NBA Chicago Bulls

Pau Gasol Easily Biggest Offseason Addition

Fresh Videos

By @JosephMCrevier

Chicago Bulls

Brian Babineau-Getty Images

It seems like just yesterday Pau Gasol was a suffering member of Mike D’Antoni‘s quivering system with the Los Angeles Lakers. Oh wait, that was only nine months ago.

Gasol was constantly subject to trade rumors during the waning years of his storied Lakers career, but nobody was willing to dish out any true assets for the Spaniard. Age, health and production were all glaring issues with the big-man who was supposed to be on his way out of the league.

It turns out, Gasol’s lack of production and interest were solely attributed to D’Antoni’s failure to utilize the still elite center’s rare skill set. Gasol was treated so poorly by D’Antoni, as the former head coach benched the five time All-Star weeks after his hiring for Earl Clark, who has since been booted from the league.

So, who could blame Gasol for rejecting Los Angeles’ desperation offer of two-years, $22 million and a no-trade clause to sign with the Chicago Bulls, who offered  him the same amount over three years, less the no-trade clause? Clearly, Gasol was offended by Los Angeles’ tactics, as it was he in the end who turned to cold shoulder on the franchise he helped bring two championships to.

Evidently, a change of scenery revitalized the 34 year old, who is averaging 18.7 points along with a career-high 11.4 rebounds per game. The All-Star polls were recently finalized, with Gasol headlining as the Eastern Conference‘s starting center alongside LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. Sure, the East is far less superior than the West, but he still managed to tally the third most All-Star votes amongst both conferences for the front court.

Aside from stats, Gasol has emerged as the veteran leader on an injury-ridden Bulls team. Joakim Noah has missed a large chunk of the season due to a variety of issues. Similarly, fellow big-man Taj Gibson has sat out nearly 10 games throughout the brief season. Head coach Tom Thibodeau uncharacteristically invested total trust in Gasol immediately upon his arrival, which reflects the true professional talent he is. He’s willing to fade back as the second or third option, but is never afraid to step into the limelight when necessary. The most recent example being his 46 point and 18 rebound outing two weeks ago when his point guard was absent.

The bottom line is, Gasol is easily the biggest acquisition of the 2014 offseason — an offseason in which superstars James and Kevin Love both switched teams, coalescing in Cleveland. If the Bulls have any shot at winning the title this year, Gasol will certainly play a vital role in the pursuit.

Joseph Crevier covers the New York Knicks for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, @JosephMCrevier, and Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on