Lakers Land Pau Gasol

The Chicago Bulls must be kicking themselves now. After failed bids to trade for Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, the Bulls can only watch as the two team up after a trade that should propel the Lakers into the Western Conference's elite.

Clearly the Grizzlies were simply ready to move on, as they took considerably less talent than any of the Bulls' offers would have provided. All Memphis received was Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie, Javaris Crittenton, the rights to Pau's brother Marc, and two future first round picks. Brown appears to be a lost cause and his only value lies in his expiring contract. The same can be said for McKie, who is unofficially retired. Crittenton is an intriguing prospect and Marc Gasol could be a solid pro down the road, while the draft picks figure to be in the mid-to-high 20s.

On Memphis' side, the main benefit is the newly acquired cap space. They could well be the only team this off-season that can offer a max contract, so perhaps Elton Brand or Gilbert Arenas is in their future. Of course, it's hard to see why a superstar such as Brand would come to Memphis. There hardly seems to be enough talent there to make the Grizzlies winners, even with such an addition. The draft could impact that, however, as the Grizzlies could make another run for the league's worst record. It's hard to imagine Memphis making the playoffs with a core of Elton Brand, Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, Hakim Warrick, and Juan Carlos Navarro, but perhaps adding a Michael Beasley or Eric Gordon would be enough to make them dangerous, or at least to convince a high-profile free agent that they could be playoff-bound.

The Grizzlies will likely take a lot of heat for this move, but it was a good one. All that cap space should be put to good use this off-season, and while they might have been able to secure a better prospect in a deal with the Bulls last season (Tyrus Thomas, for example), the cap space would have gone to waste in a poor free agent class. Besides, it was clear that Gasol was not the answer for this team, as their 13-33 record indicates. It was one thing when the team played terribly when he was hurt, but for them to show no significant improvement with a healthy Gasol means it was a good idea to show him the door. The rest of the season will be a tough one to be a Grizzlies fan, save the comic relief of a frontcourt featuring Kwame Brown AND Darko Milicic.

For the Lakers, the expectations could not be higher. With this trade, they make the leap to the NBA's top tier. Gasol should be an excellent fit in the triangle offense, with his low-post skills and his passing. While he may struggle to shake the "soft" label, his contributions on the offensive end should easily make up for any defensive shortcomings. With Kobe, Lamar Odom, and Gasol, the Lakers will be very tough to defend and the return of Andrew Bynum could make them a devastating force. What's more, the Lakers have a number of three-point gunners to surround their scorers. Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, Vlad Radmanovic, heck, maybe even Coby Karl should be able to take advantage of the open looks provided by the Lakers new fearsome foursome.

What must have the rest of the league complaining to the league office is that the Lakers were able to acquire Gasol without giving up any key components to this year's team. Brown won't be missed and Crittenton was the odd-man out in a crowded backcourt anyway. The Lakers still have exceptional depth. Their bench will include Jordon Farmar, Trevor Ariza, Walton, Radmanovic, Vujacic, and Ronny Turiaf.

One of the biggest advantages to this move is the versatility the Lakers now possess. The starting lineup (upon Bynum's return) will feature three players 6-10 or taller and their depth will allow them to rotate in players to match up with any team in the league.

The only potential downside is the impact this move could have on defense and chemistry. It's unlikely that Gasol will create chemistry issues, as he had been clamoring for a trade to a winning team for some time now, but one does have to wonder if he'll be frustrated seeing the ball in Kobe's hands so much after being the #1 option for so long. Defense could be a bigger issue, however. According to 82games.com, the Grizzlies allowed 3.7 more points per 100 possessions when Gasol was on the floor this season. The Lakers also allowed more points when Bynum was on the floor. Granted, that statistic is slightly flawed because opposing teams had their top players on the floor when Gasol and Bynum were in the game and it should be noted that both players more than made up for any defensive deficiencies with their offensive output. That said, both Gasol and Bynum were primarily defending the center position. Gasol might not have been a major liability when he was defending opposing centers, but can he stay with quicker power forwards? It's hard to imagine the Lakers struggling to defend the post like the Knicks with Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry in the paint, but nonetheless it could be an issue.

All in all, it was an outstanding trade for the Lakers and it will make the Western Conference that much more interesting. How long until Jason Kidd joins the fray?