Pau Gasol is the Best PF in the league.

[Shastafarian]

I think everyone in the world believes that.

The upcoming troll job should be fun.

[TD 21]

I still believe that Duncan in his prime>> Gasol in his prime

It goes without saying. Why even bring it up? No sane person could even attempt to argue otherwise. Gasol isn't nearly as good as Garnett was in his prime, let alone Duncan.

[jag]

I still believe that Duncan in his prime>> Gasol in his prime

I don't know anyone in their right mind that would argue otherwise.

[Cane]

Pau Gasol's the best overall big man in the league. His confidence is sky high and there's nothing he can't do. Only thing that would make me change this opinion is if he disappears against Boston but with the way he's been playing....doesn't seem likely.

Dwight Howard plays like he's mentally re ed since he has trouble just staying on the damn court and taking players consistently 1v1.

Dirk's a jumpshooter and doesn't get the boards and big man presence you need.

Amar'e is to defense like Howard is to offense and that might be a stretch since Stoudemire looked like a pylon out there tonight.

Duncan and KG are old and no longer truly consistent. 50% FT wtf for TD. WTF!

Oden and Yao are injured as but a healthy Yao is damn good.

Bosh and Boozer are undersized compared to Pau which is enough to put 'em under his value.

Man this big man era sucks ass but the Lakers are stacked. Now ya know why Coach Pop and Co. got pissed as that they all missed out on Gasol.

[Pelicans78]

Dirk might not fit well in the triangle, but imagine trying to guard Kobe/Dirk in the pick n roll?

[DPG21920]

I don't feel like Dirk has ever had a legit #2 on his team, but Josh Howard and Terry are both easily better than Mike Miller or James Posey..

Again, I'm not arguing careers here..Dirk has obviously had a much better career..

At this moment, the way Gasol has played as Laker and considering how well he fits in their system, he's a better player than Nowitzki IMO..I don't think people realize how dominant Gasol has been in this playoff run..he leads the Lakers in all advanced stat categories, has been the most efficient player on the team and has been one of their 2 best defenders in the playoffs..

Enough of a difference to take one team to a finals vs 0 PO wins?

The question is simple. All else being equal, taking systems out of it, who is better right now? I say Dirk. It is not some gigantic gap, but I still think it is clear.

[BUMP]

Gasol>Duncan in their primes

[Roddy Beaubois]

Kidd runs the plays but who gets majority of the shots in Dallas?

Are you ting me? Dirk is far and away the best player on the Mavs, so of course hes going to take most of the shots. If he had some better players he wouldn't need to take so much.

And Im not sure you know what the phrase ball dominate means.

[jag]

Pau Gasol's the best overall big man in the league. His confidence is sky high and there's nothing he can't do.

Do you get commission for every new fan Gasol gets? Wtf Billy Mays is this?

[HarlemHeat37]

I'm going to discredit him for not winning a game. He went 0-12. And those guys weren't too big of scrubs either. There's no way in Dirk would've gone 0-12. He would've won a couple of games by himself atleast

The current version of Gasol, which is his prime + the current system he's in would have won a few games in the playoffs..nothing more since the supporting cast was too weak, but he's obviously a better player now than he was back then..

I do give the system credit..similar to how Nash found a perfect system, Gasol has too..who's to say Nowitzki isn't in a perfect system and hasn't been the entire time?..

Harlem, don't make excuses. Those Grizzlies teams may have lacked star power, but they were deep, well coached and should have been good enough to at least win one playoff game. The problem is their best player couldn't carry a team. Don't give me this "he wasn't in his prime nonsense". Duncan and Garnett carrying teams on their backs at the same age. Even internationally, until recently Spain would usually come up short in big games. Why? Because Gasol couldn't get it done when it mattered most.

But all that being said, there is no argument for the one dimensional Nowitzki over Gasol. The one thing I'll give Nowitzki is he's been a better lead player than Gasol was, but it's not like he's been Duncan or O'Neal in that respect, either.

Gasol wasn't in his prime back then, but even now in his prime, he obviously isn't on the same level as a prime Duncan or prime Garnett, 2 of the 3 best PFs of all-time IMO..

Nowitzki isn't on the same level as a prime Duncan or prime Garnett either though..

[21_Blessings]

Dirk was never good enough to be a true number 1 option. You aren't winning in the NBA when you're go-to guy is a 6'10 one-trick-jumpshooting pony.

[Shastafarian]

The upcoming troll job should be fun.

Gasol>Duncan in their primes

[TD 21]

Everyone is undersized compared to Gasol. The guy is a 7-1 ing C being played by a defenseless 6-8 1/2 - 6-9 Stoudemire. If anything, he should have had well over 30. I knew the Gasol slobbering, already ample, would get completely out of control during this series.

I'm not trying to take nothing away from him. He's playing extremely well at the moment and is a very good player; but he isn't great. Let's keep things in perspective. Collins is sitting there acting like he's never seen a better big man.

Someone give me the argument for Nowitzki over Gasol. To me, he's not in the same class as Howard, Duncan, Gasol. They impact the game in so many more ways.

[DPG21920]

^ A perfect system would have Dirk with an elite player like Kobe.

[Quit Hatin']

when we say kobe is good they say "naw he sucks, he got gasol". when we say gasol is good they say "naw he sucks, he got kobe".

