Gasol is 7-3 or 7-4

[TD 21]

This is not a thread to bash Gasol, but merely to put into perspective the type of advantage he enjoys game after game. I remember reading last season that he was actually 7-3 or 7-4 and not believing it at first, but upon further review, it was bang on. Having watched two 6-11 (listed at 7-0) guys in Miller and Biedrins guard him recently, confirmed and hammered home the writer's claim. He was practically towering over them.

When Bynum is healthy, Gasol has the luxury of often being matched up against opposing power forwards, many of whom are roughly 6-9. That means he's playing with about a half a foot height advantage a lot of the time. Due to the presence of Bryant, unlike dominant big men of yesteryear or even today's preeminent dominant big man, Howard, Gasol has the luxury of not being the focal point of opposing teams defenses. On top of that, he has the best second and third big men in the game in Bynum and Odom and because of Bynum's presence, teams often can't afford to put their biggest or best post defender on Gasol.

As much as the term 7-footer get's thrown around, the truth is there aren't many true 7-footers in the league. Naturally, there are even less that are well above 7-0. Gasol is one of the few that is and that's a significant and under reported advantage, because if you go by listings or announcers, they make it seem as most guys he faces are "only" 2 or 3 inches shorter. Don't believe it.

[tlongII]

No he's not. He's 7-0 or 7-1 max. Bynum's taller than Gasol and he's listed at 7-1.

[Darrin]

Bynum is 7-6 and Yao is 8-0.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Gasol is 7-0

[Giuseppe]

Whatever Gasol is, Dirk shines his f'in shoes.

[AussieFanKurt]

Whatever Gasol is, Dirk shines his f'in shoes.

:toast

odd thread. Never even heard this before. Gasol is definitely 7ft..... or close to it. Not inches taller or smaller

[TD 21]

No. Why do Lakers fans take everything as a slight? It's merely an observation.

Anyone claiming he's 7-0, is either blind, flat out not paying attention or both. This isn't even debatable.

[Giuseppe]

Why do Lakers fans take everything as a slight? It's merely an observation.

Because you all are myopic trolls. You're always running a game on us. Naturally we're rough around the edges, ready for bear.

[TD 21]

I think you've seen enough of my work to know I'm not a troll.

[AussieFanKurt]

Fuck this a dumb thread, its obvious he's not anywhere near 7ft 4. Shh now

[Jelloisjigglin]

Fuck this a dumb thread, its obvious he's not anywhere near 7ft 4. Shh now


Nope. Just rewatch the Lakers-Rockets game on opening night when he was matched up against Yao. He looked like a little kid next to him.

[AussieFanKurt]

Im saying Gasol is 7ft...

[Jelloisjigglin]

Im saying Gasol is 7ft...

I know. I'm just saying he's obviously not near 7'4''..

[LkrFan]

TD made a hall of fame career off the same thing you are accusing Pau of! :lol

The Lakers have imitated two franchises in their latest dynasty:

1. Versatile Twin Towers. Hell, it worked for the Sp*rs, why not for the Lakers?
2. Strong side zone. It worked for them Celtic bums, why not for the Lakers?

:toast

[La Mont]

Bynum is 7-6 and Yao is 8-0.

they all have grown a little bit since joining NBA.

[TD 21]

TD made a hall of fame career off the same thing you are accusing Pau of! :lol

The Lakers have imitated two franchises in their latest dynasty:

1. Versatile Twin Towers. Hell, it worked for the Sp*rs, why not for the Lakers?
2. Strong side zone. It worked for them Celtic bums, why not for the Lakers?

:toast

Duncan is 6-11, but I think he's the rare player who's listed height is his barefoot height. In shoes, that would make him roughly 7-0.

I don't buy 7-4 for Gasol, but 7-2 or 7-3, definitely. You'll see next time the two go head to head, he's easily taller than Duncan, not just by an inch.

The other thing is, Duncan didn't have Bryant on the perimeter (didn't have a go-to perimeter scorer in the twin towers years period) and other than Robinson for the first three-four years they played together, didn't have a player the caliber of Bynum next to him. Also, Duncan often drew the biggest and/or best opposition post defender.

[ginobili's bald spot]

Bynum is taller than Pau so that must make him 7'5 or 7'6. Yao towers over both of them so that must make him about 7'9 or 7'10 at least. Good job OP.

