Who is the NBA MVP?

[etiolate]

So it's Dirk for me thus far, without question.

I get the feeling Dirk won't win because I just don't see him in the limelight that much. I thought Dirk was the MVP last year as well, but he seems to get overlooked in comparison to others for some reason. Maybe his personality isn't loud enough for the votes.

[Phoenix Dark]

They've played almost 20 games against the West and multiple games against good East teams like Detriot (four games), Orlando (I think we're up to three), Cleveland and Miami.  You're crazy.

Yes, they lose to crap teams now and then (that was also a back-to-back where they traveled from D.C. to OUT OF THE COUNTRY without Antawan Jamison).

You're just stupid!

There's no excuse for losing to the Raptors or inflating your record by beating Atlanta/Char./Boston/etc.

Nash is the MVP on paper, and it's barely debatable. And if we are to use the standards Willco seems to prefer, Kobe has Arenas beat in every way. Scoring more points doesn't make him more valuable than Kobe

[Flannel Boy]

Nash is the MVP on paper, and it's barely debatable.

[Phoenix Dark]

The Suns will beat the Mavs if they play them in the playoffs

Someone bookmark this prophesy

[The Fake Shemp]

Scoring more points doesn't make him more valuable than Kobe

How about clutch, buzzer beater shots?  Arenas has 13!

You're just dumb.  It's not even more points, but how Arenas scores the points and wins games.  The Wizards, easily, have had one of the toughest first half schedules.  They lose to the bad teams if anything, which is unnerving.

You've got no argument here!

Someone bookmark this prophesy

Also, learn to spell prophecy.

[Flannel Boy]

The Suns will beat the Mavs if they play them in the playoffs

Someone bookmark this prophesy

The Mavs beat them twice this year and beat them in the playoffs last year. Good luck.

[Phoenix Dark]

Buzzer beaters?

The Lakers have an almost identical record to the Wizards and they're in the superior conference. Kobe has lead his team this success while making everyone around him better, which cannot be said of Arenas. Luke Walton is a legit contender for most improved player, and Odom is having a great year.

And he's doing all this while shooting a much better percentage than Arenas. I like Arenas, but he's no Kobe, and he's certainly no MVP

[The Fake Shemp]

How are you laughing at buzzer beaters?  When the game has been on the long, Arenas has delivered.  He droped 54 on the Jazz and won the game single handedly.  Way to dismiss a huge clutch stat.

I'm going to breakdown Washington's wins and Los Angeles wins, with quality teams bolded with teams actually supposed to make some noise in the postseason.

WASHINGTON

BOSTON
PACERS
BUCKS
BUCKS
CAVALIERS
HAWKS
BOBCATS
MAVERICKS
KNICKS
76ers
NUGGETS
HEAT
LAKERS
KINGS
SUNS
GRIZZLES
BOBCATS
MAGIC
BUCKS
CLIPPERS
BULLS
JAZZ
KNICKS
ORLANDO
CELTICS
PISTONS
PISTONS

LAKERS

SUNS
WARRIORS
SONICS
TIMBERWOLVES
GRIZZLIES
RAPTORS
BULLS
CLIPPERS
NETS
JAZZ
CLIPPERS
PACERS
HAWKS
SPURS
ROCKETS
TIMBERWOLVES
NETS
MAGIC
76ers
KINGS
MAGIC
HEAT
SPURS
WARRIORS
CELTICS

EXPLAIN THAT, MAURICE. OH WAIT, YOU CAN'T.

[The Fake Shemp]

Furthermore, Kobe's percentage is not that much higher than Arenas', who has a higher 3pt percentage.  He also scores more and is easily a way better defender than Kobe.

[Flannel Boy]

I don't know, the difference in shooting percentages is fairly substantial, but it's somewhat mitigated by the fact that Arenas takes so many threes.

Kobe has made multiple All-Defense teams, including last year's first team. I've felt that Bryant is overrated when it comes to his defensive, but are you going to say that Arenas is better than him?

 

[Phoenix Dark]

Furthermore, Kobe's percentage is not that much higher than Arenas', who has a higher 3pt percentage.  He also scores more and is easily a way better defender than Kobe.

What the hell?

[Prost]

By what, one game? That's nothing to brag about. Next week the Suns might have it.

Dirk is not the MVP. Nash means more to his team on paper, and it's not even debatable.

