Marc and Pau Gasol: Two brothers on opposite sides of the Hill – NBA Feature (Part - 1)
Marc Gasol, the Memphis Grizzlies centre, and Pau Gasol, the All-Star power forward at the Los Angeles Lakers, are two of the most high profile players in basketball at the moment.
Fresh from winning the EuroBasket tournament for Spain together, the two brothers will head back to NBA next season ready to take on very different roles on their teams. While both are now established All-Star level performers,
especially after Marc’s barnstorming run in last season’s playoffs, one can’t help but fear that they are destined not to share that distinction for too long.
Marc is still young, learning the game and is now recognized as one of the better centres around. Pau on the other hand, is an accomplished star, a two time NBA World Champion and a cultured power forward superior to most in the
league.
Yet when one thinks about the peak of their powers, it is clear that one is on the way up, while the other can only go downhill.
That difference in trajectories is reflected in the teams, the brothers represent.
Marc Gasol is with the Memphis Grizzlies; a hard working side who had a major breakthrough last season going past the first round of the NBA playoffs for only the first time in their history. They have all to look forward at. Grizzlies
are a young team maturing into a solid unit, with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph developing into one of the most feared frontcourt partnerships. Also, with players like Rudy g*y destined to come back and O.J. Mayo bound to deliver, the road for the Grizzlies
only looks upstream.
The Grizzlies, like their burly centre, are set for an ascent in status. Soon, they will be a major force in the NBA - especially in the western conference - for some time to come and so will Marc Gasol.
He has the size, the strength and now he has the nous to be a first class centre in the league. The younger Gasol also has the age on his side and after breathing under the shadow of his elder brother for years, Marc Gasol is all
set to break through.
The same cannot be said for Pau Gasol and the Los Angeles Lakers. As a basketball unit, the Lakers are about to undergo a major upheaval. The old master, Phil Jackson, is gone and a new man is in to take charge of affairs.
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