Gasol Admires Kobe To A Point #NBA

By Brian Beckner:

Not only is he probably the most underrated superstar in the NBA, but Pau Gasol is apparently also the voice of the masses. Everyone knows that Kobe Bryant, who recently became the Los Angeles Lakers all-time scoring leader, takes and misses a ridiculous number of shots, but Gasol is officially the only Lakers player that will say it - sort of.

PASS!

From the OC Register:

Then Pau Gasol talked about why they lost, and his annoyance might’ve even exceeded that of Ron Artest while he hung his head and slumped at the waist after missing the potential winning 3-pointer Monday night.

Gasol has on several occasions offered passive-aggressive comments about not getting the ball enough after Lakers losses in the past. This time, the comments leaned a little harder toward aggressive, particularly when it came to Bryant.

Gasol was asked about Bryant’s new record and offered politically correct – and believably authentic – commentary (“I’m proud of him; I congratulate him”) before adding the kicker: “Now we can focus on winning games again.”

Snap! That’s right Kobe. You got your points, but in the process your team lost.

It is fitting that Bryant surpassed Lakers icon Jerry West with a gaudy 44 points and a loss to lowly Memphis. Ladies and gentlemen, Kobe Bryant. This is what he does. Unfortunately for Bryant’s teammates there haven’t been any real consequences for his constant shot barrage. His unsurpassed clutchness and incredible will have always overcome his propensity for ballhoggery. But at this point why would anyone expect different? Isn’t it kind of too late?

Make me!

Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant’s biggest fan. From changing his jersey number in order to sell more of them, to demanding trades and constantly promoting his myriad injuries, Bryant needs to occupy the spotlight, the entire spotlight…all the time. This is not uncommon in the NBA. With max contracts and lucrative shoe deals at stake, players need to find ways to draw attention to themselves. No player, save Michael Jordan and LeBron James, has done that better than Kobe Bryant. Remember this guy was once charged with rape. The fact that he has any endorsements at all is incredible. Of course the incident that led to his prosecution occurred while he was getting elective off-season knee surgery without the knowledge of the team. What kind of megalomaniac gets knee surgery on his own without even considering telling his employer?

Again from the OC Register:

Gasol’s no kid. He is 29 and has flecks of white in that beard already. He absolutely reveres Bryant on some level – and enjoys all this enough to have just signed a contract extension – but Gasol knows with unshakable mathematical certainty that his efficiency with the ball inside is gold, too.

Are the Lakers better when they go inside?

“One hundred percent,” Gasol said.

Bryant has to realize that Gasol is a weapon that he needs to employ. He’s money in the post and from the stripe. If Kobe wants an NBA Championship repeat, and even more importantly another finals MVP, he needs to get Gasol more involved. And it’s not like Bryant hasn’t been down this road before. He, more than anyone, should know how to make it work with a big man.

Here’s hoping that Bryant and the Lakers see fit to make Gasol happy before he starts making rap records, starring in kiddy movies and saying things like “feed the big dog or he won’t protect the house.” Either that or maybe someone could rouse Phil Jackson from his sideline Lay-Z-Boy to do some, you know, coaching?