a majority of them goes to Memphis or the 3rd team sends Memphis a couple of talented young players or picks is another story. With enough work this type of deal could work for all 3 teams involved.

Especially the Bulls!

[KevHead0881]

Damn right it will hurt. Who will make the 3's once he is gone. I don't think Kirk, Duhon, Nocioni or anyone else on that team is a consistent enough 3 point shooter.

We need to find a way to make a 3 team deal where we send Nocioni, Kirk, P.J. & possibly Tyrus & any combination of picks that don't involve this years 1st rounder that we are going to swap with NY in return for Gasol and another starting point guard that is still making a relatively low amount for the next couple years. (D. Williams is 1st on my list).

That will allow us to have a completely balanced offensive attack. A point guard that distributes the ball and can shoot the 3 if left open, a SG in Gordon who is lethal from anywhere on the court, a slashing/cutting/automatic jumper SF in Deng, a lethal post-up/good passing/attrack the double team PF in Gasol, and a GarbageDisposal/Good Passing C in Wallace.

The trade can be done with that combination of players. Whether a majority of them goes to Memphis or the 3rd team sends Memphis a couple of talented young players or picks is another story. With enough work this type of deal could work for all 3 teams involved.

Especially the Bulls!

Who will make the 3's once he's gone? I hate to break it to you but Kirk and Nocioni have higher 3 point percentages than Gordon this year. And the way this team shoots 3 pointers (way too often in my opinion), I don't think having one less guy hanging out behind the stripe is going to hurt much. I welcome less 3 point attempts if that means we'll be getting more higher percentage shots from a center in the low post.

Seems like the moments that Gordon gets hot really overshadow the rest of his game. There are quite a few nights where his shot ain't falling, which makes him fairly useless on those nights as he doesn't offer much in regards to defense and offensive smarts (leads the team in turnovers and turnovers per minute, and isn't a particularly good passer).

Someone argued that one of the negatives against Hinrich is his tendency to get into foul trouble. Well, that is true, but Gordon has about the same amount of fouls in less minutes. Given that we generally ask Hinrich to defend other teams best guards (and he usually does so fairly well), and his offensive game is usually productive, I'd like to know what makes Gordon more valuable than Hinrich.

I don't mean to bash Gordon so much, as I enjoy watching him as much as the next guy. And when he's on, he's one of the most exciting offensive players in the game. I just think that many Bulls fans highly overrate his game. While I look at Gasol as a player you can build around, I see Gordon moreso as a weapon that is useful from time to time.

I think we've been void of a consistent low-post scorer for so long, it seems like some have forgotten how important it is to have one, and how much it takes to get one. If a guy like Ben Gordon is what it takes to land a guy like that, you're damn right I'll give him up. In a heartbeat.

[eddog2]

Who will make the 3's once he's gone? I hate to break it to you but Kirk and Nocioni have higher 3 point percentages than Gordon this year. And the way this team shoots 3 pointers (way too often in my opinion), I don't think having one less guy hanging out behind the stripe is going to hurt much. I welcome less 3 point attempts if that means we'll be getting more higher percentage shots from a center in the low post.

Seems like the moments that Gordon gets hot really overshadow the rest of his game. There are quite a few nights where his shot ain't falling, which makes him fairly useless on those nights as he doesn't offer much in regards to defense and offensive smarts (leads the team in turnovers and turnovers per minute, and isn't a particularly good passer).

Someone argued that one of the negatives against Hinrich is his tendency to get into foul trouble. Well, that is true, but Gordon has about the same amount of fouls in less minutes. Given that we generally ask Hinrich to defend other teams best guards (and he usually does so fairly well), and his offensive game is usually productive, I'd like to know what makes Gordon more valuable than Hinrich.

I don't mean to bash Gordon so much, as I enjoy watching him as much as the next guy. And when he's on, he's one of the most exciting offensive players in the game. I just think that many Bulls fans highly overrate his game. While I look at Gasol as a player you can build around, I see Gordon moreso as a weapon that is useful from time to time.

I think we've been void of a consistent low-post scorer for so long, it seems like some have forgotten how important it is to have one, and how much it takes to get one. If a guy like Ben Gordon is what it takes to land a guy like that, you're damn right I'll give him up. In a heartbeat.

You seem to be one of those people who overrates Hinrich's game, much like the rest of the Bull's organization. The guy is not an offensive weapon. He has his good games and he has horrible games. He plays good defense but he's not a great PG and he's not even an average SG. Hinrich shoots a higher 3 pt FG% b/c he's always wide open for 3. Gordon hits shots with someone in his face or when he has to bail the team out. Hinrich shoots at the wrong time instead of deferring to his teammates in clutch situations. Hinrich is anti-clutch. Hinrich even though open most of the time in his last 10 games is shot only 15/49 from the arc (30.6%).

Gordon on the other hand started the season extremely rusty and is now coming into his own. In the same 10 games, Gordon is 25/50 from the arc (50%). He is also shooting 49.7% from the field during that stretch. Sure Gordon has some off nights. However, Gordon is the only person on the team that truly creates his own shots throughout the game. If Gordon were to get the same open looks that Hinrich and Nocioni always get, he would shoot a higher percentage from the field, and he would average more points. Having Gordon with Gasol would be more lethal than having Gasol and Kirk. That's why the Bulls need to somehow keep Gordon when they trade for Gasol.

They gave Hinrich a fat contract and all he has done is lay a fat egg. He's the same player as last year and that's the player he will continue to be. He'll never be a true all-star. He's talented and he plays hard but he doesn't have the kind of potential that Gordon, Deng or Tyrus have. He's never going to improve enough to really deserve the $9.5 million he's getting. But even with that said, he won't be booed out of town like Tyson was.