Pau Gasol Unhappy With Kobe’s Shooting Spree

[The Regime]

While the rest of the world was busy feting Kobe Bryant for surpassing the great Jerry West on the all-time scoring list last night in Memphis, his teammate Pau Gasol stewed over the lack of touches he received in the loss (only ten shot attempts compared to KB’s 28), indicating a growing frustration with his role within the Laker offense.

 

So, is this Kobe vs. Shaq, the remix? Probably not — Gasol isn’t nearly as combative or willing to fight Bryant for top dog status as O’Neal was — but it’s certainly something worth keeping an eye on.

 

The OC Register tried to capture Pau’s sullen mood last night:

 

Gasol has on several occasions offered passive-aggressive comments about not getting the ball enough after Lakers losses in the past. This time, the comments leaned a little harder toward aggressive, particularly when it came to Bryant.

 

Gasol was asked about Bryant’s new record and offered politically correct – and believably authentic – commentary (“I’m proud of him; I congratulate him”) before adding the kicker: “Now we can focus on winning games again.” Bryant and Gasol have a good relationship, no doubt. There is a fundamental mutual respect, a shared obsession with the intricacies of the game and a necessary understanding that Bryant is the alpha male and Gasol is not.

 

Bear in mind that Phil Jackson was a little miffed at Bryant on his historic night, too. Jackson told the team at halftime, when Bryant had 23 of the Lakers’ 50 points, that Bryant was “forcing the action.” Jackson also said in the halftime locker room, alluding to the 29 points Bryant needed in the game to pass Jerry West: “Let’s get him over the hump, so we can play team ball again.”

 

Bryant, unlike of late, actually shot spectacularly well last night (57% from the field); it’s just that he took way too many shots. To date, Kobe is averaging more shot attempts than anyone else in the NBA.

 

SLAM ONLINE

[Zolor23]

Yes, Gasol, ruin the chemistry right now. Go ahead!

[magicbalala245]

I think it's getting to a point were Gasol might be that type of player where he wants to get touches and I say give him those touches early & let Kobe close the game at the end if it is necessary

[La Bomba]

Gasol was getting his [expletive] handed to him by the Grizzlies' physical big men. Maybe he should stop complaining and start playing with some heart.

[Warren2ThaG]

Pau needs to get a slap on the wrist by Sasha....

[kingfish]

Im really gettin tired of this soft POS.

[Poe]

Im really gettin tired of this soft POS.

I'll give you JO for him!

[Lemon]

Im pretty sure this feeling was accumulated from the other games where he shot 25+ fg in a loss. He's taking close to 2 more shots than he was taking last season, and he shouldn't be.

 

But truth of this game was Kobe was far from the reason of the loss. No one else showed up. Gasol was being banged up, 3 lakers had 5 fouls(!), Artest had 5 turnovers, and Kobe made half the team's total field goals. Gasol shouldn't be talking though. He's kinda been in a slump since he came back. Offensively, Bynum has been better. Maybe he thinks that he needs more touches to get out of his slump.

[Kobe24]

Yeah i dont think this game is what frustrates Gasol.. its the last couple where kobe's % has been down. I think we'll be okay though. No biggie!

[Real Deal]

Kobe made it clear he wanted to set the record at home. He wouldn't score 40+ just to set the record in Memphis, away from STAPLES.

 

So, in the end, Phil's comment was idiotic, and Gasol is stupid for thinking the same thing, especially when he's been Gasoft the entire season.

[Poe]

I know Kobe is so perfect and all, but I'll take Phil Jackson's judgment over his any day.

 

Kobe isn't playing with Smush and Kwame anymore. He's got options now. He shouldn't have to take more shots than his 4 other starters combined, especially when he has two 20 ppg caliber scorers in the paint taking 10 shots combined and making half.

[Real Deal]

I know Kobe is so perfect and all, but I'll take Phil Jackson's judgment over his any day.

