<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The truth doesn't hurt Pau Gasol. Losing every NBA playoff game he's ever attended is what stings the Grizzlies' franchise player. That said -- plus those recent, brutally honest comments made by the team's newcomers -- Gasol seems convinced that the additions of Damon Stoudamire, Bobby Jackson and Eddie Jones will make him a better player, and help the Griz do more than punch tickets in the postseason. Gasol traveled from his native Spain to Memphis this week to handle personal business. And, yes, Gasol knows all about how Jackson and Stoudamire referred to him during their introductory press conference. Said Stoudamire: "His initials are PG, but I want him to be rated R." Jackson chimed in with "what I've heard is that he doesn't have a lot of heart. If I don't like what I see, I'll say, 'Hey, you can't let guys run over you.'" Gasol already has placed those words into the category labeled leadership -- the constructive, not combustible kind. "Good," Gasol said Thursday when asked his reaction. "They're positive comments. I'm going to have to step up to a higher level and be a little more dominant. I want my teammates to challenge me because I want to be the guy. "Those comments will motivate me because they're constructive. It's much better when you have guys coming in and wanting to make the team better rather than coming in and not caring much. From what I've heard, they want to make things better." Gasol has yet to speak with Jones, Jackson and Stoudamire since they joined the Grizzlies. He did, however, communicate with Grizzlies brass before the team signed Stoudamire to a free-agent contract, traded Bonzi Wells for Jackson and shipped Jason Williams, Andre Emmett and James Posey to Miami for Jones. "I'm very happy with the guys we acquired," Gasol said. "We're going to have a very good squad. I'm not expecting us to take any steps backwards." </div> Source
stoudemire/jackson need to keep their mouths shut.....gasol is the franchise player....if i was him i`d go straight to the gm and say "get rid of them or trade me" you`d never see KG,AI or SHAQ putting up with new players running their mouth about the team leader
Shut up terminator. It's that sort of mentality that gives athletes wuch a bad name. Constructive criticism is great when it is taken on board, and Pau realises this. The reason why KG, AI, and Shaq don't put up with criticism is because they don't receive it. With the exception of Shaq, what has KG and AI actually done to prove they are worthy team leaders? Okay so AI made the finals once, but neither have won a championship yet.
Gasol's smarter than a lot of you think. Before he was drafted into the NBA, he was a med or pre-med student. IMO, Gasol gets a little better every year, adds a few new moves, but of course, he needs to start having a "R" rated game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">stoudemire/jackson need to keep their mouths shut.....gasol is the franchise player....if i was him i`d go straight to the gm and say "get rid of them or trade me" you`d never see KG,AI or SHAQ putting up with new players running their mouth about the team leader</div> Some people never learn... IN any case, I like the move on Jackson and DA's part. They were'nt really insulting him, just trying to motivate him. If Gasol asked for a trade because of those comments, then if I was a GM, I'd want him gone for being such a baby.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting virve119:</div><div class="quote_post">Some people never learn... IN any case, I like the move on Jackson and DA's part. They were'nt really insulting him, just trying to motivate him. If Gasol asked for a trade because of those comments, then if I was a GM, I'd want him gone for being such a baby.</div> I smell a hypocrite. So vince is your favourite player eh virve? This story could have some eery similarities if your right. Star player gets pissed off about something, demands a trade, screws over a team. Since you think gasol would be a baby for demanding a trade (he wouldnt demand one because hes a character guy), i gotta ask: Do you think Vince is a baby for doing that under very similar circumstances?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting bryce40ww:</div><div class="quote_post">I smell a hypocrite. So vince is your favourite player eh virve? This story could have some eery similarities if your right. Star player gets pissed off about something, demands a trade, screws over a team. Since you think gasol would be a baby for demanding a trade (he wouldnt demand one because hes a character guy), i gotta ask: Do you think Vince is a baby for doing that under very similar circumstances?</div> Hey, come on now. That's nothing like this. Damon Stoudamire and Bobby Jackson said they want Pau Gasol to step it up, and Pau Gasol agreed with them. End of story, no drama... sorry kids. Jason Williams has been riding Pau Gasol for years, saying some stuff far more obscene than the things that BJ and Stoudamire said, and Pau signed an extension. So what makes anyone think he'd demand a trade? It's sad that the NBA has come to a point when a player can even do that. Anyway, the part of the story that surprised me was where Gasol said he'd play Center. As long as we get a solid starting Power Forward for Wright and don't have to start Warrick, then I'd love to see that happen. This will be Pau's fifth year in the league. He's a lot bulkier and tougher mentally than he was as a rookie. I can definitely see him going up against the Yao Ming's of the NBA (I'd say Shaq's of the NBA, but let's face it... everyone has problems playing Shaq).
