Gasol won't accept bench role

[konex]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-pau-gasol-not-comfortable-bench-20130117,0,1557723.story


"I've been a starter my entire career. I think this is my first games as a Laker, coming from the bench," said Gasol. "It's not something that I would enjoy I think."

Gasol said he understood the circumstances, "coming back from the concussion" against the Heat after almost two weeks off.

Would he be open to coming off the bench moving forward?

"Probably not," answered Gasol.

Additionally the Lakers forward-center expects to be on the floor in the final moments of games.

"I would always like to finish games. I think the most determined players, important players finish games," said Gasol after the defeat. "When the games are on the line, you need to have the best players on the floor."

If he won't come off the bench for the good of the team, he needs to be traded

[IGOTGAME]

I actually gained some respect for Pau. This may get him traded but that may be best for him at this point. He is being marginalized for his skill set and he doesn't deserve this.

[BlazersDozen]

Right when the Lakers signed Dantoni, I told everyone Pau is getting traded. He doesn't fit that offense unless he's playing center which isn't going to happen with Dwight there. Only way they keep him is if they are not sure about resigning Howard or keeping Dantoni for next season.

[Whoah10115]

He shouldn't come off the bench. He's too good and being used off the bench isn't a benefit to the team. Same as with Amare for the Knicks. They may or may not fit the team...I don't know about Amare yet, but I don't think Gasol fits. I do know that they're not bench players tho and that they shouldn't be used off the bench.


The Heat, for all their problems, have a lot of quality on the team. I don't get why they have 50 shooters and no rebounder. Lebron can make plays for only so many guys. But they do have quality on the floor, at all times. The Lakers are top-heavy. If the stars all mesh they'll be great, but they can't play every minute. Trading Pau for a lot of solid pieces isn't the worst thing in the world.



BTW, Pau is a good scorer...but his offensive game is about him getting the ball and making things happen. How can he do that with Nash and Kobe, while Howard is complaining about not getting enough touches? The Lakers need to play uptempo to get everyone touches. They don't have to be the Suns but they need to get enough possessions so that all the guys get touches. What's the point in having great players if you're not gonna use them? Kind of impedes the greatness they offer.

[shady6121]

http://i1253.photobucket.com/albums/hh600/Rodman2124/kobeclutch.gif

[Dbrog]

I actually gained some respect for Pau. This may get him traded but that may be best for him at this point. He is being marginalized for his skill set and he doesn't deserve this.

Exactly. Honestly, he makes the Allstar team on any other team in the league. Might still be the most talented big in the game. I honestly think his game really hasn't declined that much since Memphis since he's so reliant on finesse. He's a great player to watch but just awful on this Lakers squad ever since Phil left. How do you have this guy on the bench and on the wings shooting 3s?! GET OUTA HERE WITH THAT CRAP!

[rmt]

Doesn't matter whether he starts or not, but he is correct that the best players FINISH the game (see Manu).

[b0bab0i]

Earl Clark says Too Bad

:roll: :oldlol: :roll: :oldlol: :roll: :oldlol: :roll: :oldlol:

http://blogimages.thescore.com/tbj/files/2013/01/earl-clark-birthday-wishes.jpg

[NumberSix]

Pau being a bitch. Who fcuking cares which players play the first few minutes of the 1st quarter?

[longtime lurker]

I remember Iverson got absolutely destroyed for saying the same thing. SMH

[I<3NBA]

imagine Kobe saying this and then imagine what his stans would say.

[Kingwillball]

I can see Him being traded for Josh Smith which would help both teams. Smith along with D12 would Give Lakers some Real Athletic Ability on Front Line and IMO make them a real threat.

[red1]

Pau is not done yet he can still contribute a ton to many teams. Pau on the low block = easy two or trip to the free throw line

[longtime lurker]

Pau is not done yet he can still contribute a ton to many teams. Pau on the low block = easy two or trip to the free throw line

Yeah sure when he's not busy getting pushed out of the low block or swatted.

