Originally posted by Joecool:Originally posted by LA9erFan:Originally posted by Joecool:
+ Show all quotes
As great as Kobe is, just imagine the Lakers without Pao. You wouldn't sniff the Championship. Makes me wonder about Lebron and that MVP.
I don't see how Manu equates to Gasol considering that you also have Tony "the one guy that JoeCool would pick to start a franchise with" Parker, right?
Manu's a slashing guard who has made a career out of kamikaze drives to the hole, and now he's in his 30's. He's hurt and slowing down? No wai! Gasol's a 28 year old big man. Apples and oranges.
It's not comparing Apples to Oranges if you are comparing their importance to the team. I am not trying to compare their type of play. Gasol's importance to the team is that guy who takes them to the next level as does Manu's importance to his team.
But anyways, without Gasol, you guys are toast. No MVP for Kobe and Lebron gets it hands down.
Hmm, imagine if Lebron had Pao, a 7ft + guy who can run the floor and finish ally-oop dunks. I still think Kobe is individually, the better scorer, but I wonder if Lebron had Jackson and Pao.
Pau would have to mainly rely on mid-range jumpers with LeBron, as he couldn't be in the lane because he'd be in LeBron's way. That's why Cleveland's big men are either pick n' pop/drive n' dish shooters (Ilgauskas, Smith) or weakside rebounders (Wallace, Varejao). That's by design. I wonder how Kobe would do next to a good PG like Mo Wiliams (so he can operate on the wing, which is where he's best) and superb defenders at each position. It goes both ways.
When Bynum was healthy last year, we were 25-11 without Gasol, which is a 69.2% winning percentage. Gasol makes us that much better, but spare me the unnecessary accolades.