First and foremost, BallinEurope feels for Pau Gasol. While the Lakers’ game right now might best (and most charitably) be described as “disorganized,” particularly in the offensive sets where The Triangle is no more, it *feels* like Kobe is subtly, slowing freezing out Gasol.

Though Pau fed Kobe three times in the Indiana game, Gasol got rare touches from Bryant who apparently was instead looking to exploit a size advantage underneath and got three assists to Andrew Bynum. Against the Pacers, Kobe notched two assists to Pau, both within 90 seconds of one another in the third quarter.

But BiE digresses and is probably just paranoid.

Nevertheless.

Let’s talk trade.

A couple of other big-name disgruntled/outgoing players await, ostensibly on the trading block. There’s Dwight Howard, who reportedly will allow a trade to the Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets or Los Angeles Lakers. There’s Deron Williams “enjoying” another excellent season at the peak of his skills while mired with a disappointing New Jersey Nets time and probably considering requesting a trade to Beşiktaş.

In short, why wouldn’t this work?

Okay, so the Lakers aren’t addressing the paucity of the bench and Howard’d probably not appreciate going to a Nets side sans D-Will, believed to be a main motivation for Superman II to move to New Jersey. And Orlando Magic management would lose lots of face for bagging “only” Pau for the dominant Dwight; any theoretical trade involving Howard must factor in the desperation to get something for the departing star – and if in fact said star wants to, you know, leave at all.

Right, so BiE’ll be the bad guy in L.A. Gussy things up just a bit and imagine a draft choice or two also changing hands and you get this; hey, the ESPN Trade Machine likes it. No, BiE isn’t particularly enamored with Matt Barnes; why do you ask?

And can you feel the frustration and fear? Interesting time to be a Lakers fan.

Now poor Odom himself (last season going for 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.31 stocks) doesn’t know what’s up, but right now he’s asking a couple of philosophical questions. And like all such good queries, this one just leads to more questions…

Posted Mr. Kardashian on Facebook at about 10.45pm EST last night (their time): “When a team trades u and it doesn’t go down? Now what?”

Here’s what: Odom’s next recorded response seems to have been, according to Orange County Register sportswriter Mike Bresnahan, to lock himself out temporarily. Odom reportedly just might skip first day of Lakers training camp because “You don’t want to go no place you’re not wanted.”

Hmmm … that makes things interesting now, dunnit? Hasn’t Odom suddenly lowered his trade value by intimating that what BiE’ll call “team chemistry problems” might result as a consequence of the failed acquisition? Won’t the Lakers pretty much now have to deal their most tradeable asset at any price?

Also, the ratings on the latest season of “Khloe and Lamar” are already up.

As for Gasol (18.8 points, 10.2 boards, 2.18 stocks per game in 2010-11), also slated to be involved in the blockbuster deal … well, one of the big league’s more devoted tweeters hasn’t virtually weighed in on anything since Wednesday. ¿Que pasa, Pau?

Here’s Bresnahan again (look away now, Laker backers): “…Source close 2 Pau said he was ‘devastated’ by original trade. Not sure how he is now.”

Yeesh. A shortened preseason, new coach, totally different system. Kobe’s creakier and creakier knees, Derek Fisher’s advancing age. At least two disgruntled players – one of whom is a top 20 NBAer and should be among the top 30 or so in the big league in terms of preparedness thanks to his training with FC Barcelona – coming into 2011-12; three if you include Andrew Bynum, which you probably should.

Interesting time to be a Lakers fan…

On Fernandez’ official site Rudy 5, the disgruntled Portland Trail Blazer yesterday bilingually wrote the following blog entry:

“After an irregular World Championship in which we couldn’t reach our goal, winning a medal, and were we weren’t able to play at our level, now we have to look ahead and think about the future. The project of Spanish basketball continues and now we have to think about getting back to play at our best level in the European championships in 2011 in Lithuania with the 2012 London Olympics on the horizon. Personally, I’ve tried to focus on the tournament and not think much about my professional situation, and I’ve tried to fight till the end.

“Now, it’s time to rest a little before going back to work.”

