Is Gasol Empty Calories?

[spursistan]

This Spurs era version of the McDyess signing-- only it's more expensive and with a "diva" baggage attached to the player..

[MaNu4Tres]

I elaborated on this to many writers and Spurs fans on twitter on how Gasol was "empty calories". I didn't want him and I elaborated why I preferred a Plumlee type ( which they got in Dedmon) and a guy like Harkless to match up with Golden State. The Spurs didn't need a player in the front court who's value is tied strictly to touches on the offensive end and the touches aren't even that valuable considering his age and where his game is at.

Most people expect Gasols numbers from last year to translate.. they simply won't. His numbers should go down to around 11-12 ppg and 6-8 rebounds at best. He'll likely opt in after the year is up because, from a numbers perspective and considering his age, he will have a "down" year ( even though his efficiency should remain relatively similar -- the volume in all phases from attempts to uncontested rebound opportunities won't be close to the same playing with Aldridge and Kawhi).

All in all, I can't really complain and I understand why they went after Gasol, but I would have preferred going a different route.

What did Gasol average again this year?

[MaNu4Tres]

Not assessing the team strictly by the record, I actually think they'll be better than the end product we saw last season. Gasol won't be any worse than post AS break TD, Dedmon will provide more valuable aspects to the team than West ever could.

If you think about it, Duncan, West, Diaw, Miller, Martin, Bonner were all done and didn't provide anything positive when it mattered last year -- all are gone and replaced by better players or new blood with higher upside ( Murray, Bertans, Livio > Miller, Martin, Bonner). We should see a better team than the end product we saw last year. Will they have a better record? Likely not, but they'll have 60 wins at least and have a higher ceiling once playoffs kick off.

[SAGirl]

Yes u got that right the question is what now????

[MaNu4Tres]

Yes u got that right the question is what now????

There's nothing new from what I've already posted in other threads. I.E: Mills gone, Dedmon gone, Simmons re-signed if reasonable 3/24-30 mil deal. Bertans/ Murray promotions. Hanga being brought over. Lamarcus being shopped ( I think he will be shopped hard, but nothing is guaranteed. If SA doesn't get an offer for him worth trading him, then they'll live with him another year).

I think Spurs need to adapt with the league and move towards the 1 PG, 3 wings ( 2 with size), 1-C philosophy by summer of 2018. They need to start ac ulating more two way pieces that fit that philosophy, preferably wings with length and size that can defend on perimeter. As for front court players, they need to start looking more at bigs who who thrive in PnR -- diving offensively. If they can play-make off the catch in dives in 4 on 3 scenarios as secondary play-makers -- even better. And on defense, they need to be able to defend in space in the PnR off hedges & switches and defend in the interior. Give me a center who can do those things effectively over Aldridge in todays' NBA.

I said it last off-season, post play is so overrated and inefficient style of offense. The value in a front-court player who's value is tied to inefficient post offense has been falling off a cliff in modern- smarter NBA. There's no prime Duncan or Prime Hakeem walking through that door.

[objective]

"Vertical Spacing", by way of diving off pick and rolls and being a lob threat, is more valuable than big post ups.

Pau = trash.

[MaNu4Tres]

"Vertical Spacing", by way of diving off pick and rolls and being a lob threat, is more valuable than big post ups.

Pau = trash.

Agreed.

[LkrFan]

Taste like ty diet soda.

"MVPAUssy"

[LkrFan]

MVPau

Ain't without Kobe holding his handPERIOD

[SAGirl]

There's nothing new from what I've already posted in other threads. I.E: Mills gone, Dedmon gone, Simmons re-signed if reasonable 3/24-30 mil deal. Bertans/ Murray promotions. Hanga being brought over. Lamarcus being shopped ( I think he will be shopped hard, but nothing is guaranteed. If SA doesn't get an offer for him worth trading him, then they'll live with him another year).

I think Spurs need to adapt with the league and move towards the 1 PG, 3 wings ( 2 with size), 1-C philosophy by summer of 2018. They need to start ac ulating more two way pieces that fit that philosophy, preferably wings with length and size that can defend on perimeter. As for front court players, they need to start looking more at bigs who who thrive in PnR -- diving offensively. If they can play-make off the catch in dives in 4 on 3 scenarios as secondary play-makers -- even better. And on defense, they need to be able to defend in space in the PnR off hedges & switches and defend in the interior. Give me a center who can do those things effectively over Aldridge in todays' NBA.

I said it last off-season, post play is so overrated and inefficient style of offense. The value in a front-court player who's value is tied to inefficient post offense has been falling off a cliff in modern- smarter NBA. There's no prime Duncan or Prime Hakeem walking through that door.

Yes.
I remember similar posts to this in the offseason from you now.
You have a good idea and one that Pop went completely away from.
I think they were still trying to build around the old big 3 + Kawhi right up until Tim decided to retire. Tim being old school and both old and slow and having won championships with his style still in this era which was defensive first, I can't blame him. Right up until 2015 Tim was still maginificent, had an all star season and was the best player for the Spurs when Kawhi was injured. He amazed me bc he looked the best player in that Clippers 2015 series. I knew then Tim still had the fire to want a championship. Anyways they got Lamarcus in the offseason in 2015 to help Tim out and it went to bc father time caught up with Tim in 2016 and Tony and Manu (who had both already been declining the prior couple of seasons, this season finally showed to be done or close to done to put it mildly: one with a season ending enjury that puts his return in at least questionable state due to his age and reliance of his game in speed, and the other simply bc he has by this time given up so much already to father time that only the spirit is willing and it has willed him to exactly two memorable playoff games and a whole slew of forgettable ones).

