Gasol: Big men should get ball more

[KOBE_PAUER]

Why is it that our bigs do nothing but complain about touches?

Why isn't Gasol calling out himself and the rest of our big men out for giving up 20 offensive rebounds, which absolutely killed us whenever we went on a run? Pau got just as many touches this game as he did in the last game, yet somehow we won that game? Our bigs are simply not giving the same effort from game to game, and that includes Pau as much as anyone else.

I would agree that Pau's defense has been mostly adequate, but there is no excuse for us to get outrebounded the way we did. None whatsoever. That's all effort and focus right there. You have to show up on every possession and be ready to get that loose ball.

This team still doesn't get it. We need to give consistent effort and play defense on every possession not just focus on scoring. We flat out have the wrong mentality on this team. It's a real damn shame that Kobe is going out there giving it his all while everyone else is bitching about getting touches.

Are those touches going to prevent Denver from dropping 120 points on us or something? Cut the crap and focus on the defensive end and everything will work itself out.

BTW, I find it ironic that the only big which has had a significant drop off in rebounds from home to away games is Pau, despite him getting more touches than he has at Staples. At home he has averaged 15.5 rebounds while averaging 10.5 on the road. Odom and Bynum have had just about the same amount so there is no drop off from them. Practically everyone else on the team has seen their rebounds increase or stay about the same. Someone's just not trying as hard.

Oh, Dude, now Gasol is the guilty of the bad rebounding of course, he catches 14 rebounds per game, better than all the nuggets frontcourt....Come on!! And the guy all the times he receives the ball is schooling Nene and the birdman. Fisher is playing like garbage, Machine is hilarious, Farmar only thinks penetrates or Ariza NEVER pass him the ball. The problem is our guards, not our bigs.

[semi-sentient]

Really? Our guards are responsible for us getting out-rebounded by 18? They a responsible for us giving Denver 20 second chance points through 3 quarters -- 9 of those in the 3rd quarter alone? That 3rd quarter was pivotal for us, particularly since we had already lost the 1st and 2nd quarters (despite having lost the 1st half the game was still close). Pau and Bynum both grabbed a whopping 1 rebound each in the 3rd quarter. Odom had 2 (one offensive). That is NOT getting it done, and that right there is what cost us the game.

I'm not even going to bring up how many rebounds Denver had in that quarter because it's downright embarrassing.

Now I'm aware that our guards, Fisher in particular, are not capable of playing great defense, but how do you seriously expect to win any games when we are not getting rebounds off of their misses? You can't give up that many 2nd chance points and expect to win. That goes on our bigs.

[TommyTheCat]

This team still doesn't get it. We need to give consistent effort and play defense on every possession not just focus on scoring.

lakers do that and they can beat any team

[semi-sentient]

BTW, stop with this 14 RPG nonsense. For starters, Pau is averaging 13 a game and not 14. He's averaging over 15 at home and just over 10 on the road. That's a significant difference. Is there more gravity in Denver or something that only affects players not wearing a Nuggets uniform?

Clearly I'm getting after Pau (and our bigs in general) for the lack of rebounding I saw in the last game which IS EXACTLY what cost us that game. What he's averaged over 4 games is irrelevant. He is complaining about touches, but his lack of touches is NOT the reason we got blown out.

[milesfides]

Gasol should not have complained to the media. Warranted or not (and I've argued that he just needs to play harder himself), this is inexcusable in a playoffs series.

It's a bitch move, because it's a distraction in the midst of a championship run.

It's a bitch move, because instead of talking to his teammates and coaches, he went to the media.

Kobe got a lot of crap for bitching to some fans in the offseason, in a parking lot.

Pau bitched to the Los Angeles Daily News during the Western Conference Finals.

Again, Pau needs to shut his face.

[semi-sentient]

This team still doesn't get it. We need to give consistent effort and play defense on every possession not just focus on scoring.

lakers do that and they can beat any team

Agreed. Our offense is good enough to win most games even when it struggles, but our defense is what gets us into trouble when the ball isn't dropping. This has been a big problem since the 3rd month of the season and yet no one on the team can figure out that that's where our problem is.

