'Pride of Los Angeles' Pau Gasol Key to Lakers' Success

[NJNJ]

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PHOENIX -- For a recent interview, there was a request for the "pride of Spain.'' A Lakers official, though, quickly amended that Pau Gasol also is the "pride of Los Angeles.''

 

Indeed he is.

 

Let Kobe Bryant grab most of the headlines, but if the Lakers didn't have the forward from Barcelona they wouldn't be closing in on a third straight NBA Finals appearance, with the possibility of a second straight title.

 

There was some talk around the middle of this season that Gasol's trade from Memphis on Feb. 1, 2008 wasn't as much of a steal as had been originally believed. Gasol, bothered by hamstring problems, had gotten off to a slow start and the Grizzlies were playing well. Memphis had been helped by acquiring center Marc Gasol in the deal for his brother and by using some of money they cleared to acquire All-Star forward Zach Randolph.

 

Well, the Grizzlies fizzled in the second half after their 25-19 start, finishing 40-42. It's true Marc Gasol missed all of April due to a neck injury, but Randolph slowed down at the end of the season and certainly didn't help his standing when he recently was named in a probable cause affidavit as "a major marijuana supplier in Indianapolis.''

 

So the trade, in which Gasol went to the Lakers with a second-round pick for Marc Gasol, Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and two first-round picks, is back to being a Brink's job.

 

But as far as the Lakers are concerned, what really matters is what has happened to them since the 7-footer showed up. When all is said and done, getting Gasol could go down as the third-most significant trade in Lakers history, following the 1975 acquisition of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the 1996 deal for the draft rights for Bryant.

 

Wait. What about the Lakers getting Wilt Chamberlain in 1968?

 

Well, Chamberlain ended up winning only one title with the Lakers. Gasol, whose Lakers lead Phoenix 3-2 in the Western Conference finals entering Saturday night's Game 6 at US Airways Center, might pass Chamberlain in the next 2 ½ weeks.

 

An argument can be made Gasol this spring has been playing the best ball of his career. With the playoffs being the most important time of the season, Gasol has steadily increased his numbers in his three Lakers postseasons. He's gone from 16.9 points and 9.3 rebounds in 2008 to 18.3 and 10.8 in 2009 to 20.7 and 11.1 so far in 2010.

 

"I feel happy by the way I've played the last couple of months and also throughout the playoffs,'' said Gasol, who averaged 24.2 points and 12.7 rebounds the last 10 games of the regular season to finish the campaign with averages of 18.3 and 11.3. "It's been consistent and productive. So I just want to keep it up.''

 

CONTINUE READING

[Real Deal]

There are about three or four keys on the keyring, and Gasol isn't the one that starts the car. The article was put out before Game 6, I believe, and it failed to mention Gasol's last three against the Suns, and also the one he let Amare drop 40+ in.

[Check my Stats]

Still can't get over the fact they got Pau for a role player.

[Real Deal]

Still can't get over the fact they got Pau for a role player.

Yet you would be excited to trade Chris Bosh to us for Andrew Bynum?

 

This season, Marc Gasol averaged 14.6 PPG on 58% FG, 9.3 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 25 years old.

 

Pau Gasol averaged 18.3 PPG on 54% FG, 11.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 30 years old.

 

Man, that's just a massively ugly trade.