It was a little less than two years ago, when the Los Angeles Lakers traded their garbage, primarily consisting of Kwame Brown, and gave up the rights to Marc Gasol in exchange for Pau. At the time, everybody had a different opinion. Greg Poppavich even advocated for the establishment of a trade committee. Of course, Kobe Bryant - and Lakers fans - were ecstatic. After years of mediocrity and having William "Smush" Parker as starting point guard, the L.A. squad made it to the NBA Finals. Memphis' owner regretted fiving up Pau for so little. In the process, most overaggerated how lopsided the trade was in favor of the Lakers. Surely, only time would tell.
Obviously, in the short term the Lakers benefitted tremendously. Kobe's offseason complaints about that proverbial "missing piece" ceased. Mitch Kuptchak, who was one step short from having Lakers fans show up to his office with pitchforks, was praised a hero. Even the Los Angeles Times writers had nothing to criticize (cough, cough, Plaschke). For those that don't remember, the transaction was made subsequently after Bynum was injured and things were going on a crash course. The team was losing games left and right. Pau put an end to that. Oh, and did I mention that Kwame Brown - the dude with the extreme butter fingers and quite possibly the biggest draft bust in NBA history - was gone? (see video above)
The move clearly didn't help the Grizzlies out that year. For one, Marc wasn't even around at the time. Secondly, with so many guards in the mix, there was barely any space for Javaris Crittenton, a kid who showed occasional glimmers of talent with the Lakers. I doubt Aaron McKie even played. First round picks didn't exactly console Grizzlies' fans. Regardless, while Lakers fans were breathing sighs of relief at the departure of Kwame, the Grizzlies fans had adopted a total disaster. In the end, though, the main transaction for each teams involved a Gasol.
Now, it comes down to who is a better player and if he fits the needs of his team. Pau, with plenty more experience than his brother, added dynamics to a Lakers team that lacked a true center. Bynum, still developing, is lucky to have an Olympian by his side in the post. Anyway, Pau also added range, nonexistent on the L.A. squad outside of Kobe and Fish. On the other hand, Marc added a threatening post-presence to the Grizzlies, who had perimeter duties taken care of by O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Mike Miller, and if need be, Mike Conley. Although, it's worth taking into account the position each team was in. The Grizzlies, who were undergoing a rebuilding process could afford to wait a season for Marc to emerge. In contrast, the Lakers had the clock against them after Kobe acknowledged his frustration.
What I'm trying to say is that contrary to the opinion of pundits at the time of the trade, the move was a win-win for both teams. Could the Grizzlies have gotten more from the Lakers? Absolutely. Was the deal a donation for the Lakers? Absolutely not. At the moment, Marc Gasol is averaging 14.6 points & 10.9 rebounds per game for the Griz. Right now, Pau is trying to come back from injury upon enduring season after season of international play. Prior to his preseason injury, Pau was averaging 18.9 points & 9.6 rebounds per game as a member of the Lake Show. Sure, those are better numbers than his younger brother, but all it takes is a season or two for that to change. Overall, the Lakers benefitted tremendously in the short term, but Memphis Grizzlies' fans shouldn't at all be disappointed by the "Gasol-trade."
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