Gasol's Injury Was A Blessing In Disguise

[sananspursfan21]

You're telling me! I took it as good news! (For the team that is, always feel bad for the player)

[SpursFan86]

I'm just worried that Pop will revert back to relying on Pau over Dedmon come playoff time...not sure I trust Pop to give Dedmon the minutes he deserves at the expense of Pau in the playoffs.

[313]

[spurraider21]

If gasol was unhappy with his bench role and therefore chose not to exercise his player option, that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, given his salary.

Or he could embrace the bench role and be one of the best reserves in th league and I'd welcome him back for 1 year on an inflated salary in that role

[spursistan]

It was indeed..Though not yet set in stone, the above quote is an encouraging intimation about the move from Pau....Unlike with the starters, playing next to that pass-happy Manu/Mills/Lee squad seems like a natural fit for Gasol: he would get to feast on opposing benches bigs and be the clear number 1 option of that Spurs unit the while being less challenged defensively..Pau regular minutes won't be affected, he would still preserve right to check in early if our offense stalls or Dedmon racks up the fouls..And let's be clear: Dedmon is still an unproven commodity despite his current stellar play, we don't know yet how he would perform in his first postseason rodeo or how he would get treated by officials there..I hope Pop uses the rest of the season to solidify the LMA/DD pairing in the rotation; there lies a middle class man Nowitzki/Chandler potential..

[Seventyniner]

If gasol was unhappy with his bench role and therefore chose not to exercise his player option, that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, given his salary.

Or he could embrace the bench role and be one of the best reserves in th league and I'd welcome him back for 1 year on an inflated salary in that role

If he opts in that's basically what we'd be getting.

[spurraider21]

If he opts in that's basically what we'd be getting.

yeah but if he's going to do it, sulk, demand to be a starter, etc... its one thing. if he plays the good soldier and helps the bench, its different

[sasaint]

yeah but if he's going to do it, sulk, demand to be a starter, etc... its one thing. if he plays the good soldier and helps the bench, its different

Playing the good soldier would be agreeing with PATFO to opt out and re-sign for less annual salary over a longer contract

[Seventyniner]

yeah but if he's going to do it, sulk, demand to be a starter, etc... its one thing. if he plays the good soldier and helps the bench, its different

Fair enough.

[cjw]

Playing the good soldier would be agreeing with PATFO to opt out and re-sign for less annual salary over a longer contract

AKA pulling a Jefferson

Also, he's at a slightly inflated cost but it's not that bad considering what other bigs are making

[sasaint]

AKA pulling a Jefferson

Also, he's at a slightly inflated cost but it's not that bad considering what other bigs are making

No, he is not on a grossly unreasonable contract. But every penny will count in the effort to retain Deadman.

[SpursFan86]

Kawhi/Aldridge/Dedmon 3-man unit has a DRTG of 92.5 They've played over 250 minutes together as well, so it's not a tiny sample size.

For reference, the Spurs are #1 in DRTG right now at 103.5.

[spursistan]

That is staggering...Dedmon completely takes the Spurs D to another level--from the elite among a couple or three other teams to historically great.

[spursistan]

[urunobili]

I can only dream that Pop will ride this... regardless, the off-season moves will be key as what the Spurs will keep since Deadmon, Simmons and Mills will be up for renewal. His body language just fits smoothly wells...

[NameLess Scrub]

It was indeed..Though not yet set in stone, the above quote is an encouraging intimation about the move from Pau....Unlike with the starters, playing next to that pass-happy Manu/Mills/Lee squad seems like a natural fit for Gasol: he would get to feast on opposing benches bigs and be the clear number 1 option of that Spurs unit the while being less challenged defensively..Pau regular minutes won't be affected, he would still preserve right to check in early if our offense stalls or Dedmon racks up the fouls..And let's be clear: Dedmon is still an unproven commodity despite his current stellar play, we don't know yet how he would perform in his first postseason rodeo or how he would get treated by officials there..I hope Pop uses the rest of the season to solidify the LMA/DD pairing in the rotation; there lies a middle class man Nowitzki/Chandler potential..

[look_at_g_shred]

That is staggering...Dedmon completely takes the Spurs D to another level--from the elite among a couple or three other teams to historically great.

He's a of a rebounder too! Many times I see him just ripping the ball away from opponents, and i've also seen plenty of times where he outrebounds 3-4 other guys...just insane how good of a rebounder he is. That is something even Splitter couldn't do. Spurs haven't had that type of board help in the SL for a long time. Yeah, he is a elite rim protector too. The guy is just everything the spurs need to beat GSW and CLE imho

[Chinook]

^ a Maverick?

[lilbthebasedgod]

Easily our best defender. If he started all year I'd say he's a DPOY candidate. Elite defender

[BillMc]

ESPN on Pau's situation:
http://www.espn.com/blog/san-antonio...-off-the-bench

Gasol hasn’t been told whether he’ll come off the bench for the remainder of the season.“I have no idea,” Gasol said. “I’ll keep my mind open. I want to be real mature about this and really wise and understand what’s best for the team is not really what’s best for me. Obviously, if you combine both, great. But it is a little bit of an adjustment so far.

"But again, I’m just happy I was able to play well out there five weeks out with my surgery and produce. I did well these last two games. I hope I can continue to contribute as much as I have the last couple.”

At the end of the day, we are one group. We’ve just got to play smart and maximize everyone’s capabilities. Now and then, you have to give up some of yourself for the betterment of your team.”

[rasuo214]

Win-win for everyone. Only thing it might hurt is Gasol's ego (so as long as he's fine with it then it's great), but he benefits from more shots and becoming the focal point of the 2nd unit offense. As far as re-signing Dedmon, depending on his playoff performance he could end up getting a Biyombo type offer.

[spursistan]

Watch Pop mess with a good thing going for us..

[Nathan89]

Pops hand being forced. Stubborn prick would've never made this move tbh.

[Seventyniner]

Watch Pop mess with a good thing going for us..

Imagine that lineup with George Hill instead of Parker...

[Arcadian]

It's not even "in disguise"...it's a blatantly obvious blessing.

Did you expect him to and moan about It?

I didn't, but some people did. Wouldn't be the first time an NBA player complained about his role. I knew Pau could handle it after he accepted a backup role for Dwight Howard when Pau was still in his prime.