I guess your usage of the word "cheating" kind of threw me. I'm still not quite sure I "get it", especially given all the other usages of the word in other major sports. (I'm looking at you, baseball!) I mean, a trade, no matter how dubious the circumstances, is hardly on the same level as the cheating you'd see in other sports, right?
Maybe I missed all the controversy when the Gasol trade went through, but it seemed like a normal enough trade to me, as the Grizzlies got pretty much what they wanted too - young players and another draft pick, plus rights to sign Gasol's younger brother later on. From the way I see it, the deal was essentially trading the present for the future. On the Lakers' end, you got to see the consequences immediately, but on the Grizzlies' end, you're going to have to wait at least one or two more seasons.
Trading around players in the middle of the season isn't that odd an occurance, especially given the high-profile names that have been jumping ship to go to teams with better chances of winning in the playoffs. (Allen Iverson? Shaq?) With both teams satisfied with what they got out of the deal, and Gasol extremely happy, I guess I just don't get how it's "cheating".
How I understand the situation is this: In terms of roster changes for the Lakers, the big additions I see from last year are Fisher and Gasol, while they cut quite a bit of essentailly dead weight. When you have resources that are of no use to you, you find someone else who wants them. Gasol wanted out of Memphis, and so the Grizzlies were looking to rebuild their team. Two teams' problems solved with one solution.
I guess I just want to know what the "cheating" is that you're referring to. Is it that David Stern has been accused of preferential treatment of the Lakers? I've heard about that, but is that really cheating on the part of the Lakers' organization? Yes, he has made some pretty fucked up decisions before (remember the new ball fiasco?), but did he do that's cheating in this case?
If there's some fact that you think I'm missing, please inform me so I don't look like a douche for defending something I wouldn't if I knew the whole story. I'm actually enjoying this discussion because I like to engage differing opinions like this. As someone who tries to see the good in everything first, I just get kind of curious about what drives this kind of negative emotion that people have toward certain issues.