Blog a Bull: "Signing Pau Gasol Was A Mistake"

[SwishSquared]

Pau Gasol was selected as an All Star starter by the fans. This is, honestly, a joke. Pau Gasol is the Bulls fourth best big man. Yes, fourth best. Behind Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and even rookie Nikola Mirotic. The idea that Gasol was somehow one of the best big men in the entire Eastern Conference is ridiculous. At first glance, it's easy to see why Pau has received this recognition. Pau is averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds, nearly 3 assists, and over 2 blocks in his roughly 35 minutes per game. Those certainly seem like All Star numbers. However, it's pretty likely that no one is putting up emptier stats than Pau Gasol is this season.

Offensively, the Bulls routinely force-feed Gasol isolations on the block, allowing him to post-up while everyone else mostly stands around watching him, not cutting, not moving, nothing, just watching. Pau goes to work down low and if he has a mismatch, he scores with relative ease. Put someone with some defensive skill in the post on Pau, though, and he is almost entirely neutralized. This has happened over and over this season. It happened recently against the Heat in Miami, as Gasol (along with Taj Gibson) was dominated inside by Hassan Whiteside, scoring just 13 points on 16 shots. In the Bulls' last game against the Cavs, with the defensively stout Timofey Mozgov as his primary matchup, Gasol went 4 of 14 from the field and scored just 11 points. In the Bulls' last game against the Washington Wizards' beastly frontcourt Gasol went 4 of 11 from the field and scored just 13 points in 33 minutes. Simply put, too often, Gasol's offense, the place where he actually provides some value, disappears when confronted with a tough matchup. Sure, put Pau on the floor with a depleted Bucks front line and he might drop 46, but against legitimate post defense, Pau does not shine the way a 7 footer with his size and skill should. He gets bullied.

Defensively, Gasol is an absolute trainwreck. Despite his heavy rebound totals, Gasol almost never boxes out anyone. His rebounding totals are primarily the result of his being around the rim for the vast majority of the game and catching whatever misses come off in his immediate vicinity. Pau's gaudy block totals result similarly. Gasol hardly ever leaves the immediate basket area to get out help contain penetration or to properly help rotate. Instead, Gasol hovers near the basket and, due to his height and reach, blocks a few shots here and there at the basket. Sure, there is some value in blocking those shots, but mostly Gasol hurts the defense in the same ways that Carlos Boozer once did (poor rotations, slow feet), without the value that Boozer provided in boxing people out and / or securing defensive rebounds.

The Bulls are still stingy at forcing tough shots, as they rank 3rd in the NBA at opponent effective field goal percentage and they still play defense without fouling. Almost all of their defensive drop off can be traced to the fact that they have fallen to 20th in opponent offensive rebounding rate; in other words, they aren't boxing out on the defensive glass. The rest can be traced to the Bulls being the second worst team in the league at forcing turnovers, falling from their previously middling ranks in that category. I suspect much of this is related to Derrick playing more (he hardly ever gets steals), Joakim not being as frenetic as usual (his steal rate is down from 1.9% last year to 1.2%), and again, Pau replacing Boozer (Carlos had a 1.3% steal rate last year compared to just .5% for Pau).There's also the issue of communication on defense. Say what you will about Boozer's defense, and it was often very bad, but you always heard him out there. When was the last time you heard Pau call out anything defensively? That stuff matters, and I don't think it's a coincidence that so many of the incumbent Bulls have cited a lack of communication as a primary reason for their defensive struggles. All of this is to say that a good percentage of the Bulls drop off defensively this season can be placed on Pau's shoulders.

Looking at ESPN's Real Plus-Minus tells a similar story. Pau is rated worse than Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson & outpaces Joakim Noah only slightly (Pau is +1.04 to Noah's +.69 per 100 possessions), but Noah has been significantly limited by his health all year. The Noah we've seen the last few games as he seems to return to health is a significantly better player than Pau...

