Chicago Bulls Should Thank Their Lucky Stars They 'Settled' on Pau Gasol

A surprising chorus has swept through the ranks of Chicago Bulls fans these days. After a summer during which the Bulls' front office made their No. 1 priority clear, many followers are now celebrating their failure to meet that goal with these words: “I’m so glad we didn’t get Carmelo Anthony.”

The New York Knicks superstar is languishing, with bad knees and a worse team, while the Bulls’ “consolation prize,” 34-year-old center Pau Gasol, is looking like one of the very best signings of the offseason.

Gasol, coming off a career-high 46 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 10, has started to gather high grades for his renaissance season. Pau is averaging 19.0 points to go with a career-high 11.4 rebounds, the former of which represents his best statistical output in nearly a decade.

Even if Gasol wasn’t having a demonstrably better year than Melo—whose efficiency has dropped more than a bit in the triangle offense—there are so many other reasons for Bulls fans to proudly claim they got the better end of the stick.

Money is one of them. Eager to join a contender after two disappointing seasons with the downward-trending Lakers, Gasol took less money than L.A. and other teams offered him, signing a three-year, $22 million deal to join Chicago. Or, less than one fifth of Anthony’s maximum contract with the Knicks.

Had the Bulls been able to sign Anthony, it would’ve been for less than the five-year, $124 million the Knicks are paying him, but his salary still would have tied Chicago’s sail to him for the next few years. The Bulls also likely would have traded a player or two away to make room for 'Melo's gargantuan salary, weakening the roster's depth.

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With Gasol and Nikola Mirotic in his place, the Bulls have considerably more flexibility going forward. And they already have a reason to need that extra wiggle room: Jimmy Butler has broken out as a max-contract player, enjoying an unforeseeable offensive explosion while maintaining pace as one of the game’s shutdown wing defenders.

Had Anthony been on the team gobbling possessions, Butler likely wouldn't have flourished as he has. Even if he did, there’d be no way the Bulls could afford to re-sign him once he hits restricted free agency in July.

Another reason to thank the basketball gods for dropping Pau, not Melo, into the Windy City is his positive, infectious personality. After his monstrous performance against Milwaukee, Gasol told reporters, "I don't usually like guys having that amount of points because it takes away the rhythm of the other players. I’m all about balance and the team game. But I'm glad we were able to work it out and win.”

That sort of selflessness fits well in Chicago, where coach Tom Thibodeau’s team-first dogmas might not have worked so well on a player like Anthony, whose temperament has long been the target of criticism in New York and beyond. Gasol is not just a shoo-in for the All-Star Game with his terrific play thus far; he’s also become an indispensable piece of his team’s personality.

Bleacher Report’s Sean Highkin had this praise to offer regarding the Bulls’ acquisition of Gasol:

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The Bulls have not had much luck attracting stars over the years, but the one they managed to lure has proven to be a perfect fit. He’s already the best free-agent signing in franchise history—not a high bar to clear for a franchise that’s gone after, and missed on, names like Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Tracy McGrady over the years.

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Highkin is right: The bar isn’t too high to clear for free-agency moves in Chicago.

But Pau is a terrific fit, who's opened up the Bulls offense considerably with his post scoring, a facet that frequently draws double teams. Could Butler have this breakout season without the attention Gasol demands from defenses?

Gasol has also been a surprisingly effective defender, getting to and protecting the rim with much more consistency than his big man predecessor, Carlos Boozer. He's fourth in the league with 2.19 blocks per game.

In getting Pau, who often looks like his team’s best player these days, the Bulls have, for once, gone above and beyond expectations. Gasol is no lipstick on the pig of another shoddy Bulls summer; he's a pleasant surprise, a home run.

All statistics and records are current through games played on Monday, Jan. 12.