Lakers Rumors: Kupchak, Beasley, Gasol
- GM Mitch Kupchack addressed the media in response to Kobe as well as his stance on the Lakers being in trade talks.
- Chris Broussard of ESPN.com writes that the Lakers have spoken to the Timberwolves regarding their interest in forward Michael Beasley.
- Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that while there isn't too much progress in the ongoing trade talk involving Gasol, he also tweets that the stalled talks are due to the Lakers' specific asking price.
- SI.com's Chris Mannix tweets that the Rockets are not interested in trading point guard Kyle Lowry in a deal for Pau.
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that although coach Mike Brown does not want to get involved between Kobe and Mitch Kupchack, he admits that the rumors could be bothering Gasol.
- Earlier today, we reported other rumors surrounding the Lakers forward.
Latest On Pau Gasol
Within the last week, Dwight Howard has taken a backseat to Pau Gasol as the NBA's most-discussed trade target. It may not last long, as the Howard talk figures to roar back to life after the All-Star break. For now though, Gasol is dominating the headlines. Kobe Bryant called upon the Lakers' brass to either trade Pau as soon as possible or pull him off the trade block, but I'd be surprised to see any resolution quite yet. Gasol is one of the Lakers' strongest trade assets, and the quality of offers they'll get for him will likely increase as the deadline approaches.
With plenty of discussion focusing on whether the Lakers will trade Gasol, and where the Spaniard may land, let's round up a few Pau-related links….
- Using ESPN.com's Trade Machine, Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles runs through a few conceivable Gasol trade scenarios.
- SI.com's Zach Lowe acknowledges that the Lakers' current roster doesn't look like a real championship contender, but says the Gasol rumors he's heard so far haven't made a ton of sense. I agree with Lowe on both points. In particular, the reports linking Gasol to the Bulls and Timberwolves didn't seem all that logical from L.A.'s perspective.
- The Rockets are rooting for a messy breakup between Gasol and the Lakers, since it could allow them to swoop in and acquire Pau, writes Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle.
- Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles explores how the constant trade rumors are affecting not just Gasol but the Lakers as a whole.
- Gasol is "there for the taking" for the Magic, tweets Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Of course, Schmitz is referring to a Dwight Howard deal here, in which case the Magic would want more than Gasol.
Kyler On Rose, Gasol, Martin, Gordon
As we covered this morning, Steve Kyler shared a few Dwight Howard rumors in his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld. Here's the latest from Kyler on a few more topics:
- Bulls sources vehemently denied having contact with the Lakers regarding Pau Gasol, and said Chris Sheridan's report about Derrick Rose giving his blessing for the Bulls to pursue Gasol didn't originate from Rose. Kyler himself is skeptical about the rumor, noting that it would be out of character for Rose, who has avoided recruiting players.
- Replying to a question about the Rockets trading Kevin Martin, perhaps to the Timberwolves, Kyler tweets that there is "real interest." It's unclear whether he's referring to the Rockets being interested in dealing Martin or the T-Wolves being interested in acquiring him, but you could make an argument that both teams would be motivated to pursue such a deal.
- The Hornets are open to moving Eric Gordon, but only if he could bring back a "legit star," tweets Kyler.
Kobe, Gasol Discuss Lakers Trade Rumors
It was only four days ago that Pau Gasol addressed the trade rumors surrounding him and the Lakers, but after Sunday's loss to the Suns, Gasol and teammate Kobe Bryant shared a few more thoughts on the topic. Kobe was the first to talk to reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles, about the trade rumors involving Gasol and the team.
"It's hard for Pau because of all this trade talk and all this other stuff," said Bryant. "It's hard for him to kind of invest himself completely or immerse himself completely into games when he's hearing trade talk every other day. I wish management would come out and either trade him or not trade him."
Kobe stressed that he'd prefer the Lakers not to move Gasol, but said he'd like the team to make a decision one way or the other soon, so that Gasol can focus on playing basketball. Gasol agreed with the sentiment:
"It seems like there is a team almost every other day that is putting something together," said Gasol. "Which is flattering and I'm glad there are teams out there who would love to have me on their roster, because they believe in the player that I am, but at the same time, it's frustrating because if I own a player or a player plays for my team and I say, 'Look, I'm not interested in listening to anything because I value my player and I want to keep him here,' then all that stops. But, it seems that it's not that way."
