Was Pau Gasol even a top 15 player in 2009 and 2010?

[Sccit]

It was 6-16

And in game 6 he had 17/13/9 while locking up KG.

He neutralized Kevin Garnett that series. Kept him off the boards entirely.

He averaged 19/12/4/3

His advanced stats are exactly the same as Kobe's.

Kobe shot just 40% that series.

If Pau played a better game 5 (and if still went 7) he likely wins it.

 

[Sccit]

I remember when the servers on old sohh shut down when the Lakers got Pau.

But because heads want to add to the legend of Kobe and re-write history, they make Pau a (fill in the blank with something less than great)_______ talent.

See through and boring

SERVERS WOULDA WENT DOWN IF WE GOT DAVID WEST OR JERMAINE O’NEAL

NO ONE SAID PAU WASNT GOOD

BUT HE NEVER EVEN MADE AN ALL-NBA TEAM BEFORE KOBE

GOOD PLAYER BUT ONE OF THE LESSER SECOND FIDDLES IN CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

 

[A Tribe Called Quest ™]

Before Pau joined Kobe he was in that range. He was a fringe all-star who put up decent numbers like David Lee and Danny Granger. Remember Pau never made an All-NBA team before he joined Kobe. After he joins Kobe he starts making the All-NBA team and his profile in the league goes up.

Think of it like a reverse LeBron. Stars joins LeBron and see their status diminish. Players join Kobe and see their status rise. Pau Gasol went from fringe all-star to being an All-NBA player after he joined Kobe. Guys like Chris Bosh and Kevin Love went from All-NBA players before they joined LeBron to becoming fringe all-stars alongside LeBron.

Kobe raised Pau's status in the NBA.

Chris Bosh made one all nba team before joining Lebron

 

[A Tribe Called Quest ™]

SERVERS WOULDA WENT DOWN IF WE GOT DAVID WEST OR JERMAINE O’NEAL

NO ONE SAID PAU WASNT GOOD

BUT HE NEVER EVEN MADE AN ALL-NBA TEAM BEFORE KOBE

GOOD PLAYER BUT ONE OF THE LESSER SECOND FIDDLES IN CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

Pau was the perfect 2nd option for Kobe, usually there is always clash between the 1st and 2nd option on who gets the ball. You act like Kobe at the point of his career would work with someone like Melo as his 2nd option

 

[Swagnificent]

Chris Bosh made one all nba team before joining Lebron

Still more than Pau did before he joined Kobe.

Bosh was considered a better player than Pau before he joined LeBron.

 

[Swagnificent]

Pau was the perfect 2nd option for Kobe

fukk no.

The perfect 2nd option for Kobe would be someone like Kevin Garnett or David Robinson in his prime. Guys with elite individual talent but also willing to be a sidekick like Scottie Pippen and D-Wade.

Yall are severely overrating Pau cause yall don't like Kobe. Pau is a decent player. I'm not gonna disrespect him and call him a bum. But he was not the perfect 2nd option for Kobe. Kobe made him into a much better player than he really was.

If Kobe really got his ideal sidekick it would be KG. Those 2 would have won 6+ titles.

 

[Sccit]

Why does that matter?

-He got swept by a 57 win Spurs team
-He got swept by a 62 win Suns team
-He got swept by a 60 win Mavs team

The Grizzlies were 45-50 win teams, nowhere near those teams in talent or pedigree. How many wins did Chris Bosh have prior to Miami? How many times had he made it to the playoffs prior to Miami? What if Gasol was on the 7SOL Suns?

THE FACT THAT YOURE COMPARING PAU (KOBES 2ND OPTION) TO BOSH (LEBRONS 3RD OPTION) IS TELLING

HOW MANY ALL-NBA TEAMS DID PAU MAKE BEFORE KOBE?

HOW MANY ALL-NBA TEAMS DID BOSH MAKE BEFORE LEBRON?

LOL.. KEEP TRYIN THO

 

[Sccit]

Pau was the perfect 2nd option for Kobe, usually there is always clash between the 1st and 2nd option on who gets the ball. You act like Kobe at the point of his career would work with someone like Melo as his 2nd option

KOBE AT THAT POINT OF HIS CAREER WOULDA WON WIT ANY FRINGE ALL-STAR PLAYER

SHIIT, HE ALMOST WON WIT SMUSH PARKER N KWAME BROWN + WAS ALREADY 1ST IN THE WEST PRIOR TO PAU JOININ MIDSEASON

THATS JUST HOW INCREDIBLE HE WAS

 

[Sccit]

Muthafuccas said David Lee and Zach Randolph was better than Pau. Grief...

