Gasol needs to stay in the city that loves him

So, Marc. The time has come. The moment has arrived. Wednesday, you will be an unrestricted free agent, and you will be able to talk to teams from across the NBA. The San Antonio Spurs will make a pitch. The Los Angeles Lakers will offer you the world. The Boston Celtics will ask you to become a part of their storied franchise.

I just want you to know that as you sift through the various offers, Memphians support your right to make a decision that is best for you and your young family. We admire your maturity, your thoughtfulness and your professionalism. And so we will not lower ourselves to begging you to stay in Memphis just because it suits our own civic interests. Oh, whom am I kidding? Please, Marc. Stay. Stay in Memphis. Stay with Mike and Zach and the

rest of the guys. Stay with the franchise that has always stood by you. OK, except for the time it spent the No. 2 pick in the draft on Hasheem Thabeet even though you were already on the roster. Chris Wallace is really, really sorry about that.

But stay. Or at the very least, consider this shortlist of reasons to stay. You may not have spent any time thinking about this decision, but Grizzlies fans haven’t thought about much else:

1. Money: The Grizzlies can offer you $109 million over five seasons. The best anyone else can do is $80 million or so. I know you don’t care about money, but that’s a lot of organic baby food.

2. Winning: Yes, winning. The Grizzlies are one of just two Western Conference teams that have been to the playoffs the last five years. Golden State players said the Grizzlies gave them their toughest test. And that was without a healthy Tony Allen or Mike Conley. Who says you have to leave to chase a ring?

3. Your teammates: Zach is your brother from another mother. You go together like nachos and barbecue. And as for Mike, well, you can’t possibly leave your little buddy, can you? You sign your deal this year, he signs his deal next year, the playoff run continues until you both retire.

4. The grass isn’t always greener: Plenty of teams will take a run at you. Not many can offer more. Boston? The Celtics are the definition of mediocrity. New York? Hahahahaha. Los Angeles? Kobe is done. You’re not winning big in Los Angeles. The Spurs? Have you checked the age on them? I know some people think you have to go to San Antonio to win a title. But Tim Duncan is 39, Manu Ginobili is 37 and Tony Parker is 33.

5. Memphis: The city, I mean. You make a real impact here. Indeed, it’s one of the things I tell non-basketball players about Memphis, too. You can go and live in New York or Los Angeles or whatever glamorous city you choose, and you can soak up all the things those cities have to offer, but you’re not needed there, you’re not going to change the trajectory of the place. In Memphis, Marc, you already have.

6. The opera: I read what you told a Spanish radio station, that “the city isn’t so important like it was in Pau’s case. My brother had other needs. ... I don’t have time to go to the opera or to the theater.” And so on and so forth. I get what you were saying, too. As a father, you don’t need to live in the most cosmopolitan city in the universe. But here’s the thing: Opera Memphis is pretty darn good. And the theater scene isn’t bad, either. Have you been to Hattiloo? The Orpheum? Playhouse on the Square? If not, you should. I can hook you up with a baby sitter, too.

7. We’d miss you: Not to be sappy or anything, but this city would miss you. And you might even miss it, too. None of which means you should do anything but make the decision you want to make. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. Memphians really do respect your right to make the right decision for your career and your family. You’ve given us a lot of memorable years. But I do think there’s something rare and special about the connection between you and Memphis, something worth building on. You grew up here. You went to high school at Lausanne. You returned as Pau’s overlooked kid brother, and you and the franchise grew into something nobody could have imagined. The Grizzlies became a perennial playoff team. You became the first first-team all-star in franchise history. And now, yes, you could go to a place like San Antonio and you might very well win big. But you didn’t build what they have in San Antonio. You built what the Grizzlies have here.

So that’s it. That’s the shortlist of reasons. And that doesn’t even include that Elvis T-shirt, which looks perfect on you. Memphians really will respect whatever decision you make in the coming weeks. But we’ll throw a party if you stay.