[what would jack bauer do?]

Yeah, our bigs need to touch the ball more in the post; they're efficient. Maybe if Birdman, Kenyon, and Nene were being posted up by bigger guys like Bynum and Gasol their legs will tire on both ends... cause it's obvious our guys don't have the fresh legs right now or the athleticism to keep up with their front court if we let them roam around freely. Punish them in the paint and we'll see if they can still outrebound us.

You guys are right, Pau should've said this behind closed doors. Quit b**ching about offense when all of our front courts defense and rebounding was autrocious last game. I look for Kobe to become the initiator and to expend more energy on stopping Billups and JR tonight. Karl has always been a fool coach, the pressure definitely isn't on the Lakeshow.

[milesfides]

Also, some things show up beyond the box score.

What I mean is things like Kobe trying to guard 2 of their best players in the same game. Ariza diving everywhere for the ball. Shannon Brown juiced on both ends of the floor. Even Fisher, who has been a debilitating liability, is playing hard. Even Vujacic, who has hurt us pretty badly, is visibly trying. Even Walton, even Farmar, who's making a ton of mistakes.

What really pisses me off, is when I see, with my eyes, Gasol and Bynum lollygagging on plays. When they don't get back on defense, when they miss a defensive assignment and look for somebody to blame.

Because when I see everybody else on the floor, they seem to be playing their guts out. Guys like Nene, Chris Anderson are putting it on the line.

Even J.R. Smith, whom I dislike with a passion, is playing with passion. I'll give him that.

But it is unacceptable to me that our big men haven't been playing with an urgency, a desire to do whatever it takes to win, and there's a baseline of effort that I expect - no, demand - as a fan.

What I want is for Pau and Bynum to fight and battle, to sacrifice their bodies, their games, to do WHATEVER it takes to win.

But they're unwilling to do that. Bynum demands minutes and a larger role. Pau demands more touches. Stop bitching.

Meanwhile, our opponents, guys like Nene, who's getting far fewer touches in this round compared to the last series against Dallas, playing fewer minutes, has actually INCREASED his rebounding and passing. Because he's doing whatever he has to do for his team. It's called sacrifice.

Meanwhile, his teammates Kenyon Martin has jumped at the opportunity to attack Pau Gasol, and his game has been elevated because he's so aggressive. He's doubled his rebounding from the previous round and is scoring 3 more points a game as he's dropping floaters right past Gasol in the lane.

Chris Anderson has also increased his scoring and rebounding averages. He's just playing harder, more active, and is taking it to our big men.

The ball will find you if you're aggressive (Martin and Anderson). And you can still help the team if you don't get as many touches (Nene).

I want to see our big men do the same, and they're not.

And to send the point home, Trevor Ariza, despite averaging fewer field goal attempts in the playoffs than in the regular season, has responded by becoming more efficient and getting to the line more. His shooting percentages are much higher and he's averaging more free throws and more points.

It's called elevating your game. Stop complaining. Play harder. Play better. Be more aggressive so your teammates look for you more. If you're not getting the ball, find ways to help your team. It's called sacrifice. And if you feel your teammates should look for you more, tell them. Tell them on the floor, tell them during timeouts, tell them during practice, talk to your coaches to create plays, talk behind closed doors.

Don't tell them through the media.

When I see our big men, that's what I don't see. I don't see a willingness to do whatever it takes to win a championship. And it's severely disappointing to me, because I had such high hopes for Bynum and Gasol.

Greatness is defined - no grasped, fought for, sacrificed for - and I have seen more of that from role players like Chuck Hayes, Battier, Luis Scola, Chris Anderson and Kenyon Martin than our own hyped players.

There's one thing you can't teach, and it's the heart of a champion. I hope our players show some evidence of that tonight.

Play hard. Elevate your game. Shut your mouth. Sacrifice. Win.

[semi-sentient]

I agree 100%, miles.