311008, originally uploaded by soñadora empedernida.
Sadly, Carmelo didn't make his jersey number 15 like he did on my list last year. There are simply too many players I have come to appreciate after a year of closer and more well informed watching. The top 15. This is rarefied air. When you talk about the best of the best, here's where you go. The NBA puts out three all-NBA teams. That's fifteen players. There's no math there, just basketball brilliance. So, what up Pau?
The Skinny: Spain had a great year. They almost beat Team USA's Olympic redemption shot. After being one of the best teams in Europe for years, they finally took Eurobasket gold this summer. Pau is a big reason for all that. It's easy, in my opinion, to overlook big men in international style basketball. When the ball moves as much as it does in foreign lands, the guys planted ten feet and in look stagnant. That's just how it is. Of course, it's just an appearance. Gasol exemplifies this and extends it into greater efficiency. See, when the Spanish guards were tearing up Team USA in that Olympic gold game, Pau was making that team tick. He acts almost like a point guard, directing traffic simply by the positions he takes on the court. He's the reason Team USA had to play Bosh so much, because Dwight Howard couldn't handle Gasol's intellectual and subtle attack. Not convinced? How well did Superman perform in the finals against Gasol?
Pau is affectionately known as Encino Man here at OtB (because he sports the facial hair, not because he reminds us of Brendan Fraser), and admittedly we have a soft spot in our hearts for the man. He came to the Lakers from Memphis in what many would term a steal. I have a bone to pick with that, though. The reason abysmal Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace traded Gasol for Kwame Brown was to free up cap space. They also got Marc Gasol, who looks like he could someday be a beast, but that's beside the point. Who did they use that cap space on? No one for last season, therefore they still had it available for this offseason. The idea was to hold that cap space 'til 2010, but Grizz-folk seemed to sniff the wind and figure no one was coming in the big blowout offseason. Thus, when Allen Iverson said he was game, Memphis jumped on the opportunity. Now, Pau Gasol for Marc Gasol and Allen Iverson? Sure, Iverson's not what he once was, but that still doesn't seem like a terrible deal.
Anyway, back to Encino Man. Coming over from Memphis, everyone knew he'd be good, but there were questions. It wasn't that there were worries he'd be the stereotypical European softie. Sorry Dirk, I mean, European big man who plays on the wing. Pau dispelled the Dirk comparisons early on by making like Lil Jon and getting low early on. Still, was he a star big man? The masses weren't convinced. After the Celtics made the whole Lakers team look bad in '08, Pau went on a tear. Who had a better year, or rather fifteen months, than Pau? Olympic Silver. NBA Championship. Eurobasket gold and MVP. Oh, and did we mention 19 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and a block per game for 81 games while wearing purple and gold? He also shot .567 from the field and was tops in the league in offensive rating at a ridiculous 125.64. That means, for those of you who haven't been paying attention, that for every 100 posessions for which Pau was on the court, the Lakers scored over 125 points. That's good for 17th all time, by the way, at least from the 77-78 season on (when the stat becomes available).
He was also fifth in offensive win shares and fourth in win shares. It's trotted out a lot to show how great he was this season, but I'm okay with a repeat offense. Pau would approve, I'm sure. Fourth in win shares at a clip of 14.3 means he was personally responsible for 14.3 of the Lakers wins last season. That's more than Kobe, and every other Laker. That's more than every other player not named LeBron James, Dwywane Wade, or Chris Paul. To prove it's not just because he was on a team that won loads, Pau's O-rating? No other Laker comes close. He makes that beautiful, beautiful offense run.
It's important we don't discount Pau's accomplishments before getting to the Lakers. This isn't a career survey, but we don't want to be historically ignorant. In Pau's six and a half seasons with the Grizz, they made the playoffs three times. That's not bad, and keep in mind they've never made it without him. Anyway, the point is that Pau's been a great player since he got to the league, and he looks to remain one of the best for years to come. Dude still has a year before hitting 30. Why is he #15? Because he can approximate what a guy like Carmelo does individually (let's not forget that Carmelo is an absolute juggernaut individually), but he also makes the team flow around him like the most complex and mellifluous of symphonies. Oh, and he played superb defense all year long in 08-09. This Lakers team is going to be scary. Pau means finished in Hawaiian, so for now I'm done. A hui hou.
