Pau-ty Gasol Recalls Ghosts of Keyshawn's Past

I agree with Paul Gasol.

To a point.

I agree that Kobe's shot selection isn't always the best.  I agree that when you have a seven-footer with the deft touch and basketball savvy that Pau does, you feed him the ball.

And you do it again.  And again.  Until he doesn't want it anymore.  Otherwise, what good does it do to have not one, but TWO behemoths in the middle.

What good is the triple-threat position if you don't allow your teammate to be a threat at all?

Like Keyshawn Johnson before him, Pau should get the damn ball!

And like Keyshawn before him, Pau might do well to shut his mouth and save any foibles he may have for the locker room rather than airing any dirty laundry with the media.

Especially when it involves one Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant.

Of all the players out there who have microphones shoved in their face night after night, Pau is probably one of the last people in league who should use such a pedestal to criticize Kobe.

After all, how many playoff games did Pau win before he played with Kobe?  How many rings did he have?

Of course, Pau certainly has the "right" to criticize.  And, as Kobe's best teammate, he is in the best position of any player on the team to put Kobe under the microscope.

But that doesn't necessarily mean he SHOULD.  For his own sake, Pau would be much better off following Kobe's example and learning to be...what's the word I'm looking for...

Something to do with coming through when your team needs you the most...

Oh right.  Clutch.

So listen up, Pau.  You wish to criticize Kobe's shot selection?  I suggest you make your own shots first.

Like a lay-up against the Toronto Raptors.

Or a free-throw.  You know, that 16-footer you get from time to time, with no one to impede your vision?

Don't get me wrong.  Kobe needs to be called out once in a while.  Kobe needs someone to remind him that he makes plenty of mistakes.  That even Michelangelo needed help painting the Sistine Chapel.

And that man is Phil Jackson.  Sorry Keyshawn...err...Pau.

In the big picture, however, Pau's public commentary is perhaps a good thing for a Lakers team going through the motions, laboring through the doldrums of the late winter into early spring.

I give Pau credit for stirring the pot, rocking the boat, etc.

This Lakers team could certainly use SOMETHING to get through the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs.  A win in Phoenix is helpful and is certainly a good start.

Controversy, however poorly publicized with regard to source or wording, will hopefully keep the ball rolling.  As long as it doesn't involve Ron Artest and/or any hip hop-related hiatuses, the Lakers should be fine.

At this point, I can only hope that Kobe will be gentle with Pau once he's said his peace.  Because as out of place as Pau's comments may have been, Kobe still needs his big man in the middle.  He needs the Keyshawn to his Brad Johnson, so to speak.

No, not you, Andrew Bynum.  Maybe next time.