Chris Bosh vs Pau Gasol - who's the better player?

[Human Error]

Chris Bosh
Career: 893 games, 19.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 bpg, FG 49.4%
Peak(09-10): 24.0 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.0 bpg, FG 51.8%

Pau Gasol
Career: 1,055 games, 18.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.7 bpg, FG 51.0%
Peak(08~11, 3 year avg): 18.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 bpg, FG 54.4%

I'd go with Gasol. A better rim protector, rebounder and passer, plays bigger than Bosh, and does every other thing just as well as Bosh.

[AirBonner]

Chris Bosh
Career: 893 games, 19.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 bpg, FG 49.4%
Peak(09-10): 24.0 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.0 bpg, FG 51.8%

Pau Gasol
Career: 1,055 games, 18.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.7 bpg, FG 51.0%
Peak(08~11, 3 year avg): 18.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 bpg, FG 54.4%

I'd go with Gasol. A better rim protector, rebounder and passer, plays bigger than Bosh, and does every other thing just as well as Bosh.
Gasol easily. Better playoff performer.

[Mr Feeny]

Gasol, comfortably.
He's also a marvelous finals performer. Bosh tended to struggle in big moments. Had a combined 5 points in games 6 and 7 of the 2013 finals including an egg in the final game. 0 points from your big man.

Gasol meanwhile was arguably the lakers' best player during the 2010 finals.

[Human Error]

Gasol meanwhile was by far the lakers' best player during the 2010 finals.
Corrected.

[Mr Feeny]

Corrected.

Fair enough. Not many besides Kobe stans would argue that he wasn't.

[JT123]

Easily Gasol. Much more consistent playoff and Finals performer. There is literally not a single thing Bosh does better than Gasol other than 3 point shooting, and even then Gasol could have been just as deadly if he had really wanted to work on that part of his game.

[Kool Boy]

Gasol

[SouBeachTalents]

They'll give you similar results as s franchise player, and while we never saw Bosh as a true second option, you couldn't be much better than Gasol was '09-'10 as a second option big man

[tpols]

Gasol might be ~5% better, tops. Bosh is very ideal for todays type of game with his best attributes being his KG lite perimeter defense and mid / long range face up and drive game. Gasol is more traditional / old school, mchale like.. there is not much separating these two as talents overall. Gasol has proven to have better longevity but thats about it.

[ArbitraryWater]

Gasol by a mile.. Gasol is top 50 all time caliber, Bosh might be 100.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Bosh is better because even though they're both Flower Forwards, soft as hell, Bosh can at least play defense. Like actually tries. He can move his feet, block shots, and come a little further out to defend pick and roll.

I've only seen Pau play defense for Spain. Not for Memphis. Not for LA, especially 2011. And he certainly never did here in Chicago. He'd catch some blocks here and there purely off length in an ever shrinking big man league. But by no means a dominant force down low.

Gasol's advantage is a little extra length and way superior passing ability. But besides that, starting a team I'd definitely take Bosh. The stats bear this out.

Chris put up better numbers and led a talentless Toronto team no where. Young Gasol had slightly inferior numbers with a way better coach, and way more talent on his roster and led Memphis NO WHERE.

That's why the Heat championships as they stand on LeBron's resume pale in comparison to what he finally did in Cleveland. Which was a ring truly earned. Thus the tears.

In Miami LeBron won with black Pau Gasol, and Dwyane Wade. With HOFers like Ray Allen out there stretching the floor. Team was stacked in a depleted post D Rose knee injury Leastern Conference.

[swagga]

Gasol might be ~5% better, tops. Bosh is very ideal for todays type of game with his best attributes being his KG lite perimeter defense and mid / long range face up and drive game. Gasol is more traditional / old school, mchale like.. there is not much separating these two as talents overall. Gasol has proven to have better longevity but thats about it.

damn lebron did a number on you homie, you done mind****ed son.

[Mr Feeny]

Gasol by a country mile as most posters in this thread have said.

[JebronLames]

Gasol by a very wide margin.

[knicksman]

Thread being avoided by bran stans like a plague

[BigKAT]

Thread being avoided by bran stans like a plague

:biggums:

Did you even read the posts before your own?

