- Joined:
- May 4, 2010
- Posts:
- 27,077
- Liked Posts:
- 15,145
Pau had a pretty good tournament, but he'll get no praise for it :elephant:
Should he?
Pau had a pretty good tournament, but he'll get no praise for it :elephant:
That depends on how much weight you want to put on FIBAShould he?
That depends on how much weight you want to put on FIBA
Well I certainly don't think Pau is a basketball god by any stretch. I'm just glad he played well and didn't really have any bad games. And he did so while being matched up with NBA talent (Nene/Varejao, Diaw/Gobert, Dieng) while sharing time with 2 other players who are also very good NBA players. Seeing as there were quite a few skeptics as to how Pau would do this year due to age, it's good that he dominated FIBA to show that he hasn't quite fallen off a cliff yet. Contrasted with Rose who shot terribly and now everyone's nervous.Of course it should matter. Because if he's doing poorly, then it is a cause for concern. If he is doing well, then the concern isn't there. Just be careful not to make the assumption that praising a player for performing well, doesn't become exaggerated into making the claim that they are instant gods of basketball. Much like Rose's performances are instantly exacerbated. Extreme viewpoints without rationality. But hey, it's a sports forum, where extremes are the only positions to have for some folk.
Perhaps praise is an overly positive word, but the gist is that Bulls fans should be happy in a sense that he didn't look like he fell off a cliff and sucked. Sort of an "at least he did what he was supposed to" deal.One should expect Pau to play well in a FIBA tournament. Why is this "worthy of praise?"
Perhaps praise is an overly positive word, but the gist is that Bulls fans should be happy in a sense that he didn't look like he fell off a cliff and sucked. Sort of an "at least he did what he was supposed to" deal.
Well for what it's worth, Pau was going up against more NBA talent than Team USA was. As I pointed out, Nene, Varejao, Gorgui Dieng, Diaw, and Rudy Gobert were all NBA players that played against Spain and matched up at one point or another with Gasol (France also has Batum, but he wasn't matched up on Pau). That Nene/Varejao combo represents two starting members from teams we'll play likely 4 teams each this season and Gasol destroyed them. So again, at least there's that. Obviously FIBA is a different sort of game and he won't have Marc and Ibaka alongside him (though Noah is no slouch himself and Gibson and do very similar things offensively to Ibaka), but still, he did what he was supposed to do. At least to start the season, I think we'll see a pretty good Gasol. Hopefully Thibs keeps him healthy so that he's actually worth something come playoff time.Ok, I see where you're coming from. It's good to see him perform well, but I'll feel better seeing him play at full speed against NBA talent. Like most people, I'm concerned about his age and health going deep into the season.
Ok, I see where you're coming from. It's good to see him perform well, but I'll feel better seeing him play at full speed against NBA talent. Like most people, I'm concerned about his age and health going deep into the season.
The thing with Pau is that his game is not predicated on physical ability. He's a cerebral player mostly. He's also very health conscious (literally into the medicine/Doctor industry). Tim Duncan is similar for SA and he's 38 and just helped dismantle the talented Heat team.. I see no reason why his age should be as much as a concern as people are making it out to be.
Pau also played with a pretty crappy Lakers team the last few years and was expected to do too much. Pau might very well be extremely rejuvenated playing on a good Bulls team as well. Lastly, the Bulls have put together possibly the deepest frontcourt in the NBA. This should also keep Pau from being overused.
As far as injuries, you can say the same thing about a much younger Kevin Love so I believe this argument is also overstated. Personally, I think Pau will do great for the Bulls, especially as he does not have to be our primary scorer as we've added a lot of other scoring as well.