Initial thoughts: Rockets in 3-team talks; Martin/Scola out, Gasol to Houston

UPDATE AT 5:00PM: For those knocking Pau Gasol…this isn’t about that.  He’s absolutely legit, a bonafide top-15 player in this league.  He’s worth Kevin Martin and Luis Scola and then-some.  But again, this isn’t about that.  This is about the direction of this team.  Can you build a title around Gasol in the next four years before he breaks down?  Apparently Morey thinks so.  I would prefer to go young but if Les Alexander won’t allow that, you can at least respect the effort here.

UPDATE AT 4:30PM: The reports now are that Dragic is also in the deal.  This is just an absolutely baffling scenario to me so again, I’ll reserve final judgment until the dust settles, because there almost must be something else going on.  Again, I have no problem with what purportedly would be given up–I have no attachment to Kevin Martin, Scola, or Dragic, particularly.  What makes little sense is relationship at play from a value perspective.  You mean to tell me that this entire week, I was led to believe that a package of Lowry/Martin/Patterson/Morris/picks would NOT be enough for Chris Paul but that NOW, Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry is?  Getting even more bizarre, if all of the value going to New Orleans is coming from Houston, why are the Rockets then not the team getting back Paul?…especially when all along the reports had been that the Rockets would pursue him even without guarantee of an extension?  Odd, odd, odd.  This would be like writing the love letter for another man to let him land your dream girl.

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I’ll reserve judgment until the details come out.  There almost HAS to be more to this.  No one liked the McGrady trade until the New York part of it was revealed at the 11th hour.

The rumors are that Houston would then pursue Nene after securing Gasol.

For what it’s worth, my initial thoughts: I don’t like this.  Not because I don’t think Pau Gasol is worth Kevin Martin and Luis Scola.  He is.  In fact, I could not care less about losing Kevin Martin and Luis Scola.  I had been hoping they’d be dealt.  Pau Gasol alone is worth far more in production than those two guys – he’s the most skilled big man in the West.

My problem with this is that it signals we’ll be trying to “hold on” with an aging Gasol rather than ushering in a complete rebuilding.  Again, Gasol is as good as they get for a big.  But I don’t think you can win a title with him as your main guy.  I would have much preferred going young and looking to next year’s draft.  But apparently, Les Alexander is not in favor of such a route…

With what is being reported, you’d be looking at a lineup of Gasol, Lowry, Courtney Lee, and Marcus Morris, with, the Rockets hope, Nene at power forward.  Impressive-top 4 in the west-but not a serious contender, in my opinion.  Still, the team probably believes it can add to that core through the duration of the remainder of Gasol’s contract (4 years.)

The other part of this is that I’d feel absolutely sick to my stomach facilitating the next Lakers dynasty.  The Lakers are rumored to be, concomitantly, shopping Bynum to the Magic for Howard…

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