Yeah seriously, if any joe shmoe plays on the same team as Nash, suddenly he's a good player.  Nash isn't just a great player himself, he makes the other people on his team great as well.

I mean if you want to talk about who truly is most valuable, then it's by FAR Nash.

[Phoenix Dark]

By what, one game? That's nothing to brag about. Next week the Suns might have it.

Dirk is not the MVP. Nash means more to his team on paper, and it's not even debatable.

Yeah seriously, if any joe shmoe plays on the same team as Nash, suddenly he's a good player.  Nash isn't just a great player himself, he makes the other people on his team great as well.

I mean if you want to talk about who truly is most valuable, then it's by FAR Nash.

Exactly; why this is even being debated is beyond me. Perhaps people truly are threatened that a skinny, ugly white guy is dominating a predominantly African American sport without dunking the basketball or overpowering anyone. Oops

[Flannel Boy]

Dirk is better without Nash
Howard is better without Nash
Joe Johnson is better without Nash
Marion is the exact same player with Nash

[Phoenix Dark]

Dirk is better without Nash
Howard is better without Nash
Joe Johnson is better without Nash
Marion is the exact same player with Nash

[Flannel Boy]

Dirk is better without Nash
Howard is better without Nash
Joe Johnson is better without Nash
Marion is the exact same player with Nash

What are you laughing about. These are all facts.

[Phoenix Dark]

That have nothing to do with the subject at hand.

Those players have evolved since playing with Nash. At the time, Howard was a budding rookie, and Johnson was not a first or second option player.

Dirk, Howard, and Johnson have something that Mario does not. Do you want to guess? That's right: they can all create their own offense and generate their own shots. These types of players do well in the NBA don't you agree? And all three have improved with time since Nash's departure - come on, that's a pretty obvious fact. Of course they've improved in the last 2-3 years.

Marion and Amare are not capible of creating their own offense. They're both poor dribbling big men who like to either spot up shoot (Marion) or work in the post (Amare). Nash is giving them the ball where they need it and improving their game. Amare's game was extremely limited before Nash arrived in Phoenix.

But it's not just about those two. Nearly everyone on that team has improved. Nash turned Tim Thomas into a legit most improved player award candidate and a deadly cluth player. This year Thomas is struggling in LA.

Look at Barbosa, Bell, Diaw, etc. No one knew who they were before Nash got ahold of them. Marcus Banks? Kirt Thomas? 

Malek, it's not even close.

[Flannel Boy]

Give me a break

Marion the three season before Nash
19.1 PPG
21.2 PPG
19.0 PPG

With Nash
19.4 PPG
21.8 PPG
18.9 PPG

OMG Nash is a miracle worker!



Let's look at Bell
Year before Nash:
12.3 PPG (45% shooting) in a slow system in 28 minutes
With Nash:
14.7 PPG (45% shooting) in a fast paced system in 37 minutes a game

What a miracle worker

MVP
MVP
MVP
MVP

[Phoenix Dark]

Are you distinguished mentally-challenged?

Marion is not the star of the team. He defers to Amare, so why is it surprising that he's not scoring 30 points a game?

Bell is older and less of a priority in the Phoenix offense. He's playing with Marion, Nash, Amare, and Barborosa for christ's sake.

And I love how you only brought up two players. Did you even know who Barborosa was a few years ago? Or DIAW? 

[Flannel Boy]

They were like what, 21 or 22 when they started playing with Nash? Wow 21 year old basketball players improved with age... WOWWOWOWOWWOWO

 NO IT WAS ALL NASH!

[Phoenix Dark]

They were like what, 21 or 22 when they started playing with Nash? Wow 21 year old basketball players improved with age... WOWWOWOWOWWOWO

 NO IT WAS ALL NASH!

So it's age with respect to those players' development, but not Howard and Johnson? Biased much?

 

[Flannel Boy]

They were foreigners, it's different.


 

[Phoenix Dark]

Malek exposed

Good job ruining your credibility buddy. Clearly you're of the Ninja Scooter/Bionic77 fabric. I'm more disappointed in you since you have an understanding of fallacies.

But...Bionic is a lawyer or something I think

[Flannel Boy]

Malek exposed

Good job ruining your credibility buddy. Clearly you're of the Ninja Scooter/Bionic77 fabric. I'm more disappointed in you since you have an understanding of fallacies.