[ezau]

Harlem, don't make excuses. Those Grizzlies teams may have lacked star power, but they were deep, well coached and should have been good enough to at least win one playoff game. The problem is their best player couldn't carry a team. Don't give me this "he wasn't in his prime nonsense". Duncan and Garnett carrying teams on their backs at the same age. Even internationally, until recently Spain would usually come up short in big games. Why? Because Gasol couldn't get it done when it mattered most.

But all that being said, there is no argument for the one dimensional Nowitzki over Gasol. The one thing I'll give Nowitzki is he's been a better lead player than Gasol was, but it's not like he's been Duncan or O'Neal in that respect, either.

Exactly, I remember when Spain lost againstRussia in Spain. what the was that?

[SomeCallMeTim]

He's not a PF, he's a C. I don't know why they list him at 7-0, he's clearly 7-1. There is no such thing as a 7-1 PF, therefore he's a C.

Well, let's see. Bynum is at least 7-1 and starts at center... does the opening tip, guards the opposing center... and Pau guards the opposing PF.

Where in the NBA rulebook does it say that you can't have a 7-1 PF? Same place it says you can't have a 6-9 PG?

Here's what people forget about him as he continues to feast off not being the focus of opposition's defensive game plans and plays routinely against 6-9 PF's

Wait, I thought you said he was a C? So why is he being guarded by "6-9 PF's"?

He's a career long choker in high pressure moments, a certified cream puff who get's discouraged when he's pushed around (which is far too rare; watch the Celtics scare the living day light's out of him again, though) and has proven without a shadow of a doubt that he CAN'T carry a team.

Yeah, he played so terribly last year that he gave Kobe a run for Playoffs MVP on their way to a le.

And who cares if he can't "carry" a team? He doesn't need to... LA is the perfect situation for him.

I'm not trying to take nothing away from him, but it's funny how people forget all of his shortcomings and get caught up in slobbering over him. Every time a white guy can play in this league, this is what people do.

Oh, you just had to go there, didn't you?

At this moment, is he playing better than Howard and Duncan? Sure. But, Ginobili was playing better than Bryant for almost half a season; it doesn't make him a better player.

Um... a player playing better than another player for a prolonged period of time is precisely what makes a better player.

I'd still take a healthy, rested Duncan over Gasol. I don't care what anyone says.

Too bad a "healthy, rested" Duncan seems to be gone since about 2008.

[ezau]

Nice and original nickname, yo. How many assists did Kome have tonight?

I'm actually giving credit to Kome, brah.

[Bob Lanier]

I'm going to discredit him for not winning a game. He went 0-12. And those guys weren't too big of scrubs either. There's no way in Dirk would've gone 0-12. He would've won a couple of games by himself atleast

Dirk Nowitzki would not have taken those Grizzlies teams to the playoffs at all, so it's a moot point.

[Ghazi]

when we say kobe is good they say "naw he sucks, he got gasol". when we say gasol is good they say "naw he sucks, he got kobe".

Kobe's a top 5 player and Gasol's a top 15 player

Dirk's a top 10 player who doesn't have a top 50 teammate at this moment.

Gonna change next year though


<-----

[ezau]

I don't feel like Dirk has ever had a legit #2 on his team, but Josh Howard and Terry are both easily better than Mike Miller or James Posey..

Again, I'm not arguing careers here..Dirk has obviously had a much better career..

At this moment, the way Gasol has played as Laker and considering how well he fits in their system, he's a better player than Nowitzki IMO..I don't think people realize how dominant Gasol has been in this playoff run..he leads the Lakers in all advanced stat categories, has been the most efficient player on the team and has been one of their 2 best defenders in the playoffs..

That Grizzlies team had Shane Battier and Hubie Brown isn't a slouch either.

[Pelicans78]

Garnett isn't anywhere near Duncan either. He couldn't take over games in Minnesota during the playoffs. He wasn't a dominant post player because of his frame. He didn't do crap in Minnesota except lose in the first round.

Not sure why everyone regards him so highly. He's great defensively obviously, but offensively can't come close to Duncan.

[HarlemHeat37]

It's much more complicated to utilize Dirk in a system like they have done with Gasol though..

You guys are underrating what he brings to the Lakers..

Again, Nowitzki is an average passer, decent rebounder and an average defender..

Gasol is an elite passer, a good rebounder and a good defender..the Lakers can utilize him in SO many ways..while the system has helped him, he's clearly a huge part of the system..he helps everybody else just as much as they help him, including Kobe..there's a reason he's leading the Lakers in all major statistical categories and in overall impact so far in the playoffs..

The Lakers entire offense would change if you replace Gasol with Nowitzki, and I don't see how it would be better TBH..Dirk simply isn't even nearly as versatile as Gasol..

[Roddy Beaubois]

A perfect system would have Dirk with a player who can constantly score 20+ and can actually play defense.
For some reason Cubans thing is to get one-dimensional players on the down slide of their careers. Never a guy who can play both sides of the floor.

Our giant hole this year was perimeter defense. Not sure how we didn't see this one coming when we give Kidd () Terry () and JJ () major minutes. All of them can't stop anybody. Thats why George ing Hill blew his load all over them.

[Roddy Beaubois]

Dirk's a top 10 player who doesn't have a top 50 teammate at this moment.

yup