So believe it or not the Al Jefferson trade is actually a positive for the Grizzlies. Yes, we lost a (protected) 1st-round pick for, essentially, 5 games worth of Ronnie Brewer. Yes, this means that the Jazz will probably make the playoffs again, decreasing the likelihood that the Grizzlies get to the postseason in the ultra-competitive West. Frankly, those things don't concern me. I'm actually quite pleased about the plundering trade. I'll tell you why...

If the Jazz can somehow turn this lopsided trade into a strong playoff run (say, a trip to the Western Conference Finals....fingers crossed!), then it means that Grizzlies fans will no longer have to the national media babble on about how the Pau Gasol trade was the most lopsided trade ever ad nauseum.

In essence, the Grizz gave away a draft pick to get the media off their backs....and I'm ok with that.

This hopefully means that we'll no longer be subjected to endless "THE GRIZZLIES TRADED PAU GASOL FOR NOTHING!!!!!11!!" rants from ignorant talking heads at ESPN. Look, we get it, the Lakers made three finals appearances and won 2 championships with Gasol, but, we actually got something to show for it. Most notably, a future All-Star in Marc Gasol and the cap space to trade for current All-Star Zack Randolph. Minnesota got a trade exception, which they're apparently using to sign Luke Ridnour, and a couple of draft picks. When your GM is David Kahn, then it's not like your team is going to find hidden gems in the late 1st round; there aren't Tony Parkers or Josh Howards heading to 'Sota.

Tomorrow when Michael Heisley and Chris Wallace announce that this was their plan all along, you'll know that I was right on this one.