[DeadlyDynasty]

OP must've taken the same math class as MiamiHeat

[midnightpulp]

OP must've taken the same math class as MiamiHeat

Or Lakaluva.

[ginobili's bald spot]

Or Lakaluva.


Op must be lakaluvas math tutor.

[Calculuva]

Why do you hate on my student Lakaluva's math? Didn't you guys know that he just learned that the derivative of any constant is 0? Did any of you suckers know that before insulting his calculus?

[TE]

Why do you hate on my student Lakaluva's math? Didn't you guys know that he just learned that the derivative of any constant is 0? Did any of you suckers know that before insulting his calculus?



I lol'ed.

[Chris Fall]

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3888/west3ys.png

[mingus]

Gasol is a solid 7'1. He's taller than Duncan. In that pic. Gasol is behind Duncan. Bynum is 7'2. Both have freakishly long wingspans as well.

He is not 7'4. That would make him as tall as Ilgalskus, which he clearly is not.

[mystargtr34]

Gasol is one of very few 'true' 7 footers... in that he is probly dead on 7 feet without shoes on.. similar to guys like Greg Oden, Andrew Bynum etc.. Theres maybe only 10-15 guys in the league with that sort of size.

Even guys like Duncan and Dirk are closer to 6'10" than they are 7 feet

[nkdlunch]

he is also one of the most mobile 7 footers out there. That is mainly why he is overall top 5 bigman in the game IMO

[Medvedenko]

Watching Gasol this year is amazing. As any superstar player he's letting the game come to him and making the most out of each opportunity. Now in his 4th year with the Lakeshow I don't see him deferring to Kobe anymore on the offensive set and their chemistry is throught the roof. I would say better than when Shaq was with Kobe. Now, a older less brash Kobe definitely works in this favor. Still, the array of post moves, dishes and shot making is astonishing so far. Hopefully he'll keep it up. Definitely Top 5 big in the NBA.

[JamStone]

I wouldn't be surprised if Pau is 7'1 or even a shade taller than that. 7'4 seems like an outrageous claim and 7'3 seems mostly unreasonable. But he is noted as having something like a 7'5 wingspan so that as much as anything gives him a great length advantage against most guys he matches up against.

The problem with knowing for sure is that I think a large percentage of players in the NBA exaggerate their heights either way. Shorter guards always add a couple inches to their listed heights and several big men would shave off an inch or two off their actual heights for various reasons, notably guys like KG, Duncan, and Rasheed. I wouldn't be surprised if Pau is even almost 7'2. He has that long bird neck that seems to be the difference between him and other guys that have similar heights up to his shoulders.

[Giuseppe]

Meds, deliverin' it, Monday morning style, hittin' the comprehensive, right between the eyes.

[history2b]

Whatever Gasol is, Dirk shines his f'in shoes.


LOL!

Now go get your fuckin shine box Dirk!

[Venti Quattro]

7-1 or 7-2. 7-3 is too much. A lot of players understate their height but they don't make it so obvious

[Giuseppe]

- "You mean the guy from down by Christy's? Nobody knows. He just came in that night and then disappeared."

tee, hee.

[history2b]

- "You mean the guy from down by Christy's? Nobody knows. He just came in that night and then disappeared."

tee, hee.

Best movie ever.

[Giuseppe]

Pure entertainment. You can pick it up anywhere along the way and enjoy it.

[Medvedenko]

Meds, deliverin' it, Monday morning style, hittin' the comprehensive, right between the eyes.

Albeit still in retirement, but bullseye nonetheless.

[duhoh]

Gasol is a solid 7'1. He's taller than Duncan. In that pic. Gasol is behind Duncan. Bynum is 7'2. Both have freakishly long wingspans as well.

He is not 7'4. That would make him as tall as Ilgalskus, which he clearly is not.

:toast

big z is 7'4, that's why he had all those foot surgeries. gasol aint that tall.

[jag]

I heard LeBron is actually 6' 11 1/2" (in the morning).

[j.dizzle]

http://thelakersnation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/captc07216ac5a9b4303b0183691ae64b9d5lakers_media_d ay_basketball_ksd1031.jpg
I think Bynum is probably like 7'1 & Pau is a legit & 7 footer with really long arms. Dwight actually looks small next to both of them, especially Andrew. When Andrew jumps straight up with his arms raised, his length in ridiculously long.

