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Very interesting read. I think I have to agree with the writer that Pau is the key to our success and our repeat. He is a very talented player that posesses a very high basketball I.Q. He is a legit 7 footer that with a good outside shot and very hard to defend and the combo of him and Bynum make this team very hard to defend.

So I ask you, is he the key to our success and our repeat?


http://www.hoopsaddict.com/gasol-is-the ... s-success/

There is an unspoken truth in Lakerland, an implicit reality which most die-hard observes know but still goes unutterable amongst casual observers. It isn’t a sexy secret, or a startling TMZ-approved deadline. This unwritten truth may not be scandalous, but it does go a long way to explain what holds the defending NBA champions together at the seams.

That undeclared truth is that while Kobe Bryant may be the league’s MVP through a quarter of the season, he is not even the most important player in his own locker room. The most prized piece of the Laker juggernaut in fact hails from not from suburban Philadelphia, but from Sant Boi de Llobrega, Spain.

Pau Gasol is the most essential element to the Lakers’ dominance, and just might be the most under appreciated star in the NBA.

WTF, this article is ridiculous. Yes, Pau is huge to our success. But NO ONE is more critical to our success than Kobe. I dare anyone to argue me on this point.

You're saying that if you take Kobe off the team we have a better chance of success than if you were to take Pau off the team???

i love pau but he is not the most important player on the lakers. now without him we don't win a chip because he compliments kobe well,but he is in no way the most important player on our team.

The Lakers record with Pau Gasol is absolutely insane and way above 80%. I calculated it after Pau's return and it was something like 82, IIRC. That was about one game into an 11 game streak...so let that say what you will.

In that regard I can see what's being said. Though I can also see people saying that merely Kobe being in the game opens everything up for our bigs. That's agreeable as well. Though I don't think the "key" necessarily means it's a team's most "important" player (which is Kobe). If you define key as what puts us over the top, then Pau is undeniably our key player.

Kobe
Pau
Bynum
LO
Artest...

LO and Artest flip flop from game to game.... Everyone else is 'And the rest' like on Gilligan's Island...

TonyMontana wrote:
http://www.hoopsaddict.com/gasol-is-the ... s-success/

That undeclared truth is that while Kobe Bryant may be the league’s MVP through a quarter of the season, he is not even the most important player in his own locker room. The most prized piece of the Laker juggernaut in fact hails from not from suburban Philadelphia, but from Sant Boi de Llobrega, Spain.

Pau Gasol is the most essential element to the Lakers’ dominance, and just might be the most under appreciated star in the NBA.

This is what I COMPLETELY disagree with! LMAO at Kobe being "not even the most important player in his own locker room." The Lakers are not a "juggernaut" in the first place, w/out Kobe. LMAO at what this team would look like w/out Kobe.

Ah how good it is to be the best. You lose one road game in Utah and the vultures get their 15 mins.

Its obviously kobe, he takes all the pressure off of Pau. Pau is icing on the cake.

I'm incline to agree. Gasol makes us damn near unstoppable. His passing, shooting, and being very hard to defend opens up a lot of things for players like Bynum, Odom, Artest, Bryant, and Fisher. I also love it when he plays with the second unit too. Seeing him play with Odoma, Walton, Brown, Vujacic, and Farmar does wonders for our second as well.

I agree that Pau is a very crucial part of the team and should be getting more touches than he is now simply because he shoots at the high percentage on a 1 on 1 situation. The only time he really is inefficient is when teams bring a quick double team and he can't make a offensive move while being doubled and when big strong defenders play him rough. But comparing Kobe and Pau. I think the Lakers would win more games without kobe in the regular season than without Pau because of his efficiency because rather than taking a bad shot he would rather pass to teammates . As great as Kobe is, he takes very low percentage shots sometimes and every missed shot is a wasted possession. I think playoff wise, Id take Kobe though because Pau tends to shrink on big occasions. But together they are both key to a championship run.

Well, i might be understanding this bad but i think it says he is THE KEY to the lakers succes as we knew them before pau landing. i mean, the lakers were a 7seed or so in the playoffs in the west and it is was so diff to them to advance to next round. we all know what happened when he came.

look at this upside down. Would the grizzs have make the finals if kobe were traded there?

bobobolas1 wrote:look at this upside down. Would the grizzs have make the finals if kobe were traded there?

The year they went to the playoffs?

