Pau Gasol Trade Rumors: Desperate LA Must Hold on to Uniquely Skilled Star

Quick, name me a 7’0’’ power forward/center that has soft hands, a smooth jumper and a bevy of moves in the post.

Pau Gasol is being disrespected by trade rumors suggesting he isn’t worth a star in return. Michael Beasley? Really? The LA Times has reported that a potential deal for Rajon Rondo has fallen through, and that is the only player who would be worth getting rid of for Gasol.

The 31-year-old is one of the top 15 players in the league, and Lakers fans need to stop begging for him to get sent packing. The phrase “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side” applies here.

Fans complain about him being soft, and I can’t argue with that from a mental aspect. The way he has responded to trade rumors has been a bit on the weak side…until recently.

Check out the comments he made upon hearing that fellow Spaniard Ricky Rubio tore his ACL (via OC Register):

"

About my trade and no trade and how that makes me feel. He tore an ACL. That’s when you  really feel bad. That’s a lot of worse than being mentioned in trades and potentially playing somewhere else. Your health is the main thing.

That’s why everything is so relative in life.

"

It seems as if the trade chatter has hardened him up a bit and potentially even made him a tougher player.

You know you can win a title with Gasol being your second-best player; he is one of the few stars that is capable of handling the ebbs and flows of Kobe Bryant. This is not an easy task for another star player.

Why trade a guy like that?

I know he doesn’t have the greatest contract and his production is down slightly this season (16.6 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.4 BGP), but he is still playing at an elite level with some of the worst point guard play in the league and Bryant trying to shoot the ball literally every time down the floor.

Without Rondo, the Lakers aren’t going to solve their point guard issues this season. With Kobe, Gasol and Andrew Bynum, they have a terrific core that is still capable of a deep playoff run this year. Nobody wants to play one of the most experienced teams come postseason time.  

It’s time to ride out the roster they have right now (unless they can get a point guard on the cheap) and worry about landing the franchise point in the offseason.

There is no need to ship out Gasol for less than his market value. You can still win with Gasol, and patience needs to be preached. 

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