Killakobe81
03-11-2014, 01:38 PM
Pau Gasol’s Defense
That there are still four teams below the Lakers in the points allowed per possession rankings speaks to the aggressiveness of the league’s tankers and the defensive incompetence of some of the league’s worst teams.
The Lakers are poor on talent, so it’s no surprise they’ve been awful defensively. And Gasol still has the soft touch, post game, and passing brilliance of a key offensive cog. But his defense has slipped so far that it is difficult to watch at times. Some of this is effort-related; Gasol has little incentive to try his hardest on a terrible team, and for a coach with whom he has clashed. But any team signing Gasol to a big-money contract this summer will be betting that effort explains just about everything going on here — the lazy reaching in the lane, the failure to challenge anything at the basket, the lack of jumping ability.
The Lakers have been miles worse on defense with Gasol on the floor, and opponents have hit nearly 55 percent of close shots when Gasol is near both the shooter and the rim — one of the worst marks in the league for a big man, per NBA.com. If it isn’t effort, whatever team buys on Gasol this summer is going to be sorry, unless it can pair him with a top rim protector.
My guess this forum wil blame all of this on the coach or Kobe somehow.
Love Pau as a professional was great #2 ...
But come on, for teh crap yall say about other stars lack of defense he is much worse.
That there are still four teams below the Lakers in the points allowed per possession rankings speaks to the aggressiveness of the league’s tankers and the defensive incompetence of some of the league’s worst teams.
The Lakers are poor on talent, so it’s no surprise they’ve been awful defensively. And Gasol still has the soft touch, post game, and passing brilliance of a key offensive cog. But his defense has slipped so far that it is difficult to watch at times. Some of this is effort-related; Gasol has little incentive to try his hardest on a terrible team, and for a coach with whom he has clashed. But any team signing Gasol to a big-money contract this summer will be betting that effort explains just about everything going on here — the lazy reaching in the lane, the failure to challenge anything at the basket, the lack of jumping ability.
The Lakers have been miles worse on defense with Gasol on the floor, and opponents have hit nearly 55 percent of close shots when Gasol is near both the shooter and the rim — one of the worst marks in the league for a big man, per NBA.com. If it isn’t effort, whatever team buys on Gasol this summer is going to be sorry, unless it can pair him with a top rim protector.
My guess this forum wil blame all of this on the coach or Kobe somehow.
Love Pau as a professional was great #2 ...
But come on, for teh crap yall say about other stars lack of defense he is much worse.