Associated Press/ESPN
:The Los Angeles Lakers bolstered their banged-up frontline Friday with a key acquisition -- 7-footer Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Lakers gave up Kwame Brown, rookie Javaris Crittenton and two first-round draft picks for Gasol. The Spaniard is certain to help a Lakers team reeling from recent injuries to inside players, including blossoming center Andrew Bynum.
The Grizzlies will get the Lakers' first-round draft choices in 2008 and 2010; guard Aaron McKie, signed earlier Friday for salary cap purposes; cash considerations, and the rights to Gasol's brother Marc, a 2007 second-round pick of Los Angeles.
The Lakers also receive the Grizzlies' second-round pick in 2010.
WTH. Kwame "Draft Bust" Brown?! The Lakers are so lucky! They did have to give up a promising guard in Crittenton, but I reckon Gasol will be worth it.
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In other news, Pat Riley is still (a bit) insane
. Glad to see Shaq has some more sense in him. Though really, I wouldn't mind Shaq hosting or judging something at the All-Star game...Excerpt:
Hours after Miami Heat coach Pat Riley said he still believes Shaquille O'Neal deserves an All-Star game role, a differing opinion was heard.
It was from O'Neal himself.
"As the general of this squad, I wouldn't deserve to be an All-Star," O'Neal said Friday evening. "And if they gave me the spot, I wouldn't take it, because I don't want to be given anything."
"I really think that the 12 most deserving players should get it. I do," Riley said. "The most deserving should get it and I think the commissioner should always have the right, for somebody who has done so much for the league, for whatever reason, to add a 13th guy to come and be part of the whole thing."
O'Neal was flattered. But his mind is made up.
"I appreciate my coach for sticking up for me, but I don't want to be handed anything," said O'Neal, whose run of 14 straight selections matched Jerry West and Karl Malone as the most in NBA history.
O'Neal is still headed to New Orleans. The former LSU center, who championed a number of charity efforts after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, is expected to host at least two parties and appear at several other events.
"He's going to be part of the All-Star festivities specifically to raise money," Riley said. "So I would think the NBA should give him a role. A role. Just like they bring a lot of veteran players in that have retired, they're always around, I think he should have a major role in something."
Yeah Coach Riles, something, but definitely not the All-Star game anymore. :p
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As much as I wanted Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, and to a lesser extent, Stephen Jackson and Chris Kaman to get selected to the All-Star Game in New Orleans, the Western Conference does have some serious competition. While I'm not a huge fan of Brandon Roy, he still deserves the spot for leading the Blazers to their surprising record.
However, the East is another matter.
Joe Johnson? Rip Hamilton? I mean, sure I'm a fan of Rip, but couldn't they have selected anybody else? Man, the Raptors' Jose Calderon deserves to be in that game! And Turkoglu too! They may not be big names, but they bring the goods to the table.
Anyone else you think was "All-Snubbed?"
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