[red1]

Yeah sure when he's not busy getting pushed out of the low block or swatted.
Trust me when he is traded - at this point there is no doubt that they will try to trade him - you will see that he still has a lot to offer teams. If him and dwight are both down low than it is easy for teams to doubleteam and gangbang them both but if it is one or the other, I would always roll with pau for offense

[Whoah10115]

I remember Iverson got absolutely destroyed for saying the same thing. SMH


I don't blame Iverson for saying that. But can you remind me of where and when this happened? Because I'm thinking it wasn't anywhere where Iverson had established himself over 4 1/2 seasons.



Exactly. Honestly, he makes the Allstar team on any other team in the league. Might still be the most talented big in the game. I honestly think his game really hasn't declined that much since Memphis since he's so reliant on finesse. He's a great player to watch but just awful on this Lakers squad ever since Phil left. How do you have this guy on the bench and on the wings shooting 3s?! GET OUTA HERE WITH THAT CRAP!


I agree.

[NumberSix]

I agree.
or do you?

[Dro]

Im glad he was honest. He's too good to be on the bench....Is Earl Clark better than him? Jamison?

[Levity]

with pek suffering a thigh contusion yesterday that will keep him out for a couple days, and rubio saying his team needs to play with more effort despite injuries after yesterday loss to the clippers, i can see the wolves going hard at gasol. pek is probalby off the table, so maybe something revolving around shved, jj, and dwill would be offered.

[b0bab0i]

I don't blame Iverson for saying that. But can you remind me of where and when this happened? Because I'm thinking it wasn't anywhere where Iverson had established himself over 4 1/2 seasons.



I agree.
It happened around 2009 when he was on Grizzlies.

[Levity]

Im glad he was honest. He's too good to be on the bench....Is Earl Clark better than him? Jamison?

gasol is more skilled, but earl clark is a better mold at pf for what mike d is looking for. An athletic, mobile big man, who can defend and hit open 3s.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Duncan and Robinson. Sampson and Olajuwon. Gasol and Bynum. The Twin Towers concept has a history of success. It's not that complex, you take your two star bigs, dominate the paint on both ends of the court and win. There is n greater indictment on D'Antoni than the inability to find a way to use Gasol and Howard together. This laughable. I don't think he's stupid, just stubborn. D'Antoni would rather lose his way than adjusting so he can win. But go ahead and get rid of one of the key pieces to your last repeat. By all means, I hope they get rid of him.

Of course, I'm a Celtics fan.

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

with Pau out we saw how much little he is needed with Dwight/kobe/nash....opens up the floor

he constantly b!tches about touches in the post instead of working defense and getting rebounds

time to trade Mr Pau gasol

[longtime lurker]

I don't blame Iverson for saying that. But can you remind me of where and when this happened? Because I'm thinking it wasn't anywhere where Iverson had established himself over 4 1/2 seasons.





I agree.

I'm pretty sure it happened in Detroit and before he signed to the Grizzlies, keep in mind Iverson at this point still had some game and showed a hell of a lot more than Gasol has shown this year. Even if it was prime Iverson I guarantee he'd still get ripped for this and be called a cancer, selfish blah blah blah but when Gasol does it he's "standing up for himself"

[Redoks]

http://i1253.photobucket.com/albums/hh600/Rodman2124/kobeclutch.gif
Original video plz?

[Whoah10115]

Duncan and Robinson. Sampson and Olajuwon. Gasol and Bynum. The Twin Towers concept has a history of success. It's not that complex, you take your two star bigs, dominate the paint on both ends of the court and win. There is n greater indictment on D'Antoni than the inability to find a way to use Gasol and Howard together. This laughable. I don't think he's stupid, just stubborn. D'Antoni would rather lose his way than adjusting so he can win. But go ahead and get rid of one of the key pieces to your last repeat. By all means, I hope they get rid of him.

Of course, I'm a Celtics fan.



I actually agree with you. This isn't the Knicks. I'm a Knick fan who thinks he should have gone but knows he got an unfair shake. He said he didn't want Melo, they traded half the team for Melo. He needed a PG, they amnestied their PG to bring in Chandler and loaded his frontcourt, when he wanted a loaded backcourt. I'm not saying those were bad moves, but he was the coach and he signed up to build the kind of team he wanted, in the style he wanted, to play the way he wanted. The full project and all the big moves, were made against his wishes.