....Much of this could be mitigated if Thibodeau would use Gasol as a scorer off the bench, allowing him to dominate the weaker big men of the league on the block (which is where he shines anyway) and start Taj, or better yet, Mirotic. The young Montenegrin has been absolutely buried at the altar of Gasol, despite being easily the Bulls best fit offensively in the starting lineup alongside Noah & Rose. He opens things up so much for the Bulls drivers and he racks up steals at more than triple the rate of Pau, helping to mitigate some of the Bulls defensive issues. It's no surprise that he rates out (by Real +/-) as the Bulls very best big man so far this season. Unfortunately, he's been getting the typical Thibodeau rookie treatment, since the Bulls other big men have gotten mostly healthy. Among 2-man Bulls combinations that have played at least 100 minutes together, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Joakim Noah all have Nikola as their best partner by Net Rating. Mirotic is Rose's second best partner, behind Aaron Brooks. You'll note that those are the Bulls starting players, minus Gasol.

All of this is to say Nikola is a perfect fit alongside the rest of the starting unit. He should be playing with those guys. But Thibodeau won't put him in there, both because he doesn't like to trust rookies, but also because Pau is the type to whine in the media about his minutes and role. See, for example, his public expression that he wanted to close games prior to the season even starting.

Pau Gasol hasn't solved any issues for the Bulls and he has created new ones. The defense has cratered, relatively speaking, largely due to his presence on the floor for 35 minutes a night. The offense is better, but that is only partly related to Pau's presence, as Derrick Rose being back helps, even with his inefficient scoring, and Jimmy Butler played the first part of this season like a rough facsimile of James Harden on offense. There's also the counterfactual of how good the Bulls offense could be if Nikola Mirotic were spacing the floor instead of Pau clogging things up with mediocrely efficient postups.

The most frustrating thing about all of this is how utterly predictable it has all been. To wit, when it was rumored that the Bulls were close to signing Pau, I tweeted the following:...

...None of this is to pat myself on the back for being so prescient. If anything, it's the opposite. It's to point out how obvious these things should have been to a front office intent on trying to build a championship caliber team. Pau Gasol is and was fool's gold and a paper tiger of an All-Star. The sooner the Bulls and Thibodeau figure that out and ride with Taj and Mirotic, the better. If the Bulls had signed wing help and given their incumbent big men & Niko minutes, I believe they would be significantly better off right now and better positioned to win deep into the postseason.

(Writing this made me sad, because I do, genuinely, love Pau the person. He's just doing significant harm to my favorite basketball team is all.)
http://www.blogabull.com/2015/1/31/7956711/signing-pau-gasol-was-a-mistake

What say you ISH? I bolded the parts I found most interesting. Pretty strong #HotSportsTake imo.

[raprap]

Interesting. Never saw enough Bulls game to comment, looking forward to Bulls fans opinion to this. :cheers:

[SamuraiSWISH]

Besides a crazy 40 plus point performance. The blog is right. He grabs boards but he's weak defensively, and he's really old. Being on the floor with Noah has also affected his capabilities too. I'd prefer Gasol off the bench. I would've preferred we got someone else completely. Another impulse buy like Boozer in 2010 albeit better. Hold off until we get something we want or truly need. Another younger playmaker off the dribble.

Butler has tried very hard to do this while also being a contract year ... but his defense has suffered. As of now he's breaking down in January due to the superstar pressure of having to perform greatly on offense and defense every night, every possession. Then you have meat head Chicago fans who think he deserved star caliber money. Just like with Deng. Being a workhorse doesn't mean you're a superstar. Star players bring it every night, don't wear down mid season due to pressure or expectations, raise their play against higher competition in the playoffs. And continue to play that good and consistent year after year even when teams or defenses are geared up as well as prepared to play you.

To make matters worse is Thibs. Over playing guys. Burning guys out in the regular season. No wonder work hard blue collar meat head Chicago fans love him so much. They identify with him. He's not as great as he's hyped up to be ... head coach wise. Our players are now tuning him out.

