NBA Trade Rumors: Odd Obsession With Pau Gasol Would Doom Houston Rockets

Why are the Houston Rockets so infatuated with a player that is having one of his worst seasons ever?

Yahoo! Sports ace NBA writer Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers have to give up Gasol in any deal that involves a point guard and the Rockets are still trying to find a way to land a player who was supposed to have been traded there in the offseason:

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Everyone knows the Lakers need a point guard, and the price of a top playmaker remains the same: Gasol. The Houston Rockets still have a longing for Gasol, but the Lakers would want a player the Rockets are most reluctant to part with: point guard Kyle Lowry. The Lakers could probably pry a combination of Kevin Martin and Luis Scola for Gasol, league sources said, but it’s doubtful they’ll move Gasol without solving their point guard problem. Lowry has developed into one of the league’s finest point guards, but Rockets general manager Daryl Morey isn’t trading him.

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Gasol is putting up 16.7 points per game, which is his lowest mark since…well, ever. His 51 percent shooting mark is one of the worst in Gasol’s 11-year career as well.

The Rockets, as currently constructed, are a bunch of assets that don’t necessarily equate to anything better than a .500ish record. The players they have currently on their roster are not going to win them a championship.

But a 31-year-old Gasol is not the answer.

He seems tentative to attack the basket this season and it’s led to more turnovers and a clogged offense. Sure, the lack of a point guard hurts, but I think there is more to it than meets the eye. Ever since coming over from the Memphis Grizzlies, Gasol has turned into Kobe Bryant’s verbal punching bag.

Gasol seems burnt out at times from the physical and mental beating.

Sure, a trade and time away from Kobe would help that, but I think he’s now damaged goods. His best years are behind him and he already has two rings. You could never win a championship with him as your No. 1 option, it’s now questionable if you can when he’s your second-best.

Luis Scola has a similar skill-set with less offense and more defense. Kyle Lowry is too valuable to give up right now unless it’s for a bigger star.

The Rockets need a young guy that you can build a franchise around. Gasol will surely make them a playoff team for this year and possibly 2013, but that’s it.

The ceiling is too low and Houston needs to figure out a way to get out of the mediocrity that has plagued them in recent years.

Good enough to beat the bad teams, unable to handle the good ones—giving up younger and cheaper players to make yourself just a few wins better is just not worth it.