#TBT- Pau Gasol, PF-C, Chicago Bulls
@Hoover__26 December 10
This week’s #TBT is the other, older half of the Gasol brothers (check out previous #TBT, Marc Gasol). If you read my piece on Marc, you know that the Gasol brothers play with a style that hearkens back to the likes of Willis Reed, Robert Parish and Bob Petit (among others). Pau, maybe more so than his brother, has an amazing level of skill in the post, as well as a tremendous mid-range jumper.
For a decade and a half, Pau Gasol has shown us that the old ways are alive and well. Whether it was in his early days in Memphis, or his more famous days with the Lakers, or his current team the Bulls, Pau has been able to play the game entirely different than most everyone else (barring maybe Tim Duncan, Zach Randolph and his teammate, Pau’s brother Marc). The ability to turn either way in the post, the court IQ to out-position a would be rebounder, and the skill to routinely hit jump shots all the way out near the three point line are all things that Pau does on a regular basis.
As far as fantasy goes, Pau has been a monster his entire career. However, you could argue that he is having some of his best years in Chicago. He has averaged 17.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game with the Bulls, more points per game than his days in Los Angeles and more rebounds per game than his stints with either the Lakers or the Grizzlies. Currently, Gasol averages 14.8 points, 11 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. The 2.2 blocks per game is the highest in his 15 year career.
Pau Gasol, this week’s #TBT, is one of the very few players remaining from a bygone era. While he might not have played in the days of George Mikan, his game would have certainly fit right in.
For a decade and a half, Pau Gasol has shown us that the old ways are alive and well. Whether it was in his early days in Memphis, or his more famous days with the Lakers, or his current team the Bulls, Pau has been able to play the game entirely different than most everyone else (barring maybe Tim Duncan, Zach Randolph and his teammate, Pau’s brother Marc). The ability to turn either way in the post, the court IQ to out-position a would be rebounder, and the skill to routinely hit jump shots all the way out near the three point line are all things that Pau does on a regular basis.
As far as fantasy goes, Pau has been a monster his entire career. However, you could argue that he is having some of his best years in Chicago. He has averaged 17.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game with the Bulls, more points per game than his days in Los Angeles and more rebounds per game than his stints with either the Lakers or the Grizzlies. Currently, Gasol averages 14.8 points, 11 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. The 2.2 blocks per game is the highest in his 15 year career.
Pau Gasol, this week’s #TBT, is one of the very few players remaining from a bygone era. While he might not have played in the days of George Mikan, his game would have certainly fit right in.