TENSE TIMES
As the free agency process begins this week, Marc Gasol has plenty of options.
Center’s free agency offers few clues, much mystery
Marc Gasol stood courtside in Oracle Arena last month chatting with Jonnie West, a former Lausanne Collegiate School teammate who is the youngest son of former Grizzlies president Jerry West.
Jonnie West now serves as associate general manager of the Golden State Warriors’ Development League affiliate in Santa Cruz, California, and regularly visits with Gasol whenever the Griz play in the Bay Area.
When a reporter pointed out to Gasol how nice it was to see him remain close with West, the Grizzlies’ center responded by asking: “What’s close? ... He’s a nice guy. But I didn’t invite him to my wedding. So what’s close? I don’t have very many people close to me.”
What’s certainly close for Gasol is a decision on whether he’ll return to Memphis as a free agent. And this much is clear: few people know which way Gasol is leaning or what criteria he’ll use to navigate a freeagent process that begins Wednesday when teams can talk to players.
The Grizzlies will push for a quick commitment from Gasol, who has developed into a cornerstone for the franchise on both ends of the court. Contracts can’t be finalized until after July 10 but can be agreed upon in the 10 days leading up to that point.
Gasol’s mind is like a building with no doors and windows. It can be difficult to penetrate. The 7-footer has been very guarded about his intentions, and shrewdly handled questions about his future all of last season whenever the Griz played in a city with a team holding enough salary cap space to pursue him.
Gasol has expressed affinity for Memphis and what the Grizzlies have accomplished since he arrived in 2008. Gasol, though, will have options.
New York, San Antonio, Dallas, Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to make a pitch to the All Star and All-NBA first team center.
“I think (Boston Celtics president) Danny Ainge is going to go with Marc Gasol and Kevin Love, I think that’s the first call,” Celtics television analyst and former NBA player Brian Scalabrine said. “I know for a fact that Marc Gasol, one of his favorite cities in the NBA is Boston. Are you going to be able to pry him from Memphis? You’ll have to sell him on coach (Brad) Stevens and our young group of guys.”
ESPN analyst Jay Williams was the latest person to predict Gasol’s departure when he suggested a move to the Lakers during the draft broadcast. ESPN writer David Thorpe also said he believes Gasol will bolt the Bluff City.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that Gasol is expected to stay with the Grizzlies but no final decision has been made.
Griz general manager Chris Wallace declined to comment on the team’s chances of retaining Gasol. However, Wallace expressed an appreciation for Gasol’s growth on and
off the court.
“Marc is a very genuine, totally upfront individual,” Wallace said. “He has a very grounded, global view of things. The success he’s had right now wasn’t handed to him. He had to make a real effort to go out and work for it. He was not a highly regarded player coming out of high school and later had to transform his body.
“This has given him a greater appreciation for how fleeting a pro sports career is and what a struggle success is for an individual and a team. He’s had to climb the mountain.”
Recently, Gasol did an interview with a Spanish radio station and indicated that Memphis will be his first choice although he’ll entertain the Spurs.
“The reality for me at the moment is Memphis,” Gasol said. “I got there when I was 16 and I’m 30 years old. It’s important for me, personally and in sports terms. I’m in front of an important decision for the upcoming four or five years. I’ll take it quietly, without drama. There are many things to evaluate: personal goals, the ring.”
If Gasol leaves the Griz, it will signal that he ultimately doesn’t believe the franchise can win a championship. Those were the famous last words from his older brother, Pau, who said as much after he was traded from Memphis to the Lakers in 2008.
Expect Pau to advise Marc throughout the process. And Pau has extensive knowledge of how the NBA works given he’s been traded and then last summer spurned the Spurs to join the Chicago Bulls as a free agent. Close? Marc is so close to Pau that he flew from Spain to Los Angeles last summer to surprise Pau on the eve of free agency. As Marc once put it, he didn’t want Pau to be alone during the process.
Marc, though, has a different personality from Pau, and the brothers are at different points in their lives. Pau still is single and enjoys the nightlife. Marc is married, with an infant.
“The city isn’t so important like it was in Pau’s case,” Gasol said in another Spanish interview. “My brother had other needs. People with sons know how this works. I don’t have time to go to the opera, or to the theater. New York is nice, but it was very cold during the AllStar Game. San Antonio, L.A, Atlanta … there’s good things everywhere. I have a simple life: at home, the arena, the supermarket. Memphis is quiet. In Fort Yukon, Alaska, I would also be happy.”
The question is whether Gasol will remain happy playing in the Grizzlies’ slower-paced, inside-oriented system — one that could be considered archaic in today’s NBA.
Also, with the NBA salary cap on the verge of exploding next summer, this year’s top free agents have an important decision to make. They can take a long-term contract now for the security or take a short-term deal with less money in the hopes of getting a lot more in the summer of 2016.
Either way, you’ll know Gasol’s plan when he tells you, on his timetable.
“Not everybody in this world is tweeting what they think every five minutes,” Wallace said.