 

Kobe isn't playing with Smush and Kwame anymore. He's got options now. He shouldn't have to take more shots than his 4 other starters combined, especially when he has two 20 ppg caliber scorers in the paint taking 10 shots combined and making half.

You obviously haven't seen us play.

 

Since you would rather take Jackson's word for it, listen to him when he says he's not satisfied with Bynum's play this season. Also, listen to all Lakers fans when they say that Gasol has been extra soft. And listen in when Bynum himself says he's more focused with Gasol out of the lineup, and he recognizes (and states) that he needs to be more aggressive on the offensive end when both bigs are in the game.

 

Then check out the fact that Gasol missed 17 games.

 

You can go look at our offensive rating, which IIRC is around 10th-11th in the NBA, unexpected from a team that has two capable 20 PPG scorers to add to the 30 PPG guard, and another two 15+ PPG scorers as well.

 

Anyone questioning Bryant's shot attempts can look up all the times he shot 30+ shots this year. I believe all but one of those games didn't contain Gasol, or Bynum was out...or they both were shooting under 45% from the floor (one of the three).

 

Kobe has hit five game-winners this year, against the Bucks, Heat, Kings, Celtics and Mavericks. If you remember right, Kobe had 25 shot attempts that game (vs Heat)...but Bynum had 14 in 32 minutes, while Gasol had 16 (which is over his average FGA per game for every single season he's ever played in the NBA), and Ron Artest had a ridiculous 17 attempts, yet it STILL came down to a game-winner. Against Dallas, when Kobe hit the shot that put the Lakers up and essentially ended the game, he had only shot the ball 11 times, while Odom had 20 attempts, Bynum with 11. Still came down to a game-winner.

 

Against Boston, Gasol's lack of aggression sent him to the bench in the fourth quarter, to where Bynum was actually playing most of the second half of that fourth, up until the end of the game.

 

On offense, the Lakers are a mess. Bynum is inconsistent through four quarters, Gasol passes out of the post with seconds left on the clock, and Kobe ends up having to bail the Lakers out in the fourth. It's been the story of the season, yet, funny enough, we are still the best team in the Western Conference.

 

As Adrian said, our bigs were getting punked. Kobe was aggressive against Memphis because he had to be. Our production came from Bryant and Artest, and it's Ron who usually shoots poorly for us, or doesn't take as many shots as the others. Marc and Zach were pushing our bigs out of the paint, and they were intimidating them. Since it's been a recurring theme all season long, Bryant takes the shots and, almost always, he's the one that wins the games because of it.

[Poe]

I was just talking about this game in particular, Real. The Lakers as a team need to figure out how to distribute the shots evenly where the right players are getting the right amount of touches, while playing at the right amount of aggression at both ends.

[Sky]

Gasol is correct but he picked a bad night to complain as he and Bynum weren't working for the ball, their legs were dead in a b2b in the getaway game of an 8-game road trip. Kobe has to share the ball more, there are games when he shoots well like last night, games where he can't hit the water from a rowboat, it still applies as a general principle - he must take fewer shots and keep moving the ball. You have a roster built on a 3-man power rotation and that has to be fed. On a team with no point guard it defaults to Kobe and he has to make the effort to get everyone involved.

 

There are legit excuses for Bryant, but the principle remains. He can say they aren't working for the ball, that he was hitting, that it falls to him to take late in the 24 shots and create something out of thin air when the triangle fails. All true. However, the team needs the ball too. You can't expect bigs to establish a rhythm without the ball, and if you keep jacking up shots you're going to alienate players into no longer working for a ball they don't expect to see. Chicken and egg. Bryant goes vortex, bigs no longer work for the ball and it feeds on itself. I don't care if the excuses are legit or not. Kobe must share the ball more.

 

One of the billion reasons why they need a new point guard asap is that Kobe defaults to the 1 role but doesn't think like a 1. A point would know instinctively he has to get the bigs involved, Kobe doesn't think that way and they pay a price for not having the 1 mindset on the floor.

