Pau Gasol has recently been staring at a figurative clock on his time with the Lakers. As LA has been moving from their more traditional offense to a 7-seconds-or-less style, the need for athletic size has put glaring emphasis on Gasol.
Gasol is, in my opinion, a top 5 forward on his worst day in the NBA. He possesses the shooting touch, vision, and ball handling that make him an indispensable asset…on most other teams.
Unfortunately, the Lakers have seen more struggle than success from Gasol this season. The all-star forward has found it difficult to keep up his usually impressive numbers (12.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg so far). As a result, he’s been targeted by media and fans as a potential trade target.
It makes sense for Gasol’s performance to be so magnified. The Lakers have been hypersensitive so far this season to any signs of struggle. The acquisition of Howard and Nash over the summer seems to have put a sort of minimized cap on losses that a coach can amass before being sacked.
Among the more interesting revelations involving Gasol’s trade speculation has been the rumor that Ryan Anderson is on the Lakers’ wishlist.
It comes as no surprise, considering Anderson is not only a deadly three point shooter but was also in the top 10 offensive rebounders last year. It would put another scoring threat on the Lakers perimeter. Then there’s the assumption that Anderson is better fit for D’Antoni’s system on an endurance level. You would think that plays a pretty big role in considering him as a potential target. Anderson had seen a sudden rise in mniutes per game last year, and he’s been coping with it well, showing a sharp shooting touch and surprising rebounding capability.
Mohamed Abdihakim is a journalism student at Florida Atlantic University. He is a Phoenix Suns fan, who is not prepared for the possibility of Nash winning a title in a Lakers jersey. Mohamed is also a contributor at “Les Snobs”. Interests include International basketball, Mad Men, and blues music. Nearly all stats are credited to Hoopdata or Basketball-Reference.
Twitter handle: @Abdi_hakim
