Gasol inks $64 million extension
Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol is on a roll. Over the last eight games, all double-doubles, he’s averaged 16.2 points and 15.7 rebounds while the Lakers have gone 7-1. And in an interview aired on ESPN over the weekend, Kobe Bryant said Pau is the best low-post player in the NBA today — presumably knowing that Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard would be included in that discussion.
And today, Gasol signed a three-year contract extension with the Lakers for a reported $64 million, according to the Los Angeles Times.
On his way to another All-Star berth, Gasol has been the difference in turning the Lakers into a dominant team rather than just a really good one. Kobe is always Kobe, Lamar Odom can be inconsistent, and Andrew Bynum has been in and out of the lineup with injuries over the last couple of years — but Gasol put L.A. over the hump to get them to the 2008 Finals, and to win the 2009 championship. At 29 years old, he is crucial to keeping the Lakers in the title mix for the foreseeable future.
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December 23rd, 2009 at 6:09 pm
D.H. says:
I wonder what the Lakers sent the Grizzlies for Christmas?
December 23rd, 2009 at 6:42 pm
darkdefender says:
That’s a lot of pesetas
Please give him the ball more!! He IS the best low post player in the game, and he’s shooting 90% on fts (?!) – let him get more than 10 shots a game.
December 23rd, 2009 at 6:51 pm
sans says:
He’s good, but $21M/per good? Looks like a Starbury deal
December 23rd, 2009 at 6:51 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ D.H.
Nothing would be good enough..
Good news tho.. and as far as they post player comment Kobes made show me a better big man offensively.. I been saying it, Gasol can do EVERYTHING in the post.. BEAUTIFUL fundamentals and soft hands.. throw in the GREAT passing skills and his ability to run the floor and the man is force.. hopefully he keeps it up.. or lets Bynum grab some boards lol
we were probably one of the few teams he wouldve flourished with.. He was buried towards the end of his tenure in Memphis.. he came to the PERFECT system for talented big men who can play multiple post positions..
Id say the fact we havent lost 3 straight since speaks for itself.. he put us over the hump..
LAL DYNASTY 08-09,09-10,11-12,12-13
U heard it here first lol
December 23rd, 2009 at 6:56 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ SANS
U too stupid to even catch the ball
December 23rd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
GoEasy says:
@ LakeShow84
That may be the WORST insult I’ve ever seen.
December 23rd, 2009 at 7:33 pm
KenAdams says:
who is winning in 10-11? Good for Pau!
December 23rd, 2009 at 7:35 pm
KenAdams says:
my post was for lakeshow84….. you left 10-11…
December 23rd, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Pet Society Help says:
@1 Lakers gave the grizllies marc gasol for xmas.
December 23rd, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Irishballer says:
@ Pet Society Help
That’s a good point, I’d forgotten that Marc was included in that swap… the deal seems much less lopsided now that Pau’s baby brother is beasting down in memphis
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:17 pm
cheap nfl jerseys says:
$21M a lot , still 5 years to stay?
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Bill says:
Gasol or Garnett
December 24th, 2009 at 12:21 am
RC says:
Pau Gasol is easily in the top 5 big men in the NBA. Very high basketball IQ, very good mid range perimeter shooter, passing is excellent, low post moves are solid, rebounding is as good as anybody not named Dwight Howard. Every penny from this contract is well earned by Gasol. Im not a Laker fan, I want Celtics to win the title but I cant deny Gasol the credit he deserves.
December 24th, 2009 at 12:35 am
nola says:
Dwight’s only post move is to pass it back out.
December 24th, 2009 at 5:04 am
yoda says:
well, pau got this much because he is perfect fit for lakers. for triangle you need big guy with high basketball iq. and pau is one of smartest guys out there. plus, kobe is in love with gasols skill, which tells alot
anyway, go lakers
December 24th, 2009 at 5:29 am
iannyb says:
pau is balling dude.he deserves every cent.lamar was short changed though.Go Lakers
December 24th, 2009 at 5:31 am
Soopa says:
Damn, det league is in trouble and im NOT a laker. I pray for an upset come playoff time, but these Lakers are really REALLY good.
And yes, Pau is the perfect fit in the triangle and yes he is a top3 big man in the L today.
December 24th, 2009 at 7:36 am
weng santos says:
Why is Dwight Howard in that discussion?
The kid has 1 post move, which rarely works, and no clutch free throw skills (which all post players should have).
If he wasn’t such an athletic freak he wouldn’t do anything in this league. He gets by on his physique, but he has no skills on the offensive end.
