Marc Gasol. The other players from the 2007 2nd round still in the league: Carl Landry (1st pick in that round), Josh McRoberts, Ramon Sessions.
When Lakers traded for Pau the board was crying foul saying conspiracy for the Lakers. Years later, I think the trade worked out very well for the Griz.
Because it was the equivalent of us trading LMA to Miami for 2 future late-20's picks, Tony Wroten (a late-1st rookie PG), the rights to a Kostas Papanikolou clone and Charlie Villanueva (a semi-serviceable veteran big on an expiring contract). And there's no way you'd take that trade. Not only did the L*kers not think he was worth the #19 pick 6 months earlier (because he was a slow, fat kid who wasn't even playing in Europe and was only Pau's little brother), they didn't even think Gasol was worth the #40 pick before the trade (they took Sun Yue at #40, when Gasol went #48). And when MEM's owner even said that his GM got taken to the cleaners for not doing his homework: Revisionist history is revisionist.
not at all. If the analysis was "Wow, that trade sure turned in MEM's favor" then I heartily agree (your second point). For your first point, though, even MEM's owner was saying 6 months later that he doesn't think Gasol was shopped around to anyone but LAL, the trade was completed almost a month before the trade deadline, and multiple GM's were saying "I didn't even have a chance to give a better offer". THAT'S why people (not just on this board--in the NBA, in the media, etc.) were questioning the trade, not because there were tin-foil-hatted posters "crying conspiracy".
oh, ok. i thought a lot of posters on this board were crying conspiracy. Overall i get the impression poster think Stern rigs the NBA to the Lakers favor. i can see why the people questioned the trade. I would like to believe the Griz were being classy and getting Gasol where he wanted to go. Whatever the case, glad it worked out for the Griz.
I mostly agree with the rest of your post but that bit is inaccurate. http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Marc-Gasol-155/stats/ Here's Marc's numbers from playing in the ACB, looking at his 06/07 season after which he was drafted he wasn't a bad player, not far off from alot of the bigs you see hyped coming over in draft and he was playing solid minutes, and at the time of the trade he was in the middle of his 07/08 season where he won the ACB MVP.
Wasn't it just a matter of Jerry West helping his old team and then McHale helping his old team so we could have a Lakers/Celtics final? That's what it looked like to me.
Personally I think Hibbert may be the best center in the league. Not in the top 30 overall players in the league, but the best all around center.
Winning the lottery that year sure turned out to be a curse. If we had just stayed put, we'd have taken Joakim Noah and been so much better off right now. Greg Oden should go to hell.
That was point. We had the number one pick. But NOVoodoo's "best center" and DPOY was picked 48th. Funny how things work. That's why you have to take the second round seriously. Hell, Wes Matthews wasn't even drafted!
Also Big Baby Glen Davis and Aaron Gray. This board just reflected what all fans across the nation were saying. The media centered in Lakerville was crowing over what a steal it was.