But...Bionic is a lawyer or something I think

So some players are better, some players are the same, and some players are worse off without Nash. That certainly doesn't suggest he should get the credit for everything a player on his team does. Let's not forget that the Suns system changed as well, a system that is pretty much designed around Nash.

[Phoenix Dark]

Malek exposed

Good job ruining your credibility buddy. Clearly you're of the Ninja Scooter/Bionic77 fabric. I'm more disappointed in you since you have an understanding of fallacies.

But...Bionic is a lawyer or something I think

So some players are better, some players are the same, and some players are worse off without Nash. That certainly doesn't suggest he should get the credit for everything a player on his team does. Let's not forget that the Suns system changed as well, a system that is pretty much designed around Nash.

Now you're wiggling. On one hand you're trying to suggest some players growth is due to gaining experience (those who play with Nash), whereas others growth is due to not playing with him anymore? You're willing to give Dirk and others the credit of being responsible for their teams success, but you're not willing to give Nash this same credit? You can't have it both ways.

Nash has taken a group of reletively obscure players and put them in positions where they can be dangerous to other teams. These guys are not superstarts, like a Dirk or a Johnson or even Howard - guys who know how to get their own shots as well as dominate. These are not players who can simply go to another team and garner the same success - like a Tim Thomas. Once again, we're talking about guys you had no knowledge of just a couple years ago, who are now helping to take the team places it's never been before.

Either you're simply too biased to admit reality of you're just not as big of a basketball fan as you say. Steve Nash is not only one of the greatest players in the game, he's one of the greatest point guards the NBA has ever seen. I don't think anyone could argue that Stockton - the alltime assist leader - made even the most average players better. Magic didn't really do that either. I'm not saying Nash is "better" than either, but what he is doing is amazing and it's sad that there are people out there unwilling to give him the credit he deserves.

No one means more to their team than Nash, who took a team that wasn't even making the playoffs and turned them into the powerhouse in the matter of a couple years.

[Flannel Boy]

By pointing out the players who have done better without Nash I was just trying to show you players don't need Nash to "make them better". I dislike it when people say "he makes the players around him better". Garbage! You can point to Tim Thomas, but he wasn't out of the league because he couldn't play. This year with the Clippers he's pretty much the same player he was last year with Nash. His percentage is down slightly, but that could be explained by the change of pace. When you run up and down the court you get easy looks, NO MATTER WHO THE PG IS.

And if you're going to tell me players like Marion and Amare were obscure, you're nuts. Phoenix has had great talent all through Nash's run there. He's not playing with a bunch of scrubs, these are all stars!

Stockton played 19 seasons and averaged over ten assists for his entire career. Nash has three seasons of 10+ assists per game. AND STOCKTON PLAYED SOME D NOW AND THEN! You're telling me the Jazz would be anywhere near as good without him?

You people are seriously overrating Nash. Steve Nash has never put up Kevin Johnson like numbers. NOT ONCE. How many MVP's did KJ get?

[Phoenix Dark]

I never said those two were obscure. My point with respect to Amare and Marion is that they're unable to create their own shots, and Nash perfectly compliments them. Remember, before Nash came to Phoenix Amare was a rather reckless, "dumb" player (in the sense of only being able to do a couple things). His game is much more varied now, and it's actually benefitted from the injury; he's now forced to do more than just turn around and dunk on people. But I seriously hope he fully recovers from that injury

Nash had a rough time early on in his career - unlike Stockton. He's one of those players who has gotten signifigantly better with age. Right now he's averaging almost 20 points a game while shooting over 50%, and 12 assists a game. That's at least 44 points of offense per game attributed to him one way or another. As a point guard that's amazng.

Dirk doesn't deserve to be in the discussion as far as I'm concerned. I can't possibly see an argument that would put him ahead of Kobe or Arenas, much less Nash.

[Flannel Boy]

-Dallas has the best record even though they have only one allstar (Dirk!)
Phoenix has three by the by

-He's one of the best scorers in the league while being extremely efficient (50%/40%/90%) and unselfish (just 17 shots a game).

-He's one of thet top fourth quarter scorers and has made a bunch of big shots this season.

-He's one of the best defensive rebounders in the league.

-He creates space for his teammates by drawing bigs outside.

-He's among the best passing big men while rarely turning the ball over.

