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Memphis Grizzlies Sign Marc Gasol
By MoonDog | July 15, 2008
The Memphis Grizzlies signed center Marc Gasol last Wednesday, completing the trade that sent his older brother, Pau, to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. The younger Gasol signed a three-year, $9.72 million deal.
The Grizzlies obtained the draft rights to Marc Gasol in the trade that sent Javaris Crittenton, Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie, cash and two first-round draft picks - one in 2008 and the other in 2010 - from the Lakers to the Grizzlies in exchange for Pau Gasol.
Memphis used one of the first-round picks acquired from the Lakers to select Syracuse forward Donte Green with the No. 28 pick in last month’s NBA draft. The Grizzlies traded Green to the Portland Trail Blazers for Kansas forward Darrell Arthur in a draft day deal.
Originally drafted by the Lakers with the 48th pick overall in 2007. Gasol played two seasons of high school basketball at the Lausanne School in Memphis while his older brother, Pau, was playing for the Grizzlies’.
Gasol spent the past five seasons in the Spanish ACB League, playing for Akasvayu Girona last season where he was named the league’s MVP. Gasol averaged 16.2 PPG and 8.3 RPG in 34 games.
The 23-year-old Gasol helped Spain win the gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championships and the silver medal at the 2007 FIBA European Basketball Championships. He also will play for Spain in this year’s Olympics in Beijing.
“Marc is a very skilled center in terms of his shooting and passing, possesses outstanding toughness, and is a winning, team-oriented player,” general manager Chris Wallace said. “He has done a remarkable job transforming his body. Marc is one of the premier players in Europe.”
I don’t know what Wallace has been watching but Marc Gasol isn’t going to be that much help to an already weak defensive team. At 7-1 and 265 pounds, Gasol certainly has the physical attributes to command the middle. However, DraftExpress.com had the following to say regarding Gasol’s defensive abilities.
“His limited mobility gets exploited in pick-and-roll situations that the opponents throw at him; he’s not a great intimidator, he allows smaller opponents to shoot over him; and given his superb size, he’s not the best rebounder around.”
Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni said he likes having older rookies on the team and thinks Gasol has had a chance to mature while playing internationally.
“He’ll have to do all the things we count on in the NBA for centers. Battle and rebound, and we also think he can be a great quarterback inside. As Chris mentioned, he’s a very good passer and he can score. I think that’s something every NBA team would like to have. We’re going to be very patient with his progress,” Iavaroni said.
Patience is another word for management to tell fans they can expect to see another rebuilding year from the Grizzlies’. Fans of the team have become restless with two consecutive 22-60 regular seasons after the Grizzlies made the playoffs for three consecutive years between 2004-06.
Attendance has begun to shrink and talk of owner Michael Heisley shopping for a buyer hasn’t helped the atmosphere in Memphis.
While the signing of Marc Gasol may have potential value, don’t expect him to be an impact player on a roster filled with young talent. Improvement is certainly expected this season from the Grizzlies, but a playoff spot is still one or two years away.
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Tags: Pau Gasol, Spanish ACB League, MoonDogSports.com, marc iavaroni, Michael Heisley, MVP, chris wallace, los angeles lakers, Marc Gasol, Akasvayu Girona, NBA, FIBA, nba trade, memphis grizzlies, Memphis Grizzlies News
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