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Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 8:40 am
by moonpie
While the Lakers were understandably disappointed when Dwight Howard called to tell them he was leaving to sign with the Houston Rockets late Friday afternoon, there was a silver lining. Now that Howard is gone, there will be no talk or discussion about using the amnesty provision on forward Pau Gasol anymore, a source with knowledge of the team's thinking told ESPNLosAngeles.com Friday night.
Gasol will likely slide over from power forward to center and be featured in that role, as he was on the 2009 Lakers team that defeated Howard and the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. It remains to be see who will fill the power forward role -- Metta World Peace, Jordan Hill or rookie Ryan Kelly -- but the Lakers feel Gasol is a much more natural fit as a center in D'Antoni's offense than he was as a power forward.
Had Howard re-signed with the Lakers, Gasol -- who will make $19.3 million in the final year of his contract -- was a candidate to be let go via the amnesty provision as the Lakers look to deal with their luxury tax issues. No firm decision had been made, the source insisted, as the team's preference was to look for ways to keep Gasol. But now that decision has been taken care of with Howard leaving.
It's an ironic twist because of the way Gasol and D'Antoni clashed during the season. D'Antoni benched Gasol in the fourth quarter of games within his first week on the job, then moved him into a sixth man role. Now though, he will play a key role in the system and his passing and playmaking ability will be featured.
The Lakers could still use their amnesty provision on Kobe Bryant, Steve Blake or World Peace, of course. And they will likely weigh using it on World Peace, but no decision has been made, according to the source.
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/stor ... -pau-gasol
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 8:49 am
by EArl
I think we all knew that.
MWP is more likely gone if he isn't traded.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 9:02 am
by Soul Chef Fresh
You know.. I'm pretty excited to see Pau with an ocean of space in the Post.. He can still PnR and PnP with Nash, but the majority of his offense will be within 5 ft, which is great.
No more obligations this off-season meaning he can rest up and heal his legs. I want to see him dominate with his finesse and touch.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 9:06 am
by AcecardZ
Unfortunately Gasol is washed up... The guy can hardly move these days...
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 9:18 am
by Tmasterman
AcecardZ wrote:Unfortunately Gasol is washed up... The guy can hardly move these days...
I don't think he is washed up. I think injury played a whole lot in his struggles. Also not being able to be in the paint because of Howard their, also his toughness was another factor. I think he will have a great upcoming season.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 9:49 am
by EArl
Pau will definitely have a better season. He has never played well with another big in the middle. We realy need to find some shooters though.
Machine Gun Kelly is about to get some minutes.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 10:16 am
by Kobean
I can't wait to see how Pau does this season, He's going to have so much room to show off all of his post moves, it will be a nice change from Dwight trying to show us his post move....
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 10:39 am
by Imadogg
Pau will be a beast this year. Been saying it since I heard that he was getting his knees worked on and he'll be healthy next season. Can't wait.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 10:43 am
by ROballer
He isn't playing Euroball this year is he?
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 10:44 am
by Kobean
We need to bring in some shooters now to give him as much room in the post as we can, I can see Pau having a great season because he doesn't have to worry about being traded now.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 11:29 am
by aroba
Finally!.
Last 3 seasons had to share the paint with (a healthy) Bynun and Howard, wich both are inferior post players than Gasol, having to deal with faster players, to shoot mid range jumpers, to deal with failure and blame while this prima donnas were making All Star teams...and Lakers losing.
Payback is a biatch!
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 1:25 pm
by semi-sentient
Pau will have a very nice year if he stays healthy. We all know that his strength is at the 5 so he's going to be more effective than Howard offensively. He and Hill also seem to play extremely well together so that's another plus.
We should seriously consider bringing in Odom -- for the min if possible. I know he's sucked the past two seasons, but he was badly misused by the Mavs and not exactly in the most ideal situation with the Clippers either. He can still rebound his ass off and play defense, and his passing skills are still perfect for what we need. The fact that he has great chemistry with Pau is another huge plus. I think all he needs is a change of environment and to be on a team that'll challenge him to be at his best.
If anything positive came out of this Howard fiasco it's that our entire team will be more motivated than ever. If we can stay healthy I think we'll be pretty good. Not contender good, but good enough to make the playoffs and be in a position to compete.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 2:50 pm
by Minime83
EArl wrote:Pau will definitely have a better season. He has never played well with another big in the middle. We realy need to find some shooters though.
Machine Gun Kelly is about to get some minutes.
Wouldn't it be funny if Kelly became a 20/10 guy in his 1st season due to his 3pt shooting and open looks he will get
and get Rookie of the year haha so funny < but doubt it lol.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 2:54 pm
by dAdo dA dEvil
... we get shooters and if kobe is out at the start of the season i could see pau gets triple double every other game ... ^_^
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 3:11 pm
by iamworthy
I love Pau at the 5. The offense always seems to run smoothly through him. Im glad he will be getting the majority of his minutes this year at center. I think he's going to have an awesome year.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 3:18 pm
by Optms
Motivation, injuries, old age and D'Antoni have slowed him down but I think its safe to expect a slight bounce back season next year (offensively) with Dwight out of the middle and more touches available.
Lets go, Pau.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 4:08 pm
by dAdo dA dEvil
pau is older and less athletic than bynum and howard but he has a higher BB IQ, better passer, more range, more post moves, and i like him at C ... he is still a legit 7 footer so he will not be undersized ...
time to shine pau ... ^_^
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 4:21 pm
by TonyMontana
We are forgetting one thing. Its contract season for him. He needs to play his arse off if he is looking for that new deal. As we all know usually that the best motivation for any player. Plus now with Howard gone he is going to play the post a lot more. I think since Kobe endorsed him and now its just him and Kobe and the fact that Diva is gone its going to inspire him to play more aggresive. But thats just me.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 4:36 pm
by Tiesto_Lakers
TonyMontana wrote:We are forgetting one thing. Its contract season for him. He needs to play his arse off if he is looking for that new deal. As we all know usually that the best motivation for any player. Plus now with Howard gone he is going to play the post a lot more. I think since Kobe endorsed him and now its just him and Kobe and the fact that Diva is gone its going to inspire him to play more aggresive. But thats just me.
Same goes for Hill, Meeks, etc.
Re: Lakers will not amnesty Gasol
Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2013 4:40 pm
by Mr MoJo Risin
In hindsight, I kind of hoped Gasol finishes off his contract with the Lakers. (barring any great trades available).
Pau has always stated he wants to play for the Lakers and has a bond with Kobe. I think he is actually resting up this off season. If D'Toni can manage his minutes correctly at the 5, I think he will put up a double double for the whole season.