[Loki]

The MVP is Arenas.  Remove Dirk and Nash from their respective teams, and they're still playoff teams.  Remove Kobe and Arenas from their respective teams, and they're not playoff teams (I don't think the Wiz would make the playoffs even in the East!).  Arenas is having a better year than Kobe so he should win the award.

THE END.

What sort of criterion is that, though?  Fine, take Kobe off LA and they'd win 38-42 games and be out of the playoffs, whereas with him they'll likely win 51-53 games and be a 4th or 5th seed.  So that's a 9-15 game difference (hard to estimate, but it'd be around there).  If you take Dirk off the Mavs, they'd win between 43-48 games imo, but with him they're on pace to win 66 games right now, for a differential of 18-23 games.  No way does Dallas minus Dirk win more than 48 games in the Western conference.  So Dirk is actually more valuable in that sense.


Btw, I feel that Kobe has historically been terribly overrated defensively -- particularly last season, when he deserved a second-team nod at best as opposed to the first-team selection he actually received (he doesn't deserve to make either first or second team this season based on his performance thus far imo).  However, to suggest that Arenas is a better defender than Kobe -- much less "easily" a better defender than him -- is farcical.


Btw #2, PhoenixDark, Nash easily has a better MVP case than Kobe.  Not by a huge margin (as I mentioned earlier), but there's a clear distinction there imo.  This is certainly Kobe's best season to date in terms of his MVP prospects, however.  I just think that, at the end of the day, when you have three guys who are roughly on par statistically (Dirk, Nash, and Kobe), voters are going to turn to the standings and see Phoenix and Dallas with >63 wins, and LA with 51-53 wins, most likely.  It'll be tough for Kobe this year imo, though if he doesn't finish top 3 there's something wrong.

[Mandark]

The Lakers are in the tougher conference and will have played a slightly tougher schedule at the end of the year.  Up to this point, the cumulative winning percentage of the Wizards' opponents is .507 (6th in the league), the Lakers is .497 (20th in the league).

So far, the Wizards have a tougher schedule, almost the exact same record, and have been better recently.  It might change later, but that's where things stand now.

Nash does make his teammates more efficient on offense.  True shooting percentages, years with Nash in Phoenix bolded:

Amare Stoudemire:

2004 - .536
2005 - .617


Joe Johnson:

2002 - .478
2003 - .472
2004 - .491
2005 - .556
2006 - .537

Shawn Marion:

2000 - .511
2001 - .532
2002 - .518
2003 - .538
2004 - .513
2005 - .556
2006 - .591

Quentin Richardson:

2001 - .516
2002 - .534
2003 - .460
2004 - .484
2005 - .522
2006 - .452

Raja Bell:

2002 - .486
2003 - .509
2004 - .500
2005 - .527
2006 - .584

Boris Diaw:

2004 - .483
2005 - .479
2006 - .564


It would be a lot more c/ping, but generally Nash's teammates in Phoenix turn the ball over at a lower rate as well, since he carries so much of the ballhandling responsibility.  Bell Marion, Johnson, Diaw, Richardson, Stoudemire all show that effect.

"Making his teammates better" is something a lot of stars get credit for, even when it's obviously not true (Jordan), but in Nash's case, the numbers back it up, and it's easy to see by watching the games.  Relatively few Phoenix baskets come from individuals working in the post or off the dribble.

Diaw and Barbosa can create shots at a decent rate, so I think people overrate the role Nash has had in their development, but he's definitely making a huge difference for Stoudemire and Marion (Bell to a slightly lesser degree) by letting them become spot-up shooters or feeding them for easy baskets in the paint.

[Loki]

When did you become such a big NBA buff, Mandark?  IIRC you never posted in the GA NBA threads.  Interesting.

[The Fake Shemp]

Kobe has made multiple All-Defense teams, including last year's first team. I've felt that Bryant is overrated when it comes to his defensive, but are you going to say that Arenas is better than him?

Yeah, he is.  Arenas gets turnovers and does a good job of getting boards and key defensive stops.  And I believe he was recently ranked by Hollinger as the best combo guard in the game.

[Phoenix Dark]

Kobe has made multiple All-Defense teams, including last year's first team. I've felt that Bryant is overrated when it comes to his defensive, but are you going to say that Arenas is better than him?

Yeah, he is.  Arenas gets turnovers and does a good job of getting boards and key defensive stops.  And I believe he was recently ranked by Hollinger as the best combo guard in the game.

