NBA Rumors: LA Lakers Must Make Pau Gasol Feel Welcome

Pau Gasol is an emotional guy and it is for that reason amid others that the LA Lakers have to act immediately in regards to rampant rumors regarding their star Spaniard. 

ESPN's Brian Kamenetzky caught up with the Lakers forward and asked him about the rumors that are swirling around him at the moment. 

I have to say, Gasol is handling what has to be a flood of awkward emotions quite well. At the very least, he is carrying on far better than Lamar Odom who went emo before he left to the Dallas Mavericks. 

Gasol tells ESPN: 

"

There's talks and rumors every day. Today, I was reading it was Minnesota is really interested in trying to put a good package together. [Other teams are] calling, and it seems like things are just waiting for the right offer to come along, for [the Lakers] to pull the trigger.

It's out of my hands. It is what it is. I'd like to be here. I'd like to make this team better and get back to a championship level, but it's not up to me. 

"

The Lakers are clearly not in any position to win a championship the way they are currently constructed. They have a huge hole at point guard that will not be filled with more time or minutes on Derek Fisher's legs or Steve Blake's back. 

The Lakers need to pull the trigger on a trade, and they need to do it now. 

Otherwise, they should shut the door and embrace Pau Gasol as one of their best players on a still solid team. 

The one thing they shouldn't do is continue to string along a player that has proved to be emotional in the past. 

The last thing the Lakers need is a long drawn out melodrama that could affect Gasol's play that has already taken a hit this season, albeit some of that is Mike Brown's offense pulling Gasol from the basket. 

A further drop in production that is at 16.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 blocks blocks per game would be disastrous to his trade value. 

At that point, the Lakers are getting a trash guard coming back anyway. If they wanted a mediocre Ramon Sessions or someone else of that ilk, they could have had someone like Gilbert Arenas for free. 

They need to pull the trigger or make Gasol feel comfortable as a Lakers player. This grey area is no good and will prove to destroy this team further. 

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