Wallace plays some defense

He brushes off criticism of deal

Memphis general manager Chris Wallace calls it the gift that never seems to go away.

In February, the Grizzlies traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers, and it sparked criticism throughout the NBA that Wallace understands comes with the territory.

Throughout the playoffs, much has been made of Gasol's impact with the Lakers. And with the Lakers' success come questions wondering if the Grizzlies got enough in return.

Wallace spent 10 years as GM in Boston before moving on to Memphis last June. He learned one of his biggest lessons while he was with the Celtics.

"Once you get in the business, there's not as many black-and-white decisions as the public feels there are," Wallace said. "There are textures, layers, and shades of gray involving most of your decisions."

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich publicly criticized the trade. The Grizzlies gave up Gasol and a second-rounder in 2010 and received forward-center Kwame Brown, rookie point guard Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, draft rights to Gasol's brother, Marc, and first-rounders in 2008 and 2010.

Gasol is a proven player in his seventh season. Through Game 1 of the Finals, he has averaged 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in the playoffs. Brown played 38 games in the regular season and averaged 4.8 points and 4.9 rebounds. The trade freed salary-cap room for the Grizzlies, but results on the court will take time, Wallace said.

The criticism does not weigh on Wallace because "the impact the trade made with other teams in the league is really not our concern. We have to do what's best for [the Grizzlies]."

Wallace is happy for Gasol and understands he was an integral part of the Memphis franchise. It might be a while before the griping ends.

"The controversy lingers," Wallace said. "It's the gift that never goes away."

Wallace was evaluating talent at an early age. While growing up in West Virginia, he was a fan of NAIA basketball and would compare the skills of the smaller schools with those at bigger colleges.

He became known for his ability to evaluate talent when he started the Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook in the 1980s out of his parents' basement. When he started the magazine, he didn't think it would take him into the world of the NBA.

Longtime NBA executive Jon Spoelstra gave Wallace his first break, working for the Portland Trail Blazers. From Wallace's first moments being around the draft process, he knew he discovered his future calling.

Wallace eventually landed with the Celtics, and in 1997, at age 38, he became one of the youngest GMs in the league.

"Ten years I was there and it was a wild, wonderful, thrilling ride," Wallace said. "We were all over the place. In some ways, I feel like my years took 15 minutes and it just went by at warp speed, and in other ways I feel like I was there three decades. I had so much jam-packed into the 10 years."

Among Wallace's highlights was drafting Paul Pierce with the 10th pick in 1998. Among the lowlights, he said, was trading Joe Johnson instead of Kedrick Brown.

With so much time invested, Wallace feels a part of the Celtics' playoff run and he acknowledges rooting for them. He is happy to see coach Doc Rivers "get his due."

When the Celtics made their blockbuster moves for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, Wallace said he knew they would improve, but he didn't think it would happen so quickly.

"I thought they would be very good this year," Wallace said. "I didn't necessarily think they would be as dominant during the regular season as they became, with such an impressive record against the Western Conference. They started on a very fast note and never looked back."

Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com