Kobe used to be a very good defensive player. Now he's rather lax with it. If he's playing against a guard who's putting up a challenge to him personally  - a Vince Carter or McGrady for instance - he pulls out all the stops. But unlike Jordan he doesn't seem willing to clamp down during every possession, at least not anymore. That being said I'd rank him ahead of Arenas in terms of defense.

And offense. Kobe is a much better shooter and he gets his teammates involved much more naturally.

[The Fake Shemp]

That being said I'd rank him ahead of Arenas in terms of defense.

  

Yeah, I'll take your word, someone who was absolutely thrashed in his schedule argument, over legitimate NBA analysts.

And offense. Kobe is a much better shooter and he gets his teammates involved much more naturally.

 

Joke character confirmed.

[Phoenix Dark]

over legitimate NBA analysts.

 

[The Fake Shemp]

I don't think you should be able to post in this thread after being humiliated by your assumptions over schedules.  So, yeah, I'll take John Hollinger's word over yours!

[Loki]

Yeah, he is.  Arenas gets turnovers and does a good job of getting boards and key defensive stops.  And I believe he was recently ranked by Hollinger as the best combo guard in the game.

No way is Gil a better defender than Kobe freaking Bryant.   I never thought I'd see the day that I'd feel compelled to defend Kobe's overrated ass, but this is what you've reduced me to, Willco.

Also, you might not be up on the lingo: "combo guard" refers to a 1/2 hybrid (a la Wade), not the best combination of defense/offense at the guard spot.  You might know this, but the way it was placed in your post makes it ambiguous.

[Mandark]

When did you become such a big NBA buff, Mandark?  IIRC you never posted in the GA NBA threads.  Interesting.

Do you remember those threads?  It's a mish-mash of shameless hero-worship, mood swings, and HEEE-LARIOUS photo captions.

I've been following the NBA a lot more closely the last four years, starting after Jordan got turfed from DC.  I always followed the league, but I was a bit more cool on it after Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Rod Strickland, and Gheorghe Muresan broke my heart.

I found www.wizznutzz.com back then, too.  It's getting love from the online side of the Washington Post these days (Wizznutzz coined the "Agent Zero" nickname) but it's got a lot of good stuff going back.  It's a weird mix of literacy and prison-rape humor, sort of the Drinky Crow of basketball blogs.



Willco: It wasn't Hollinger who did that piece on ESPN about Arenas-as-combo-guard, it was David Thorpe.   Loki's right; Thorpe basically just talks about Arenas' offense.

Kobe's overrated as a defender, but he's definitely better than Arenas.  Arenas has flashes at that end, but he's got a long way to improve.  On the other hand, no way Kobe gets his teammates involved significantly more than Arenas does.  More assists per game, more assists as a percentage of his possessions, etc.

Plus, did you watch Kobe at all last year?  I've seen singles tennis players pass to their teammates more.

[Flannel Boy]

How many combo guards are there anyway? Baron, Iverson, Wade, Hinrich, Arenas, Barbosa, Terry, Francis, and Mike James? Out of those players it seems Hinrich is the best defender, though he's not as good as he was last year.

[The Fake Shemp]

Plus, did you watch Kobe at all last year?  I've seen singles tennis players pass to their teammates more.

 

I take back what I said about the ESPN Insider article then!  I am too poor to pay for it

[Flannel Boy]

Who are the fuckers who pay for that? This is the internet and I demand that all content be free.

[The Fake Shemp]

Also, looks like Eddie Jordan clinched the coaching gig for the All-Star game.  That is pretty epic.  When has that happened in Washington, Mandark?  Never.  Is Hell freezing over?

[Flannel Boy]

So Amare had 23 rebounds last night. Man Nash just makes his teammates so much better. NASHNASHNASHNASHNASHNASH!!

[The Fake Shemp]

Amare and Marion would be studs and Marion was a stud before Nash.  The team is too talented for someone to say Nash should be MVP.  Now stick him on a meh roster, like Charlotte or something and if they were to win - the argument would be pretty strong.

Jamison looks out for sure through the All-Star break at the very least.  The Wizards are now 0-6 when The Big Three are not intact.  Eddie Jordan needs to figure out something, so that they can at least break even going into the All-Star break.