But to the topic at hand,

I think (Don't stone me) that Gasol is underrated defensivly.
Especially in the last few years. I mean, I have not checked the advanced stats for this, but eye-test only, he's got some nice blocks and shot altering moves every game he plays. And he is pretty darn tall.

I'll go with Gasol over Bosh. Bosh is superb, but I still got Gasol.

[FKAri]

Its really close. I'll go with Pau because I feel he can carry the offensive load better than Bosh. Pau's better in the post. Bosh's really gets put off when his jumper isn't going. Pau's also the better passer. Pau's an underrated defender when healthy and probably a better interior defender but Bosh has him beat overall because Bosh is a much better pick and roll defender.

[Bankaii]

Did this dude really just compare Bosh to KG defensively:roll:

[GrapeApe]

Gasol: 18.2/9.5/3.3/0.5/1.7 on .565TS
Bosh: 19.2/8.5/2.0/0.8/1.0 on .571TS

Bosh is probably better by a small margin as his team's best player. His 2010 season is better than anything we saw from Gasol as a first option. Gasol is probably a better second option, although we never saw prime Bosh as a second option so that statement might be a bit unfair.

Gasol was more of a traditional big man. He was a slightly better rebounder, a better passer, and a better rim protector. Bosh had much better range, was a better shooter, and a more versatile defender. Gasol put up better numbers in his championship runs, but Bosh's elite PnR defense and being a threat from the perimeter were major factors in the Heat winning their titles.

I'm inclined to lean a bit toward Bosh, but I'm admittedly biased. Either way it's extremely close. As I alluded to above, if I had to choose one of them as a first option, I'd go with Bosh. As as a supporting player, I'd give the edge to Gasol.

[D.J.]

Bosh may be a better scorer with a bit more range, but that's where it ends. Pau is better in the post, better defender, and much better at handling and passing the ball.

[GrapeApe]

Bosh may be a better scorer with a bit more range, but that's where it ends. Pau is better in the post, better defender, and much better at handling and passing the ball.

How is Gasol a better defender? Because he blocks more shots? Bosh is arguably the best PnR defender in the league. His defensive range is elite, he has great defensive intelligence and instincts, and he's rarely out of position. His ability to switch out on the perimeter and recover back to the rim is as good as anyone in the game.

Bosh's defense is and has always been highly underrated. I'm not saying he's KG or anything, but he IS a legitimately great defender. It just goes under the radar because he's not really a shot-blocker.

[tpols]

older guys will think pau is better at defense because he plays the traditional long rim protector ... the problem is he's very soft, moveable and they ignore other primary elements of defense, like versatility. Go rewatch 2011 Hornets Lakers series and you will see what i mean. Quick perimeter players put guys like Bynum and Pau in a blender away from the hoop. Lamar Odom was actually the best defender on the Lakers by a long shot.

[retaxis]

Passing? Gasol
Big man Defence? Gasol
Shooting? Gasol
Post play? Gasol
Rebounding? Gasol
Playoff performance? Gasol
Size and Strength? Gasol

Shall we continue folks?

P.S when Roy Hibbert/David West/Carlos Boozer averages 30-15 on you, you know you are not Pau Gasol

[GrapeApe]

Passing? Gasol
Big man Defence? Gasol
Shooting? Gasol
Post play? Gasol
Rebounding? Gasol
Playoff performance? Gasol
Size and Strength? Gasol

Shall we continue folks?

P.S when Roy Hibbert/David West/Carlos Boozer averages 30-15 on you, you know you are not Pau Gasol

Shooting? :oldlol:

Bosh is clearly a better shooter. He also has a higher career scoring average and a higher TS%. Gasol is indeed better in the post, but that's largely irrelevant because Bosh is a better and more efficient scorer.

Citing "big man defender" and "size and strength" as advantages for Gasol is stupid. I could just as easily say that Bosh is better against the PnR, has more range, and is more athletic. Bosh is a better and more versatile overall defender. In terms of playoff performance, Gasol did no better as a 1st option than Bosh did. It's unfair to compare Gasol as a 2nd option to Bosh as a 3rd option.