Now, he signed up for the Lakers. He signed up because the Lakers want him to run his offense. He also signed up knowing that he had to be flexible. He didn't come in with any of the demands he came in with in NY. He was dealt an awful blow, as the guy to run his system was out. And then so was his backup. But now that Nash is here, they're not running his system. The only things in which he is stubborn over are his refusal to use the post and his defense.


With that said, there are other problems. Gasol and Howard could maybe work together...but on a team with Steve Nash...while Kobe is still there and playing the way he is...it's understandable if they don't fit. And the injuries have been real bad for the Lakers. I don't think it's an indictment on anyone, but I do think there's a lot going wrong and that D'Antoni isn't doing well.

[longtime lurker]

Duncan and Robinson. Sampson and Olajuwon. Gasol and Bynum. The Twin Towers concept has a history of success. It's not that complex, you take your two star bigs, dominate the paint on both ends of the court and win. There is n greater indictment on D'Antoni than the inability to find a way to use Gasol and Howard together. This laughable. I don't think he's stupid, just stubborn. D'Antoni would rather lose his way than adjusting so he can win. But go ahead and get rid of one of the key pieces to your last repeat. By all means, I hope they get rid of him.

Of course, I'm a Celtics fan.

The twin towers concept is dead. It's all about speed on the perimeter and athleticism. Funny you brought up Gasol and Bynum but when the Lakers made their 3 runs they were actually running small ball with Odom. Gasol and Bynum never worked. I think the last team to make the finals with two big men were the Celtics and KG is easily the most versatile big out there. If the Lakers need to adapt to if they stand a chance.

[Mr. Jabbar]

He won't accept growing a pair either, so its a no-win situation for gasoft...

[Whoah10115]

It happened around 2009 when he was on Grizzlies.



Thanks. I wasn't sure if it was Detroit or Memphis.




I'm pretty sure it happened in Detroit and before he signed to the Grizzlies, keep in mind Iverson at this point still had some game and showed a hell of a lot more than Gasol has shown this year. Even if it was prime Iverson I guarantee he'd still get ripped for this and be called a cancer, selfish blah blah blah but when Gasol does it he's "standing up for himself"



Just saw this. Had already posted the first part of this response.


He never did anything in Detroit. His first season, he started almost all the games and didn't play that well. Gasol has been one of the best players in the league, on a team that went to 3 straight finals and won 2, as well as a team that won 57 games and would have won 50, if not for the lockout. They're not comparable situations.

[wakencdukest]

I'm pretty sure it happened in Detroit and before he signed to the Grizzlies, keep in mind Iverson at this point still had some game and showed a hell of a lot more than Gasol has shown this year. Even if it was prime Iverson I guarantee he'd still get ripped for this and be called a cancer, selfish blah blah blah but when Gasol does it he's "standing up for himself"


That's because Iverson had a history of being a shitbag from day one. People get tired of that shit over time. Gasol's always been a class act.

[Pacers4ever]

with Pau out we saw how much little he is needed with Dwight/kobe/nash....opens up the floor

he constantly b!tches about touches in the post instead of working defense and getting rebounds

time to trade Mr Pau gasol
so you trade gasol sand howard leaves next year what exactly will that horrible front court look like :lol

[Levity]

so you trade gasol sand howard leaves next year what exactly will that horrible front court look like :lol

meta, clark, and hill!!!

be scared!

[longtime lurker]

Thanks. I wasn't sure if it was Detroit or Memphis.







Just saw this. Had already posted the first part of this response.


He never did anything in Detroit. His first season, he started almost all the games and didn't play that well. Gasol has been one of the best players in the league, on a team that went to 3 straight finals and won 2, as well as a team that won 57 games and would have won 50, if not for the lockout. They're not comparable situations.

Pau Gasol hasn't done anything in the past 3 years. And he's been absolutely miserable in the playoffs under Phil and under Mike Brown so you can't blame it all on coaching. He's getting slower athletically and more effective at the center spot than PF. Iverson in his last year in Detroit still gave you 17 and 5 averages and he played under a horrible coach. Right now Gasol gives you 12 points on 42% shooting. My point was not necessarily a direct comparison but how laughable the perception of players are on this site. They're both essentially putting themselves before the team but one player gets praised for it while another gets grilled.

