Is Pau Gasol The Best Power Forward In The Nba?

     February 1st,2008. That's the day that NBA GMs dread to this date. Pau Gasol was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. I was at work when i found out about it and i almost pissed my pants right then and there. It instantly infuriated other executives across the league, especially in the western conference to the point where Greg Popovich said there should be a trade committee to ban ridiculous trades.

     All this commotion over one man. A man who is often labeled as soft. Pau Gasol is often overlooked in the PF category because of offensive juggernauts such as Dirk and Duncan, or physical big men such as Kevin Garnett. Gasol possesses a vast array of talents that makes him unique. He can finish at the basket with any hand, he has high basketball IQ,he can hit the mid-range jumper, he is a good rebounder, and he can run the floor better than most bigs his size.

     Gasol is very underappreciated in the basketball world. He has an average of 17 PPG, 12 RPG and 2 BPG in a crowded Lakers frontcourt. You can't ask for any more than that from yoour second best player. He is also underrated defensively. He is the one player on th Lakers roster than can guard Dirk Nowitzki successfully,and he was also a big key to stopping Dwight Howard in the Finals last year.

     Ever since Gasol came to the Lakers, it has been a match made in heaven.Ever since his arrival, for some reason, Lamar Odom has become a better player. I can't count how many times i have seen the Lakers having a bad defensive stretch in a game and Gasol would bail them out. And he also is in peak physical condition. He can play for extended stretches of time without slacking on defense which sometime Bynum does.

     Everyone calls Tim Duncan the big fundamental, but Pau Gasol has every bit of fundamentals that a power forward could want. Just like his Laker counterpart, Kobe Bryant, he seems to be getting better with age.

    You can say what you want about Gasol, but  since his arrival, the Lakers haven't lost more than 2 games in a row which is amazing,and he will go down as one of the top power forwards of all time.