Well, with no more talk of the Los Angeles Lakers trading Kobe Bryant to the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Tribune NBA writer Sam Smith has resorted back to last year’s season-long quest to convince Bulls’ fans why it makes sense for the Grizzlies to trade Pau Gasol to Chicago.

It’s true last year that then-team president Jerry West explored the trade possibilities once Gasol requested to owner Michael Heisley that he wanted to be traded to a winning team. With Gasol clearly disgruntled, it made sense for West to see what he could get for the former All-Star. But the Bulls were unwilling to part with the players West wanted.

A lot has happened since then, though, which is why Smith’s latest dreaming makes no sense. He points out how Gasol’s numbers are down and that he is having a hard time fitting into new coach Marc Iavaroni’s system. True enough, Gasol’s numbers are down, but there’s a reason for it. Instead of running nearly every play through Gasol, as was the case in the past, Iavaroni’s quick-tempo has the ball moving a lot more, making shots available to a lot more players which is why the Grizzlies have four players averaging in double figures (before Saturday’s game against Minnesota there were six in double figures).

Smith concluded his latest proposal to land Gasol by noting that Grizzlies rookie guard Juan Carlos Navarro, Gasol’s best friend from Spain, would be available for the Bulls to pick up after the season when his one-year deal with the Grizzlies is up. Aside from Navarro’s skills as a player, one of the reasons Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace traded a first round draft pick to Washington for his draft rights, then spent two weeks negotiating a buyout with FC Barcelona and FIBA, was to please Gasol. So what sense would it make to bring Navarro here, only to trade Gasol a couple of months later? On top of that, Navarro will be a restricted free agent after this season, meaning the Grizzlies will have the right match any team’s offer. As long as Navarro keeps shooting like he’s been shooting, which is better than 40 percent from 3-point range, you can be assured he’ll be in a Grizzly uniform next season.

And so will Pau Gasol.