December 24th, 2009 at 7:37 am
weng santos says:
I see a bit of Hakeem in Pau. Very cerebral, skilled, good footwork, finesse first power second.
He makes a lot of guys look downright silly.
December 24th, 2009 at 8:35 am
Austin Burton says:
@weng santos — You don’t think Dwight is one of the three best big men, a.k.a. low-post players, in the game? Basketball isn’t all about offense and scoring, you know. And even if Dwight just “gets by” on his physique, he’s getting by good enough to put up 20-12-2 or so every night.
December 24th, 2009 at 10:59 am
snooprobb says:
Pau is NOT the best low post player in the league.. He is the best playing this SEASON… Yao Ming is the best low post player in the NBA. If they reffed him fairly, didn’t let 50% of the fouls on him go, cos ‘hey, he’s so big he can take it’ his stats would categorically prove this. Nobody in the league is better in the post than Yao..
December 24th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
nola says:
@austin
dwight is not a low post player. dwight is just a great athletic big man. he’s a bigger and slightly more athletic version of amare. is amare a great low post player? no.
dwight is a great rebounder, weak-side help defender and he can clearly dunk like the best of the league but if you throw it into him on the block, he has two options. PASS or a running baby hook that fails quite often.
dont get me wrong. he gets his share of points through running the floor to get position under the basket where he’ll dunk or get fouled or he’ll get alley oops or drive and dish baskets where his defender has to go help on a slasher.
his share of points DO NOT come from LOW POST moves which is what you’re talking about. he needs to develop those low post moves before his athleticism leaves him similar to how lebron needed to develop his footwork and jumpshot. lebron’s showing improvement but unfortunately dwight is not. at least not yet.
December 24th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
foxsportswriter says:
pau is the best offensive big man in the league. mid-range shot, can post and shoot with both hands, run the floor, etc.
His defense is only mediocre though. He’s improving and becoming a bit tougher.
December 24th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Austin Burton says:
@nola — It looks like we just differ on the definition of a “low-post player.” To me, a low-post player is any guy who plays center or PF that spends a lot of time on the block. (Therefore, Dwight and Amar’e and Dampier and Dalembert all count, but Channing Frye may not.) It sounds like you’re defining “low-post player” based on pure ability to score in the low-post. So by your definition, no, Dwight doesn’t fit. However, doesn’t he score his 20 ppg mostly on the low-post or from getting fouled in the low-post? And not many guys in the League average 20 ppg from anywhere, let alone playing in the post.
December 24th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
nola says:
@austin
you’re right then. it definitely is our difference in definition. from the games i’ve seen, most of his points come from sheer athleticism and strength of being so deep in the post, all he has to do is turn around. once he does that, he either gets the dunk or he gets fouled where he’s not a bad free throw shooter (for a center).
my hate for dwight comes from the fact that he has all of the necessary means to become one of the greatest centers ever but he’s not taking advantage of it. i understand that he is young but so is lebron and i feel like lebron has taken it upon himself to learn the fundamentals. i just dont understand how you can be in such a position as dwight is and not want to be one of the best. not many people get that opportunity and he has it and is not taking advantage of it. that bothers me a lot.
December 24th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Top 3 Big Men are (IN MY ORDER IMO)
Dwight Howard – Gets hacked and smashed all day with not enough calls night in night out.. And hes good to go off for a good 20 boards and always PROTECTS the hoop.. his team is BUILT around him being the only defensive post threat and he delivers night in night out.. Cleans up a lot of mistakes..
TIMMAY!! – Still working with the fundamentals and looking healthier.. complete post game looking like his old 25&10&3&2 days.. STILL CARRYING THE SPURS..
Pau Gasol – Offensively the best big man going left handed or right handed with flip shots and drop step hook shots, as i said with BOTH HANDS EFFECTIVELY.. and shit his fade away in the post is almost as effective and he doesnt even use it as much.. can shoot from 10-15ft out.. runs the floor like a frickin giraffe lol and gets u his 9-10 boards a night.. and lately hes been more assertive with 10+ boards and blocking more shots.. BUT Kobe lets him hide some games because he isnt as CONSISTENT as my top 2 above.. And thats my opinion as a Laker fan..
Oh and Gasol keeps the ball high (crazy how many big men dont do this, AHHHH MY YOUNG BLACK BETHREN>> FUNDAMENTALS!!) and he can pass OFF THE DRIBBLE and make great passes with his back to the hoop and hes only 28-29yrs old..
April 6th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Hipolito M. Wiseman says:
great stuff thx