 

Alas if Boston deals Allen for Hinrich and whatever, there goes LA's best and maybe only chance at getting the two-way point they need desperately. If no point is added to this team I don't have much faith they repeat.

Edited February 3, 2010 by Sky

[Real Deal]

I was just talking about this game in particular, Real. The Lakers as a team need to figure out how to distribute the shots evenly where the right players are getting the right amount of touches, while playing at the right amount of aggression at both ends.

If you were talking about this game in particular, you're way off then. You're just looking at the box score. Gasol played 30 minutes and was in foul trouble most of the game, and his brother was working him all game long, as the better defender he's always been. Consequently, Bynum didn't do a damn thing with the ball when Gasol was on him as well, and he didn't even log 30 minutes because he was also playing with 3-5 fouls most of the time.

 

Here's another statement from Phil, via @LakersReporter:

 

Phil Jackson said that Kobe Bryant is by nature going to look to score, but thinks that he has figured when to pass.

 

And Fisher, who has been there for all four of our championships, unlike Gasoft and Drew:

 

Fisher also points to teammates: "Regardless of what he's doing, we still have responsibilities and accountabilities as players."

 

More Fisher: "There's so many factors in helping your team win a game. Myself included....

 

Fisher (continued): "There's really no excuses in winning or losing games based on how many shots people got."

 

Fisher's assessment on teammates willing to stand up to Kobe: "I think it's up and down."

 

Fisher sums up the Kobe situation pretty well: "Had we won the game last night, all these questions would be different." That's pretty true

 

@latmedina

 

It's not difficult to figure out. Pau Gasol is getting 12 shots per game, compared to 12.9 last season (during our championship run). With Bynum taking 11 shots per game, and Ron taking 10 a game...where does he think he needs to be? Where do you think he needs to be?

 

Explain this: Bryant took 22.2 shots per game in the 2000-01 season. Was that too many, with Shaq and good role players on his team? Because he's taking 22.6 right now, 20 in that third championship season, almost 24 in 2002-03 (with Shaq).

 

Kobe isn't taking too many shots, against Memphis or overall this season. Gasol, Bynum, Odom, Artest...they should realize that there are five 15-20 PPG capable scorers on this team who all want at least 10 shots per game. That's 40 shots for them, at the very least...bump it up to 50 if you want their averages. Kobe takes his 20-23 a game. No bench production? How does Fisher factor into all of this?

 

Gasol just needs to shut his mouth, stop being abused in the post (offensively and defensively) and play basketball.

[Big Penny]

you guys are taking this waaay to seriously

 

and lol at the gasoft comments. if it weren't for that 'soft POS' , there's no garuntee Kobe would still be on this team now. the Lakers almost definately would still have 14 titles.

Edited February 3, 2010 by Lakerzboy

[Check my Stats]

I agree with him, Kobe shot 50% only 3 times last month in 17 total games, and like 41% for the month. I don't know about Gasol's comment;'now we can focus on winning games again' since they are 4-1 in their last 5. I think Gasol is right though, he should be a focal point offensively right now, at least until Kobe gets out of this shooting slump or his hand starts to feel better, whatever it is.

 

And you guys call him soft, well maybe he wouldn't play so soft if he wasn't so frustrated. It is a lot easier to get your big men to play defense and work hard down low when they are getting the touches they want, keep your big man happy and he will probably keep you happy.

 

Admittedly I do not watch the Lakers, but his rebounding is up pretty considerably so far this year and his shot blocking is up 50% as well, I know stats are not the end all be all of a player performance obviously, but is he really playing softer than he was during your championship run?

 

EDIT: Overall I think this has to do more with Kobe just launching shots right now and shooting at a pretty low % compared to usual. If Kobe was shooting his usual 47-50 percent a game I highly doubt Gasol would be saying [expletive].

