This makes LA instantly one of the youngest teams in basketball and would reshape them into a title contender for the long term.  Very interesting.  Would love to hear Lakers’ fans reactions to this one.  From SI’s The Point Forward blog:

We know that Brown has hired European coaching legend Ettore Messina as something of a consultant, and we learned late Sunday that Brown is on the verge of finalizing his staff with a bunch of interesting hires. Among the most notable names is Tim Grgurich, one of the most-well-respected assistants in the league, from the Mavericks’ bench. 

On the personnel front, sources over the weekend suggested there might actually be something to the notion that the Lakers could flip Pau Gasol to the Timberwolves in a deal involving Kevin Love, Minnesota’s No. 2 draft pick (if the Lakers have their druthers) and other pieces necessary to make the trade work. Any deal of this magnitude is unlikely, even if it makes some theoretical sense for both teams. The Wolves would get one of the league’s best all-around players and a potential mentor for Ricky Rubio, while the Lakers would add a foundational young piece who rebounds like a mad man, works the pick-and-roll and can stretch the floor better than almost any other big man in the league. The much-rumored (but still theoretical) Dwight Howard trade talks are a different story, since acquiring Howard is a no-brainer for any team.

Even though it’s unlikely it’s still fun to think about as the Lakers could draft Derrick Williams who instantly becomes one of the most exciting players in the league and has the potential to be a great counterpunch to KD and LeBron going forward.

We’ll follow it closely and update you if we hear anything else going forward.

[SI]