[AussieG]

Trust me when he is traded - at this point there is no doubt that they will try to trade him - you will see that he still has a lot to offer teams. If him and dwight are both down low than it is easy for teams to doubleteam and gangbang them both but if it is one or the other, I would always roll with pau for offense

This is the question and I think if he does get traded.. you could be right.

[Whoah10115]

Pau Gasol hasn't done anything in the past 3 years. And he's been absolutely miserable in the playoffs under Phil and under Mike Brown so you can't blame it all on coaching. He's getting slower athletically and more effective at the center spot than PF. Iverson in his last year in Detroit still gave you 17 and 5 averages and he played under a horrible coach. Right now Gasol gives you 12 points on 42% shooting. My point was not necessarily a direct comparison but how laughable the perception of players are on this site. They're both essentially putting themselves before the team but one player gets praised for it while another gets grilled.



Gasol is playing poorly now. He wasn't himself last year but he was still a very good player last year. The Lakers don't drop Gasol for just anybody and keep that win total. He was still a great player. The year before Gasol might have had his best season. He didn't play well in the playoffs tho. But he still had a great season. So your description isn't accurate.


Iverson was nobody to Detroit and he was playing a ball-hogging style on a team that was nothing like that. He put up OK numbers but needed the ball all the time to do it, and he made the team worse. So it's not an accurate reflection. They're two different situations.

[Scoooter]

The twin towers concept is dead. It's all about speed on the perimeter and athleticism. Funny you brought up Gasol and Bynum but when the Lakers made their 3 runs they were actually running small ball with Odom. Gasol and Bynum never worked. I think the last team to make the finals with two big men were the Celtics and KG is easily the most versatile big out there. If the Lakers need to adapt to if they stand a chance.
I think this is more accurate. So the "Twin Towers" concept is actually four guys in the last 30 years, two of whom didn't win any championships together. And didn't we see Dwight and Pau on the court together last night? I did. Now we're ripping the Lakers for not doing stuff they actually are doing?

I also seem to remember Pau leaving short layups that he should have dunked and letting anybody with a pulse slash to the hoop for an easy two. He's skilled, but bitching about not starting at this point in his career, when he could really help the team by coming off the bench, is just absurd. I say ship him out.

[longtime lurker]

Gasol is playing poorly now. He wasn't himself last year but he was still a very good player last year. The Lakers don't drop Gasol for just anybody and keep that win total. He was still a great player. The year before Gasol might have had his best season. He didn't play well in the playoffs tho. But he still had a great season. So your description isn't accurate.


Iverson was nobody to Detroit and he was playing a ball-hogging style on a team that was nothing like that. He put up OK numbers but needed the ball all the time to do it, and he made the team worse. So it's not an accurate reflection. They're two different situations.

So you make all the excuses in the world for Gasol but fail to recognize that Iverson was in a poor situation as well? Even if their situations aren't the same what happened to putting the team ahead of yourself? I used Iverson as an example, but if this was any other player they'd be getting trashed right now but somehow Gasol is still living off his rep from 3 years ago.

[Real Men Wear Green]

The twin towers concept is dead. It's all about speed on the perimeter and athleticism. Since when are rebounding, interior d and the ability to score in the paint unimportant? That's just not how basketball works.
Funny you brought up Gasol and Bynum but when the Lakers made their 3 runs they were actually running small ball with Odom. Gasol and Bynum never worked. Gasol and Bynum were the starters so your statement makes no sense. Odom was a valuable player but he was the sixth man. The year they lost in the Finals they didn't have Bynum.
I think the last team to make the finals with two big men were the Celtics and KG is easily the most versatile big out there. If the Lakers need to adapt to if they stand a chance.
The Celtics having two guys protecting the basket is what made the defense great. As versatile as Garnett is the only thing he does/did for the Cs that you wouldn't expect from a center is his 20-ft jumper. The real reason twin towers are uncommon is that it's so hard to acquire 2 good seven-footers. Everyone wants a great big and most teams don't even have 1. The fact that D'Antoni has two and can't seem to use either just shows how stubborn he's being. Do you really think that all of these teams have two bigs that can stand up to the Lakers' seven footers? They should be killing mismatches in the paint every game.

