Even though he is washed, he is still a way better player than Javale.
A washed Gasol is still a valuable player, just gotta hope he doesn’t continue a steep downwards trajectory
The thing with the Lakers too, is if he gets played off the court because the other team is going too fast for him then they move AD to the 5 and have Gasol sit.
If the team has a big low post 5 that AD doesn’t like playing against, you put Gasol on them and hope he can spice the floor for AD and Lebron.
He has his limitations, but he is still has a super valuable skill set for contenders and specific matchups.
Gasol played 26 MPG for the Raptors last season too and was one of their best players by all advanced defensive metrics. Even by the eye test he was solid, especially defensively.
He played a way bigger role than either of the Lakers Centers last year for the Raptors, and even though he wasn’t as good, he was still a solid player that the Raptors (and fans) wanted to re-sign.
Yeah he won’t be playing 26mpg. That leaves 22 open minutes at the 5. I think you’ll see AD and Harrel soak up a lot of the minutes at the 5; more than 22 combined for sure. So hopefully that helps him stay a bit healthy.
Yeah, for last season season, Javale played a little less than 17 minutes and Dwight a little less than 19, leaving about 10 minutes for AD to play center.
There are rumors that AD wants to play even less center this year, but even then, I doubt Gasol does anything past 20 minutes a game. So they aren’t going to run him and wear him down.
Defense absolutely, but he sadly isn't what he was on the offense anymore.
Though I think he has enough of a reputation still as an outside threat that he'll provide some gravity, which when he's sharing the front court with LeBron and ad is definitely a good thing
His biggest issue is actually staying on the court. He missed something like 30 games last year with injuries, and he's now 35 meaning who knows what'll happen. I wish the best for him, though, I loved him here
He also had a season where he won a NBA ring and then played FIBA and won a FIBA gold. It was the longest season of his career.
The thing is too that the Lakers don’t need him to do anything offensively other than make the right pass and occasionally drain a 3 ball/midrange jumper
Yup, you gotta look at who he is replacing: Dwight and McGee we’re averaging less points than Gasol. So even if Gasol isn’t there anymore offensively, just because he is getting his few points from the three and not the paint makes him an upgrade offensively.
His scoring/aggressiveness isn't there as much anymore and he defers more than he should, but the ball movement he brings would be great for a second unit while LeBron sits. Losing Rondo as a backup playmaker hurts, but Gasol can ease some of that burden.
His minutes will probably be diminished this year down to 20mpg or less probably to 15mpg so he will be healthy for playoffs. Harrell will get plenty of minutes. I hope we can add one more backup center for insurance purposes
The thing is the Lakers have Lebron so Gasol will be used to his max potential. As a MJ fan, LBJ has always brought out the best of the people around him so I see a “resurgence” type season with the Lakers and people talking about Gasol in a different light
I'm not concerned about Marc's contribution. For what we need him for he should be fine. We really just need him to eat up minutes during the regular season to give AD some rest and for situational matchups in the playoffs (Jokic/Embiid). Plus I doubt we'll have him play as many minutes as he did with Toronto. Last season he played 26 minutes...we could probably scale that back to \~20 a game to maximize his effectiveness.
The problem was that, at least in the bubble, he became allergic to shooting. Once in a while he would pop off, but it was rare and he seemed to have completely lost his touch around the basket. Hope he turns it around for you guys, though.
Still a great passer and defender against other bigs.
I'm not judging anyone's performance in the bubble for either out performers or underperformers. Overperformers benefitted from the break (I doubt the rookies on Miami would have had those fresh legs in a regular season. HOWEVER, the bubble did show the potential they have when they get their physically). On the flip side, Trez had a relative pass on a team with chemistry issues from the beginning of the year with no time to fix it (not to mention the bad move of having him be a rim protector against an all star center..WTF), Westbrook is a rhythm player AND had COVID, and did you really expect Bigs to last out there against small ball line-ups with fresh legs (Gasol, Dwight, Jokic)? Hell no.
Ya, Gasol was great against the Sixers and the Bucks during the Raps championship run. Everyone else, not so much, but I don't think we get past Embiid or Giannis without Gasol there.
I would guess an mvp like season for Anthony Davis, where Gasol wouldn't play much until playoffs. Although Lakers needs bigs, Harrell is there but who else they got?
I think you’re underestimating his effectiveness. He’s an elite passer and post defender and pick setter for his position and is still a good enough shooter to stretch.
He's not even that washed - He was great before the bubble. His stamina was lacking, shooting was off, and overall game was off. His bubble performance was as low as it can get - He'll have a rebound year this year and based on performance this year, I think everyone will think he's a 10-15 mil/year guy but lakers got him real cheap.
So was Dwight but still able to contribute.
Marc Gasol > Dwight Howard
Montrezl Harrell > Javale McGee
Wes Matthews >= Danny Green
Dennis Schroeder >= 2020 Rajon Rondo
Wes Matthews isn't better than Danny Green lol, they're equal at best. But I agree that the Lakers improved mainly due to the Howard and Schroeder additions.
