Is Gasol a product of Kobe?

[The Gr8 Debate]

Gasol was already a top player he was not talked about because he was in memphis, but he lead some good, not great teams to 50 win seasons but i feel playing on the lakers with kobe has helped he mentally and that's a underrated
attribute playing against kg tim duncan scola dwight in those series made him grow also he had to toughen up same as dirk had to

[gpfanz]

They compliment each other perfectly.. Gasol can dominate games without THE BALL and Kobe needs the ball to dominate.. Marriage made in Jerry West's office.. LOL.... Let me remind everyone that the Lakers without KOBE AND BYNUM were great with Gasol running the show....

Due to Gasol's high basketball IQ..

[Allstar24]

Pau is not a product of Kobe but he has benefited tremendously by playing with an all-time great player. People thought his stats would go down playing with a "ballhog" like Kobe but it's been the opposite. Pau wasn't known for being a winner until coming to LA...playing with Kobe and the Lakers under this system has helped him elevate his game and go from being a good player to a great one.

[amfirst]

I don't know about product, but who ever joins the Lakers has elevated their game. Kobe draws so much attention that it leave a lot of guys open.

Defense are built around stopping Kobe, so when someone besides Kobe steps up they don't know what to do.

[Disaprine]

Both.

Mostly they're a perfect complement for each other but I think Gasol does benefit from the constant pressure defenses have to put on Kobe.

pretty much this

[wang4three]

Yes. I'm not a Kobe fanboy, but Gasol's work pre-Kobe was unimpressive. Now people think he's the best big in the game.. Yeah, he's not.

[bsyde82]

probably not so much in terms of his game, but definitely so in terms of his toughness and aggressiveness.

[catch24]

A mix with Kobe/Lakers system. Sh*t, look at Ariza last year and now...

[Thom.Yorke]

Gasol is a product of the lakers.... Lakers actually develop players, I'm sure he's worked with kareem and other trainers to elevate his game...


2008 Gasol was good but not great.
2009 & 2010 Gasol was great and he is a legit top 3 "big men"

Duncan KG Dirk Dwight are all elite, people just like certain players and their game/style.

[ginobli2311]

[COLOR=Teal]In terms of production? Slightly. In terms of winning? Neither won anything on his own. In terms of skills? No.[/COLOR]

This.

Gasol's efficiency increased because he went from a bad team without another big to a great team with another big.
Gasol was already an elite player in memphis. nobody know because he didn't have the chance to win in the playoffs.

[Showtime]

He's the exact same player he was in Memphis, only he's the #2 instead of the primary guy. Kobe didn't make him an all star. He didn't make him a top international player. He didn't make him a great passer, or post player, or skilled. Gasol is showcasing his talent on a bigger stage, and only people who never saw him think Kobe made him. Pau is in a good situation and was a perfect fit because of the type of player he was.

[ginobli2311]

A mix with Kobe/Lakers system. Sh*t, look at Ariza last year and now...

in the 07 season for orlando ariza averaged:

9 points 4.4 boards 1 assist on 54% from the field in 22 minutes per game

in the 09 season for the lakers ariza averaged:

9 points 4.3 rebounds 1.8 assists on 46% from the field in 24 minutes per game


i hardly think we can credit the lakers or kobe for anything with ariza.

[KobeDaMamba]

in the 07 season for orlando ariza averaged:

9 points 4.4 boards 1 assist on 54% from the field in 22 minutes per game

in the 09 season for the lakers ariza averaged:

9 points 4.3 rebounds 1.8 assists on 46% from the field in 24 minutes per game


i hardly think we can credit the lakers or kobe for anything with ariza.

Mind mentioning his playoff stats from last year and how money he was from deep? Ariza's 3 pt shooting was instrumental to our success last year. Lots of looks came from the attention Kobe drew and Ariza did his job. His perimeter defense was solid too. His heart, hustle and effort was never questioned either. There's no question Ariza benefitted from the Lakers' system and the attention Mamba drew. This was evident in the playoffs. We all saw how he did with H-Town this year. 39% from the field isn't getting it done. He was inefficient because he cant create his own shot. And that's what they wanted him to do.

[TROLL_HUNTER]

He's the exact same player he was in Memphis, only he's the #2 instead of the primary guy. Kobe didn't make him an all star. He didn't make him a top international player. He didn't make him a great passer, or post player, or skilled. Gasol is showcasing his talent on a bigger stage, and only people who never saw him think Kobe made him. Pau is in a good situation and was a perfect fit because of the type of player he was.

95% this.

the remaining 5% is him being more aggressive than he was in Memphis. That is the product of playing for a winning team instead of a constant loser back in Memphis.

[Fatal9]

Just look at Gasol's dramatic rise right after the trade. This is while he was still learning and getting comfortable with the triangle...

before trade with Memphis: 18.9 ppg on 50.1% (39 games)
after trade to LA: 18.8 ppg on 58.9% (27 games)