For his part, Mitch Kupchak told SI.com's Sam Amick this weekend that he doesn't expect to make any major moves before the trade deadline. But the GM's comments left the door open enough that things could change between today and March 15th. Kupchak talked to Amick prior to the Suns game, so perhaps the Lakers' dismal showing in Phoenix, along with the comments made by the club's star players, could prompt Kupchak to explore a deal more aggressively.
Kupchak, Lakers Not Expecting Any Moves
The Los Angeles Lakers dropped a game to the Phoenix Suns tonight and appear to be falling further away from their status as overwhelming Western Conference favorites from just a season ago.
After a failed attempt at a blockbuster trade for Chris Paul before the season, and a flurry of trade rumors involving Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told SI.com's Sam Amick he does not expect any big moves this season.
Despite popular opinion, a trade for Dwight Howard is hardly a cure-all for this Lakers' season. Howard's biggest strength is his ability to anchor a defense, and the Lakers are already quite formidable on that end, at fourth in the NBA at points per game allowed.
Their frontline of Bynum and Gasol is still perhaps the best frontline in the league and quite capable of generating high efficiency looks from the post and drawing double teams–and in Gasol's case, passing better out of those double teams. Howard might augment some of that, but his presence still leaves the Lakers woefully lacking.
Bryant already largely underutilizes Gasol and Bynum in the post, and according to previous reports, would look to do the same with Howard. The Lakers troubles remain on the offensive end.
The Lakers need to make some moves on the fringes of their roster. Replacing underproducing veterans like Fisher or World Peace with merely replacement level players would do wonders for the Lakers offense. Guys like Ramon Sessions or Aaron Brooks would provide significant upgrades.
Unfortunately, it appears the Lakers seem intent on standing pat.
Sheridan On Gasol, Bulls
Since the moment he was actually traded–only to later have it rescinded by David Stern–there have been many rumors on possible destinations for Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol.
Over at Sheridan Hoops, Chris Sheridan reports that Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has let his front office know that he would like to play with Gasol should the Bulls be able to build a package around Carlos Boozer and another player.
The Bulls have enviable front court depth and team chemistry, though Gasol might just be the type of player worth the risk of breaking that up. Gasol has a very versatile skill set and off the charts basketball IQ, though is being underutilized in the Lakers offense as almost exclusively a high post option when paired with Andrew Bynum and release valve for Bryant.
On paper Gasol would seem to be a perfect pairing with Joakim Noah. Unlike Bynum, Noah does not need touches to affect a game. This cedes the low block to Gasol to fully utilize his game. The intelligence and passing of both players should make for some interesting high-low passing.
Rose and Gasol would be a dynamic and intelligent pick and roll pairing, and Gasol's ability to draw and pass out of double teams would open up driving lanes for Rose.
The tandem of Gasol and Noah would upgrade an already stingy Bulls defense, consolidating Boozer's offensive game with a quality defender.
The question is why the Lakers would want to trade Gasol for a similar but lesser offensive skill set that diminishes their greatest strength, defense. The Lakers need a point guard, and while steady this season, backup C.J. Watson probably is not a significant enough upgrade at the position to warrant downgrading to Boozer.
A possibility that checks out on the ESPN Trade Machine that makes some sense is a deal sending forwards Boozer and Luol Deng for Gasol and Matt Barnes.
Odds & Ends: Heat, Thornton, Gordon, Gasol, Lin
With 10 games on the schedule for Sunday, let's take a quick look around the league to see what's happening:
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel responds to a reader's question wondering if the Heat are setting themselves up for NBA Finals failure by not beefing up their post play. Winderman points to LeBron James as a player who could utilize his unique size to provide the Heat with an option to slow down the game in fourth quarter by getting the ball in the paint.
- Former Warriors forward Al Thornton has signed to play with Puerto Rico's Brujos de Guayama according to Sportando. The former Seminoles star averaged 7.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG during the 2010/2011 season with time split between Golden State and Washington.
- The Hornets are playing a waiting game with injured guard Eric Gordon, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune. The former Indiana star was acquired prior to the start of the season in the Chris Paul blockbuster but has only played in two games thus far. He'll become a restricted free agent this summer with the Hornets holding hope that they can re-sign him for a manageable price.
- Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN.com says it's been an unique season for Pau Gasol as he awaits his fate amidst trade rumors that he'll be moved prior to the trade deadline. Kamenetzky concedes his affection for the Barcelona native but would trade him to the Nets in exchange for Deron Williams in a heartbeat.
- According to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter), Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is currently searching for Jeremy Lin's 2010 Mavericks summer league jersey so he can sell it on eBay. No word yet on the reserve price.
Odds & Ends: Bryant, Cap, Allen
Today's matinee between the Clippers and Spurs, two of the top teams in the Western Conference, highlights a light NBA schedule. Here's what's up around the league:
- Pau Gasol is averaging a career-low 16.6 PPG, and Kobe Bryant believes trade talk is one reason for the uncharacteristic performance, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times notes.
- HoopsWorld's Jason Fleming has a rundown on the available cap space for each team. He notes the Grizzlies, who stand just over the tax line, could get under by making a deal before the March 15th trading deadline. The Kings, meanwhile, must either take on salary to get up to 85% of the cap or distribute that money to their existing players. Fleming has the Pacers in the same boat as the Kings, but James Posey's amnestied $7.6MM salary pushes them above the 85% line.
- Salary cap guru Larry Coon sees J.R. Smith declining his $2.5MM option for next season and heading to another team with more money available. Smith already took the more lucrative option on the table this week when he picked the Knicks for this season over the Clippers. (Twitter links)
- Coon tweets the Clippers may covet Ray Allen, one of the Celtics cornerstones GM Danny Ainge may be willing to trade, but doubts L.A. has enough assets to get a deal done.
- We examined Tyson Chandler's impact as a free-agent signing earlier today. Justin Kubatko of The New York Times takes a closer look at the Knicks center playing in the shadow of Jeremy Lin.
- Fellow Times writer Benjamin Hoffman looks at Brandan Wright, who is one of the centers charged with replacing Chandler in Dallas. The scant $1MM investment is paying off for the Mavs, Hoffman writes.
- Mark Cuban and James Dolan are owners who like to spend money and meddle with their teams, but the similarities end there, writes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, who believes the Knicks' Dolan should try to further emulate his Dallas counterpart.
- Omri Casspi's numbers are down since the Cavs acquired him via trade last summer, yet Casspi and coach Byron Scott aren't too concerned, notes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets that the team feels it got the better of the deal, which sent J.J. Hickson to the Kings for Casspi and a first-round pick.
Pau Gasol Addresses Swirling Rumors
Earlier today, we heard that the Timberwolves are putting together a package for Pau Gasol. According to Brian Kamenetzky from ESPN Los Angeles, the Lakers big man recently addressed his future in Los Angeles:
"There's talks and rumors every day. Today I was reading it was Minnesota is really interested in trying to put a good package together," Gasol said. "[Other teams are] calling, and it seems like things are just waiting for the right offer to come along, for [the Lakers] to pull the trigger."
Gasol goes on to say that he wants to stay in Los Angeles to try to win another title, but knows it's not up to him. Gasol also indicated that it hasn't been easy to ignore all the trade talk.
In addition to Minnesota, we have heard the Rockets are still interested in Gasol despite David Stern vetoing their first attempt to land the 31-year-old. The Celtics may also have kicked the tires on a Gasol deal.
Timberwolves Pursuing Pau Gasol
The Rockets aren't the only club still trying to pry Pau Gasol from the Lakers. The Timberwolves are pursuing a deal for Gasol, dangling rookie Derrick Williams and draft picks, a source tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
According to Tomasson, the Timberwolves view Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio as their only untouchable players, and would be willing to part with their second overall pick from the 2011 draft if it meant pairing Gasol with fellow Spaniard Rubio. Given the difference in salaries between Gasol ($18.71MM) and Williams ($4.6MM), the T-Wolves would have to include other pieces as well. While Minnesota could build an intriguing package, it's hard to imagine the Lakers moving Gasol unless it nets them a starting point guard or a star at another position, like Dwight Howard.
In December, the Lakers thought they had finalized a deal that would send Gasol to the Rockets, but it was ultimately nixed by the league. Since then, Houston has maintained interest in Gasol, who has also been linked to trade rumors involving Howard and Rajon Rondo, among others.