[lakerspng]

unfortunate stance by Gasol. He should take it on as a challenge to be the anchor and leader of the second unit, enabling him to play where he's best in the low post as the center, and help facilitate the team's overall execution which is lacking pretty badly without Kobe or Nash.

Which brings me to my second point... There should never be a single second of the game, where both kobe and Nash are on the bench at the same time. Our offense simply collapses without at least one of them on the court.

Managing the rotations correctly would make the Lakers a much better team, despite their age and injuries... but MDA seems to be fairly oblivious even to completely obvious trends. Sad.

[Mr. Jabbar]

Managing the rotations correctly would make the Lakers a much better team, despite their age and injuries... but MDA seems to be fairly oblivious even to completely obvious trends. Sad.


This This This and This.

[DavisWarriorsFan]

If All-Stars or border line All-Stars like James Worthy, Bob McAdoo, Lamar Odom and Manu Ginobili can accept the bench role. Then so can he. No matter how many times you've NBA Champion. Pau is no superstar. So he can't complain. Especially when all the injuries he has this year that is also a factor to their problems.

[HorryIsMyMVP]

He said he wouldn't enjoy it he didn't say he still wouldn't get on his knees and suck that dick.

[lakerspng]

why couldn't Jim Buss just swallow his damn pride and hire Phil. Everyone knew he was the right coach for this team.

[FKAri]

Duncan and Robinson. Sampson and Olajuwon. Gasol and Bynum. The Twin Towers concept has a history of success. It's not that complex, you take your two star bigs, dominate the paint on both ends of the court and win. There is n greater indictment on D'Antoni than the inability to find a way to use Gasol and Howard together. This laughable. I don't think he's stupid, just stubborn. D'Antoni would rather lose his way than adjusting so he can win. But go ahead and get rid of one of the key pieces to your last repeat. By all means, I hope they get rid of him.

Of course, I'm a Celtics fan.

They played in a different era with different rules. Why is this so hard for people to understand? Two bigs can still work but it's not as dominant at it once was. Tired of hearing "big men these days just forgot how to play in the post" and bs. Yes. Players all around the world just stopped learning post moves and coaches and everyone who would teach these things have all forgotten em.

[longtime lurker]

Since when are rebounding, interior d and the ability to score in the paint unimportant? That's just not how basketball works.

A healthy Dwight Howard by himself provides rebounding, interior d and the ability to score in the paint, but all of that is diminished when perimeter players are given free lanes to walk into the paint.


Gasol and Bynum were the starters so your statement makes no sense. Odom was a valuable player but he was the sixth man. The year they lost in the Finals they didn't have Bynum.

Bynum was not playing until the finals during the Lakers championship runs. The only finals he was effective in was 2010, otherwise the team was playing small ball in the playoffs without him.


The Celtics having two guys protecting the basket is what made the defense great. As versatile as Garnett is the only thing he does/did for the Cs that you wouldn't expect from a center is his 20-ft jumper. The real reason twin towers are uncommon is that it's so hard to acquire 2 good seven-footers. Everyone wants a great big and most teams don't even have 1. The fact that D'Antoni has two and can't seem to use either just shows how stubborn he's being. Do you really think that all of these teams have two bigs that can stand up to the Lakers' seven footers? They should be killing mismatches in the paint every game.

Yes D'antoni is an idiot, but the twin towers hasn't been effective for the past 3 years under 3 different coaches. There's just not enough speed to cover up for the new breed of NBA player. Everyone focuses on offense when offense isn't the problem. The Lakers get killed in transition points every single game because they don't have enough athleticism to run back. The coach is still the biggest problem IMO but there are personnel changes that need to be made to self correct the defense.

[Real Men Wear Green]

They played in a different era with different rules. Why is this so hard for people to understand? Two bigs can still work but it's not as dominant at it once was. Tired of hearing "big men these days just forgot how to play in the post" and bs. Yes. Players all around the world just stopped learning post moves and coaches and everyone who would teach these things have all forgotten em.
LOL @ the idea that Duncan and Robinson was somehow a "different era." The rule changes regarding post play are minor. There are definitely far fewer talented and skilled big men today, Shaq and TD ruling the NBA wasn't that long ago. Their era ended because they got old, not rule changes. That's nonsense.

