Yeah because Pau sucked his whole career before joining Kobe. And no I would not trade Yao for Gasol.
Gasol is quicker and has more handles, but he is never go to be dominant like Yao was in the first game of both of these series. Now if we could only figure out a play to get rid of the fronting. . .
Do you really want this to happen to Yao? I can imagine him doing it to Yao when he gets frustrated with his turnovers or his inability to do anything when he's fronted.
if pau was "tougher," hell yes i would. he fits adelman system much more. therefore, it allows adelman to operate his offensive system full time. but b/c he's even softer than yao and can be taken out of games with pure physicality, then hell no.
I agree Gasol is a more versatile player, that why he can front Yao, take Yao out of his rythm, but think this way --Switch them, put Yao in Laker, Gasol in Houston, you would see the difference; Yao need ball in his hand, T.O or not, he needs the ball, but Gasol is not. Even Gasol is a Big threat for scoring, but he does not draw D.T and he does not open space for other players. But speak of skill, Yao for sure would eat Gasol alive one on one, Gasol would need the help defense to control Yao with fronting, and Yao is still in his prime, trade Yao now is a obvious mistake
The bolded part is far from true. But your problem is not unique, it's pretty prevalent among fans who write stuff based on perceptions, rather than stats. I crunched some numbers from the 2008-09 regular season game logs of both Gasol and Yao. Here is the summary on points and rebounds per game for both players: Code: ----PPG---- ----RPG---- Gasol Yao Gasol Yao Mean 18.86 19.66 9.63 9.88 S.E. 0.70 0.67 0.39 0.42 Range 32 26 16 18 Minimum 4 7 3 1 Maximum 36 33 19 19 Consistency is measured in the form of standard error (S.E.) of mean. Gasol's scoring has both a wider range and larger deviation from the mean than those of Yao. In the rebounding department, Gasol appeared to be more consistent, but I think you probably weigh scoring "consistency" a bit more over rebounding "consistency."
it's not about skill. it's about fit. yao is a better individual player, but gasol would fit this team perfectly if he was tougher. it's like stephon marbury is a much better player than duhon, but ....
First of all Kobe would be licking his chops if they fronted Yao. He would do what our perimeter players could not this year after McGrady and Alston were gone. Secondly, I truly doubt he would publicly do what he did to Gasol to Yao. If he did that, his popularity in China would take a hit. I think he would find other means to motivate. Of course the latter is just a guess.
No, hell no. I'm sure the Lakers wouldn't mind trading Gasol for Yao though, but the Rockets WOULD mind trading Yao for Gasol. Gasol is perfect as a Laker and he ain't going no where. He fits perfect with the triangle. Yao might too, but Gasol fits in perfectly with the Lakers. So No.
PERs and Roland ratings indicate otherwise, do they have too much defensive flavors in them? The way Yao has played thus far probably supports your argument Gasol is a better fit in Adelman's system, but I believe Yao's game can still evolve. I also think Adelman didn't de-Gundfication Yao enough. I for one don't mind Yao being a more potent Brad Miller in motion offense.
First of all, this just shows how much of a punk Kobe is to do that to a grown man. Second, we already know from when Pau was at the Grizzlies that he can't carry a team. He's a good 2nd option. Yao is a great first option (at least when he's healthy).
Gasol would be a better fit in RA's system. He runs the floor better and can respond to developing plays quicker. OTOH, Yao teaming up with Kobe would be Sterns' wet dream. No, I would not do any trade that's goign to make David Sterns happy.
he tried that for 2 months at the beginning of last year when he got the coaching job. yao complained and thus went back to the post primarily.
GREAT POST! That's why I love clutchfans and its diehard fans. As for the Yao for Pau debate, Yao is the better player, but Pau might be better for Adelman's offense. However, why fix something that's not broken? I highly doubt Pau would have gotten us to the 2nd round in the playoffs or be the difference maker against the lakers.