[Meticode]

Well something's obviously changed since the last 4-5 seasons. The Bulls defense is mediocre compared to what it's been every season over Thibs. While the Bulls are doing better offensively, they have taken 2 steps backwards defensively.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Not only that but it was disrespectful to Taj ... A guy who earned and truly deserved to finally be a starting PF this season once we shredded the dead weight of Carlos Boozer. Gibson plays great with Noah. We didn't need anymore front court help. I'd like to see Mirotic out there more developing and stretching the floor ala a young Kukoc without the ball handling abilities.

[navy]

Just bring Pau of the bench. He was suppose to help, not take over the team at 34.

[Cocaine80s]

dellevedova + Marion for Pau

[SamuraiSWISH]

dellevedova + Marion for Pau
Shump + Thompson for Gasol, and it's a deal.

[Meticode]

Shump + Thompson for Gasol, and it's a deal.
This makes zero sense for the Cavs. I wouldn't be trading any major pieces right now at all for the Cavs. And I wouldn't trade for anything but a capable backup PG either and that's with the players riding the pine.

[SamuraiSWISH]

This makes zero sense for the Cavs. I wouldn't be trading any major pieces right now at all for the Cavs. And I wouldn't trade for anything but a capable backup PG either and that's with the players riding the pine.
Did I say it makes sense? Did the guy whose trade offer I replied to make sense? I'm talking about how both ideas sound absurd. Those are the players I'd want from Cleveland to be honest. Obviously Bulls wouldn't be able to get LeBron, Kyrie, or Love.

[masonanddixon]

This is beyond retarded.

Bulls would be a just barely above 500 team with Gibson starting.

[Bosnian Sajo]

18/12 = empty stats on a winning team? I mean I'd understand the argument if he was averaging those numbers on a losing team, but the Bulls are plus .600 team :oldlol:

[gts]

wow.. Bulls fans sure quick to end the honeymoon :lol

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Yikes. What happened to Bulls fans complaining about Laker fans not wanting Pau? Crazy what a few bad games will do. :lol

[josh99]

Interesting. Never saw enough Bulls game to comment, looking forward to Bulls fans opinion to this. :cheers:
+1.

His defense might not be good but he's definitely not as bad on offense as the articles makes him out to be. Also its not his fault if he gets lots of iso posts run for him, it's the coach's job to choose what plays to run.

[scandisk_]

Yikes. What happened to Bulls fans complaining about Laker fans not wanting Pau? Crazy what a few bad games will do. :lol

This. Boys singing a different tune after a few bad stretches :roll: :roll: Pau was a solid addition nuff said.

[SwishSquared]

I don't agree with all of the points the author of the article made, but the #s and arguments are at least thought-provoking. I don't think Pau was a *bad* signing and they got an experienced post scorer for a fairly reasonable price, although his game on the blocks is matchup-dependant at this stage of his career.

I think the rotations, schemes, and player expectations are all at fault. Pau shouldn't play huge mins alongside Noah, for the benefit of both guys. I also think a healthy Gibson or Mirotic should ideally get the 4Q mins, depending on the situation & matchup, at PF. I've mentioned a few times that I think Mirotic/Noah, Gibson/Pau, and Gibson/Noah should the most utilized 2-man PF/C cominations (I think Mirotic/Gasol would get roasted & don't love the Mirotic/Gibson duo for extended mins). If Pau were to pull a David Lee, he would dominate second unit bigs and could help facilitate some offense when Rose sits. I think if Pau could check his ego more often, it'd help this team's rotation and potential for success.

Also don't think it's wise to be riding Gasol this much, from a minutes and touches standpoint. They sometimes look to him to carry the load when really he shouldn't at this age. It's an issue that Thibs should address and one that the FO perhaps should have more carefully considered. In place of giving Kirk the room exception, maybe they could have gotten James Johnson and given Kirk the vet min. Granted, they're thin on the wing due to the McDermott & MDJ injuries, which most likely didn't foresee. I don't think Mirotic at SF is a great option, but it's better than nothing.