[j.dizzle]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2539/3674561846_9595b92c81_z.jpgLook at those dudes length going straight up, shit is pretty crazy.

[TD 21]

I wouldn't be surprised if Pau is 7'1 or even a shade taller than that. 7'4 seems like an outrageous claim and 7'3 seems mostly unreasonable. But he is noted as having something like a 7'5 wingspan so that as much as anything gives him a great length advantage against most guys he matches up against.

The problem with knowing for sure is that I think a large percentage of players in the NBA exaggerate their heights either way. Shorter guards always add a couple inches to their listed heights and several big men would shave off an inch or two off their actual heights for various reasons, notably guys like KG, Duncan, and Rasheed. I wouldn't be surprised if Pau is even almost 7'2. He has that long bird neck that seems to be the difference between him and other guys that have similar heights up to his shoulders.

Why is it so difficult for people to listen (even though I'm quoting you, I'm not directing this just at you)? I know in the title it says "or 7-4" and I know in my first post I said, "upon further review the writer appears to be bang on", but I did say afterwards that "I don't buy 7-4, but 7-2 or 7-3, definitely". Yet I see a litany of posts that act like I said definitively that he's 7-4.

By the way, the writer was Rosen (written in the latter part of last season). Say what you want about him, but we know he's well connected with Jackson, so I doubt he'd have said this without being told by Jackson or someone in the know.

I think you're probably right, 7-2 is probably what he is. Still, I don't think people are aware of what type of advantage that is for him. Even when he plays against a guy like Duncan, who's a long 6-11 or 7-0 (in shoes), he's still got quite an advantage. I'm not saying that's the sole reason for how good he is, far from it, but I definitely think it plays a bigger part than a lot of people realize or recognize.

j.dizzle, Howard is 6-10. Duncan, who's listed at 6-11, is taller than him, Bynum and Gasol practically tower over him, Bosh is the exact same height and Durant, believe it or not, is actually slightly taller.

[LkrFan]

http://thelakersnation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/captc07216ac5a9b4303b0183691ae64b9d5lakers_media_d ay_basketball_ksd1031.jpg
I think Bynum is probably like 7'1 & Pau is a legit & 7 footer with really long arms. Dwight actually looks small next to both of them, especially Andrew. When Andrew jumps straight up with his arms raised, his length in ridiculously long.

KGB is the real Big 3. That versatile 2-way length will help Kobe notch #6. I mean, they both have 7'6" wingspans to go with all of that talent. It's good to be a Laker Fan. :toast

[JamStone]

Perhaps many didn't see your second post and only read the following bolded part in your original post.


This is not a thread to bash Gasol, but merely to put into perspective the type of advantage he enjoys game after game. I remember reading last season that he was actually 7-3 or 7-4 and not believing it at first, but upon further review, it was bang on.

Sure height is an advantage. In basketball, being taller and longer and bigger than your opponent has always been an advantage. It's pretty common knowledge. What's your point in saying that being taller and longer is an advantage?

You could say the same thing with Magic Johnson, who was a 6'8 point guard. You can say the same thing with Larry Bird who was a 6'10 small forward. You can say that about Michael Jordan, who was a handful of 6'6+ shooting guards who for much of the early part of his career was guarded by 6'2 to 6'3 shooting guards.

What exactly is your point about Pau being tall? That being tall is an advantage in basketball? Well... yeahhh.

[duhoh]

What exactly is your point about Pau being tall? That being tall is an advantage in basketball? Well... yeahhh.

:lol

i still don't get the point of this thread.

[TD 21]

Perhaps many didn't see your second post and only read the following bolded part in your original post.



Sure height is an advantage. In basketball, being taller and longer and bigger than your opponent has always been an advantage. It's pretty common knowledge. What's your point in saying that being taller and longer is an advantage?

You could say the same thing with Magic Johnson, who was a 6'8 point guard. You can say the same thing with Larry Bird who was a 6'10 small forward. You can say that about Michael Jordan, who was a handful of 6'6+ shooting guards who for much of the early part of his career was guarded by 6'2 to 6'3 shooting guards.

