Mike D’Antoni throws his weight behind Pau Gasol – NBA Update
Pau Gasol is perhaps the most scrutinized and unappreciated player in the league.
The seven foot Spaniard is double-double machine and a great asset on the D, but the Lakers organization and its fans always want the man to do more. The attitude has been so indifferent that whenever Gasol fails for a game or
two, he becomes the centre piece of a trade rumours. The Lakers infact attempted to trade the big man last season, but thanks to David Stern, the Chris Paul deal never went through.
That however did not end the speculation surrounding Gasol’s future. The player remained in the trade loop, however when it finally happened, the Lakers threw their other big, Andrew Bynum, into the mix, in what was a four-team
trade.
After the trade, the situation did change a bit for Gasol. The pressure of the trade certainly lessened, but now there were renewed expectations for him to perform. And unfortunately, his performances have not been consistent.
That, given the Lakers’ desire to win the championship this very season, is something which has become an issue. Things came to a head last week, when in a game against the Memphis, new head coach Mike D’Antoni decided to bench
Gasol in the last quarter and later insisted that he did so to win the game.
Pau was perturbed by that and in a statement to the media; he demanded more touches on the ball to be effective. Gasol has certainly put numbers on the board after that though, and in a recent statement, D’Antoni made it clear
that all is well, and that Pau is indispensible to the organization;
"When Dwight goes out, (Gasol is) a great centre," D'Antoni said. "You cannot find a centre for 14 minutes like he can do it. So that is super positive. And with Dwight, he shoots the ball all the way out to the (3-point line).
He's another 7-footer that can guard the rim. He's extremely smart. So there's no reason why he can't fit. ... He's a big part of what we're gonna do.
"I just don't see how a player as smart as he is, as talented as he is, as big as he is, doesn't fit into anybody's scheme. Then I've got to re-examine myself and think, 'I can't play with Pau Gasol?' C'mon. He's won two championships.
I gotta rethink what I'm doing."
These sort of things have been said before, more so by Kobe Bryant than any other, but having his coach’s faith will certainly help Gasol regain the confidence that once made him an All-Star and a crucial cog of a double championship
winning side.
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