NBA Los Angeles Lakers

Pau Gasol Deserves Hero’s Welcome From Los Angeles Lakers Fans

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By @IanClarkMcEwan

Pau Gasol Resting

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

When one looks at the retired jerseys of the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s easy to get caught up in the franchise cornerstones whose legacies have been immortalized. Magic Johnson, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Shaquille O’Neal were at one point or another in their careers integral to Lakers championships.

Yet there are also a host of legendary sidekicks who the Lakers honor as well. James Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes, Wilt Chamberlain (looked up his stats with the Lakers. The Big Dipper was 32 and past his prime when he came to L.A.) and Gail Goodrich, while never outright leaders of the Laker teams they played on, were irreplaceable in the success their clubs attained during their tenures.

However, the rafters make no distinction between the roles each of these players played on their respective teams. Once you’re graced with the honor of eternal remembrance, how you got there becomes irrelevant.

Pau Gasol is worthy of this honor. Having spent seven and a half years with the Lakers and playing a fundamental role in bringing two championships and three finals appearances to the City of Angels, Gasol deserves to be considered a Laker great for the ages. Despite the fact he will not finish his career with the Lakers, he should not have to wait until his playing days are over to receive the thanks and recognition that was so difficult for him to earn at times during his Laker career.

For example, derisive comments by fans, pundits and even other NBA players (really, Amar’e Stoudimire?) regarding his play being “soft” following a humbling 2008 finals loss at the hands of the Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics were met with a beefed up Gasol outplaying Orlando Magic cornerstone Dwight Howard and Garnett in the next two finals appearances the Lakers made. Gasol was never short on detractors, despite his unique talents and success at both the NBA and international level. He simply let his play do the talking.

While Gasol’s tenure with the Lakers following the 2010 NBA finals was considerably rockier, he handled unwarranted slights with professionalism and grace uncommon in today’s professional athlete. When Andrew Bynum replaced Gasol as the second option in the Laker offense, he quietly manned the high post, setting up Bynum with lob after lob while allowing Bynum ample room to operate in the paint, often one on one.

When Gasol was traded for Chris Paul, only to have the trade vetoed by the NBA, he returned to the team with a focus and dedication that demonstrated his outstanding character despite the awkward nature of the situation. When Howard replaced Bynum via trade, Gasol again made his fellow big man better by playing a role his teammate could not, the high post.

When Mike D’Antoni, a coach of the mindset that the post up is the most inefficient play in basketball, was hired following the dismissal of Mike Brown to accommodate aging point guard Steve Nash, Gasol again said very little regarding the role he was being asked to play despite the fact he was being asked to expand his game to become a stretch four — a task that was far from his comfort zone. When Howard left L.A., allowing Gasol to return to his natural position on the low block, he fell only 0.3 rebounds a game short of averaging a double-double.

Now with the Chicago Bulls after turning down a contract from the Lakers, Gasol’s resurgence is complete. He is averaging 18.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. His 22.28 PER is 18th in the NBA. Not bad for a 34-year-old. His PER this season is higher than greats like Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Bosh and the aforementioned Howard. Bynum is currently out of the NBA. Gasol’s tremendous play has earned him the honor of starting the All-Star game this year, and in a strange coincidence, he will jump against younger brother Marc Gasol to begin the contest

When the Bulls and Lakers face off this evening, Gasol will not see many familiar faces in purple and gold. Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Bynum, Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson have all since left the Lakers or, in Bryant’s case, will be sidelined with injury. The aura of the Lakers’ back-to-back championships has vanished in both personnel and mystique. It would behoove Lakers fans to properly thank the man whose efforts made such success possible.

Ian McEwan is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @IanClarkMcEwan,“Like”him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. He is not the British author.

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