Except that there’s no way it’ll be as simple as that – the getting back to work bit, BiE means. Fernandez has been well vocal about his desire to get the hell outta Portland before the 2010-11 NBA season tips off, from demanding a trade to announcing that what he’d really like is to play “on the Blaugrana – next to his friend Ricky Rubio…”

However, in three months, nothing further has happened. A three-way trade involving the reportedly still interested New York Knicks was shot down earlier this month and, though Blazers general manager Rich Cho claims that “he continues to have daily dialogue with NBA teams about ways to improve the Blazers’ roster and Fernandez’ name ‘always comes up,’” Cho is currently left with little recourse except to hope Rudy shows up to training camp.

In fact, sources aren’t even clear that Cho is in fact making viable offers. Current talk is that Cho and the Blazers want a first-round pick involved in any deal with Fernandez: clearly a reason why Donnie Walsh nixed the earlier trade – in addition to the Blazers’ lack of interest in Tyson Chandler.

Alan Hahn, the Knicks beat writer for Newsday newspaper, tweeted yesterday that he was “Hearing Rudy Fernandez situation is still working itself out. ‘Lots of talk, no movement,’ a source said. NY Knicks still interested.”

However, Hahn himself claimed last week that Cho hadn’t actually made “a single call to Walsh since taking over as Portland’s GM” and that to that point “All of the previous talks regarding Rudy Fernandez took place” during the reign of former GM Kevin “I Took Oden Over Durant” Pritchard.

The main competition at present (unless you count FC Barcelona) for Fernandez’ services is probably the Chicago Bulls – but then they’ll have to wait-and-see on their own big deal before making a play for Fernandez.

Enjoy your break, Señor Fernandez – it may even be longer than you think…

Where will Fernandez land?

Though Rudy Fernandez was not dealt on NBA Draft Day and appears to be staying put with his team, it may be that his days with the Portland Trail Blazers are numbered: He has reportedly “fallen out of favor with coach [Nate] McMillan,” Wesley Matthews has joined the Blazers, and Fernandez is now “officially” getting shopped around.

So what’s next for Rudy? Nobody knows and everybody’s waiting.

The chief suitor for Fernandez’ talents would appear to be FC Barcelona. Not only are the Blaugrana apparently waiting to decide on contracts for Gianluca Basile and/or Roger Grimau in the hopes Fernandez might be freed up.

And according to Spanish-language website Sport.es, that’s exactly where Fernandez wants to go: “Rudy and his representatives have commented that his desire is to play on the Blaugrana – next to his friend Ricky Rubio – and that would be his first choice should he decide to leave the NBA.”

(“Rudy ya ha comentado a sus representantes que su deseo es jugar en el equipo blaugrana – al lado de su amigo Ricky Rubio – y ésa sería su primera opción en caso de que decidiera abandonar la NBA.”)

But for now, time is all on the side of Portland. Whereas Trail Blazers management has months before they have to make decisions in trimming the extended roster, Barcelona and most Euroleague teams would like to finalize rosters as soon as possible – particularly Barça, which already has nearly all its spaces solidified very early on.

Other teams showing interest in Fernandez include Olympiacos, Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow and possibly Panathinaikos in the wake of Vassilis Spanoulis’ departure. In the NBA, the Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics have been reported as interested in Fernandez, the latter probably even more so since Leandro Barbosa is now presumably off the market.

Any corrections or even rumor reportage are happily accepted and much appreciated, but let’s take it easy out there, guys: For example, Lebron James ain’t coming to Europe, okay?)

Enjoy!

Updated: 13 April 2010 13.14 CET

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NB: Please note that only names in bold are officially confirmed transfers. Others listed are rumors published by various media or online discussion forums.

(Q) means the team is currently at least on a spot in the Qualification round.

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"C'mon! Don't trade me!"

With only three NBA games going last night, the most surprising story of the American evening needn’t have been too mind-blowing, but Sasha Vujacic’s performance in the Los Angeles’ Lakers surprisingly easy 101-89 win over the San Antonio Spurs was among the more remarkable at least.

Vujacic ended up with eight points on 3-of-3 shooting in the win and played 14 minutes. Sasha started the second quarter with a lineup full of showroom models just waiting to be taken away before the NBA trade deadline later this month: Along with Pau Gasol, Vujacic hit the floor with Jordan Farmar, Josh Powell and Luke Walton – all subjects of trade rumors in the past two weeks.

