Marc Gasol is part of the face of the franchise for the Memphis Grizzlies, but that hasn't stopped his name from appearing in trade rumors in the last year. He still has two years left in his contract, and the Grizzlies need to decide if they want to keep him around to mentor the young guys, or if they want to try and trade him to get some more prospects as they go through their rebuild.

Gasol has also received some grief from Grizzlies fans because of the way David Fizdale was forced out, mostly because of his relationship with Gasol. Gasol said it was a learning experience for him during an interview with Robert Alvarez and Spanish outlet ‘El Pais' via Eurohoops.net.

“My conflict is between my desire to win and my loyalty to Memphis. Memphis believes that I am part of the solution, not the problem. It was part of a learning experience. When looking for a change, you need to find the cause. It occurred in a way that maybe was not the desired one. Thinking about it now, I would have acted differently, but I remain calm. In the end, a business of so many millions of dollars is not decided by one player. The relationship between a player and a coach was not the best in the world… you are right”, he said.

When the firing was made last year, it seemed like the Grizzlies either had to choose Fizdale or Gasol and they went with Gasol. Now the organization is hoping that decision is going to pay off for them.