The Lakers welcome Pau Gasol and the Bulls to town on Thursday, which put Kobe Bryant in a nostalgic mood. Bryant made a strong statement when asked about Gasol's Lakers career in a Tuesday morning media session. "I think the city of L.A. didn't really appreciate what he did and what we had," Bryant said of his former teammate, via ESPN.com, "and so as a consequence, everybody kind of fell in line with the [former Lakers coach] Mike D'Antoni rhetoric of small ball and all this other bullshit. For a guy that has two championships to be treated that way, you don't do that, man."' Gasol helped lead the Lakers to two championships and three Finals appearances during his six and a half years in L.A. His arrival provided Bryant with the running mate he lacked following the departure of Shaquille O'Neal to the Heat in 2004. In three years without O'Neal and before the Gasol trade, the Lakers never made it out of the first round of the playoffs. Bryant said it took him less than one game to recognize Gasol's talent. Read more http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2016/1/27/10842648/kobe-bryant-pau-gasol-lakers-fans-appreciate A lot of Bulls fans view him the same way. I do not. He still has game.
Yeah, when I first read the thread title I immediately thought "Wow, Bulls fans don't either!" He's arguably playing as good or better than any other 35 year old has at his position, ever.
Think about how good Gasol was when the Bulls could have had him for Lu. For a few seasons, he was the best big man in the league. Bar none.