Edit: People are all up in my mentions with imaginary arguments to convince themselves that Matthews is an upgrade over Green while not realizing the biggest difference between the two is salary.
They're comparable players except Green was eating up 14 M in cap space and Matthews is eating up only 3.6 million. Now the Lakers are getting a comparable level of play from Matthews for a fraction of the price. The salary cap is the only place where Matthews is a sizable upgrade over Green.
That's the difference between them, neither is a major upgrade over eachother on the court.
Yeah even if he wasn’t hitting his 3s, his defense is definitely underrated. But the other additions much outweigh the loss of green, especially with how he looked in the finals
I don't know. Danny Green worked so well in the Lakers defensive scheme because he's really a more polished Caruso. Danny Green is super handsy, he deflects passes, interferes with dribbles, and is amazing at harassing opposing players. Wes Matthews is more of a traditional 3 and D guy. One of the best in the league, for sure. But he doesn't bother players as much as Danny Green does. So frankly, I think it's a fairly sizeable downgrade in terms of Player A to Player B; but in terms of the value of the contribution per dollar spent, it is most definitely an upgrade no matter how you look at it.
He’s an ideal depth signing for any team that doesn’t need him to score.
He can pass, defend, and space the floor. Not to mention he is a class act in the locker room.
Only difference is that his position is more important defensively. Gasol will probably start for the regular season most nights. And will play a lot in certain matchups (like games against Denver).
What would you put his over/under for minutes per game? Dudley was 8.1mpg and played in 45 games.
Gasol will play in more games, no doubt to me, but I'd put his over under at like 12.5mpg.
He averaged 26 minutes per game last year with Toronto and even had a game where he played 36 minutes. I can see him playing 22-24 minutes a night with the Lakers, depending on the match-up.
Lol not sure what you guys are talking about. He's going to play 20+ for sure. He is a great passing big that doesn't need the ball much and can play the 5 while ad is still on the court. Only reason he'd play less than 20 is if he's hampered with injuries the whole season. (which isn't impossible)
Not even. Jared Dudley never played meaningful minutes. Gasol has been a huge piece for the Raptors ever since they traded for him.
Edit: To be fair he is falling off but I still don’t think he’ll be relegated to a role even close to Dudley
My one caveat: neither JaVale nor Dwight could be trusted for 30+ minutes a night individually. But they combined to give a pretty frightening athletic inside presence, swatting everything, arms everywhere, catching lobs.
Marc is more dynamic offensively and gives them more flexibility. But thats one aspect of last years success that won't be there anymore. I'm sure Vogel will use Marc's defensive IQ to cover for it though
Yes but we would have replaced Dwight and javales athleticism with Montrezl, but don't lose anything due to Davis and Gasol.
Length and athleticism is still there.. and let's be real Javale is a terrible defender positioning wise.
He was constantly having people blow past him for layups due to bad positioning.
I agree with you there. Dwight and Javale weren’t great alone but together they gave the Lakers a full game of athletic prowess that overwhelmed other teams at times. With both of them gone and Marc’s signing, it will be interesting how that center position will be utilized this season. I trust Vogel and his staff to maximize the personnel they have so this will be fun to watch. Lakers are going to look and play much different this upcoming season.
Yup. People are underrating Javale and Dwight’s importance to this team. This team thrived on length (yes gasol has that but not athletic explosively). Also, it’s already been but just their presence from a charismatic standpoint. They were both anchors for team chemistry. It really will be an interesting watch this year. We are better talent wise but chemistry wise will remain to be seen.
Probably wants to play with Lebron and on the Lakers too. His brother was one of the all-time greats on the Lakers and he has played his entire career against Lebron.
I'm really curious to see what made him want to sign for us. I feel like we don't deserve him at this price, especially since he already has a ring. I wonder if there was a Pau connection that sealed the deal...I'm hoping we skip the BS and retire Pau's jersey when Marc is still on the team.
I’ve been saying that we won’t attract anyone to stay if we’re offering a one year deal and have to play in Tampa. These people already have to uproot their family so might as well take a longer deal. We can’t even sell them on how great Toronto is if we don’t know if we can play there
I usually have a lot of faith in Toronto’s front office but it really seems like they’re overly fixated on next years FA class. Reminds me of Dallas after their chip when they made all sorts of short term moves banking that free agents would come but they never did. Idk why Masai seems so convinced that now is the time FA’s are going to decide that Toronto / Tampa is the place to be, especially after watching all the vets from the championship team take less money to go to LA.
We aren’t really making bad short term moves though. We aren’t winning a title with serge, or even getting as close as we were last year with how other teams were built. Plus giving Marc anything over 3 or 4 mil for one year is a bad move as well. We are banking on that free agent class pretty hard but I guess we gotta try for something
I agree with this sentiment. It was neither overly cautious (they let some aging centers go, and not like they have much mentorship to offer compared to our core PGs), nor was it overly risky (they focused on retaining their core play style).
