Gasol reached the apex of his career in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals where he was the best player on both ends of the floor among a distinguished group of players as he led the Lakers to their 2nd consecutive championship. That night in Los Angeles, Gasol was the shining star among Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Kobe Bryant. However, since that night, it’s been nothing but downhill for Gasol.
After having a very good regular season in 2010-11, Pau played the playoffs with the body language of a death row inmate. There were rumors of personal issues and sordid tales told out of school about teammates spending time with his girlfriend behind his back. The enduring image of the Lakers being swept in the playoffs was Laker head coach Phil Jackson poking Gasol in the chest during a timeout to try and snap him out of his mental and emotional funk. Because of this, Pau was the poster child of the Lakers 2010-11 playoff flameout.
When Pau was traded to the Houston Rockets, it wasn’t his happiest day.
So when he was sent back to the Lakers, he was able to put his hurt feelings aside and go back to the Lakers with pride, dignity, and professionalism.
There was a new coach there and Pau appeared to have an open mind, but an ongoing theme started to set in as Pau embarked on his first season playing for Mike Brown. Pau would never be the same player in his head, heart or body that he was when he played for Phil Jackson. He didn’t have a bad year in 2011-12 for the Lakers, but it wasn’t at the level that Laker fans and management had grown accustomed to.
Furthermore, Pau’s defense was not up to the same standard as it was when he played for Jackson, which was definitely an issue for Brown. However, after the London Olympics this past summer, some hope was restored.
Since the vetoed trade, Pau has had to live through his name being constantly thrown into trade rumors. When the Lakers completed their roster renovation this past summer, Pau emerged as a survivor and the fire appeared to return to his game during the Olympics. He played a big role in pushing the U.S team to the brink in the Gold medal game and one of the enduring images of that game was the extended embrace between Pau and Kobe Bryant that oozed respect, admiration, and love.
That day in London appeared to be the culmination of the end of the era of underappreciating Pau Gasol in Laker land.
However, training camp started this past year, and Pau looked more like the guy that Phil Jackson had to poke in the chest than the guy who led Spain in pushing the U.S. to the brink in the Olympics.
Brown wrote it off to fatigue, which was a logical explanation considering that Pau gave everything he had in the Olympics. Then, the Lakers started the season 1-4 and they fired Brown. The subsequent events ended up being a cruel twist for Pau and what his Laker career would mean going forward.
Pau, like many of us, was under the belief that Jackson was going to return as Laker coach. This was the best case scenario for Gasol. Phil has always been fiercely loyal to his guys and Pau was one of Phil’s guys. So, when word came down that the Lakers were not hiring Jackson despite his desire for the job and they were hiring Mike D’Antoni, Pau’s status on the Lakers was about to permanently change.
D’Antoni is a coach who preaches a particular style of offense. He values the three-point shot and a fast tempo above all.
Playing fast and shooting threes are not the strengths of Pau’s game. D’Antoni’s style generally only leaves room for one big man to be featured and the Lakers have a lot riding on Dwight Howard being their future.
Furthermore, the Lakers brought in Antawn Jamison in the offseason as a reserve forward and Jamison is exactly the kind of stretch “4” that D’Antoni likes to play. Gasol was getting benched regularly in fourth quarters, and now he is on the shelf.
Pretty much the entire world expects another Gasol trade — the latest piece of fallout from the vetoed CP3 deal.
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