Lakers Rumors: Pau Gasol's Frustration Will Fall on Deaf Ears
Pau Gasol has established himself as a star since joining the Los Angeles Lakers. He went from being an overhyped player on a bad team in Memphis to a perfect complementary player alongside Kobe Bryant. But with the franchise making significant changes in the offseason, Gasol's role has changed.
New head coach Mike Brown has not developed a system to incorporate Gasol into the offense consistently, and it shows in his numbers. He is averaging a career-low 15.8 points per game, and his shooting percentage of .509 is his lowest since 2005-06.
The frustration is starting to boil over for Gasol, who told reporters that he would like to be used inside more often following a loss to Indiana on Sunday.
From the Orange County Register:
"“I would like to get a little more inside, myself,” Gasol said. “‘I always like to have different looks and be able to attack from different angles. The second half, I didn’t have one chance to attack from the post, so I was more of a facilitator.
“I got two jumpers, open, that I missed, and that was all the opportunities that I had.”
--snip--
“A little too many jumpers for my taste,” he said. “I’d like to get a couple of more looks inside the paint. That will increase the shooting percentage.”
"
It is easy to understand where he is coming from. The problem is, nothing is going to change. Phil Jackson is not coming out of retirement, nor is Brown likely to implement the triangle offense in order to accommodate Gasol.
The offense is going to continue to run through Bryant, who will continue to take 25-30 shots per game, and everyone else will be fighting for what is left over.
Andrew Bynum's role has increased in this new system, and he has thrived to this point with 15.9 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.
Gasol is not going to get touches inside as long as Bynum is around, and Bryant is not going to look for him away from the basket if he continues to struggle.
It might be in the team's best interest to shop him around, but for now that doesn't sound like it is something they are trying to do.