[Flannel Boy]

People claim that Amare and Marion need to be spoon-fed to be successful. Clearly there's evidence that suggests this isn't the case with Marion, however let's look it through a different perspective. If Nash didn't have such great finishers does anyone think he'd be averaging 12 assists per game? Spoon-feed the ball to Dampier and he'll fumble it and then kick it out of bounds. Nash needs his teammates as much as they need him. 

Package Butler for Gasol. You heard me.

[The Fake Shemp]

That's a pretty bad idea.

And furthermore, Butler and what?  We've got very few moveable pieces and the ones that someone might want, like the budding Andray Blatche, have too much upside to trade in my opinion.  We'd end up losing either Etan Thomas or Brendan Haywood in a deal and while not the big defensive starter the team obviously needs, I think they'll be great bench bodies when the team adds that dynamic further down the line.  They're building depth from the inside out.

[The Fake Shemp]

Also, the real travesty is that the team could've had Gasol, but we drafted Kwame

[Flannel Boy]

Blame Jordan.

Gasol is not a bad defender. In January he averaged nearly three blocks a game. And he's a great post player, which will allow Washington to play an inside-out game.

Butler a scrub and a draft pick for Gasol would be steal for Washington. West wouldn't do that deal, but Washington should offer it anyway.

[The Fake Shemp]

Considering that he's asking for the entire Bulls team in return for Gasol, I don't think he'd deal Gasol for that.  I'd probably accept that deal.

They really do need someone who can play inside.  I don't get how Thomas, Haywood and Jamison could be so big and built, but afraid to get physical.  Seriously, and I'm not joking, just looking at games... Arenas is the most physical player on the floor.  He gets so many free throw opportunities because he will push hard towards the basket and earn those fouls.  The guy must be in great shape or something.

[Flannel Boy]

If West wants something like Gordan and Deng, then he's nuts. Just parting with one of those players would be tough.

Yeah you have to be in shape to play physically, but it's more of a mental mindset. When a player like Vince Carter goes inside he attempts to avoid contact, while players like Bryant, Arenas, and Iverson initiate contact. Jamison is as soft as his college teammate.

[Mandark]

Also, the real travesty is that the team could've had Gasol, but we drafted Kwame

The REAL travesty is that we could have traded the pick for Elton Brand.  For whatever reasons (not wanting to deal with Jerry Krause, too much faith in Kwame) MJ didn't pull the trigger, and the Clippers traded a lower pick for him.

Gasol's a good player, but not a great fit for the Wizards.  They play at one of the fastest paces in the league and generate a lot of fast-break points.  Gasol's a post player who allegedly asked for a trade because he couldn't fit in with Memphis' new run-and-gun style.

If the Wizards could get him on the cheap, I'd be for it, but I've grown awfully used to having Butler around.

Also, looks like Eddie Jordan clinched the coaching gig for the All-Star game.  That is pretty epic.  When has that happened in Washington, Mandark?  Never.  Is Hell freezing over?

Eddie should yank Arenas after six minutes, then not put him back in until garbage time at the end.  Gilbert will then use the snub to motivate himself for the second half of the season!

[The Fake Shemp]

At some point, the Wizards are going to have to get a defensive body and/or someone  that can play in the post.  They just won't beat the top tier teams without the ability to make defensive stops and score inside.

[Van Cruncheon]

lock this poll as it lacks a mupepe option

[Flannel Boy]

Even a run and gun team plays half-court sets. And for a guy who can play center, he's not the worst person to have at the five-spot for a running team. It's not like he's currently struggling for Memphis. In January he averaged 22 points on 54% shooting, with 11 boards, 3.4 assists, and 2.7 blocks.

lock this poll as it lacks a mupepe option

Mupepe doesn't make the posters around him better. Has FoC's game improved? Amnintenho's?

[Mandark]

Oh, for fuck's sake.

Nothing to do with the MVP race, but I don't feel like dignifying this with its own thread.

[The Fake Shemp]

Yeah, the Wizards really need to lose another player in this time of crisis.  Someone trade him for Gasol!

[Flannel Boy]

Yeah, the Wizards really need to lose another player in this time of crisis.  Someone trade him for Gasol!

 

[Phoenix Dark]

Gasol is a very consistant player who happens to be a damn good ballplayer. I'll never understand why Memphis is willing to give him up so quickly. I'd rather build a team around Gasol than any player Memphis may (or may not) get in the draft.

Hakim Warrak isn't consistant enough to fill in Gasol's shoes.