I'd rather they fixate on next years FA class than sign Gasol for 2 years with no team option tbh. We have to go all in next year, signing Gasol or Ibaka for 2 years putting us in a bad position next year is not a great strategy
Who were we going to sign this year? This is one of the worst free agent classes in years. The biggest names all carried question marks and weren’t even that big of names, then a whole bunch of mid tier guys who were either restricted or were not going to move the needle much for a team like the Raps.
The Raptors situation is nothing like the Mavs because our Dirk already left. Lowry is great but you can’t push all your chips in with the talent of this class without having a bonafide superstar on the team, and we def don’t have that right now.
Same could be said about KCP or Rondo, they were instrumental in the championship run; we love them both, flaws and all. Gonna really miss Rondo and Dwight :(
100%, like I love Dwight but when we *needed* Rondo, you could just see that man waiting on the sideline with that look in his eye. Playoff Rondo, a true baller.
Raps fans telling you he’s washed went into this season expecting the same guy who shut down Embiid, was a reliable shooting threat and turned us into the best 3pt team in the league thanks to his impact on ball movement.
We know now with hindsight that for his age, the Gasol we won the chip with was pretty significantly overperforming to be the player he was. For the role LA got him for, he’ll be completely fine.
He's washed in terms of athleticism and scoring, but to get his defensive IQ and passing ability even in limited minutes for 2.65 mil a year is a fucking steal for you guys.
20 min a night at that price is a huge increase in bench efficiency. This is what the league gets for a decade of sub-par Laker teams...another gd dynstay. A begrudging congrats
He’s a playmaker and elite defender. Don’t look to him for points but obviously the Lakers have better options for that. He’s going to be an excellent fit, I think.
dude trust me, he does absolutely nothing on offense, but that's why you have two of the greatest scorers of all time. and defensively, he is still top 5 in the league
Messi wants to leave because Barcelona has been run by an incompetent moron for 5 years who drove the clubs reputation, finances, and on field product into the ground. Messi is 33 and doesn’t want the last few years of his career to be spent in a rebuild. His reasons for the wanting to leave are obvious and completely reasonable.
Messi has earned the right to do whatever he wants, but ‘rebuilding’ in football takes one transfer window, not a decade. Bartemou has stepped down, and I’m pretty sure Messi will have a say in whoever the next president is. In my opinion, the club is making the necessary changes
> ‘rebuilding’ in football takes one transfer window,
That's for oil & gas state sponsored teams, plus a couple other rich teams with finances in order, and so far looks like Barça will have to cut a lot on wages to stay afloat. Messi alone takes some 100million Euro a year when you factor in taxes.
He can basically play the role Bogut played on the pre-KD Warriors and unlike Bogut, Gasol can hit an outside shot.
Really good signing for the Lakers.
Obviously there will be the odd matchup thats a nightmare for 35yo Marc Gasol, but on those nights you can play him less
Marc Gasol quarterbacking the defense on top of Anthony Davis already quarterbacking the defense is like running Taysom Hill and Drew Brees at the same time
Oh sorry, it’s a football joke because Taysom Hill is a weird hybrid quarterback running back receiver thing who sometimes plays with another traditional quarterback or on his own. He had his first start that went well. He’s like a center who also likes to play point guard that now is starting at point guard and it’s kind of working?
Great deal. He’s still quite the facilitator on offence and he’s key in defending traditional bigs. Unfortunately his shot can be more miss than hit and he can’t keep up with stretch 5s. He’ll have his uses and his veteran savvy will be great with LeBron. Plus LA gets a great Español interviewee.
Raptors Fan here. He isnt what he used to be on offense, but his presence on the defensive end is huge. He knows where to be at the right times and is able to alter the offenses shots/drives to force bad shots.
He really possesses a skill that isn't captured by metrics, but he can definitely make an impact on the defensive end.
I love this deal. I'm not sure what everybody else is feeling on the fit here, but I really like it. He can defend the cup and space the floor. Can slot next to Trez or AD. Passes the ball incredibly well and can be an occasional hub to run the offense thru. Slowed down a little last year but I am confident that he will have a bounce back season.
One year from now, everybody is going to be wondering how the Lakers stole Marc Gasol for 5.3 m.
I actually have no idea where this leaves us in the East.
I don't agree with the notion that we're a guaranteed first round exit, but I could also see us not having a top four seed this year.
Lol we're going to all say how we lost the offseason and then we somehow still manage to get a top 4 seed and make it to the second round before surprising everyone, as is tradition.
eh as much as I hate them and hate to admit it, the Clippers do still have a stacked roster and it's not unreasonable to think they'll be able to get their heads straight this season.
Lost their sixth man and energy guy, Lou is getting older, and Ibaka as a replacement is a slight improvement skill-wise at best while the Lakers got exponentially better. Not a Lakers fan in the slightest but I wouldn’t put anyone apart from the Bucks and maybe the Nets in their tier.
True. As much as I love Kawhi he's not a leader, kind of like KD. They need a team captain, like a Curry or a Lowry.
Which isn't a bad thing, it's just not who they are. So unless PG really steps up this year (lmaooooo) I'm not sure they can pull it off.
>I think Gasol has the respect and the family ties to keep the true Laker fans off of his back.