Of course, I was of the mindset that post-Deng trade they should have let their foot off the gas (and thus not have overworked the guys so much) and potentially could have nabbed Nurkic & James Young by virtue of having a more favorable draft position. I think the idea of Pierce as a potential signee is intriguing, especially since he has a history with Thibs...

Rose-Butler-Pierce-Mirotic-Noah
Brooks-Young-MDJ-Gibson-Nurkic
Kirk-Moore-Snell-Bairstow-Nazr

[NBASTATMAN]

Some of the points are valid. Gasol is 34 and has problems with the stronger bigs.. But the main problem on the Bulls is not Gasol. It has to be ROSE.. He makes Kobe Bryant look EFFICIENT on offense... The guy jacks up 25 fters without regard and doesn't play a lick of defense...HAS ANYONE SEEN THE WAY HE HAS PLAYED? He got flat out whipped vs Clarkson the other night and continues to SHOOT long jumpers that lead to fast breaks.. Butler has also leaned away from being a defensive stopper to a scorer.. Noah and Dunleavy being hurt has also hurt them... They will never win with this ROSE leading them..

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Mirotic is NOT better than Pau. this is typical over-hyping of rookies.

[97 bulls]

I don't agree with all of the points the author of the article made, but the #s and arguments are at least thought-provoking. I don't think Pau was a *bad* signing and they got an experienced post scorer for a fairly reasonable price, although his game on the blocks is matchup-dependant at this stage of his career.

I think the rotations, schemes, and player expectations are all at fault. Pau shouldn't play huge mins alongside Noah, for the benefit of both guys. I also think a healthy Gibson or Mirotic should ideally get the 4Q mins, depending on the situation & matchup, at PF. I've mentioned a few times that I think Mirotic/Noah, Gibson/Pau, and Gibson/Noah should the most utilized 2-man PF/C cominations (I think Mirotic/Gasol would get roasted & don't love the Mirotic/Gibson duo for extended mins). If Pau were to pull a David Lee, he would dominate second unit bigs and could help facilitate some offense when Rose sits. I think if Pau could check his ego more often, it'd help this team's rotation and potential for success.

Also don't think it's wise to be riding Gasol this much, from a minutes and touches standpoint. They sometimes look to him to carry the load when really he shouldn't at this age. It's an issue that Thibs should address and one that the FO perhaps should have more carefully considered. In place of giving Kirk the room exception, maybe they could have gotten James Johnson and given Kirk the vet min. Granted, they're thin on the wing due to the McDermott & MDJ injuries, which most likely didn't foresee. I don't think Mirotic at SF is a great option, but it's better than nothing.

Of course, I was of the mindset that post-Deng trade they should have let their foot off the gas (and thus not have overworked the guys so much) and potentially could have nabbed Nurkic & James Young by virtue of having a more favorable draft position. I think the idea of Pierce as a potential signee is intriguing, especially since he has a history with Thibs...

Rose-Butler-Pierce-Mirotic-Noah
Brooks-Young-MDJ-Gibson-Nurkic
Kirk-Moore-Snell-Bairstow-Nazr
Great post. I think Thibs should utilize Gasol a little differently. I liked the thought of having Gasol play with the second team and feast on the opposition second team bigs. Their defense isnt what it was.

The Bulls biggets problem has been injuries, and Derrick Roses lust for the three point shot.

[97 bulls]

Some of the points are valid. Gasol is 34 and has problems with the stronger bigs.. But the main problem on the Bulls is not Gasol. It has to be ROSE.. He makes Kobe Bryant look EFFICIENT on offense... The guy jacks up 25 fters without regard and doesn't play a lick of defense...HAS ANYONE SEEN THE WAY HE HAS PLAYED? He got flat out whipped vs Clarkson the other night and continues to SHOOT long jumpers that lead to fast breaks.. Butler has also leaned away from being a defensive stopper to a scorer.. Noah and Dunleavy being hurt has also hurt them... They will never win with this ROSE leading them..
Yep.

[konex]

Just bring Pau of the bench. He was suppose to help, not take over the team at 34.

