Pau Gasol, Shaquille O'Neal: Who Is a Better Fit for the LA Lakers?
Former Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal may have alienated fans in the manner which he departed the Lakers after the 2004 season, but few will deny his importance while he was there.
O'Neal was the driving force behind three consecutive Lakers' NBA championships and four Finals appearances, and was arguably the most dominant physical force of all time.
O'Neal's departure was followed by several seasons of misery for the Lakers which included missing the postseason for only the second time in the history of the franchise, and two first-round exits shortly after.
Los Angeles acquired Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2007-2008 season, and the fortunes of the franchise changed immediately, as Gasol helped the Lakers reach the Finals the very same year.
The Lakers lost to Boston in the 2008 Finals but won the NBA championship each of the next two seasons, and if Los Angeles reaches the Finals this year it will equal four Finals appearances in four years.
O'Neal led the Lakers to four Finals appearances, but not consecutively, and if Gasol is able to clinch his third straight championship, he will equal the number of titles won by O'Neal as a Laker in the same consecutive fashion.
Gasol will never be viewed in the same historical light as O'Neal, and he is nowhere near as physically intimidating, but is it possible that Gasol is actually a better fit for the Lakers?
Some may scoff at the notion, but so far both players have had similar results in terms of championships won, and the triangle offense has never looked smoother since Gasol manned the interior for Los Angeles.
When O'Neal was in Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson still depended on the triangle offense, but it was ran a little differently due to O'Neal's dominance in the paint.
O'Neal was always the Lakers' No. 1 option, but at times the offense looked stagnant because of the team's determination to feed him the ball on the inside.
One of the things that makes the triangle so hard to defend is constant ball movement, and the threat of potential scorers all over the court.
But in a sense O'Neal took that axiom out of play because opposing defenses understood that the Lakers offense began and usually ended with O'Neal as their main concern.
With Gasol in the middle the current version of the Lakers' triangle is much more fluid, and the potential of the offense is better realized since Gasol is a better passer than O'Neal in the paint.
Gasol's ability to score from the perimeter is also something that differs from O'Neal, and it serves multiple purposes in the Lakers offense.
The fact that Gasol can consistently score from 15 feet is great, but when he slides to the perimeter it also clears the lane, which creates opportunities for teammates cutting to the basket.
Something else that is often overlooked but just as important is Gasol's percentage from the free-throw line, and the inability to use fouling as a form of defense for the opposition.
Most teams resigned themselves to the fact that defending O'Neal in the paint was a losing proposition, so it became a viable option to foul O'Neal and take their chances at the free throw line.
It turned out to be a good strategy. So good that teams began to foul O'Neal intentionally away from the basket in a scheme that came to be known as "Hack-a-Shaq."
The NBA actually changed the rules of the game based on this ploy, and now any intentional foul committed away from the basketball, under the two-minute mark results in two free throws and possession.
On defense O'Neal's size and strength made him a force at the rim, but opposing offenses usually found success drawing O'Neal away from the paint, and attacking him with the pick-and-roll.
The pick-and-roll soon became the best weapon against O'Neal's Lakers and is to this day still an offensive approach that O'Neal has yet to figure out.
To be fair, the pick-and-roll has been something that has confounded the Lakers as a whole, but Gasol is more mobile than O'Neal and seems to have a better understanding of defensive switches.
The chemistry between Gasol and shooting guard Kobe Bryant is much better than anything that ever existed between O'Neal and Bryant, which is likely due to the absence of a power struggle.
The conflicting personalities and egos of O'Neal and Bryant has been well documented, and is one of the major reasons for the rift which led to O'Neal being traded from the Lakers.
Gasol is much more passive in nature and understands that this is Bryant's team, which has led to a harmony that was missing during the latter stages of O'Neal's career as a Laker.
Gasol may never win a Finals MVP or post the same ridiculous numbers that O'Neal did during their respective postseason runs, but Gasol has been just as instrumental to the Lakers' success.
It would be impossible to argue which player has been more dominant during their time as a Laker, because O'Neal easily wins that debate. But it can be argued that Gasol is a better fit for the team.
If the Lakers are able to accomplish their ultimate goal of a three-peat, it will draw Gasol on even terms with O'Neal in terms of championships, and make Gasol 4-4 in Finals appearances since joining the Lakers.
Gasol may never be viewed as a better player than O'Neal, but O'Neal never led the Lakers to four consecutive Finals appearances as Gasol has the opportunity to do.