ZACK RANDOLPH WAS AN ALL-NBA PLAYER WIT MEMPHIS

PAU WAS NOT

 

[A Tribe Called Quest ™]

Still more than Pau did before he joined Kobe.

Bosh was considered a better player than Pau before he joined LeBron.

Bosh & Pau were legit the same player, in fact Id actually take Memphis/Lakers Pau over Toronto Bosh. Bosh stats were better, but he still only made one all nba team (and that’s the only one he ever made) & Toronto only made the playoffs twice with buddy

 

[Swagnificent]

KOBE AT THAT POINT OF HIS CAREER WOULDA WON WIT ANY FRINGE ALL-STAR PLAYER

SHIIT, HE ALMOST WON WIT SMUSH PARKER N KWAME BROWN + WAS ALREADY 1ST IN THE WEST PRIOR TO PAU JOININ MIDSEASON

THATS JUST HOW INCREDIBLE HE WAS

This.

Kobe's greatness at that time is really underestimated. He essentially got a top 20 player in the league as his sidekick and immediately went to 3 straight finals winning 2.

Imagine if you gave Kobe 2 top 10 players at 25 years old like LeBron got in 2010 when he joined the Heat?

We all know there's zero chance he doesn't win 4 straight titles.

 

[A Tribe Called Quest ™]

fukk no.

The perfect 2nd option for Kobe would be someone like Kevin Garnett or David Robinson in his prime. Guys with elite individual talent but also willing to be a sidekick like Scottie Pippen and D-Wade.

Yall are severely overrating Pau cause yall don't like Kobe. Pau is a decent player. I'm not gonna disrespect him and call him a bum. But he was not the perfect 2nd option for Kobe. Kobe made him into a much better player than he really was.

If Kobe really got his ideal sidekick it would be KG. Those 2 would have won 6+ titles.

KG in 07-08?? Because if your taking earlier Kobe and KG.. Imma be real Kobe from 00-04 wasn’t ready to be a 1st option, we all know he can score and defend back then. His leadership skills were poorest then, and being without Shaq humbled him and improved his leadership. KG would be perfect for Kobe, but Pau was better than KG by 09. Pau throughly outplayed KG in the finals too

 

[Swagnificent]

Bosh & Pau were legit the same player, in fact Id actually take Memphis/Lakers Pau over Toronto Bosh. Bosh stats were better, but he still only made one all nba team (and that’s the only one he ever made) & Toronto only made the playoffs twice with buddy

I don't disagree with this assesment. I think Bosh and Pau are very close. I personally would have taken Bosh to pair with Kobe over Pau. I think Bosh is the better defensive player and his outside shooting would have opened the floor up for Kobe giving him better spacing.

Just realize Kobe played with Gasol and Bynum clogging the paint. LeBron cries if there's one big in the paint closing off his driving lanes. Imagine if he had the likes of Bynum and Gasol both on the court at the same time. He wouldn't know what to do.

Gasol and Bynum is the reason Kobe shot so many mid-range shots. Trading Gasol for Bosh allows the Lakers to have better spacing on offense and defensively Bosh is the superior player. I believe the Lakers with Bosh would be better than the Lakers with Gasol.

 

[A Tribe Called Quest ™]

This.

Kobe's greatness at that time is really underestimated. He essentially got a top 20 player in the league as his sidekick and immediately went to 3 straight finals winning 2.

Imagine if you gave Kobe 2 top 10 players at 25 years old like LeBron got in 2010 when he joined the Heat?

We all know there's zero chance he doesn't win 4 straight titles.

Bosh was never a top 10 player, nikka didn’t even make the All NBA Team the previous 3 years was he even top 15 .. Brandon Roy was a fringe top 10 player, and was better than Bosh

 

[A Tribe Called Quest ™]

I don't disagree with this assesment. I think Bosh and Pau are very close. I personally would have taken Bosh to pair with Kobe over Pau. I think Bosh is the better defensive player and his outside shooting would have opened the floor up for Kobe giving him better spacing.

Just realize Kobe played with Gasol and Bynum clogging the paint. That's why he shot so many mid-range shots. Trading Gasol for Bosh allows the Lakers to have better spacing on offense and defensively Bosh is the superior player.

You are saying Bosh is the better defensive player because of his time in Miami. Bosh in Toronto was not better than Pau defensively. Bosh didn’t develop an outside shot til 13-14, so these points are moot tbh