Another factor contributing to Vujacic’s second-longest stint on court this season was surely necessity, with injuries to Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum well exposing the Lakers’ thinness at the far side of the bench while limiting L.A.’s rotation to an un-Jacksonesque eight (Powell and D.J. Mbenga played six minutes and one minute, respectively and combined for zero points on three shots).

Since Vujacic.net is more of a publicity site and less of a blog for “The Machine” – The sole meaningful writing from Sasha was his official statement on the Team Slovenia flap this summer – we have little idea what Vujacic thinks about the possibility of being traded, the scant amount of playing time he’s received for the past two seasons, and the fierce battle for the 12th man spot with Adam Morrison.

The two-year anniversary of Vujacic’s untimely demise, i.e. the murder of his confidence at the hands of Ray Allen in Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Championship, will be observed in June. Video below; not for the squeamish and/or Laker fans.

And Lithuania was involved in a third deal as well when Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv officially announced the day’s coup: The signing of Chuck Eidson, who led Lietuvos Rytas to a ridiculous five titles last season, including the EuroCup competition in which he was named MVP.

(Euroleague.net) – Armani Jeans Milano took another step forward in building its roster for the 2009-10 season with the signing of Jonas Maciulis, who agreed to a two-year deal. Maciulis (198, 24), nicknamed “The Bull” for his intensity and fighting spirit, was born in Kaunas and raised at Zalgiris, where he played the better part of his career to date. He averaged 14 points and 5 rebounds in 10 Euroleague games for that club last season. In his four seasons as a full member of the Zalgiris first team roster, Maciulis helped the club to back back-to-back Lithuanian League titles in 2007 and 2008. Maciulis also lifted the Lithuanian Cup and the Baltic League titles in 2008. Maciulis led Zalgiris to victory at the first-ever edition of the Euroleague International Junior Tournament at the 2003 Final Four in Barcelona. He has also played for Nevezis Kedainiai. Maciulis is a regular member of the Lithuanian national team and has won a bronze medal at EuroBasket 2007 and reached the 2008 Olympic semifinals.

Montepaschi Siena has announced a new deal with center Ksistof Lavrinovic, who extended his contract until the end of the 2011-12 season. Lavrinovic was an All-Euroleague second team selection in the 2007-08 season, in which he helped Montepaschi to make it to the Final Four. In his two seasons with Montepaschi, Lavrinovic helped his team to win back-to-back Italian League titles and also lifted the Italian Cup trophy this year. Lavrinovic has also played for Unics Kazan, Dynamo Moscow and Ural Great in Perm, as well as for Alita Alytus in his native Lithuania. Lavrinovic won the 2004 Russian Cup title with Ural Great and reached the Russian League finals with Dynamo in 2005 and with Unics in 2007. His twin brother Darjus Lavrinovic joined Real Madrid two weeks ago. He is also a regular member of the Lithuanian national team, who he helped to win the gold medal at EuroBasket 2003. Lavrinovic also won a bronze medal with Lithuania at EuroBasket 2007 and also made it to the Olympic Games semifinals in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. “I am very happy about this new deal. I feel really well in Siena, a great city for my family,” Lavrinovic said. “By inking a three-year deal, I have chosen to be part of the Mens Sana project. I will do my best to live up to the confidence that the club has shown to me.”

One of the best small forwards in European basketball switched Euroleague teams when versatile swingman Chuck Eidson inked a two-year deal with Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv. Eidson (201, 28), the 2009 Eurocup MVP, is coming off a spectacular season with Lietuvos Rytas, whom he led to five titles – the Eurocup, Baltic League, Lithuanian League, Baltic President’s Cup and Lithuanian Cup. Eidson averaged 15.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 15 Eurocup games last season, playing all three perimeter positions. This will be his second stint in the Euroleague after averaging 12.2 points on 48.9% three-point shooting, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.2 steals in 18 games for Lietuvos Rytas in the 2007-08 campaign. His best game of that season came against Maccabi in Tel Aviv, when he torched the hosts for 28 points in an Lietuvos Rytas win. Eidson has also played for Strasbourg in France, the Giessen 46ers in Germany and North Charleston in the NBDL. Before this, Eidson played college basketball at the University of South Carolina.

According to the hoop, Kristic will pay back all the money he received so far from Triumph in order to get out of his contract.

Triumph is probably tanking the season with this move, since they are already eliminated from the Euro Cup, and the Russian Cup is well behind their expectations.