What exactly is your point about Pau being tall? That being tall is an advantage in basketball? Well... yeahhh.

My point is simple: That Gasol is significantly taller (to me, every inch over 6-11 becomes significant, because there's so few players over that height and even less with a high skill level) than he's listed and it's an advantage that either many or not aware of or fail to acknowledge.

Like I said, if you go by listings or listen to announcers, they make it seem as if most big guys are within' 2-3 inches of each other, but Gasol often has a much bigger height advantage than that. Yet people only talk about how skilled he is, not the significant physical advantage he enjoys consistently, as they so often did and still do, with a guy like O'Neal. It's not the same physical advantage, nor as significant of one, but it's a physical advantage nonetheless.

I'd like to see him as the unequivocal best player on his team, with no Bynum next to him and then see how good he is. Would he still be considered quite as good as he commonly is referred to as being now? I'm aware he was in that situation with the Grizzlies, but he wasn't at his absolute peak then.

[ohmwrecker]

Because you all are myopic trolls. You're always running a game on us. Naturally we're rough around the edges, ready for bear.

That is when you're not all jizzing all over each other's crackers.

[JamStone]

Do you remember Shawn Bradley, Gheorghe Muresan, Manut Bol, Chuck Nevitt, Rik Smits? How about guys like Jonathan Bender and Dan Langhi and Jared Jeffries, all 7 foot small forwards? How about guys like Peter Ramos or Pavel Podkolzin or Loren Woods or Eric Chenowith or Primoz Brezec, all 7'2+ players who couldn't even stick in the league.

Gasol is impressive because of his skills and his agility for a man his size. Same reason why players like KG and Dirk are so impressive. Just because you're taller, it doesn't automatically mean you have enough of advantage over players who are shorter but are more skilled and/or more athletic. It's his size that makes his skill and mobility/athleticism so impressive.

What's just as impressive is that, even if we go on the premise that he's 7'2 or taller, he's been able to stay relatively healthy. NBA players who are that tall usually break down with injuries to their feet, knees, and/or backs at some point in their careers. Pau has had a few injury setbacks, but not nearly the magnitude most big men like that face, especially by the time they're his age and have played in the league this long.

Your point is pretty pretentious and pretty transparent.

[TD 21]

Do you remember Shawn Bradley, Gheorghe Muresan, Manut Bol, Chuck Nevitt, Rik Smits? How about guys like Jonathan Bender and Dan Langhi and Jared Jeffries, all 7 foot small forwards? How about guys like Peter Ramos or Pavel Podkolzin or Loren Woods or Eric Chenowith or Primoz Brezec, all 7'2+ players who couldn't even stick in the league.

Gasol is impressive because of his skills and his agility for a man his size. Same reason why players like KG and Dirk are so impressive. Just because you're taller, it doesn't automatically mean you have enough of advantage over players who are shorter but are more skilled and/or more athletic. It's his size that makes his skill and mobility/athleticism so impressive.

What's just as impressive is that, even if we go on the premise that he's 7'2 or taller, he's been able to stay relatively healthy. NBA players who are that tall usually break down with injuries to their feet, knees, and/or backs at some point in their careers. Pau has had a few injury setbacks, but not nearly the magnitude most big men like that face, especially by the time they're his age and have played in the league this long.

Your point is pretty pretentious and pretty transparent.

Just another person with a reading comprehension problem. I haven't said his success is solely or even predominately based on his superior height and length, what I said was it plays a bigger part than most realize.

For example, it's not just as simple as 7-0 Gasol against 6-10 Stoudemire. More like 7-2 Gasol vs 6-9 Stoudemire. Not only that, but he's got Bryant, who's the main focus of opposition defenses and a true center like Bynum next to him, so even in the post, teams not only can't focus too much on him, a lot of times teams don't even put their biggest and/or best post defender on him for the majority of the game. These are ridiculous advantages. It's not just "he's skilled, so that's why he's as good as he is". Had the Grizzlies not traded him, I doubt he'd be viewed as a top eight or so player in the league, which he now is.

That's because Gasol's game didn't begin to resemble that of a man's game until recently. Even so, he'll eventually begin to break down...they all do.

[Josepatches_]

Gasol is 2'16 m.At least his height was 2'16 m at 18 when he played in Spain.

7 = 2'13 m
7'1 = 2'15 m