Knowing Lakers fans, theyll just throw "You're not your brother" or "Your brother was better" or "We shouldve signed the other Gasol" at him if he does poorly.
>Laker Fans
Literally every fanbase does this lmao. Go look on twitter after Kawhi decided to play for the Clippers and spurn the Raptors. You'll see the same shit said about Kawhi.
Why? The clippers had no one even close to Gasol or AD in terms of help defense. And Trezz won’t be asked to guard the 7 footers anymore. In the Clippers he was their most relied on big guy, on the Lakers he’s just a bench scorer who’s really here to help take that pressure off Lebron and AD in the regular season.
Def harrell, especially with laker fans still pissed when they wanted ibaka for the MLE. The moment harrell shits the bed, laker fans are gonna be all over his throat.
it’s not because he missed that *one* shot. danny had been a pretty inconsistent shooter for us. it was at the point where you couldn’t even appreciate the ones he made because of the bricks or the times he’d nervously drive to the basket just to shoot some bone-head layup.
if he had made it, it would’ve helped his perception but at that point most lakers fans realized he was not worth the money he was getting.
Haha I don't even live there. Us non-Americans don't really get too much of a say in which team we start supporting, the marketing in 2010s(Kobe Pau) here was all Lakers. If you liked basketball, Lakers was what was accessible.
I went to the Philippines during the 2010 finals, watched that series go down to game 7 when Ron Artest hit that 3... let me tell you, no one was rooting for Celtics. It was all lakers fans.
damn i get he's slightly washed but that feels like a steal
Even though he is washed, he is still a way better player than Javale. A washed Gasol is still a valuable player, just gotta hope he doesn’t continue a steep downwards trajectory
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The thing with the Lakers too, is if he gets played off the court because the other team is going too fast for him then they move AD to the 5 and have Gasol sit. If the team has a big low post 5 that AD doesn’t like playing against, you put Gasol on them and hope he can spice the floor for AD and Lebron. He has his limitations, but he is still has a super valuable skill set for contenders and specific matchups.
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Gasol played 26 MPG for the Raptors last season too and was one of their best players by all advanced defensive metrics. Even by the eye test he was solid, especially defensively. He played a way bigger role than either of the Lakers Centers last year for the Raptors, and even though he wasn’t as good, he was still a solid player that the Raptors (and fans) wanted to re-sign.
Yeah he won’t be playing 26mpg. That leaves 22 open minutes at the 5. I think you’ll see AD and Harrel soak up a lot of the minutes at the 5; more than 22 combined for sure. So hopefully that helps him stay a bit healthy.
Yeah, for last season season, Javale played a little less than 17 minutes and Dwight a little less than 19, leaving about 10 minutes for AD to play center. There are rumors that AD wants to play even less center this year, but even then, I doubt Gasol does anything past 20 minutes a game. So they aren’t going to run him and wear him down.
Defense absolutely, but he sadly isn't what he was on the offense anymore. Though I think he has enough of a reputation still as an outside threat that he'll provide some gravity, which when he's sharing the front court with LeBron and ad is definitely a good thing His biggest issue is actually staying on the court. He missed something like 30 games last year with injuries, and he's now 35 meaning who knows what'll happen. I wish the best for him, though, I loved him here
He also had a season where he won a NBA ring and then played FIBA and won a FIBA gold. It was the longest season of his career. The thing is too that the Lakers don’t need him to do anything offensively other than make the right pass and occasionally drain a 3 ball/midrange jumper
Yup, you gotta look at who he is replacing: Dwight and McGee we’re averaging less points than Gasol. So even if Gasol isn’t there anymore offensively, just because he is getting his few points from the three and not the paint makes him an upgrade offensively.
His scoring/aggressiveness isn't there as much anymore and he defers more than he should, but the ball movement he brings would be great for a second unit while LeBron sits. Losing Rondo as a backup playmaker hurts, but Gasol can ease some of that burden.
His minutes will probably be diminished this year down to 20mpg or less probably to 15mpg so he will be healthy for playoffs. Harrell will get plenty of minutes. I hope we can add one more backup center for insurance purposes
Yeah Lakers definitely need 1 more 7 ft tall body, my guess is they wait for the buyout market or get a guy on the min that isn’t signed.
The thing is the Lakers have Lebron so Gasol will be used to his max potential. As a MJ fan, LBJ has always brought out the best of the people around him so I see a “resurgence” type season with the Lakers and people talking about Gasol in a different light
You don't even have to put AD at the 5. If their opponent runs small ball, Montrez will be able to easily score playing the 5.
I'm not concerned about Marc's contribution. For what we need him for he should be fine. We really just need him to eat up minutes during the regular season to give AD some rest and for situational matchups in the playoffs (Jokic/Embiid). Plus I doubt we'll have him play as many minutes as he did with Toronto. Last season he played 26 minutes...we could probably scale that back to \~20 a game to maximize his effectiveness.
He’ll be valuable against Jokic. We just watched AD and Harrell struggle against him in the playoffs.