[Real Men Wear Green]

A healthy Dwight Howard by himself provides rebounding, interior d and the ability to score in the paint, but all of that is diminished when perimeter players are given free lanes to walk into the paint.That's not the fault of bigs, that's perimeter players struggling to stay in front of their man.


Bynum was not playing until the finals during the Lakers championship runs. The only finals he was effective in was 2010, otherwise the team was playing small ball in the playoffs without him. In their two Champ runs he did 14/8 and 15/8. He was definitely an important player for them. One of the amazing things about LA right now is that Howard is out-performing him and yet their somehow much worse. Also, playing Odom is not playing smallball. Odom is 6'10. Odom was an excellent rebounder and had some versatility as a scorer and passer so playing him worked well but it's no different than any other situation where a team has a great reserve. Doesn't mean the starter was unimportant.



Yes D'antoni is an idiot, but the twin towers hasn't been effective for the past 3 years under 3 different coaches. What teams/3coaches are you referring to here?


There's just not enough speed to cover up for the new breed of NBA player. Everyone focuses on offense when offense isn't the problem. The Lakers get killed in transition points every single game because they don't have enough athleticism to run back. The coach is still the biggest problem IMO but there are personnel changes that need to be made to self correct the defense.
If you don't use your size (and D'Antoni clearly does not) then the benefits are limited but the way a big team deals with smallball is to say, "Ok, you want to guard my 7 foot All-Star with an SF? Fine, time to post up." All they can do is foul, and when two teams struggle guarding each other the team that is also causing foul trouble has the advantage.

[Magic 32]

In their two Champ runs he did 14/8 and 15/8. He was definitely an important player for them.

http://s7.postimage.org/rod3pmqsr/image.png

http://s8.postimage.org/j1wywxov9/image.png

http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/13867d1345746301-mafia-campus-town-showdown-signup-inception_meme__1_.png

[LikeABosh]

http://www.gifsoup.com/view/418787/train-wreck.html

[Kiddlovesnets]

Why should he? Hes good enough to start pretty much everywhere.

[Kurosawa0]

That's too bad. It actually might give the Lakers a new dimension. You could turn the team over to Nash and Gasol when Kobe and Dwight sit.

[Real Men Wear Green]

http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/13867d1345746301-mafia-campus-town-showdown-signup-inception_meme__1_.png
Regular season statistics.

[Nash]

He way too good to be a bench player. He has been the scapegoat for Lakers failure. He's still a very talented player and you could clearly see that when he came on against Miami yesterday.

[Magic 32]

Regular season statistics.

Who cares?

He was hobbling through the playoff runs!

I may have worked but we will never know.

[Smoke117]

It's pathetic how the player who is the most skilled and talented in the post isn't even allowed to play there the last couple of years. He might as well be traded to a team that will use him right. The oddest part about this is how big a part Gasol played in the lakers two championships and how dominate he was in the post. He's become a complete waste though now the way he is utilized.

[Figlo]

Ilyasova & Gooden for Gasol

[rmt]

They played in a different era with different rules. Why is this so hard for people to understand? Two bigs can still work but it's not as dominant at it once was. Tired of hearing "big men these days just forgot how to play in the post" and bs. Yes. Players all around the world just stopped learning post moves and coaches and everyone who would teach these things have all forgotten em.

The reason that they've stopped learning post moves is that the NBA has changed the rules to make the game more perimeter-oriented. That's why you're seeing more prevalence of the jump-shooting big man.

It's the same way that tennis has been changed by string/racquet technology and slowing down the surfaces of the courts. Now the serve and volley game that was so prevalent before is a dinosaur. Everyone is bashing ground strokes from the baseline and going to the net is suicide.

[Quizno]

you people who say that pau isn't being "allowed" to play in the post really show you don't watch any lakers games. pau doesn't get in the post because every time he tries to he gets pushed out to the 3 point line by stronger bigs and he's not strong enough to fight for positioning. then he'll try to put the ball on the floor and hit a fadeaway jumper which isn't his game. it's not about him not being "allowed" to post up, it's him not being able to. guy's just a softie now

[konex]

http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2013/01/18/mike-dantoni-says-its-possible-pau-gasol-will-still-come-off-bench/

[QUOTE]

[Twiens]

Trade his ass for some athletes off the bench. Worst defender in the NBA at this point...