Do You Miss Pau Gasol?

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost seven years since the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol.  He is undoubtedly a Hall-of-Fame player, not only for being a key player in two championships with the Lakers, but his level of international play as well.

We have focused on Kobe Bryant a lot the past week.  We’re curious about how he is recovering after injury.  We want to see glimpses of his former glory.

We’ve seen it.

With Pau Gasol, it’s different.  It’s tough to remember his breakout games in the playoffs for the Lakers.  This highlight video is what we should remember of Pau Gasol.

[via dorell15, YouTube]

He was killing it on the offensive glass.  He occasionally got deep post position and got easy baskets.  He made shots easier for his teammates.  He hit shots from mid-range.  That game was huge for the Lakers, and allowed them to advance past the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs.

As the years past, defenders have gotten away with pushing him.  First it was Kevin Garnett.  Then it was Kendrick Perkins.  The rest of the league noticed, and continued the trend.

Injuries haven’t been kind to Pau Gasol.  During his last few seasons as a Laker, he was bothered by a concussion, plantar faciatis, tendonitis, and other nagging injuries that allowed him to miss multiple games.  His body was breaking down. His game couldn’t evolve around it.

He lost foot speed.  He lost lift.  He lost the motor that allowed him to get by bigger defenders in the post.  He wasn’t the same.

He also lost his best teammates.  He worked most effectively with Lamar Odom, a player that could cut off-the-ball and push the basketball in transition.  He was an ideal complementary player.  Andrew Bynum took care of the physical work in the paint.  He could pound guys in the post and root out defenders for rebounds.  He was another complementary player for Gasol.

Once both were gone, it was all on him.  Gasol lost his front court around him and wasn’t the same.  Now, he was the one being pushed.

This past summer, Pau Gasol accepted less money to be a Chicago Bull.  It was a good decision on his part.  This time, he has Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson at his size.  Both players can help maximize his talents by being physical in the paint and playing strong defense.  In turn, Gasol will get them space and easy baskets.

Pau had a solid second game as a Chicago Bull.  He played 27 minutes, scored 5 points, dished 5 assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds.

This was his highlight scoring play.

[via Basketball Orbit, YouTube]

There he is again, getting pushed off the block.  We’ve seen this play a thousand times.  At least this time, he actually got a foul call.

Pau Gasol has a way of facilitating to the team. He is also one of Kobe Bryant’s closest friends, a brother.  While I don’t miss him getting pushed around in the paint and missing games due to injury, I do miss how simple he made the game. Spain’s offense has run through Pau for nearly a decade. That unit is always competitive against Team USA, despite losing out on talent at every position.  That is a testament to his hoop IQ and playmaking abilities.

Kobe Bryant gets a chance to ride the sunset during his last few years as a Laker.  It doesn’t seem right for him to ride solo.  Pau Gasol had been his best partner all along.

What do you think?  Was it best for the Lakers to move on?  Was it best for Pau Gasol to move on?  Or should Kobe and Pau ended their careers on the same page?

Please leave comments below.