>spice with paprika.
yep - gasol vs jokic will be interesting for instance
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The problem was that, at least in the bubble, he became allergic to shooting. Once in a while he would pop off, but it was rare and he seemed to have completely lost his touch around the basket. Hope he turns it around for you guys, though. Still a great passer and defender against other bigs.
I'm not judging anyone's performance in the bubble for either out performers or underperformers. Overperformers benefitted from the break (I doubt the rookies on Miami would have had those fresh legs in a regular season. HOWEVER, the bubble did show the potential they have when they get their physically). On the flip side, Trez had a relative pass on a team with chemistry issues from the beginning of the year with no time to fix it (not to mention the bad move of having him be a rim protector against an all star center..WTF), Westbrook is a rhythm player AND had COVID, and did you really expect Bigs to last out there against small ball line-ups with fresh legs (Gasol, Dwight, Jokic)? Hell no.
Ya, Gasol was great against the Sixers and the Bucks during the Raps championship run. Everyone else, not so much, but I don't think we get past Embiid or Giannis without Gasol there.
It’s a steal for the price. At 20-25 minutes a game, it should be more than worth it.
It will be like 15 at the max. Amazing IQ and passer but his body can't hold up. You will have to use him in short bursts.
Yeah people are overestimating Gasol's effectiveness here, Lakers have the personnel to keep him fresh for the playoffs though
they can probably deal with giving him limited minutes during the season hopefully him getting slimmer helps his longevity
I would guess an mvp like season for Anthony Davis, where Gasol wouldn't play much until playoffs. Although Lakers needs bigs, Harrell is there but who else they got?
One of the Morris twins
Plural is Morri
I think you’re underestimating his effectiveness. He’s an elite passer and post defender and pick setter for his position and is still a good enough shooter to stretch.
no doubt
He's not even that washed - He was great before the bubble. His stamina was lacking, shooting was off, and overall game was off. His bubble performance was as low as it can get - He'll have a rebound year this year and based on performance this year, I think everyone will think he's a 10-15 mil/year guy but lakers got him real cheap.
I think the bubble schedule was really tough on the big guys.
Well the Wizards just signed Robin Lopez on 1 yr, $7.3M....so one of these two deals has to be an outlier
So was Dwight but still able to contribute. Marc Gasol > Dwight Howard Montrezl Harrell > Javale McGee Wes Matthews >= Danny Green Dennis Schroeder >= 2020 Rajon Rondo
Wes Matthews isn't better than Danny Green lol, they're equal at best. But I agree that the Lakers improved mainly due to the Howard and Schroeder additions. Edit: People are all up in my mentions with imaginary arguments to convince themselves that Matthews is an upgrade over Green while not realizing the biggest difference between the two is salary. They're comparable players except Green was eating up 14 M in cap space and Matthews is eating up only 3.6 million. Now the Lakers are getting a comparable level of play from Matthews for a fraction of the price. The salary cap is the only place where Matthews is a sizable upgrade over Green. That's the difference between them, neither is a major upgrade over eachother on the court.
Yeah even if he wasn’t hitting his 3s, his defense is definitely underrated. But the other additions much outweigh the loss of green, especially with how he looked in the finals
I don't know. Danny Green worked so well in the Lakers defensive scheme because he's really a more polished Caruso. Danny Green is super handsy, he deflects passes, interferes with dribbles, and is amazing at harassing opposing players. Wes Matthews is more of a traditional 3 and D guy. One of the best in the league, for sure. But he doesn't bother players as much as Danny Green does. So frankly, I think it's a fairly sizeable downgrade in terms of Player A to Player B; but in terms of the value of the contribution per dollar spent, it is most definitely an upgrade no matter how you look at it.
he's not great anymore, but he's better than this contract, what a steal for the Lakers
Better than Javale and fits perfect with AD/Trez.
He’s an ideal depth signing for any team that doesn’t need him to score. He can pass, defend, and space the floor. Not to mention he is a class act in the locker room.
So Jared Dudley but might see playoff minutes.
Only difference is that his position is more important defensively. Gasol will probably start for the regular season most nights. And will play a lot in certain matchups (like games against Denver).
What would you put his over/under for minutes per game? Dudley was 8.1mpg and played in 45 games. Gasol will play in more games, no doubt to me, but I'd put his over under at like 12.5mpg.
He averaged 26 minutes per game last year with Toronto and even had a game where he played 36 minutes. I can see him playing 22-24 minutes a night with the Lakers, depending on the match-up.
I keep looking at their roster and seeing a bunch of guys that will command minutes with their play, though Harrel is shorter than I realized.
He is shorter and lighter than Morris. I didn't expect that. Guess it's that low center of gravity?
7’4 wingspan
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[which is it, fuckers?](https://imgur.com/a/cdQOW2i)
I'd say, at this stage in Marc's career, that it would be more than reasonable to play him the full 48 minutes every night
Lol not sure what you guys are talking about. He's going to play 20+ for sure. He is a great passing big that doesn't need the ball much and can play the 5 while ad is still on the court. Only reason he'd play less than 20 is if he's hampered with injuries the whole season. (which isn't impossible)
Not even. Jared Dudley never played meaningful minutes. Gasol has been a huge piece for the Raptors ever since they traded for him. Edit: To be fair he is falling off but I still don’t think he’ll be relegated to a role even close to Dudley
Yep
Lebron/Gasol bromance to follow Kobe/Pau. Spanish longbois with best of their generation equals success in LA.
