Tweet of the Day goes to Pau Gasol, who expressed his appreciation of Kobe Bryant’s support. Asked by a Spanish reporter about Gasol’s status with the Lakers, Bryant replied, “As long as I’m there, he’s going to be there.”
That is a very strong statement by Bryant, given the fact that Gasol was actually traded to the Houston Rockets before the start of last season, until commissioner David Stern nixed the three-team trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers.
Gasol averaged 12.5 points on 43.4 percent shooting, 9.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 blocks during last season’s playoffs. Those are solid statistics for most players, but was widely considered underwhelming for his standards. With Andrew Bynum taking over the block as the second main option to Bryant, Gasol seemed to struggle as he often settled for jump shots.
He continued to be involved in trade rumors in the offseason, as the Lakers explored a possible deal to bring in the younger Josh Smith from the Atlanta Hawks, but no deals materialized. With the acquisition of Steve Nash, the Lakers may no longer have a reason to actively seek a change in their lineup, unless that reason rhymes with bright coward.