L.A. Lakers: A Look at Pau Gasol and the Upcoming Eurobasket Tournament

In just over a month, the 2011 FIBA European Championships will kick off in Lithuania to the delight of basketball fans.  The biennial tournament features the best national teams in Europe squaring off against one another for a chance to be crowned European Champion.

2009 Eurobasket Champion Spain is back and looking to defend its title as the top team in Europe, led by L.A. Lakers All-Star Pau Gasol.

What's at stake?  Who does Spain play?  What's in it for Laker fans?  We've got the scoop. Let's take a look at Pau's latest run towards a championship.

Location: Lithuania

The 2011 Eurobasket will be held in Lithuania. This marks the second time Lithuania has hosted the Eurobasket, the first in 1939.

Games will be played at four different venues across Lithuania, with the playoffs and main games played at brand new Žalgiris Arena, set to open on August 18.

The arenas seat anywhere from 5,000 to 6,000, with the Žalgiris Arena seatings approximately 14,000.

Pau travelled to Madrid today to meet with teammates and begin preparation for the tournament.

Teams: Qualifications

Twenty-four teams are competing in Eurobasket this year, which include:

- Host nation Lithuania
- Nine teams that played in the 2010 FIBA World Championships (includes the big hitters like Spain, Germany, Russia, France, Serbia and Greece)
- Five teams that made it in the Qualifying rounds (includes Belgium, Great Britain, Israel and Macedonia)
- Seven teams who made it through FIBA Europe's decision (the lucky ones include Italy, Bulgaria, Georgia and the Mike Fratello coached Ukraine)

The final two teams will be decided amongst Portugal, Hungary and Finland in a "play-in" qualifying round beginning August 9th.

Initially, 16 teams were slated to participate, but FIBA Europe expanded the field due to the increasing popularity of basketball across Europe and around the world.

Teams: Spain's Opponents

Spain starts in Group A, which includes:

- Spain

- Lithuania

- Turkey

- Poland

- Great Britain

- the Final Qualifier to "play-in"

The top three teams in each group will advance to the next round.  It is widely believed that Spain, Turkey, and host nation Lithuania will emerge from Group A.

Spain plays their first game on August 31 versus Poland.

Teams: Pau's Running Mates

The Spanish national team is stacked.  Many current and former NBA players are featured on the team, making Spain by far the tournament favorite.

Players include Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Rudy Fernández, Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio, Toronto Raptors point guard José Calderón and Spanish league players Juan Carlos Navarro and Felipe Reyes.

Interestingly enough, Oklahoma City Thunder power forward and Congo native Serge Ibaka will play for the Spanish National team after recently being naturalized as a Spanish citizen. Ibaka had moved to Spain from the Congo and learned to play basketball in the European country, thereby allowing him to become a Spanish citizen.

Spain is currently ranked as the No. 2 team in the world—behind No. 1 USA.

Games: What's at Stake

There is definitely incentive besides simply hardware to perform well in 2011 Eurobasket.  The top two teams to reach the finals in this year's tournament will automatically qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics.  

Olympic qualifiers would be played during the potential 2011-2012 NBA season, so locking up a berth before business resumes is certainly a worthy goal.

But to everyone playing in Eurobasket, its all about pride and nationalism.  

There is no greater honor than playing for your country.  And Pau, a Spanish national treasure, has nobly embraced this honor time and again.

When asked whether he will play in Eurobasket this summer, Gasol made himself available for the roster and said:

"

"I would like to help Spain win another European Championship."

"

Ever the consummate statesman, Pau gives his country's national team a huge boost with his commitment to play in the tournament.

Games: What Kind of Offense Does Spain Run

Spanish national team head coach Sergio Scariolo has traditionally run the "3 Outside, 2 Inside" offense.

The offense focuses on spacing and movement without the ball to make defensive rotations more difficult, create space for more penetration and drives to the lane and leave sufficient room for post-up players to operate.  

A unique element to this offense, and for that matter, the European game, is the use of the four position—the power forward.  Scariolo's offense gives the four the liberty to operate all across the floor—be it a strong-side post-up or a high-post face-up at three-point line.

Pau's game is perfectly suited for this type of offense.  An expert in the post and an accurate long range shooter, Pau will be able to freely read the defense and make plays with the support of fantastic floor spacing.

This offense also benefits Pau's brother, Marc Gasol, who will naturally play the five.  Under Scariolo's offense, the five is to remain as close to the basket as possible, available for post-ups and penetration dishes off the drive.

The Gasol brothers playing side-by-side for their country is definitely one of the biggest draws this tournament.

Previous Eurobasket Performances

Spain has been at the podium for all of the past four Eurobasket tournaments, piling up this impressive resume:

2009 Eurobasket Gold Medal

2007 Eurobasket Silver Medal

2005 Eurobasket Bronze Medal

2003 Eurobasket Silver Medal

Spain's 2009 gold medal performance was the year in which Pau grabbed MVP honors for Best Player of the Tournament.  Pau was the leading scorer of the tournament, averaging 18.6 points a game, grabbed a second-best 8.3 rebounds a game and led all players with 2.2 blocks a game.

Pau also led all scorers in the 2003 Eurobasket Tournament with 25.8 points a game. 

Thoughts as a Laker Fan

Laker fans should be thrilled Pau is competing in this year's Eurobasket.

After leaving many people dissappointed, including himself, for not playing up to his customary high level during the 2011 NBA Playoffs, Pau Gasol will get a chance to rediscover his elite form during the 2011 Eurobasket Tournament, which will feature a swath of European-born NBA players such as Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki.

Pau's 2009 Eurobasket performance propelled him to a magnificent 2010 NBA Season, helping lead the L.A. Lakers to their 16th NBA Championship.

His committment to his national team, though, may have contributed to the fatigue Pau experienced towards the end of last season, having played the basketball equivalent of an extra half-NBA season during his summers.

But with the NBA lockout nowhere close to being resolved—the wait has only begun—Pau will have plenty of time to recover after 2011 Eurobasket and start preparing for the upcoming NBA season.

Good Luck, Pau!

To Pau and the rest of the Spanish National Team, Laker fans say:

¡Buena Suerte!

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