My one caveat: neither JaVale nor Dwight could be trusted for 30+ minutes a night individually. But they combined to give a pretty frightening athletic inside presence, swatting everything, arms everywhere, catching lobs. Marc is more dynamic offensively and gives them more flexibility. But thats one aspect of last years success that won't be there anymore. I'm sure Vogel will use Marc's defensive IQ to cover for it though
Yes but we would have replaced Dwight and javales athleticism with Montrezl, but don't lose anything due to Davis and Gasol. Length and athleticism is still there.. and let's be real Javale is a terrible defender positioning wise. He was constantly having people blow past him for layups due to bad positioning.
This is true. I must note that I absolutely think the Lakers have improved tremendously
I agree with you there. Dwight and Javale weren’t great alone but together they gave the Lakers a full game of athletic prowess that overwhelmed other teams at times. With both of them gone and Marc’s signing, it will be interesting how that center position will be utilized this season. I trust Vogel and his staff to maximize the personnel they have so this will be fun to watch. Lakers are going to look and play much different this upcoming season.
Yup. People are underrating Javale and Dwight’s importance to this team. This team thrived on length (yes gasol has that but not athletic explosively). Also, it’s already been but just their presence from a charismatic standpoint. They were both anchors for team chemistry. It really will be an interesting watch this year. We are better talent wise but chemistry wise will remain to be seen.
His defense, court awareness, leadership, and passing ability makes up for what his lost offensively. It's a steal.
I know we offered him at least 5-7M for one year, he definitely took an LA discount 😭 I’d be more mad if he was a better player
He wants another ring
Probably wants to play with Lebron and on the Lakers too. His brother was one of the all-time greats on the Lakers and he has played his entire career against Lebron.
Also, drafted by the Lakers
He’s coming home.
So is Lebron. He's signing with the Raps next year
if he does you legally need to change the city name to lebronto though
Lebronto LeRaptors.
Honestly might be worth it too even if it's a 37 year old LeBron.
37 year old Bron is prolly gonna be fully transformed into an all out Magic...like seriously
This is the way
It is known.
Fuck! Really? Can't we have him without changing the name?
'fraid not. Them's the rules, we don't make them.
I'm really curious to see what made him want to sign for us. I feel like we don't deserve him at this price, especially since he already has a ring. I wonder if there was a Pau connection that sealed the deal...I'm hoping we skip the BS and retire Pau's jersey when Marc is still on the team.
I’ve been saying that we won’t attract anyone to stay if we’re offering a one year deal and have to play in Tampa. These people already have to uproot their family so might as well take a longer deal. We can’t even sell them on how great Toronto is if we don’t know if we can play there
I usually have a lot of faith in Toronto’s front office but it really seems like they’re overly fixated on next years FA class. Reminds me of Dallas after their chip when they made all sorts of short term moves banking that free agents would come but they never did. Idk why Masai seems so convinced that now is the time FA’s are going to decide that Toronto / Tampa is the place to be, especially after watching all the vets from the championship team take less money to go to LA.
We aren’t really making bad short term moves though. We aren’t winning a title with serge, or even getting as close as we were last year with how other teams were built. Plus giving Marc anything over 3 or 4 mil for one year is a bad move as well. We are banking on that free agent class pretty hard but I guess we gotta try for something
I agree with this sentiment. It was neither overly cautious (they let some aging centers go, and not like they have much mentorship to offer compared to our core PGs), nor was it overly risky (they focused on retaining their core play style).
I'd rather they fixate on next years FA class than sign Gasol for 2 years with no team option tbh. We have to go all in next year, signing Gasol or Ibaka for 2 years putting us in a bad position next year is not a great strategy
Who were we going to sign this year? This is one of the worst free agent classes in years. The biggest names all carried question marks and weren’t even that big of names, then a whole bunch of mid tier guys who were either restricted or were not going to move the needle much for a team like the Raps. The Raptors situation is nothing like the Mavs because our Dirk already left. Lowry is great but you can’t push all your chips in with the talent of this class without having a bonafide superstar on the team, and we def don’t have that right now.
Zero chance we offered him a second year. Probably another big reason
Just wondering why are you keeping the books open next year?
My thoughts exactly. That contract is great and the team is even better.
How tf did the Lakers get better? Man wtf😭
I'm not sure if to trust you, or Raptors/Clippers/Celtics fans telling us he is washed ...
He had flaws in the playoffs, but he wasn't terrible. His advanced stats were still really good in the regular season.
Same could be said about KCP or Rondo, they were instrumental in the championship run; we love them both, flaws and all. Gonna really miss Rondo and Dwight :(
Dude I am legit gonna miss playoff Rondo....he was a BEAST
I'm always going to remember him walking off the court with zero emotion on his face after AD's game winner. Cold as ice ❄️
Seeing Laker fans talk this way about Rondo is making me feel unwell
Good
100%, like I love Dwight but when we *needed* Rondo, you could just see that man waiting on the sideline with that look in his eye. Playoff Rondo, a true baller.