I'm pretty sure Pau signed with the condition that he'd be a starter

[konex]

Some of the points are valid. Gasol is 34 and has problems with the stronger bigs.. But the main problem on the Bulls is not Gasol. It has to be ROSE.. He makes Kobe Bryant look EFFICIENT on offense... The guy jacks up 25 fters without regard and doesn't play a lick of defense...HAS ANYONE SEEN THE WAY HE HAS PLAYED? He got flat out whipped vs Clarkson the other night and continues to SHOOT long jumpers that lead to fast breaks.. Butler has also leaned away from being a defensive stopper to a scorer.. Noah and Dunleavy being hurt has also hurt them... They will never win with this ROSE leading them..

Good points but it's hard to blame Rose for Pau getting destroyed by every half-decent big he faces

[DonDadda59]

Some of the points are valid. Gasol is 34 and has problems with the stronger bigs.. But the main problem on the Bulls is not Gasol. It has to be ROSE.. He makes Kobe Bryant look EFFICIENT on offense... The guy jacks up 25 fters without regard and doesn't play a lick of defense...HAS ANYONE SEEN THE WAY HE HAS PLAYED? He got flat out whipped vs Clarkson the other night and continues to SHOOT long jumpers that lead to fast breaks.. Butler has also leaned away from being a defensive stopper to a scorer.. Noah and Dunleavy being hurt has also hurt them... They will never win with this ROSE leading them..

This.

The Bulls were better when Rose was on the sidelines planning his kids' future graduations. The guy has been a disaster for them of late. Just mindless chucking and TO machine. Chicago actually should be running their offense through Pau instead of letting a faded D-Rose play old Kobe.

[imnew09]

Lmfao ! Is Pau the easiest scapegoat or wat?

Fken injuries had been dragging this Bulls team down! Sometimes only 8 players are available to play on their fken Roster.... Noahs injury and Roses comeback have been huge factors too...
Yall mother fkers are ahead of the Cavs...

Smfh for those who agreed to this dumb a$$ blog.

[bdreason]

I 100% agree. Mirotic should be starting next to Noah, and Gasol and Gibson should be coming off the bench.

[InsanityKills]

Blog a f@g: "OP and blogger were both mistakes!"




F@ggots!

[hawksdogsbraves]

Pau is one of the best passing big men in the entire league. If the Bulls are giving it to him on the block and then just standing around then it's on the coaching staff for the offense not working, not Pau.

[konex]

They have been struggling shooting since Dunleavy went down but that doesn't explain their horrible defense.

[hawksdogsbraves]

They have been struggling shooting since Dunleavy went down but that doesn't explain their horrible defense.

I think it's all just Noah not being anywhere near 100%. If your defensive anchor is out there at 80% obviously your defense is going to take a huge step back.

Pau isn't great defensively anymore, but scapegoating him for the reason the Bulls have been struggling is just absurd. He's been great.

[dontgetchoked]

While the author is being pretty dramatic, a lot of what he says is true. Pau doesn't box dudes out and gives up a lot of offensive rebounds, He is slow as **** so his defense is pathetic. Vucivic dominated him 1 on 1 in the post a bunch of times when we played orlando. A big reason why our defense is so bad this year is because pau plays center on defense because he's so slow, so joakim is pulled out away from the rim. While pau blocks a lot of shots, he doesnt rotate well to help. pau off the bench would be great, however he is still better than mirotic and taj :facepalm.

Taj is a bad passer and almost never passes the ball once he gets it in the post. His post up game is very good though, as is his defense and rebounding. His mid range seems to have regressed some this year. Niko is inconsistent and lacks confidence. He pump fakes less than he did at the beginning of the season, but he still needs to pull the trigger more. All the blame for the bulls struggles can't be placed on pau though. Joakim hasn't been himself this year ( due to injury as well as playing out of position) taj has been hurt, dunleavy missed 16(?) games with an ankle injury and derrick rose has been shit for the most part.

