Better all-time Lakers PF, Worthy or Gasol?

[Rocketswin2013]

Kobe fans are so insecure.


Somehow, Worthy not being better than Gasol is trolling. And I bet you idiots think it links up with Lebron.

[Round Mound]

[B]Worthy was probably the Best 1 on 1 Base Line Forward Player in his Time (80s). The Dude Had The Quickest Feet 1 on 1 For a 6

[HOoopCityJones]

Kobe fans are so insecure.


Somehow, Worthy not being better than Gasol is trolling. And I bet you idiots think it links up with Lebron.

Time to change your User name bro.

[Rocketswin2013]

[QUOTE=Round Mound][B]Worthy was probably the Best 1 on 1 Base Line Forward Player in his Time (80s). The Dude Had The Quickest Feet 1 on 1 For a 6

[JellyBean]

Really? James Worthy without a doubt.

[Replay32]

Big Game James without a doubt.

Worthy was a small forward.

1 star thread

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Every player is good and does things well. What does bringing those things up matter if the production wasn't on par(with Gasol's)?

Huh?

Gasol's peak was what? 20.4/8.9/4.6 on .503 for a 49 win team? Or 18.3/11.3/3.4 on .536 for 57 win championship team? As a PF/C, mind you. #1 option in Memphis, #2 on that Lakers squad.

Career: 18.3/9.2/3.3/0.5 spg/1.6 bpg on .515 career shooting. .750 from the line.

Prime (02-11): 18.8/9.1/3.2/0.5 spg/1.7 bpg on .522


Worthy's peak was probably 20/5.2/2.7 (in 32.7 mpg) on .579 for a 62 win team or perhaps 21.1/6.0/3.6 on .548 for a 63 win team. He took 2nd most shots on the former and had moved to the #1 in the latter.

Career: 17.6/5.1/3.0/1.1 spg/0.7 bpg on .521 career shooting. .769 from the line.

Prime (85-92): 19.9/5.6/3.3/1.2 spg/0.7 bpg on .532


Numbers aren't all that different. Gasol has a noticeably higher rebound average, but that's because he was playing PF/C on those teams and Worthy was on the wing. Difficult to compare different positions by numbers anyway.

Worthy is tough to evaluate because during his peak, he was a 2nd/3rd option behind two top 10 players. Obviously his numbers are going to take a hit in that sense, and a slight bump in other areas because he's surrounded by so much talent. FG% most likely, running the break next to Magic.

So it's impossible to say if he was a great player, playing a smaller role, on a great team or a very good player playing an appropriate sized role for his talent.

You point to the numbers and his teammates, and it's completely plausible to say the talent helped more than hurt him. Same reason LeBron's efficiency is better in Miami than Cleveland. But then people can point to the playoffs where Worthy was forced into a larger scoring role and he continued to flourish even more than he did in the regular season. Naturally the 88 Finals comes to mind where he won FMVP, but check his other years and he always elevated his play while keeping the same (or even better) efficient numbers. It's a safe bet that his role on those Showtime Lakers could have been bigger if they needed it to be, and he would have done just fine. Put it this way: at times he could go head-to-head with Peak Bird in the Finals and match the play. Now Bird is clearly the much better player. Just saying Worthy could, and did, raise the level of his play that high during his peak. We also don't know if he could sustain that for an entire season. The talent was there, though.


Cliff notes: I believe you are vastly underrated Worthy or overrated Gasol. Gasol certainly doesn't "trounces him".

[La Frescobaldi]

Kobe fans are so insecure.


Somehow, Worthy not being better than Gasol is trolling. And I bet you idiots think it links up with Lebron.

If it's not trolling then you need to watch about 50 full games of Worthy and then after you've done all your FREAKING homework, go straight to the chalkboard and start writing as follows:

"I will not talk in class."
"I will not talk in class."
"I will not talk in class."
"I will not talk in class."
"I will not talk in class."
"I will not talk in class ever again."

[bballnoob1192]

what have i been tricked my entire life into think worthy played PF.........?

[lakers_forever]

I should have clarified guys, if I was picking a #1 Laker team all-time I lock Baylor at SF, so I guess my question is if you had to pick the #1 PF all-time, with the SF spot already tied up, would you pick Worthy or Gasol? IMO though Worthy was a fantastic SF, Baylor was a better SF and Worthy actually played great at the #4 spot anyways so it's between him and Gasol there for me

Why Gasol or Worthy? In a franchise with Kareem, Wilt and Shaq, you put one of those at PF. Worthy is not a PF and Gasol is not good enough to start ahead of Shaq or Wilt.
BTW, I'd start West (no Baylor) with Kobe at the 3, for what they both have meant to the franchise. Magic is the PG of course.