Wright/Swift
Gasol/Cardinal
Battier/Miller/Posey
Kobe/Bonzi
Williams/Watson

Who knows, definitely possible. That team is a decent mix of vet role players and shooters alongside Kobe & Pau. Its debatable how they'd play the Spurs at their best but still pretty decent chance.

fareweatherfan wrote:WTF, this article is ridiculous. Yes, Pau is huge to our success. But NO ONE is more critical to our success than Kobe. I dare anyone to argue me on this point.

You're saying that if you take Kobe off the team we have a better chance of success than if you were to take Pau off the team???

He didn't mean it like that he was just stating that Gasol is just as important as Bryant is, that's all nothing more nothing less. They're the first and second options one our team and they both lead. He wasn't taking ayway from Bryant at all he was just giving Gasol props becaus eeverybody overlooks him

Pau Gasol actually averages close to the same amount of points since coming to Lakers compared to Memphis. His FG% is higher though. Assists are roughly the same.

Which also brings up that argument that usually goes around about how good Gasol is and how not as good Kobe is. So you diminish the impact of Gasol, and make Kobe the hero. I'm sick of those things. No doubt Gasol is a key to our success, but it's just hard to imagine this team and how it would operate without Kobe.

But yeah, I think maybe the author means that Gasol would push the Lakers over the top in order to be really successful.

j-far wrote:

bobobolas1 wrote:look at this upside down. Would the grizzs have make the finals if kobe were traded there?

The year they went to the playoffs?

Wright/Swift
Gasol/Cardinal
Battier/Miller/Posey
Kobe/Bonzi
Williams/Watson

Who knows, definitely possible. That team is a decent mix of vet role players and shooters alongside Kobe & Pau. Its debatable how they'd play the Spurs at their best but still pretty decent chance.

I love the Make up of that team tho. Lets keep in mind that the Spurs only had to defend Gasol and his shooters, but they didn't have to defend Bryant, Gasol, and shooters. That team would've made it far into the playoffs

They were the 8th seed with 45 wins IIRC, adding Kobe would take them to atleast 52 - 55 wins and 2nd or 3rd seed out west? Yeah they would do well in the playoffs.

fareweatherfan wrote:This is what I COMPLETELY disagree with! LMAO at Kobe being "not even the most important player in his own locker room." The Lakers are not a "juggernaut" in the first place, w/out Kobe. LMAO at what this team would look like w/out Kobe.

Ah how good it is to be the best. You lose one road game in Utah and the vultures get their 15 mins.

Fare I got your post the first time brah, no need to quote me to call me out on my post.

Your huffing and puffing at me about this article like I wrote the dam thing brah.
If your calling me out because I agreed with what he wrote and you would like to hear why then just ask brah........ no need to get all emotional over it. And no I didnt base my opinion on one game, if anything I voiced my concern about this teams heart and dedication since game one when he was out with an injury and it was very obvious how hard it was for us to beat teams without Gasol in the lineup, but once he returned we started floating again.

Even though he was off by saying that Kobe isnt important in the locker room, he still said
'Bryant’s skill and all-around brilliance is beyond reproach'

The things I agreed with him is.

His PER average has never dipped below 20
Gasol is more critical to the Lakers ability to run the Triangle to its full potential than Bryant because he does not need to hold and dribble the ball to dominate the game.
He is a big man who can break his defender off the dribble.
With his passing skills and ability to put the ball on the floor, Gasol is the ideal mid-post to plug into Tex Winter’s Trinagle offense – a system that demands its posts be able to operate from both high and low positions and be unselfish as the offense’s central hub.

So yes I think Pau is the KEY to the Lakers success and he is ONE of the many reasons that we have done very well since he has arrived in LA.

Do I think he is the best player in a Lakers uniform, NO. Do I think without him we can win another chip, NO.

Is that good enough for you brah.

Grizzlies lineup in that year wouldnt be that way you posted. actually, the grizzs werent in playoffs and just got 22wins.

Anyway, the lineup would be:

Milicic/swift
Gasol/Warrick
Gay/Mike miller/Cardinal
Kobe/ JC Navarro
Stoudamire/Lowry

so, nop, i dont think they can make the finals even with kobe. At least, not if he is traded in Feb and just got two months to fit in the team and all that things.

^Tony, I didn't even finish reading your post^, after the first sentence I'm responding to say I'm not calling you out. I'm calling out that stupid writer!

Now I'll go back and finish reading your post

OK, Tony. I read your whole post . Good points as usual.

LOL, I wasn't attacking you by any means, I was attacking the author and my statements were ALL directed at him. I didn't read the whole article, just what you posted.