Edited February 3, 2010 by travesy3

[Real Deal]

The Lakers almost lost to a Bobcats team that is 6-19 on the road, not to mention they were without Gerald Wallace tonight.

 

That's with Bynum and Gasol each shooting more shots than Bryant, and seven players on the Lakers scoring more points than Kobe.

 

And, oh yeah, Nazr Mohammed had 23 points and 17 rebounds tonight, on 9-15 shooting, dominating both Gasol and Bynum with nine of those boards being offensive rebounds.

 

Gasol shot the ball 13 times tonight...just one shot above his season average. Good way to be aggressive?

 

Lakers at home, Cats on the road without their sole all-star...and if it wasn't for Jordan Farmar's steal to end the game, we would've probably went into overtime on a game-tying three.

 

How about we just stick with what has gotten us the best record in the West?

[Real Deal]

and lol at the gasoft comments. if it weren't for that 'soft POS' , there's no garuntee Kobe would still be on this team now. the Lakers almost definately would still have 14 titles.

Who said he was soft last season? Gasol was a much more physical player last year, which is a big reason why we won the championship.

 

How did he play in 2008? Soft.

 

How is he playing now? Soft.

 

He took 13 shots tonight, despite Bryant taking 12 and having to go back to the locker room, and deferring to everyone the rest of the game.

 

Without Scottie Pippen, there's no guarantee that Michael Jordan has six rings, multiple MVP's, leading the greatest team of all-time, and is the greatest player of all-time, right? If we think that way, sure...but, Pippen wasn't soft.

[Sky]

The team is still better served running an inside-out offense with Kobe sharing the ball more. You run Kobecentric do what he wants vortex and the team just watches him, the ball movement dies, the off ball movement dies, the opposition runs the Boston zone at him and the triangle dies.

 

Kobe has to lead, that means more looks for his teammates early to get them motivated and in rhythm, Bryant gets aggressive in the final 6-8 minutes of the second quarter. They open the third again committed to a team flow, Kobe looks for his in the 3rd after that, then he closes in the final five of the game. What is the harm of that blueprint?

 

You have to trust more than just Kobe or they will lose. Gasol is also the second best passer on the team after Bryant. It's not just about what Pau does for himself but the looks he can generate for others, he's the only other playmaker they have in the starting five. Fisher can't create for anyone and never could. Artest is still lost in the offense, Bynum is a black hole. Inside-out isn't just bigs shoot, it's Pau establishes the scoring threat low block and then passes out of it to make the triangle work on a high-low axis to open the floor. I only trust Kobe, see Kobe shoot, is begging to be zoned. It won't work. Kobe has to modify his game. Doesn't mean he changes it, means he tweaks it. They have no point guard, that makes Kobe the point and he has to think like one at times to lead the team. Have to grease the wheels to keep the execution flowing, particularly in an offense like the triangle and especially if you have no point guard. The Lakers haven't had a point guard since Cancun. The team pays a heavy price for that, and so must Kobe. Balance wins championships.

[Real Deal]

Well, I'm not looking for the 2006 Kobe. I think that's what you're getting from my posts.

 

I would love to get everyone involved, but the consistency has to be there, and Pau Gasol has to stop whining if he's not going to step up and take the shots he's wanting. He took 13 last night, with Bryant deferring...and that's just one over his season average. He hasn't jumped past 14-15 in his career (average FGA per), even when he was in Memphis. That's my problem with Gasol's comment towards the primary scorer and facilitator of this offense.

 

As far as Bynum goes, I don't know if he'll play 30 minutes or 15, so I can't really speak for him. A few games ago, he came out and dropped 14-15 points in the first half, then scored six in the second (and it was Gasol who did the same exact thing, scoring 16 in the first half, six in the second...same game). Hearing about it and not watching it, people will say it's because Bryant was more aggressive in the second half, and he was...but Gasol and Bynum both passed up on many shots they should've taken, and I found myself screaming at the TV for it.

