Let me preface this by saying I hate that he is making 18 million dollars next year. However considering we will probably not sign a max player this off season, and we are in such dire need of a PF, I think Gasol would be a solid fit. Is Pau Gasol still in his prime? Absolutely not.....in fact his numbers have declined each of the past few seasons. We can attribute this decline to many factors besides just his age. He is obviously being misused in laker land and with Bryant shooting 25 shots per game it is no wonder players like Gasol and Howard are frustrated. As far as the Rockets go, he would immediately be our go to player in the low post. He is still a very skilled big man, and skilled big men in the NBA are very hard to come by. It is a dieing breed out here and in my opinion if the Rockets want to take it to the next level they either need an athletic PF that can destroy opponents with Harden via pick and roll OR become that low post presence that is sorely missing. If you give Gasol the opportunity to be the man inside I don't see how he won't produce at a high level. It isn't as if he has lost his athleticism or had a major injury. Morey was extremely high on him just 13 months ago that he was willing to give up a boat load of players and draft picks as well as happily pay the rest of his contract It isn't Rocket science folks. We are lacking a PF, and Gasol is still a top 5 PF in the NBA if his mind is right and he is involved. People are so quick to give Millsap 12-14 million per year for the next 5 years yet not willing to take the gamble on Gasol for a year and a half? I know we have been down this road and nobody wants to hear the name PAU GASOL, but in the end it just might make sense. If you are one of those that are against this because he will not make you a championship contender I get that, but plz do not yap about how Millsap should be our target this off season because he certainly will not make us a championship contender either. Well there you have it.
I would love Pau Gasol on this team, even with his softness or whatever baggage he has. He's still so skilled that he would give this team at least 10 more wins.
I'm all for Josh Smith, I just don't know about locking him up long term. The thing i like about Gasol is his contract expires after next season.
Asik's man will instantly double Gasol, and leave him to shoot the bricks, or fumble the ball all game long.
In no way will Morey ever trade for Gasol if there is even a microscopic chance to land Dwight this offseason. And to anyone saying Dwight doesn't want Houston, it's a different situation now. He actually has a young superstar to play with
I'd like him for us as well. For the right price Delfino, Douglas, Patterson, Morris, Aldrich and cutting Anderson for Gasol and Jamison would work. I don't see how any rocket fan could be upset with that, and i don't see why the lakers wouldn't take that as well, its 3 expiring's 2 young decent players on rookie contracts + all the immediate cap relief. Lin-Beverley Harden-Lin Parsons-Jamison Gasol-Jamison Asik-Smith Will raise a brow or 2 for the playoffs
He's a very old 32. He's been playing pro ball for about 15 years and is not getting younger or healthier.
I like Gasol, and he's still a capable player (misused in LA), but the problem is, he won't play well next to Asik for a similar reason to why he doesn't play well next to Dwight. Both Asik and Dwight are low post players, except Asik doesn't have low post game or athleticism. Spacing would be even worse than Lakers. Plus Kobe/Nash take a lot more mid-range shots than Harden/Lin. Gasol is a capable high post passer, but not scorer. You put Gasol in a position to succeed by trading Asik to LA or another team via a 3-team trade. But would you trade your only defensive presence and a center that can improve over time for a 1.5yr ageing rental? Gasol's a center, not a PF. Once you get Gasol, you'll still have to worry about defense and filling the PF spot, but without the cap space. That's why a Gasol/Nene pairing would've been quite good. Both aren't amazing defenders, or rebounders, but both are pretty decent. Both shoot a high % FG wise, and pretty decent for big man at the FT line. And Nene can hit 15ft jump shots and bank shots from the weak side, while Gasol can operate the low post. It was one of those pairings that could've created synergy. Gasol/Asik has no synergy in it. The reason Asik is sitting for a lot of the 4th quarter isn't because the Rockets doesn't need his rebounding or defense, it is to give Harden room to draw foul or finish at the rim. That's why the Rockets play small ball. I don't agree with it, but that's what McHale obviously thinks. It's the same reason why Lin has been benched a few times in the 4Q ... it is to have a 3pt shooter on the floor at the PG spot so it is harder to collapse on Harden. Again, I don't agree with it, but that's what McHale obviously thinks. Gasol + Asik (+Lin) ... you may need to sit $26M or $34M of contracts at the same time in the 4Q just to let Harden iso his way to the rim. Bad fit.
Pau would be a nice fit for this team in fact its what this team needs but I just think hes gonna be a Lamar Odom Jr and suck if he comes here
It's a crapshoot. I can see him working out very well with his team, and then I can see him being a waste of money. Think of how good the Lakers looked at the start of the season. You never know. 19mil is a negative, but only 2 years is a positive. The seasons halfway through, so it's 27 mil for 1.5 seasons. The problem with trying out Gasol, is it pretty much locks us out of the running for any max or near max player until 2014. So CP3, Howard, Bynum, J Smith, etc. are people we have to give up on now for Gasol to happen. I'm not sure if Morey is ready to do that.
He can stretch the floor very well. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-GEbgtvOfr8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Great post. Basically if we want a low-post scorer we will have to get rid of Asik, or limit him to 20 minutes of burn per game. And Lin will have to be a sixth man player unless he can shoot 3s at a respectable rate.
