• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Roster
  • Schedule
  • Forum Blue?
  • About Forum Blue & Gold
    • About FB&G
    • Forum Blue?
    • New Hoops Stats 101
    • Commenting Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
  • Support FB&G

Forum Blue And Gold

A Lakers Blog. Thoughts, reflections, and the odd rant on the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA (even the Clippers).

  • Lakers News
  • Lakers Analysis
  • Laker Film Room
  • Cranjis’ Corner
  • Lakers Data
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Pau Gasol Adds Another Trophy To His Case

September 20, 2011 by Darius Soriano


All summer we’ve been checking in with Pau Gasol’s progress as he suited up for his native Spain for the EuroBasket Tournament in Lithuania. The tournament is now over and Gasol is once again a champion, playing a crucial role in his home country’s victory in the title game over France.

Over at The Painted Area (a site worth your time for more than today’s link) Jay Aych sums up Pau Gasol’s tourney quite well:

Another international competition, another sterling tournament for Pau Gasol. Pau capped off a great EuroBasket with another sharp all-around performance vs. the French with 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Pau added a 3pt. make on Sunday to finish Euro ’11 shooting 7-for-11 on 3PA.

Pau finished EuroBasket third in points (20 ppg), third in FG pct. (54%), fourth in rebounds (8.3 rpg), third in blocks (1.7 bpg). Pretty much does this everytime he suits up for Spain. If there were any doubts about his enshrinement into the Naismith Hall of Fame, they should cease forever. (We covered Pau’s FIBA accomplishments after Spain’s 2009 Euro final win.)

Don’t agree with the MVP vote–Pau should have won over Juan Navarro. Pau was more of a factor of both sides of the floor, with an underrated impact defensively once again. Navarro was clutch in the knockout round for Spain, but was a little off at the start of the tourney while Pau was consistent throughout.

As we’ve been saying, a strong effort from Gasol serves as a reminder that he is one of the best players in the world and also gave him the opportunity to be the focal point of a team – something that will serve him well when he’s back stateside with the Lakers. If Pau can channel that strong play and carry it over into next season, the Lakers are already a better team than they were when they faced Dallas in last season’s playoffs.

Now, if only we had some progress on the negotiations that will ensure there is a next season…


Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. thisisweaksauce says

    September 20, 2011 at 2:47 pm

    You guys think Pau will start popping threes next year, a la Dirk?

  2. Pauinaround says

    September 20, 2011 at 4:18 pm

    I hope so.

  3. LovintheLakers says

    September 20, 2011 at 5:27 pm

    @thisisweaksauce @Pauinaround That’d be nice, yeah. Defnitely’d like that

  4. dave m says

    September 20, 2011 at 8:26 pm

    1,2,3 – count me in as well. I’m happy for the guy, really am. Just a great, great summer of basketball for him.

  5. Edwin Gueco says

    September 20, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    Is it because of Pau or about his teammates in Team Spain. If you try to analyze the Team Spain and our last year’s Lakers, ours don’t have the perimeter threat like the sharp shooting Spaniards. Kobe was indisposed last year and the reliable guys in the past were zero this time, may it be Fisher, Artest, Brown and LO a so-so player (don’t know whether he’s a slasher or streak shooter). Secondly, Team Germany is not the Dallas team, so KN has no help. Having said that, Pau deserves this glory but the onus of blame of a failed season has not yet been recovered until he can prove to be a great defender and a consistent scorer especially when game is on the line.

  6. Igor Avidon says

    September 20, 2011 at 10:35 pm

    Great for Pau, but this Lakers fan doesn’t care about Spain or FIBA trophies. The only trophies I care about are the ones that get placed in the Lakers’ trophy room. Here’s hoping Pau plays like this in the NBA.

  7. Cayucos Surfer says

    September 21, 2011 at 12:03 am

    Agreed. That’s great for Pau and all, but i wish he had maybe given some more effort last May. I lost a lot of respect for that guy during the Dallas series, 13 ppg on 42% shooting in the playoffs for a player of his caliber? Weak, bro.

  8. Darius Soriano says

    September 21, 2011 at 7:41 am

    A new post is up.

    http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2011/09/21/the-1999-2000-season-through-shaqs-eyes/

  9. barco says

    September 21, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    “Lakers don’t have the perimeter threat like the sharp shooting Spaniards” and the frontline is very hard (Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Felipe Reyes)

Primary Sidebar

laker-film-room-podcast
Tweets by @forumbluegold

Archives

Categories

Donate to FB&G

Footer

© 2023 Forum Blue & Gold · Partner with USA Today Sports Digital Properties · WordPress Support by WP Site Care