 

You know how frustrated I've been with Bynum this season. Gasol's lack of physicality is hurting us on both ends of the court, and I just don't see where he has the room to start taking shots at anyone on the team, especially when he's asking for more shots in the process.

 

People that have been supporting Gasol all year long would say that he needs more touches, and that will encourage better defense and more physical play. Phil Jackson would chuckle. Less playing time would encourage it, and it almost seemed like Phil tried to send that message to him when he sat Gasol on the bench most of the fourth against the Celtics.

[Sky]

Consider the benefits of Gasol established as a low block scoring threat and then passing out of it vs. Kobe Kobe Kobe. Floor opens up for the entire team, passing lanes, cutting lanes, more room for Bryant elbow, no zones.

 

Consistency? The bigs need to consistently see the ball. They don't. When the Laker bigs have first half success the opponent fronts them second half and the Lakers' glaring lack of post entry passing skills is exposed. So Kobe shoots, the bigs get frustrated and pout, LA loses defense, inside scoring and rebounding and Kobe gets impressive ppg numbers as they go 5-3.

 

Kobe fans want zero limitations on him to do his thing and zero criticism from teammates with significant flaws. Gasol's comments were unforgivably timed but still correct. Look at the road trip. 5-3. Kobe can still pick his spots in late 1st, mid 2nd, early 3rd and close while keeping the triangle oil flowing. He can walk and chew gum at the same time. As the default point he has to.

 

I know Gasol has not played as aggressively as he did last year and Bynum is maddeningly immature, but that doesn't mean they aren't right. LA needs to play inside-out to open the floor if the triangle is to work. They need to share the ball so a defense can't just converge on Kobe to bottle up the offense. Part of the answer is get a point who can make a post entry pass and beat the fronting tactic. Part of it is Bryant has to adopt a 1 mindset far more often to keep his teammates in rhythm. Those two happen then the bigs are oiled, the team execution improves on both ends, they are winning as a team instead of Kobe taking on too much and then dragging the team across the finish line. Win collectively. Easier on the health of Bryant and the ego of the team.

[Real Deal]

Eh, Kobe deserves criticism, in my opinion. I criticized him the other night. I'm just a big believer in finding ways to win the game, no matter what. I understand it's a bit depressing if you aren't getting the ball in the post, but look at Dwight Howard. He has had games where he takes 5-6 shots per game, but he's still doing his thing defensively.

 

I'll refrain from talking Bynum, because you're right, he's still immature and seems to want to be the primary scorer on the team...but when Gasol doesn't get his touches, he not only doesn't play good defense, he just doesn't even try, and that's a problem for me.

 

But I don't think anyone can ignore Pau's lack of aggression with the ball in his hands, which leads to less shots, which I believe leads to less touches in crunch time. Gasol even admitted himself that he has to be more demanding of the ball. Whether or not that means he wants to score or pass out of the post...that remains to be seen.

 

Simply put, if Gasol had taken advantage of Bryant's injury against the Bobcats, and his considerable amount of facilitating over primary scoring, I think I'd see where Gasol is coming from a little more...but it's hard to swallow a pill that gives me 13 shot attempts by a player begging for more, not to mention pretty bad defense when he was on Nazr.

[Real Deal]

By the way, Tom...I know you're headed in the direction of a huge slap in the face to Fisher, so you might as well let it out now. I still can't stand his game.

[Sky]

lol, only one answer to Fisher. Get Hinrich.

 

Agreed Gasol does need to be more aggressive, and he'll need to be consistently rewarded with the ball when he does that. Goes beyond just one game. Problem is LA can't consistently get Pau or Bynum the ball second half cause they can't throw post entry against fronting. A lot of Gasol's whining would go away if they actually had a point guard who has - and I know this sounds crazy Phil - the skills of a point guard! Perish the thought!! No point for over a freaking decade on the franchise of Magic and Logo. Sad. I'm amazed I still have hair left after 14 years of Fisher.