Pau Gasol Comments on Bulls' Struggles, Lack of Maturity and More

The Chicago Bulls are facing a win-or-go-home situation Saturday night with the Cleveland Cavaliers coming to town, and standout center Pau Gasol has some thoughts on how his team spiraled out of control and into such a tenuous position.   

Not only did Gasol say the Bulls have played without a "sense of urgency," according to ESPN.com's Nick Friedell, but he added the team showed a "a lack of awareness" and "a lack of maturity" as it put its seven-year postseason qualification streak on the line: 

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There's been times where we dropped games, lost games, that we should never have lost, especially at home against certain teams. Those are the times that guys don't realize how big of a price that you can pay at the end of the year and how much of a different position you're going to be [in] by those games in November, December, January. 'Ah, there's still 40 games to play, there's still 50 games to play.' No, those games are just as meaningful as the ones we've been playing for the last week or two where our life has been on the line.

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Gasol has been on a pseudo-motivational-speaking tour of late, as he's repeatedly questioned his teammates' effort publicly following a 4-8 showing in February and an 8-9 effort in March.

"No matter how talented you are, you don't win based on talent," Gasol said Thursday, according to Friedell. "You win based on desire, togetherness, effort, determination, things that are important."

However, Gasol reiterated Saturday at shootaround that he's been pleased with his individual effort despite the team's inability to mesh and make a push toward the playoffs. 

"If I was slacking all year and not doing what I'm supposed to do and my mind and heart weren't in it, then I'd say I wasted a year," the Spanish big man said, per Friedell. "I feel bad about it, but I feel like I've done what I could, and I still feel proud of the effort and the work that I put in, that we put in."

Of course, Gasol isn't the first Bulls player to voice his frustration with the way this season has gone. 

After Chicago dropped back-to-back games against the lowly New York Knicks toward the end of March, Bulls forward Taj Gibson said he was "embarrassed" because the Bulls couldn't muster the effort necessary to best less qualified teams. 

"When I wear that jersey, I try to go out there and play my heart out," Gibson said, per Friedell. "And it's frustrating when we come up short, and we look at ourselves, we're losing to ... I don't want to criticize any[body], [but] trash teams."

At this rate, those losses will almost certainly come back to bite the Bulls when the regular season comes to a close Wednesday. Even if Chicago is able to ward off Cleveland on Saturday night, the eighth-seeded Indiana Pacers' magic number is down to one—meaning a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, the New York Knicks on Tuesday or the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday will seal things. 

As for Gasol, who has a player option for 2016-17, his future in the Windy City appears murky at best. 

"Nothing is set right now," Gasol said, per Friedell. "Definitely, I will evaluate what I need to when the time comes. But the way the team has responded to adversity and the way we finished up the season has not been so far great, and it's been disappointing."

Given the mountain Chicago needs to climb as it adjusts to life with head coach Fred Hoiberg at the helm, Gasol would likely be better served finding work in a new locale simply based on the time he has remaining on the NBA hardwood. 

Soon to be 36 years old, the six-time All-Star needs to maximize every minute he has left in the Association.