I haven't been this excited since...well, since the Gary Payton/Karl Malone signings. And yes, I remember exactly where I was when I found out.
The Lakers paid a hefty price for Gasol - I would have loved it if we could have only given away one first-round pick, instead of two, but still, there's no way to look down on this trade. If only Jerry West had still been the GM so we could speculate that he was getting back at McHale for his indefensible trade of KG to the Celtics for Al Jefferson and a pile of crap.
Fisher-Kobe-Odom-Gasol-Bynum is a scary starting five, and the best thing is, the Lakers now become one of the deepest teams in the league too with Farmar-Sasha-Walton-Vlad-Ariza-Turiaf off the bench. We can run with anybody, score with anybody, and hopefully bring a lot of energy to the floor. In fact, a month or so ago, I actually tabbed Gasol as the best possible trade for the Lakers because of his ability to play outside (necessary because Bynum will be our presence in the middle) and his fit into the triangle offense. At the time, I proposed Crittenton, Kwame, Mihm, and a pick for Gasol - so we paid a bit more - but this should make the Lakers contenders for the next 3-4 years to come. Real contenders. Gasol is 27, so hopefully entering his prime. Let's just hope he's healthy...
The other great thing? We swapped the rights to Pau's brother, Marc, in the deal. Marc for Pau - now that's a deal I like.
Pau, here's your new practice buddy, Andrew. Don't worry, we ditched the bum wearing the headband who couldn't play defense or shoot.
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