http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-44-74/Pau-Gasol--Worldbeater.html Hell no!!!!! Just because he is beating up on a bunch of non-NBA scrubs, does not punch his ticket to the NBA HoF. Thoughts?
I don't think he should be, at least not just based on what he's done so far. But remember, the basketball hall of fame is not the NBA hall of fame. Plenty of people get in there based on their exploits in other leagues. It is pretty hard to argue that Pau isn't one of the best and most successful players on the FIBA stage. Will be interesting to see if he ends up in it.
Why not just call it the "Hall of Anyone who Played in the NBA"? Seriously, just of current players he'd be about 120 down on my list.
That's a good point. But still. I would say that if the european league would like to honor him. Let them. He probably deserves it there.
I didn't read the article, but... there have been few better international players the last 10 years and last season with the Lakers he posted an Offensive Rating of 126 and had 14.3 Win Shares, both higher than Kobe. He duplicated those numbers in the playoffs, so it wasn't a regular season only thing. 3rd in Offensive rebounds. 5th in True Shooting Percentage. 1st in Offensive Rating. 4th in Total Win Shares. Pau had a pretty special season - in the NBA - not against "non-NBA scrubs". How many players can dominate both the NBA and International styles and rules of play? http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2009.html
Good points. The question (in my mind) is how long he can sustain that level of play. To have a shot at the hall, I would think he has to stay at that level for the next 5-6 seasons.
He led some bad Memphis teams to solid 50 win seasons and playoff appearances. Similar to Garnett. When he finally had a solid supporting cast he went to the finals both times. At 29 he still has time for a number of elite seasons. I think starting this year or next he'll start to get more and recognition as the Laker's best offensive player. I'll be shocked if he doesn't make it to the hall of fame.
Agreed. It's not CRAZY to say that he can make the HoF, but I think it's far too premature to say he deserves it if he retired tomorrow. While it makes sense to count international play, I think that it should be significantly less important than one's NBA career. Ed O.
Wrong on so many levels, Pau is a number 2 option and he'll never be recognized as more in this era of the Lakers. And he didn't lead anyone to multiple 50 win seasons nor are his stats superior to Kobe, he had one 50 win season (his junior year when he was even less of a factor) and got swept three seasons in a row in the post-season. Kobe had a top 5 post-season All-Time according to Win Shares this year, Pau playing against backups with the B-Squad more than Kobe doesn't change anything. I don't want Kobe averaging 10 FTs a game in the regular season in order to pad his numbers at this point of his career. Pau wasn't even up to his normal capability offensively in the last two series. Although I respect him immensely he's not a Hall-of-famer just yet. When Kobe finally got someone better than Kwame Brown, Smush Parker, George/Luke, Brian Cook he went on a deep post-season run. And he carried the Lakers by himself to the Finals that they lost, when Pau and Odom were in a slump.
Then you're out of touch with a reality. He took a "first round and out" Lakers team and got them to the championship in 1.5 seasons. I'm not a fan but you have to respect what he did. If he's not top 120, you're not very objective.
That was his third season. I say it's still pretty damn impressive to lead the Grizz to 50, 45 and 49 wins. I think the Garnett analogy is a good one. And even if it was his rookie season, he was far from a non-factor then: he had a PER of 19.5 in 36 minutes as a 21-year-old international rookie. Guy has been such a consistent player from day 1 in the NBA. Not his fault it took him 6 years and Chris Wallace to get on a good team.
He wasn't even the most productive player on the 50 win team. Way too much being made about PER, but anyway he was consistent but not on the court as much, he had 8.2 win shares that 50 win year and played 31 minutes a game. James Posey had a career year (10+ Win shares), which is why they reached 50, then they traded for Eddie Jones later on. Posey, Battier, Jason Williams, Mike Miller, Bonzi Wells, Eddie Jones looks like a pretty decent core actually, and went 0-12 in the playoffs.
I see. So James Posey was their best player then. Gasol only got the "garbage baskets", eh? I agree though that it was a deep team. That's why he only got to play 31 minutes. Anyway, I'm not sure what we are arguing about... he's a Laker, for all I care.
People seem to think it's the NBA hall of fame. It's not. It's got nothing specifically to do with the NBA. Just like how Negro League players are in the baseball hall of fame without having played in MLB. Gasol is CLOSE to HOF level with what he's done already, but he's not there yet. Sabonis has a better argument for inclusion.
I did not know that. I thought the HoF was just for NBA and United States hoop. Thanks for clarifying! A lot of good points by a lot of posters. But really MARIS? I hate Pau too... but he is a top 120 player. Are there really 119 players that you would pick before him on a team?? Care to create a list for us to see?!
Mr Gasol has achieved the following merits during his basketball career at age 29: -Junior World Championship in 1999 beating USA in the final. -Drafted #3 (2001) -Rookie of the year (2002) -3 allstar games for the West and 2 participations in the Sophomores vs Rookies game. -12.000 career points and I would expect this number to get over 20.000 by the time he retires (he is planning to have a long NBA career). -He is currently World Champion with Spain, he got the MVP award...same with the European championship. He got already 2 European Championship MVP's award and a silver medal in the last Olympic games. -He has been chosen in 2008 and 2009 best European player by the FIBA...not Nowitzki. oh, and I don't see any team beating the Lakers in the Playoffs for the next 3 years unless James and Bosh head for NY; so Id say those 3 rings added to the one he has would make Pau join Kobe in the Hall of Fame
