I've always expected it to be a sounds-good-in-theory impossibility, and I admit that it probably still is. But as I was checking around on the discussion boards of the other teams that have been linked to Pau publicly, it began to look more realistic (dangerous to get my hopes up, I know).
All of these other discussion boards were quite ambivalent about offering Pau a contract. Of course some posters could be found who like Pau, but probably more were not too excited. These are the typical concerns I read:
Portland: signing Pau means renouncing the future (would have to give up on young, promising RFAs). Not worth it in the long run; if you're giving throwing away these assets it better be for someone who's a longer-term solution. Plus may not really fit with the style of play (I'm guessing they meant guard-centric).
Toronto: What's the use of Pau with Jonas and Jakob? Would have to do some tricky financials/renouncing to make an offer.
San Antonio: Pau's time for the Spurs was 3 years ago, when viewing him as a replacement for an aging Duncan made sense over the middle-term time period. Not really worth the $10M+ renouncings/trades that it would take to bring him.
Minnesota: How to find time for Pau with the 2 young centers that already need playing time (KAT & Dieng) -- with none of the three really being a true PF at this point? Would be nice to have him as a mentor, but no real reason to break the bank on him before the Wolves are ready for contention (doesn't fit the timeline).
Compared to these concerns, the Jazz's position seems almost perfect. Two years at a high-ish salary would help create one of the deepest and most versatile (and hopefully best) teams in the league. We have no problems creating this type of offer.
Unlike the Wolves, the Jazz are likely legitimate playoff threats on Pau's timeline. Unlike Toronto and Portland, the Jazz have a much more balanced, pass-oriented team concept that would seem to fit Pau's game better (and Pau knows Quin from Laker days). We can't beat the Spurs for championship possibilities, but we could probably beat their offer by a lot.
Only real problem (barring desire to renegotiate Hill/Favors, but that's iffy in any event since it depends on the agreement of Hill & Favors; or a total unwillingness to live in Utah): playing time and egos. Unfortunately, this is a big problem. Rudy and Pau would both need to play and both almost certainly would demand to start. It may not be possible to massage the playing time and egos to make it work out. Since Quin likely wants to play small at times, there's probably less than 48 minutes to go around.
But if they somehow got a signal from both Rudy and Pau that they could work with the arrangement on a two-year frame in the name of more wins ... ah, I've got to quit imagining that this is a real possibility.
All of these other discussion boards were quite ambivalent about offering Pau a contract. Of course some posters could be found who like Pau, but probably more were not too excited. These are the typical concerns I read:
Portland: signing Pau means renouncing the future (would have to give up on young, promising RFAs). Not worth it in the long run; if you're giving throwing away these assets it better be for someone who's a longer-term solution. Plus may not really fit with the style of play (I'm guessing they meant guard-centric).
Toronto: What's the use of Pau with Jonas and Jakob? Would have to do some tricky financials/renouncing to make an offer.
San Antonio: Pau's time for the Spurs was 3 years ago, when viewing him as a replacement for an aging Duncan made sense over the middle-term time period. Not really worth the $10M+ renouncings/trades that it would take to bring him.
Minnesota: How to find time for Pau with the 2 young centers that already need playing time (KAT & Dieng) -- with none of the three really being a true PF at this point? Would be nice to have him as a mentor, but no real reason to break the bank on him before the Wolves are ready for contention (doesn't fit the timeline).
Compared to these concerns, the Jazz's position seems almost perfect. Two years at a high-ish salary would help create one of the deepest and most versatile (and hopefully best) teams in the league. We have no problems creating this type of offer.
Unlike the Wolves, the Jazz are likely legitimate playoff threats on Pau's timeline. Unlike Toronto and Portland, the Jazz have a much more balanced, pass-oriented team concept that would seem to fit Pau's game better (and Pau knows Quin from Laker days). We can't beat the Spurs for championship possibilities, but we could probably beat their offer by a lot.
Only real problem (barring desire to renegotiate Hill/Favors, but that's iffy in any event since it depends on the agreement of Hill & Favors; or a total unwillingness to live in Utah): playing time and egos. Unfortunately, this is a big problem. Rudy and Pau would both need to play and both almost certainly would demand to start. It may not be possible to massage the playing time and egos to make it work out. Since Quin likely wants to play small at times, there's probably less than 48 minutes to go around.
But if they somehow got a signal from both Rudy and Pau that they could work with the arrangement on a two-year frame in the name of more wins ... ah, I've got to quit imagining that this is a real possibility.
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