The Chicago Bulls will want to remember this moment—the moment when we find out why Marc Gasol didn’t recruit his brother, Pau Gasol, to play for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Speculation began early this year about the two reuniting in Memphis. Pau was a free agent. The Los Angeles Lakers were sucking wind. Zach Randolph might not have figured into the Grizzlies’ future long term.
It was perfect.
Only it wasn’t.
Z-Bo is back, and while the cash-strapped Grizzlies could have still tried to get Marc to ask his brother to accept a steep discount, it didn’t go down like that.
Here’s what Marc told Marca.com (translation via HoopsHype) of the situation:
“I didn’t try to convince Pau to come to Memphis. I told him he would have to come off the bench and he said he wouldn’t sign with the Grizzlies,” he joked.”
Makes sense. Seriously, it does. While 34, Pau isn’t trying to come off the bench. Especially after accepting a discount. Especially when that discount would have to be redonkulous. So he signed with the Bulls instead, who paid him more than $10 million less than he made last year, but could guarantee a starting spot alongside Joakim Noah. Taj Gibson could come off the bench no problem. That’s what he does. He’s a career reserve thus far, and a damn good one at that.
This is where shit gets weird.
The Bulls are pursuing a Kevin Love trade. They’re offering Gibson and McDermott as headliners, and then you have to assume Nikola Mirotic and/or some first-round draft picks are involved too.
If the Bulls get Love, that relegates Pau to bench to duty, just like Marc implied he was against. That’s pretty freaking ironic.
Coming off the bench in Chicago is no doubt different than it would be in Memphis. The Bulls are way better than the Grizzlies if you add Love. Accepting a large pay cut for a diminished role is easier when the product is fated to be better.
Even so, it’s weird a Gasol brothers pairing died so quickly. You would think that potential dyad would have generated more buzz, even if it was completely baseless.
Alas, Marc didn’t recruit Pau. Set down low, the Grizzlies went after guys like Vince Carter instead. Paying another big, especially if they always planned on paying Z-Bo, was never going to be at the top of their list, killing the dream that many began having sometime last season.
Whatever. At least they tried to make it happen.
Oh, yeah, that’s right.
They didn’t.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
