After posting my initial reaction to the trade late last night/early this morning, I decided to take in some other reactions before giving it a second take myself. And if I’m going to read this stuff, I might as well pass it on.
A couple of general thoughts about national reaction: I think that if you have your own informed opinions you shouldn’t put too much emphasis on outside declarations or conventional wisdom. The Pau Gasol trade was almost universally panned. I thought it was a rational and reasonable move. I was proven correct. Here, the consensus is much more in line with my thinking. But we could all be wrong. Maybe this “not great but makes sense” deal will end up being a disaster instead.
It’s also probably telling that the writers most optimistic about the deal from the Grizzlies perspective are analysis-oriented types who concentrate on thinking about the game. The writers most pessimistic about the deal from the Grizzlies perspective seemed to be conventional reporter types whose work is more rooted in being a conduit for front-office sources. Doesn’t mean one perspective is inherently more worthwhile than the other, but I do find that split compelling.
Anyway, here’s an annotated guide to my morning reading. I’ll wade into the deal again from some new or deeper angles later in the day and will be on “The Chris Vernon Show” at 1 p.m. to talk about it.
