Pivot Points: Is This The New Pau Gasol? Can The Lakers Keep Him?

After watching Los Angeles Laker Pau Gasol turn in his second consecutive performance of 21 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocks, we were reminded of why many feel he is the most skilled big man in all of basketball.

For the second game in a row, Gasol was the best player on the floor, and he was just as dominant in cooling down the ultra-hot Jazz as he was out-playing Tim Duncan and his San Antonio Spurs.

I'm not all that familiar with this new and improved version of Gasol, but I'm sure there are scores of fans in Los Angeles wishing that this model of the Spaniard will hang around for a little while.

Gasol's problem has never been talent, but rather assertiveness and aggressiveness, and constantly having to deal with the perception that he is physically soft and avoids hard contact.

Well the guy masquerading around in the purple and gold jersey with number 16 stamped on it is nothing like that, and even though Gasol's 42 points and 38 rebounds the past two games are huge, it's the 10 blocks that raise eyebrows.

Why? Soft players don't usually account for such a high number of blocks in the course of two games, and if they do it's usually because they are not contained to the paint.

Players like LeBron James and Gerald Wallace get a high number of rejections because of their ability as great help side defenders. A majority of their blocks come against un-suspecting victims.

But in Gasol's case, he has been continuously challenged at the rim, and he has responded with one of the more superb defensive stretches in recent Laker history.

With Andrew Bynum still hurting, Gasol has paired with Lamar Odom to give the Lakers one of the most athletic, versatile, and talented combinations at the power forward and center position in the NBA.

It's no accident that Gasol performs better when Bynum is out of the game, as this is a phenomenon which has become common knowledge while the season has progressed.

With Bynum in the game there is less space for Gasol to operate, and much of his time is spent rotating to cover Bynum's man after a blown assignment, or directing him to his correct position in the Laker scheme.

So it's no surprise that Gasol is more efficient when given the opportunity to occupy his own singular space, but these recent performances are surreal and bring to mind his days in Memphis.

As a Grizzly, Gasol was called on to be the focal point of the Memphis offense, but when he transitioned to Los Angeles he was relegated to a sidekick role to Kobe Bryant, which he accepted gracefully.

The results have been far from bad, with the Lakers appearing in each of the two NBA Finals since Gasol's arrival and winning one championship, but there has still been a sense he was capable of more.

Popular theory says that Kobe's dominant personality dissuaded Gasol from taking a more aggressive approach and there may be some truth in that, but it doesn't explain the entire scope of Gasol's perplexing play.

During the regular season of 2009, Gasol did a solid job of holding down the reputation which was created for him as a soft player, but in the playoffs his attitude changed and he became a dominant player in the post.

His play was pivotal in series against Denver and Orlando, two teams which were assumed to have their way in the post opposite Gasol, but were in turn dominated by his motivation.

His defense against Dwight Howard in the Finals allowed the Lakers to eschew the double-team which helped the team defense adopt a more aggressive approach that was a signature in their victory.

So obviously, the escalation of Gasol's play can be credited to the absence of Bryant, and the rhythm he has established is a product of performing without the pressure of Kobe's watchful eye.

It's no secret that Kobe demands perfection and he has no problem scolding Gasol after a play in which he feels Gasol could have executed better. Knowing you can play through mistakes without threat of reprimand boosts confidence.

So the question is, can Gasol maintain this new level of intensity and defensive assertiveness once Bryant returns, or will he revert to the part-time superstar he has been this season?

I'm hoping he can retain some of this recent tenacity for the stretch run because if he plays like this and Kobe makes a successful return from injury, who else in the league has the talent to match that one-two punch?