Lakers Rumors: Pau Gasol Is Correct in Saying Los Angeles Could Use Tweaking

Pau Gasol is paying close attention to all of the rumor talk surrounding him. He must be, otherwise he wouldn't be privy to how the rumors surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers have changed in the past week.

From Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com:

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"The team is doing well. We're winning, we're moving on, and now people are starting to talk that we don't need a major trade," Gasol said after shootaround on Tuesday. "We just need a tweak here and there. Or a piece that can make us better for later.

"That's what you hear because we're winning. But if we would've lost three of the last six games instead of winning them, then you'd hear, 'They definitely need a major trade.' So, anyways...

"

Gasol might be making fun of all of us who enjoy the NBA rumor season when he says the talk has shifted to the Lakers needing tweaking, but it doesn't change the fact that it is true.

In that same article, Gasol admitted how closely the Lakers are looking at the standings, and it isn't inconceivable that this team could still miss the playoffs this year, however unlikely.

Yes, the team could use an upgrade at point guard. Yes, the team could use another offensive-minded player, perhaps someone like Michael Beasley of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The fact that Gasol even felt compelled to discuss this tells me two things—these rumors are weighing upon him heavily, and they make sense to him on some level.

The former he has basically admitted. The latter, if we're being honest, should be fairly obvious to anyone who watches basketball.

The Lakers are good. They play solid defense, Gasol and Bynum in the paint are a handful for any team and, oh yeah, they have Kobe Bryant.

But they aren't elite. They aren't in the pantheon of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat this year. They are beatable.

So yes, sarcastic or not, Pau Gasol is right—a tweak here and a tweak there could serve this team well.

As long as they keep winning, that is.

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