The reaction from most of the blogosphere, as well as with readers, concerning the Pau Gasol/Kwame Browne swap has been, well, much like getting hit with a brick in the back of the head. No one saw it coming! For Lakers fans, this is probably the best news of 2008. For Memphis fans: are they even awake? Who cares.

The Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is proving that he’s still got some grunt in him. And with the addition of Gasol, along with the other blokes who take care of biz, that’s a lot of points, rebounds and some stifling defense out in the Pacific. Memphis isn’t a place for Spanish speakers anyway. The lisp will zzzthrive in Los Angeles. From the blogs:

• YouBeenBlinded: Talk about coming out of nowhere. The Los Angeles Lakers were able to acquire Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies for Kwame Brown’s expiring contract, rookie point guard Javaris Crittenton, and first round draft picks in 2008 and 2010. With a healthy lineup consisting of Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and Pau Gasol, the Los Angeles Lakers are a really, really legit Western Conference finals team. [Ed. Note: Did someone hear something? Oh, it’s Steve Nash’s teeth chattering.]
• The Big Lead: Brown is a salary dump, and who knows if anyone will take a chance on him. Crittenton is an athlete first, a guard second, and a point guard never. But maybe he runs and jumps well with Memphis. The picks the Grizz [sic] get are going to be crap - the Lakers with Bynum, Kobe and Gasol will be a top 5 team in the West for the next three years. Memphis really couldn’t get anything better? Absolute steal for the Lakers to get a 18-8 potential guy (albeit with an injury history) for next-to-nothing. [Ed. Note: We’ll reiterate: Mitch Kupchak is a hero in Los Angeles… for today.]
• Deadspin Commenter “Camp Tiger Claw”: That is a nasty fucking front court when Bynum comes back. /Kobe’s dick joke. [Ed. Note: Couldn’t have said it better.]
• “Dan Shanoff”: The Lakers just fleeced the Grizzlies and suddenly are a very legit contender in the West. [Ed. Note: One liner blog posts are so cool.]
• LATimes Lakers’ Blog Has An Overzealous Fan Who Might Have A Heart Attack:

  THE NEW ERA HAS BEGUN!

  WELCOME PAU GASOL!

  LONG LIVE THE UNION!

  GO LAKERS!

  [Ed. Note: Beware. This type of fan will be around for the rest of the season.]

Well there you have it folks. Kwame is crap, Gasol is a stud and now the Lakers are a major force in the West…again. Now let us hope those injuries steer clear from Gasol. Did we just jinx it? Just kidding Lakers’ fans…jinx.

Pau Gasol to the Lakers [Deadspin]
Breaking: Lakers trade for Pau Gasol [The Big Lead]
Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers [You Been Blinded]
Pau Gasol to the Lakers [Dan Shanoff]
Kung Pau! [LATimes]

Image [Turkish Press]