In regards to your last sentence, that had more to do with the Heat's defensive style and lack of personnel than Bosh individually. They had no size outside of Bosh. Shane Battier was the Heat's starting PF. The Pacers were a nightmare matchup, not to mention the "verticality" nonsense that the Heat had to contend with.

[egokiller]

One of the things that Gasol had that Bosh never had was an alpha leader. Same can be said for Pippen. Guys like Kobe and MJ worked with their teammates and made them into better players, instead of just joining forces with them when they were already a top 5 PER player.

Anyone who says that Gasol would be the player he is without Kobe's guidance or that Pippen would not be the player he is without MJ's guidance are so full of shit that their eyes are brown. Bosh never had that luxury.

[ClipperRevival]

How is Gasol a better defender? Because he blocks more shots? Bosh is arguably the best PnR defender in the league. His defensive range is elite, he has great defensive intelligence and instincts, and he's rarely out of position. His ability to switch out on the perimeter and recover back to the rim is as good as anyone in the game.

Bosh's defense is and has always been highly underrated. I'm not saying he's KG or anything, but he IS a legitimately great defender. It just goes under the radar because he's not really a shot-blocker.

Absolutely. Bosh's D was a huge factor in the Heat 2 peat.

[RRR3]

Shooting? :oldlol:

Bosh is clearly a better shooter. He also has a higher career scoring average and a higher TS%. Gasol is indeed better in the post, but that's largely irrelevant because Bosh is a better and more efficient scorer.

Citing "big man defender" and "size and strength" as advantages for Gasol is stupid. I could just as easily say that Bosh is better against the PnR, has more range, and is more athletic. Bosh is a better and more versatile overall defender. In terms of playoff performance, Gasol did no better as a 1st option than Bosh did. It's unfair to compare Gasol as a 2nd option to Bosh as a 3rd option.

In regards to your last sentence, that had more to do with the Heat's defensive style and lack of personnel than Bosh individually. They had no size outside of Bosh. Shane Battier was the Heat's starting PF. The Pacers were a nightmare matchup, not to mention the "verticality" nonsense that the Heat had to contend with.
I'm pretty bad at analyzing defense, I'll admit it, but I never thought Bosh's defense was impressive during the Heat's 2 peat. The biggest impact was on the perimeter, with LeBron and Wade and Chalmers/Cole/Battier causing havoc. Bosh certainly moves well, but I remember him getting annihilated regularly by guys like Roy Hibbert and Nikola Vucevic.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Starting a franchise, Bosh. Already have an alpha superstar? Gasol.

[RRR3]

As for the OP, I don't trust my analysis on this, so I will just say that they are obviously pretty close as players.

[SamuraiSWISH]

RRR3 quickly becoming the most sane, non delusional LeBron fan. Congrats, bro.

[RRR3]

RRR3 quickly becoming the most sane, non delusional LeBron fan. Congrats, bro.
SouBeachTalents and AJ1987 are Heat fans who still like LeBron as well. They're also pretty realistic about him.

Honestly, I feel it's hard to actually watch enough NBA (all teams and players) to be able to truly compare players optimally. Stats can go a long way, obviously, but stats don't tell you that Richard Jefferson had a massive impact in the 2016 finals, when if you watched, you know that he did.

[ImKobe]

It's closer than people think

Gasol before Kobe - 1x all-star 0 - 12 in 3 Playoff appearances
Bosh before Lebron - 5x all-star 3 - 8 in 2 Playoff appearances

Bosh in 2010 was averaging 24/11 52%FG, had a 5-year run of averaging 22+ ppg on around 50% shooting

Pau averaged 20 or more ppg twice on same efficiency

Bosh would have been a 20+ ppg scorer until 2015 had he never joined Lebron, who turned him into a spot-up shooter while Pau's ppg stayed the same but his FG% went through the roof thanks to playing on the same team with Kobe.

Pau is more skilled but Bosh is so underrated.. his defense in the 2013 Finals alone puts him in the same tier and his individual production on the Raptors was better than Pau's in Memphis