I came into the season expecting to make the finals, but the way the bulls have been playing they may not make it out of round 2. They have the talent to be a finals team, but guys just arent playing hard. Even the last two seasons when we knew we werent going far, the players played with more passion. right now they are playing like a bunch of *** boys

[secund2nun]

It's not Gasol's fault that Rose sucks and is causing Chicago to lose with his never ending chuckfest.

[SexSymbol]

Gasol never knew how to box out, no matter who he was playing against. For such an offensively skilled player to be so unskilled and untrained defensively is one of the biggest misfortunes and wastes of height and potential I've ever seen.

[nathanjizzle]

Nonsense

[keep-itreal]

If Gasol wasn't on this team they would be at the bottom of the east

[tamaraw08]

yeah, it's a mistake alright for signing a 2 ringed winner averaging 18 pts 12 rebs and 2.+ blocks per game. :facepalm

Is Pau infallible? nope, yes, he has slowed down, sometimes late in the rotation, not posting low enough etc, but he is NOT the main reason the Bulls are not measuring up.

[Bandito]

It's not Gasol's fault that Rose sucks and is causing Chicago to lose with his never ending chuckfest.
:lol

[Mr. Jabbar]

after reading the whole article kobe climbed from 7 all time to 5 all time

[VeeCee15]

The obvious problem is rose killing team chemistry and shooting them out of games while playing 0 defense.

The dude is now a scrub..he's far from his ASTERISK MVP season. He's half the player that he was and cannot shoot at all.

Bulls were better without rose. OR rose needs to limit himself to 15-18 shots a game at the most.

[JohnFreeman]

Get rid of Rose.

[G-train]

This is old news for those that watch Bulls games.

[MellowYellow]

You mad bulls fans that Melo passed on a ship this year with the Bulls to win a ship next year with the Knicks?

[GoldMedallist]

I really can't understand that article.

Some points he makes are valid. He is not so quick anymore, and has defensive flaws, but he admit he could be better off the bench (I agree) and deadly against second units. Then why blame him? That statement makes that Thibs's responsibility.

And he really is playing worse these days, and he will continue doing if he plays more than 35 minutes per game. What can you expect? He is 34, and hardly stopped playing since he joined the nba.

He should play 25 minutes from now on (actually, he should have done that the entire season) to reach the playoffs fresh. But, again, that is coach's fault.

And no, he won't be a cancer if he does not play 35 min per game. You don't know Pau if you think that. He only wants to be a part of the team, winning and not being used as a 3 pointer shooter, that's all.

[coin24]

The Bulls have a few problems at the moment..

I think the players are zoning thibs out, Rose is chucking like crazy, missing layups wtf, Gasol has been a turnstile on d and an average rebounder for a few years now..
Not sure if Noah is injured but he looks like crap, taj is like a non factor...
Butler is a bright spot, he's beasting, same with brooks off the bench..

What happened to McDermott?

[poido123]

Pau is the same on defense as he always has been.


Still lazy on help defense and regularly let's the guards drive to the rack without any attempt to block the shot.

However, he's been solid offensively and has rebounded the ball well.

Overall he's been a blessing, considering we had boozer who did zero on D.

[Undisputed]

What happened to McDermott?
Thibs gonna Thibs.

[CeltsGarlic]

So it is going to be forever?
Or it's gonna go down in flames?

[SpanishACB]

consider he is 34, as tall as he is (back, foot problems), of course he coasts on defense, but at least he does so inteligently: anyone remember the last time Pau was on foul trouble?

If bulls signed a 34 year old to be their defensive anchor then I'm sorry, blame is on them.

[Dengness9]

That's an embarrassment of an article. I mean utterly pathetic.

[dunksby]

Yep let's blame the 34 old guy for not having the stamina to play both ways, writer's agenda becomes even more obvious when you consider Pau is still an efficient scorer and a great rebounder.

[Roundball_Rock]

It's no surprise that he rates out (by Real +/-) as the Bulls very best big man so far this season.

This shows why his premise is absurd. Aside from a few flashes in a couple of games, Mirotic has not been a major factor. This article is a classic example of the inordinate reliance on "advanced" stats these days.