Anyways, the point is they probably needed to move on in this direction (and getting younger sooner) but they kept building around the big 3 (and the big one in 2016). Last season was maybe a chance after Timmy retired to "start" going in a different direction, try to get some younger talent in a different mold, but they instead doubled down in their style with Pau Gasol. It's comical really that the guy they got undrafted in JSimms turns out to be the better acquisition as of this moment (not counting Bertans and Murray bc their potential isn't realized as of this moment), than their other additions. They just doubled down in a style that had been good for the Spurs in the past but that like any other style needs transcendental talent to work in the proper fashion (and that was Tim and closer to their primes Tony and Manu).

Thanks for your response. I think your plan requires a couple of years to fully form and like any other is risky (bc any personnel can pan out or not, I think there is risk in any choice)... but it makes sense. And right now, they aren't headed in that direction though they have some personnel to head there, but they haven't committed to said personnel yet, which is why (among other reasons) Pop still keeps playing their older (sometimes straight up washed) vets over his younger but raw players. Hopefully those younger players keep developing and maybe there is a new addition or two this offseason. We shall see.

[DaBears]

Gasol while he can be worthwhile when he puts in the effort, nolonger has the killer mentality at this point in his career, don't expect much more than a rebound or bucket here or there.. He has reached the happy place in his life and ( its a deadzone) for players before they retire.

[Fireball]

empty calories? he is not even trying to eat (other than cap space)

[spursistan]

..

Money down the drain...

[spursistan]

The front office should have let their organizational pride kick in since he snubbed them in 2014 for big city life..

On top of being washed-up, I think there is clear lack of motivation/hunger on Gasol part..He's already won his rings long time ago i don't think he gave it his best effort here..

[SAGirl]

empty calories? he is not even trying to eat (other than cap space)

[MaNu4Tres]

I elaborated on this to many writers and Spurs fans on twitter on how Gasol was "empty calories". I didn't want him and I elaborated why I preferred a Plumlee type ( which they got in Dedmon) and a guy like Harkless to match up with Golden State. The Spurs didn't need a player in the front court who's value is tied strictly to touches on the offensive end and the touches aren't even that valuable considering his age and where his game is at.

Most people expect Gasols numbers from last year to translate.. they simply won't. His numbers should go down to around 11-12 ppg and 6-8 rebounds at best. He'll likely opt in after the year is up because, from a numbers perspective and considering his age, he will have a "down" year ( even though his efficiency should remain relatively similar -- the volume in all phases from attempts to uncontested rebound opportunities won't be close to the same playing with Aldridge and Kawhi).

All in all, I can't really complain and I understand why they went after Gasol, but I would have preferred going a different route.

..

Pop and RC, please transition and go to the 1 - C, 3 wing, 1 PG philosophy soon. Please try to offload the mistake some of us called 300 days ago.

Thank you.

[SAGirl]

I have to give props to TD 21 for this epic thread

[spursistan]

Top 5 thread of the year...


Lost in all commentary on Aldridge is Pau's complete trainwreck of postseason..Simply unplayable when playoffs schemes kick in..

[PopTheGOAT]

Whataburger calories. Gonna weigh this team down for 2 seasons, smh.

[Darius Bieber]

Yeah Pau was probably the most disastrous signing of the Spurs in the past 5 years.

[timtonymanu]

gonna hate him even more when he opts in next season

[SAGirl]

Empty calories wants to play 3-4 more seasons...

[SAGirl]

His counting stats and even the most commonly referenced advanced stats might look good and he's unquestionably a good - great passer, range shooter and rim protector, but . . .

- Per Synergy, he was in the 44th percentile among post players with at least 200 attempts last season, which placed him below the much maligned Howard

- Per NBA.com, he shot 57.2% at the rim, a full 3 percentage points below league average, as well as 38.6% from a few feet further out, good for 1.4% below league average

- Per NBA.com, 7.2 of his rebounds per game last season were uncontested

- Per SportVU, his adjusted defensive rebound chance percentage -- a metric that excludes the rebounds that were deferred (or uncontested) -- was worse than every Spurs rotation big last season

- Per Vantage Sports, of the top 10 players in rebounds per game last season, he had by far the worse contested rebound percentage, at 48.90%

- Per Basketball-Reference, the Bulls overall rebound percentage improved by about 7% with him on the bench (as an aside, Lee's teams have historically rebounded better with him on the bench, too)

How does he compare this year? He looked awful outside of the first couple of months of the season when he was the Spurs second best player...

[cjw]

How does he compare this year? He looked awful outside of the first couple of months of the season when he was the Spurs second best player...

Disconcerting that he was better early in the season, as he may have just fallen off that age cliff once and for all. He looked like Jeff Ayers out there for stretches this postseason.

[cd98]

Yes, Pau is overpaid, but he's not a total liability on the court. He's a great passer and he can occasionally be an effective scorer and rim protector. I don't think the Spurs would've done what they did with his contract if they knew Kawhi would be out all year. Kawhi as a defensive disrupter can make things easier on bigs.