<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Pau Gasol's trade to the Los Angeles Lakers is causing quite a sensation in the centre's native country. "Gasol conquers Hollywood," Barcelona daily La Vanguardia wrote in Thursday's edition. And El Mundo Deportivo devoted five pages to Gasol's performance Tuesday in a 122-93 win over the Atlanta Hawks. On Wednesday, Gasol scored 29 points in a 130-124 win over Phoenix - overshadowing Shaquille O'Neal's debut for the Suns. "It is absolute happiness. I am happy, very happy and very comfortable, very much enjoying it, with a lot of hope and confidence that everything is going to work out," Gasol said in a recent interview with Spanish sports daily Marca. "I'm happy. I love being a Laker." Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was just as enthusiastic. "Getting Pau was an incredible acquisition for us. He perfectly embodies our style of play and this franchise," Abdul-Jabbar told Marca. "He's a threat wherever he is on the court. We needed somebody like him who could rebound, score, defend and provide smart passes. He's the perfect complement to Kobe (Bryant)." Gasol is one of Spain's biggest sports figures, with every move and achievement noted with pride by the Spanish press. Three-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal and two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso are the only other athletes who share such a cult-like status among the national press, which can often be divided by regional differences. El Corte Ingles, Spain's biggest department store, was awaiting a batch of Gasol's No. 16 yellow-and-purple Lakers jersey, but some eager fans have already been buying the shirt on the Internet. Even Gasol's teammates from the Spanish national team were in awe of the seven-foot centre's easy transition to the Lakers. "Pau played as if it was nothing. The weight of importance of the night (of his home debut against Atlanta) didn't affect him, neither did the tension," Toronto Raptors forward Jorge Garbajosa said. "He has transmitted this same feeling since becoming a Laker, that he landed in the right place at the perfect moment." With the Lakers sharing the Pacific division lead with the Suns, Abdul-Jabbar said the rest of the NBA is just getting a taste of what awaits the new-look Lakers. "When (Andrew) Bynum recuperates, the Pau-Bynum pair is going to be really difficult to defend," Abdul-Jabbar said. "We now have the class of team we need, with good equilibrium in all aspects and Pau will help us fight for a ring." He also vowed to work with Pau. "Definitely," Abdul-Jabbar said when asked about helping Gasol develop a sky hook. "I would love to. I'm here to help him." Gasol joined the Lakers after a tough period in Memphis, where another losing season had left the club's franchise player frustrated and unmotivated. "I think that the next four or five years we can do great things," Gasol said. "I feel very fortunate."</div> http://canadianpress.google.com/article/AL...oQtK1MYAGYdqbig What if Bynum AND Gasol master the skyhook? WTF??