Just to add, Gasol will also skip out on International play this season for the first time in his career. This should give him more energy for the NBA season, and he will focus on strength and conditioning. I'm sure these comments were made jokingly to inspire Gasol to be more aggressive. Jerry West said he wanted to surround his core with classy veterans, which is why the team added BJax, EJ, and Damon. I think the Grizzlies already have a solid starting PF, in Lawrence Roberts. I know he's undersized, but he plays taller than his 6-8 height. He positions himself so well for rebounds and really gets after it. He reminds me a lot of Brian Grant on the glass. Lawrence Roberts is also a decent shotblocker for his size. If he can replicate his summer league performance in the pre-season, I think he could push for the starting spot. I remember reading the Grizzlies were going to move away from the Hubie Brown 12-man rotation this year. I'm curious to see how that plays out. In Atlanta & Cleveland Fratello had a very athletic backcourt, a bruiser at PF, and a center who could extend the defense to clear the lanes. ATL he had Webb-Rivers-Wilkins-Willis-Koncak CLE he had Brandon-Phills-Mills-Hill-Daugherty
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post"> I think the Grizzlies already have a solid starting PF, in Lawrence Roberts. I know he's undersized, but he plays taller than his 6-8 height. He positions himself so well for rebounds and really gets after it. He reminds me a lot of Brian Grant on the glass. Lawrence Roberts is also a decent shotblocker for his size. If he can replicate his summer league performance in the pre-season, I think he could push for the starting spot. </div> Have you lost your mind? There is no way that Lawrence Roberts should start on Memphis. The kid was barely drafted, and now he's going to start on an NBA playoff team? What's next? Robert Whaley starting? Erazem Lorbek? Come on... I don't even know where you begin to get that idea. Sure, he grabbed a lot of rebounds in the Summer League, but the Summer League he played in was weak as hell, and Summer Leagues mean next to nothing even when they're strong. He's not a "decent shotblocker" either. In fact, he practically never goes for the block; he almost always keeps himself in 'rebounding position' on defense. He reminds you of Brian Grant on the glass, but that means nothing to me. I wouldn't start Brian Grant on the Grizzlies unless someone put a gun to my head. We have Pau Gasol, Lorenzen Wright, Brian Cardinal, and Hakim Warrick. Lawrence Roberts should be our LAST option.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I smell a hypocrite. So vince is your favourite player eh virve? This story could have some eery similarities if your right. Star player gets pissed off about something, demands a trade, screws over a team. Since you think gasol would be a baby for demanding a trade (he wouldnt demand one because hes a character guy), i gotta ask: Do you think Vince is a baby for doing that under very similar circumstances?</div> Don't be ridiculous, it is a completely different situation. I wasn't calling him a baby, or even insulting him. I was just replying to Terminator's comments and saying that it would be terrible for him to demand a trade becuase those guys are trying to motivate him. I know that you're insanely biased about VC, but get over yourself and stop trying to drag him into everything, because the situations are not remotely similar (not that Gasol's even asking for a trade in the first place).
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Have you lost your mind? There is no way that Lawrence Roberts should start on Memphis. The kid was barely drafted, and now he's going to start on an NBA playoff team? What's next? Robert Whaley starting? Erazem Lorbek? Come on... I don't even know where you begin to get that idea. Sure, he grabbed a lot of rebounds in the Summer League, but the Summer League he played in was weak as hell, and Summer Leagues mean next to nothing even when they're strong. He's not a "decent shotblocker" either. In fact, he practically never goes for the block; he almost always keeps himself in 'rebounding position' on defense. He reminds you of Brian Grant on the glass, but that means nothing to me. I wouldn't start Brian Grant on the Grizzlies unless someone put a gun to my head. We have Pau Gasol, Lorenzen Wright, Brian Cardinal, and Hakim Warrick. Lawrence Roberts should be our LAST option.</div> Wright should definitely be the starter, but I'm assuming he won't be around next season. As for Lawrence, I have not lost my mind, I said if he can carry his production from the summer league into the pre-season, why not consider him. He was averaging 14PPG, 12RPG, and 2.3BPG and dominated everyone he matched up against. He outplayed Wayne Simien and Ronny Turiaf, soundly, I wouldn't consider them weak competition. If he continues to put up those numbers and dominate his position how could you not consider starting him? The Grizzlies have plenty of fire power on the court already, so Roberts could help the team get second chance opportunities, defend his position, and control the defensive glass. I said he's a decent shot blocker, and that's exactly what he is. He's not going to jump out of the gym and send shots back, but he can get the offensive player off balance and then swat the ball. The Grizzlies have the luxury of starting different players according to who they play against, but I think Roberts is the perfect compliment player for Gasol and the rest of the team.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">Wright should definitely be the starter, but I'm assuming he won't be around next season. As for Lawrence, I have not lost my mind, I said if he can carry his production from the summer league into the pre-season, why not consider him. He was averaging 14PPG, 12RPG, and 2.3BPG and dominated everyone he matched up against. He outplayed Wayne Simien and Ronny Turiaf, soundly, I wouldn't consider them weak competition. If he continues to put up those numbers and dominate his position how could you not consider starting him? The Grizzlies have plenty of fire power on the court already, so Roberts could help the team get second chance opportunities, defend his position, and control the defensive glass. I said he's a decent shot blocker, and that's exactly what he is. He's not going to jump out of the gym and send shots back, but he can get the offensive player off balance and then swat the ball. The Grizzlies have the luxury of starting different players according to who they play against, but I think Roberts is the perfect compliment player for Gasol and the rest of the team.</div> Well, if they're planning on moving Gasol to Center, don't you think that it means they'd be trading Wright for a Power Forward? The only positions they should look to improve at through a trade are Center and Power Forward, and they're supposedly solving the Center problem by putting Gasol there. I hate to kill the suspense, but Lawrence Roberts will not average 14 ppg and 12 rpg in the preseason, and especially not in the regular season. He has a decent summer league game again Wayne Simien and that qualifies him to start for an NBA playoff team? That's a real abstract thought. Roberts can rebound, but other players can do it better. We could have just signed Reggie Evans or someone like him if we were looking for our starting Power Forward to be a defensive role player. You're almost making it sound like Roberts is Ben Wallace on the glass. Lawrence Roberts is a decent shotblocker in the same way that Damon Stoudamire is a decent shotblocker. If the Grizzlies are pushing away from the 10-man rotation like you said in an earlier post, then why do you think they'll be starting different players every night based on the matchups? You think the Grizzlies need a "compliment" player? Our backup Power Forward last year, Brian Cardinal, can be that player. If the Grizzlies move Gasol to Center and don't trade Wright for a Power Forward (which I can't see hapenning), then it will be Cardinal or maybe Warrick who starts in Gasol's place, but I don't even see Roberts in the cards.