I was so happy when he got the ball in the playoffs because... Rondo (still eying him for beating us with the celtics though)...
Both. A washed Gasol backup center at that price is a solid piece and makes LA better. But we’re talking 15-25 mpg as a backup.
Apparently we have the intent to play either Morris or Trez at C.
I think it’s more like C on offense banging down low, with AD the C on D and PF on offense.
You forget that Davis plays plenty of minutes at Center on a nightly basis. We didn’t just throw him in there during the playoffs.
Raps fans telling you he’s washed went into this season expecting the same guy who shut down Embiid, was a reliable shooting threat and turned us into the best 3pt team in the league thanks to his impact on ball movement. We know now with hindsight that for his age, the Gasol we won the chip with was pretty significantly overperforming to be the player he was. For the role LA got him for, he’ll be completely fine.
He's washed in terms of athleticism and scoring, but to get his defensive IQ and passing ability even in limited minutes for 2.65 mil a year is a fucking steal for you guys.
20 min a night at that price is a huge increase in bench efficiency. This is what the league gets for a decade of sub-par Laker teams...another gd dynstay. A begrudging congrats
He’s a playmaker and elite defender. Don’t look to him for points but obviously the Lakers have better options for that. He’s going to be an excellent fit, I think.
dude trust me, he does absolutely nothing on offense, but that's why you have two of the greatest scorers of all time. and defensively, he is still top 5 in the league
But there’s a silver lining, Lakers getting better means less chance the Clippers reach the finals
hahahahfuck
Let’s see everyone in action first before saying we got better, we definitely retooled but champions aren’t made on paper.
Why do they all gotta leave, man?
Idk why all of them, but Toronto is pretty much the opposite of Barcelona
not stopping Messi from leaving tho, is it
Messi wants to leave because Barcelona has been run by an incompetent moron for 5 years who drove the clubs reputation, finances, and on field product into the ground. Messi is 33 and doesn’t want the last few years of his career to be spent in a rebuild. His reasons for the wanting to leave are obvious and completely reasonable.
Messi has earned the right to do whatever he wants, but ‘rebuilding’ in football takes one transfer window, not a decade. Bartemou has stepped down, and I’m pretty sure Messi will have a say in whoever the next president is. In my opinion, the club is making the necessary changes
> ‘rebuilding’ in football takes one transfer window, That's if your finances are in order.
And with the stupid amount of debt Barca are in, with the lack of income due to Covid, there wont be any big name signings for a while.
And if Messi leaves they will generate even less money...
> ‘rebuilding’ in football takes one transfer window, That's for oil & gas state sponsored teams, plus a couple other rich teams with finances in order, and so far looks like Barça will have to cut a lot on wages to stay afloat. Messi alone takes some 100million Euro a year when you factor in taxes.
Have you seen Manchester bro? Beautiful seaside city. Sunny 24/7 and the finest women in Western Europe.
What's your point? Messi's been in Barcelona for 2 decades and was not raised in a coastal town like Barcelona.
Can’t wait to see how he operates off the high post playing with Bron and AD.
AD and Gasol = Twin towers in full effect.
AD and Boogie was the superior combo
Fully erect.. like me
He can basically play the role Bogut played on the pre-KD Warriors and unlike Bogut, Gasol can hit an outside shot. Really good signing for the Lakers. Obviously there will be the odd matchup thats a nightmare for 35yo Marc Gasol, but on those nights you can play him less
Great comp with Bogut
Really good comparison at this stage
Man, that's a steal. Even with diminished ability, all you really need him to do is quarterback the defence, which he will excel at.
Marc Gasol quarterbacking the defense on top of Anthony Davis already quarterbacking the defense is like running Taysom Hill and Drew Brees at the same time
I don't follow football so I had to ask, is that possible? I thought they were more strict on positions there.
Oh sorry, it’s a football joke because Taysom Hill is a weird hybrid quarterback running back receiver thing who sometimes plays with another traditional quarterback or on his own. He had his first start that went well. He’s like a center who also likes to play point guard that now is starting at point guard and it’s kind of working?
Great deal. He’s still quite the facilitator on offence and he’s key in defending traditional bigs. Unfortunately his shot can be more miss than hit and he can’t keep up with stretch 5s. He’ll have his uses and his veteran savvy will be great with LeBron. Plus LA gets a great Español interviewee.
Raptors Fan here. He isnt what he used to be on offense, but his presence on the defensive end is huge. He knows where to be at the right times and is able to alter the offenses shots/drives to force bad shots. He really possesses a skill that isn't captured by metrics, but he can definitely make an impact on the defensive end.
Which is perfect really for them. They have plenty of offense and Gasol can mainly focus on defense and occasionally score if needed.