[gts]

Worthy BUT It's not as large a gap as some are making it out to be, when it comes to skills two different skill sets and styles of play but both very capable players

Seeing the explanation for the OP is he's making an all time Lakers team then for an all time list it's clearly Worthy because he's the better player and he was a laker from start to finish

[Micku]

Why Gasol or Worthy? In a franchise with Kareem, Wilt and Shaq, you put one of those at PF. Worthy is not a PF and Gasol is not good enough to start ahead of Shaq or Wilt.
BTW, I'd start West (no Baylor) with Kobe at the 3, for what they both have meant to the franchise. Magic is the PG of course.

Worthy played PF in 84. He played some PF in late games sometimes as well. He mainly played SF tho.

I can understand why someone would want Gasol as a PF over Worthy depending on what type of skills you're looking for. Gasol is more of a PF/C role while Worthy is a SF/PF.

In terms of scoring tho, Worthy is better imo. He was much more versatile in the post, and one of the best open court players and finishers. And he was clutch. I think he was better defensively one on one since he gave Bird some trouble, who also played PF in the early 80s.

[Rocketswin2013]

Huh?

Gasol's peak was what? 20.4/8.9/4.6 on .503 for a 49 win team? Or 18.3/11.3/3.4 on .536 for 57 win championship team? As a PF/C, mind you. #1 option in Memphis, #2 on that Lakers squad.

Career: 18.3/9.2/3.3/0.5 spg/1.6 bpg on .515 career shooting. .750 from the line.

Prime (02-11): 18.8/9.1/3.2/0.5 spg/1.7 bpg on .522


Worthy's peak was probably 20/5.2/2.7 (in 32.7 mpg) on .579 for a 62 win team or perhaps 21.1/6.0/3.6 on .548 for a 63 win team. He took 2nd most shots on the former and had moved to the #1 in the latter.

Career: 17.6/5.1/3.0/1.1 spg/0.7 bpg on .521 career shooting. .769 from the line.

Prime (85-92): 19.9/5.6/3.3/1.2 spg/0.7 bpg on .532


Numbers aren't all that different. Gasol has a noticeably higher rebound average, but that's because he was playing PF/C on those teams and Worthy was on the wing. Difficult to compare different positions by numbers anyway.

Worthy is tough to evaluate because during his peak, he was a 2nd/3rd option behind two top 10 players. Obviously his numbers are going to take a hit in that sense, and a slight bump in other areas because he's surrounded by so much talent. FG% most likely, running the break next to Magic.

So it's impossible to say if he was a great player, playing a smaller role, on a great team or a very good player playing an appropriate sized role for his talent.

You point to the numbers and his teammates, and it's completely plausible to say the talent helped more than hurt him. Same reason LeBron's efficiency is better in Miami than Cleveland. But then people can point to the playoffs where Worthy was forced into a larger scoring role and he continued to flourish even more than he did in the regular season. Naturally the 88 Finals comes to mind where he won FMVP, but check his other years and he always elevated his play while keeping the same (or even better) efficient numbers. It's a safe bet that his role on those Showtime Lakers could have been bigger if they needed it to be, and he would have done just fine. Put it this way: at times he could go head-to-head with Peak Bird in the Finals and match the play. Now Bird is clearly the much better player. Just saying Worthy could, and did, raise the level of his play that high during his peak. We also don't know if he could sustain that for an entire season. The talent was there, though.


Cliff notes: I believe you are vastly underrated Worthy or overrated Gasol. Gasol certainly doesn't "trounces him".

SO boiled down Gasol is the better rebounder, defender and equal passer, with the same championship pedigree and on top of this, pretty much equal with him scoring wise.

Rim protection and being a good defensive player as a BIG MAN included, and it's not close defensively compared to worthy who played like a wing defensively.

Gasol > Worthy

[wakencdukest]

Gasol was better.

You obviously haven't seen Worthy play. All star for 7 years straight as 3rd option in LA. As a small forward played bigger inside than Gasol. There wasn't many power forwards in the league that could stop Worthy. I love Gasol, but he'd get torched by Worthy.

[Rocketswin2013]

You obviously haven't seen Worthy play. All star for 7 years straight as 3rd option in LA. As a small forward played bigger inside than Gasol. There wasn't many power forwards in the league that could stop Worthy. I love Gasol, but he'd get torched by Worthy.

And I'm pretty sure Gasol could back the little SF down and shoot over him all day. Also rebound over him too.