Not only that but it was disrespectful to Taj ... A guy who earned and truly deserved to finally be a starting PF this season once we shredded the dead weight of Carlos Boozer. Gibson plays great with Noah.

Taj, while a solid player, is overrated. Gasol>>Taj.

For decades Chicago has yearned for a reliable post scorer. We finally have that and people are complaining about Pau? :banghead:


Fken injuries had been dragging this Bulls team down! Sometimes only 8 players are available to play on their fken Roster.... Noahs injury and Roses comeback have been huge factors too...

Not to mention the fact that the Bulls' slide coincided with Dunleavey's injury. Dunleavy is not an all-star but his impact is huge for a poor shooting team.

[Blue&Orange]

Someone posted couple weeks ago a video where Pau made Amare look like a world class defensive player.

[nathanjizzle]

You mad bulls fans that Melo passed on a ship this year with the Bulls to win a ship next year with the Knicks?

whos melo?

[STATUTORY]

i thought he was the final mvp of those lakers championships doe?

[nightprowler10]

This is BS. Pau came in and has performed better than what we expected, and has played better defense than what we expected. The problem lies with us going back to relying on Rose even though he's not himself on offense, and Noah/Taj not being 100% has affected our defense/effort.

Thibs needs to reign things in with Rose and figure out how to properly use these offensive weapons.

[Practice?]

:biggums:

Pau has been great.

[Detroit]

Are we talking about the Pau Gasol that's starting in the All-Star game?

Stupid article.

[scm5]

How the **** is Pau getting hate when Rose is chucking up 5.6 3FGA's per game at sub-30%?

Pau has been, along with Jimmy Butler (at times), the best player on the Bulls this season. His defense has been really good, and he carries the Bulls offensively.

I thought Pau finally got what he deserved with a fanbase that would support him as he should be supported, along with a good team.

I was wrong, come back to the Lakers please.

[HOoopCityJones]

Not even an entire year into Pau's tenure and you guys are blaming him for the struggles already. Laker fans at least waited til after the 08 Finals. :lol

[poido123]

Not even an entire year into Pau's tenure and you guys are blaming him for the struggles already. Laker fans at least waited til after the 08 Finals. :lol


A few stupid people.


Let's not group all the bulls fans together on this. I've enjoyed Pau being here. Any bull fan with half a brain has appreciated Pau being here.

We had Carlos f.cking boozer last year, so of course we should be happy.

[G-train]

I can tell who watches the Bulls analytically, who watches the bulls as a casual fan, and who doesn't watch the Bulls at all.
Pau Gasol is mostly empty stats, and they needed a wing not a center, which is the basic premise of the article.
I am 100% sure management overwrote Thibs wishes with this signing, now he is forced to play him by management, and the Bull's are suffering because of it.

[poido123]

I can tell who watches the Bulls analytically, who watches the bulls as a casual fan, and who doesn't watch the Bulls at all.
Pau Gasol is mostly empty stats, and they needed a wing not a center, which is the basic premise of the article.
I am 100% sure management overwrote Thibs wishes with this signing, now he is forced to play him by management, and the Bull's are suffering because of it.


The correct move is to play Gasol off the bench for 25-30 minutes a game alongside mirotic, but I think Gasol had a previous agreement on condition he would be the starter for the Bulls if he agreed to play with them.

I hold out hope that we get wing help by the deadline, or we will be seeing more and more rose/butler isolation play with a sprinkle of rose pick and roll with Gasol for the rest of the way...

For a team of average to great passers, we sure don't throw the ball around as consistently as we should. Rose needs to take a lot of the blame there.

[freshperry]

Keep in mind though the fall in defense and the "communication" may be because this is still a relatively new team all things considered. Rose is coming back after 2 years, Noah is constantly injured so he comes on and off, Gasol is new, Butler is embracing a new role, Dunleavy Jr (injured), Mirotic is new. Given all of these factors, the communication and help defence may not be at the level bull's are accustomed to. I think I also read somewhere that the Bulls have the most blocks of any team (if not they're very high up in the list)? You gotta give them time to gel.