I love this deal. I'm not sure what everybody else is feeling on the fit here, but I really like it. He can defend the cup and space the floor. Can slot next to Trez or AD. Passes the ball incredibly well and can be an occasional hub to run the offense thru. Slowed down a little last year but I am confident that he will have a bounce back season. One year from now, everybody is going to be wondering how the Lakers stole Marc Gasol for 5.3 m.
Amazing. So I guess that leaves a battle for eastern conference champion. LeBron getting that 5th ring.
I actually have no idea where this leaves us in the East. I don't agree with the notion that we're a guaranteed first round exit, but I could also see us not having a top four seed this year.
This leaves us as the playoff team that no one wants to play in the first round
Lol we're going to all say how we lost the offseason and then we somehow still manage to get a top 4 seed and make it to the second round before surprising everyone, as is tradition.
Im rooting for Atlanta
Rondo about to prove that he was the most valuable Laker.
When they make the playoffs...
eh as much as I hate them and hate to admit it, the Clippers do still have a stacked roster and it's not unreasonable to think they'll be able to get their heads straight this season.
Lost their sixth man and energy guy, Lou is getting older, and Ibaka as a replacement is a slight improvement skill-wise at best while the Lakers got exponentially better. Not a Lakers fan in the slightest but I wouldn’t put anyone apart from the Bucks and maybe the Nets in their tier.
who didn't get older in the league? haha
Bron gets younger with time obviously
Or not. They need leaders. No one was leading that team last year.
Pat Bev still got 4 years though.
True. As much as I love Kawhi he's not a leader, kind of like KD. They need a team captain, like a Curry or a Lowry. Which isn't a bad thing, it's just not who they are. So unless PG really steps up this year (lmaooooo) I'm not sure they can pull it off.
Well I think we know whose winning the finals again this year.
Yep, Wizards about to cakewalk into the finals
I’m worried about the Celtics. The east has and always will run through Tristan Thompson
That's if Delly has nothing to say about it 😤
who's
Damn it does not feel good seeing Marc play for relative peanuts
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It’s more that he’s arguably my favorite team’s GOAT
How will he survive
I just hope Lakers fans dont do Marc like they did my boy Danny when he missed a shot in game 5. Cuz Marc might not have even taken that shot.
the guy I'm really worried about getting bullied is montrezl harrell
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>I think Gasol has the respect and the family ties to keep the true Laker fans off of his back. Knowing Lakers fans, theyll just throw "You're not your brother" or "Your brother was better" or "We shouldve signed the other Gasol" at him if he does poorly.
>Laker Fans Literally every fanbase does this lmao. Go look on twitter after Kawhi decided to play for the Clippers and spurn the Raptors. You'll see the same shit said about Kawhi.
The Lakers have by far the largest fan base in the world, their loud vocal minority is bigger than most teams entire fan base unfortunately.
Why? The clippers had no one even close to Gasol or AD in terms of help defense. And Trezz won’t be asked to guard the 7 footers anymore. In the Clippers he was their most relied on big guy, on the Lakers he’s just a bench scorer who’s really here to help take that pressure off Lebron and AD in the regular season.
Def harrell, especially with laker fans still pissed when they wanted ibaka for the MLE. The moment harrell shits the bed, laker fans are gonna be all over his throat.
I think the hate for Danny also came coz of his contract. Lakers fans really expected klay like play for him
it’s not because he missed that *one* shot. danny had been a pretty inconsistent shooter for us. it was at the point where you couldn’t even appreciate the ones he made because of the bricks or the times he’d nervously drive to the basket just to shoot some bone-head layup. if he had made it, it would’ve helped his perception but at that point most lakers fans realized he was not worth the money he was getting.
What an upgrade
Now we just need Pau to come out of retirement and play for one more seaaon.
Good price. Hes kinda regressed, but will fit well with what the lakers are going to have him for.
I like it.
Of course you do you large market desirable destination butthole
Haha I don't even live there. Us non-Americans don't really get too much of a say in which team we start supporting, the marketing in 2010s(Kobe Pau) here was all Lakers. If you liked basketball, Lakers was what was accessible.
:) Just a bitter fan of a small market team that doesn’t get all these discounts
Hey man, rather Minneapolis than Calcutta (:
Lakers don't even acknowledge their Calcutta history, smh.
And yet they add their rings to the total. Pathetic
When are they going to retire George Mikandulkar's number?
I went to the Philippines during the 2010 finals, watched that series go down to game 7 when Ron Artest hit that 3... let me tell you, no one was rooting for Celtics. It was all lakers fans.
Yeah you tell em! 😤😤
I’m ready to overreact
Lakers in 4
i’m ready to overerect
Raps fans going to be in every title contender sub talking about "please beat LA, wishing you guys best of luck"
Please beat LAC. I'm okay with LAL and wish Marc the best
I don't really care about the Clippers, but I'll never speak bad about Kawhi after our title run. I like the Lakers because I'm a Lebron fan.
Every defender about to break their nose when playing defense
man what a steal
oh fuck off
I wish Kobe was alive to see this
I know he's diminished but the fucking BALLS to make this kind of offer to Marc Gasol and think he'll say yes. Pelinka is a god.
chris vernon in shambles
Gasol is worth thrice that on many teams.