Thank you MARC GASOL - traded with 2024 second pick to Memphis
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wolfpaclaker
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 8:34 am    Post subject:

Gasol overall has been an asset. I do not think he is better than McGee at every aspect of the game, and while you gain in some areas, you do lose in others. Overall though, he has been an upgrade over McGee as RS starter. This is all this is about really, as McGee is the one that went out to CLE, for Gasol to sign.

Every stat shows Gasol being an asset, virtually, over what McGee was doing.

Eye test tells me - Gasol is better at positional D, screen setting, 3 pointers, spacing, and passing. McGee is better at crashing boards, challenging shots, above the rim plays.

Overall, I think playoffs wise Gasol better than McGee. McGee was basically a DNP-Coaches decision all playoffs.
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troy
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 11:52 am    Post subject:

Koalita wrote:
Marc is actually a better defensive and offensive player than Dwight or McGee. Both can play more minutes and will get more highlights, but when the team commits to playing defense, Marc's defense is better and the statistics prove it.

We have 4 Centers with Marc, Harrell, AD and Morris. I think we can use another PF-C 7' and expect Lakers to pick one once the vet min dwindles.


Thoroughly disagree.

Dug this up off another thread.

@LakersReporter

LAL are No. 1 in DEF efficiency, but only 23rd in paint points against (47.9) after ranking 7th last year at 44.6.

Frank Vogel said it’s too early to draw any conclusions about that, but did say he challenged his back line defenders about rim protection that’s been lagging the past games.


It's clearly and, I guess for some of you, painfully obvious that Mr. Gasol is not a true rim protector as McGee and especially D. Howard were, nor is he all that great with interior defense. Perhaps he's living of his reputation. Perhaps he will develop into something more as the season progresses. As a Lakers fan, I can only hope. But the eye test don't lie. And other than the occasional 3 pointer, I personally miss all the alley-oop dunks we were getting last season from the McGee/Howard combo.

I'm not against Gasol. I think he fills a role. I'm just adamant that he is an absolute downgrade from what we had last year.
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lakerican
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 3:35 pm    Post subject:

troy wrote:
Koalita wrote:
Marc is actually a better defensive and offensive player than Dwight or McGee. Both can play more minutes and will get more highlights, but when the team commits to playing defense, Marc's defense is better and the statistics prove it.

We have 4 Centers with Marc, Harrell, AD and Morris. I think we can use another PF-C 7' and expect Lakers to pick one once the vet min dwindles.


Thoroughly disagree.

Dug this up off another thread.

@LakersReporter

LAL are No. 1 in DEF efficiency, but only 23rd in paint points against (47.9) after ranking 7th last year at 44.6.

Frank Vogel said it’s too early to draw any conclusions about that, but did say he challenged his back line defenders about rim protection that’s been lagging the past games.


It's clearly and, I guess for some of you, painfully obvious that Mr. Gasol is not a true rim protector as McGee and especially D. Howard were, nor is he all that great with interior defense. Perhaps he's living of his reputation. Perhaps he will develop into something more as the season progresses. As a Lakers fan, I can only hope. But the eye test don't lie. And other than the occasional 3 pointer, I personally miss all the alley-oop dunks we were getting last season from the McGee/Howard combo.

I'm not against Gasol. I think he fills a role. I'm just adamant that he is an absolute downgrade from what we had last year.


OK, let's just be fair in here. Those are TEAM stats and defense is not solely rim protection. We are first in Defense efficiency which include team perimeter defense including 3pt closeouts. Paint Points against last year was primarily a Dwight, McGee and AD responsibility. This year is Gasol, Harrell and again AD ( who is coasting ). The difference is 3.3 points, nowhere is stated how many less points have been allowed in the perimeter to give us that First in Defensive Efficiency.

You will see tonite the Gianni's wall implementation with The Mountain in the Middle. Maybe you people start to enjoy this team.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 4:44 pm    Post subject:

lakerican wrote:
troy wrote:
Koalita wrote:
Marc is actually a better defensive and offensive player than Dwight or McGee. Both can play more minutes and will get more highlights, but when the team commits to playing defense, Marc's defense is better and the statistics prove it.

We have 4 Centers with Marc, Harrell, AD and Morris. I think we can use another PF-C 7' and expect Lakers to pick one once the vet min dwindles.


Thoroughly disagree.

Dug this up off another thread.

@LakersReporter

LAL are No. 1 in DEF efficiency, but only 23rd in paint points against (47.9) after ranking 7th last year at 44.6.

Frank Vogel said it’s too early to draw any conclusions about that, but did say he challenged his back line defenders about rim protection that’s been lagging the past games.


It's clearly and, I guess for some of you, painfully obvious that Mr. Gasol is not a true rim protector as McGee and especially D. Howard were, nor is he all that great with interior defense. Perhaps he's living of his reputation. Perhaps he will develop into something more as the season progresses. As a Lakers fan, I can only hope. But the eye test don't lie. And other than the occasional 3 pointer, I personally miss all the alley-oop dunks we were getting last season from the McGee/Howard combo.

I'm not against Gasol. I think he fills a role. I'm just adamant that he is an absolute downgrade from what we had last year.


OK, let's just be fair in here. Those are TEAM stats and defense is not solely rim protection. We are first in Defense efficiency which include team perimeter defense including 3pt closeouts. Paint Points against last year was primarily a Dwight, McGee and AD responsibility. This year is Gasol, Harrell and again AD ( who is coasting ). The difference is 3.3 points, nowhere is stated how many less points have been allowed in the perimeter to give us that First in Defensive Efficiency.

You will see tonite the Gianni's wall implementation with The Mountain in the Middle. Maybe you people start to enjoy this team.


You really think this accurately sums up where people are coming from? I don't get these kind of comments.
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BandwagonLBJhopper
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:41 pm    Post subject:

Want to see Gasol be more aggressive offensively

He is in the paint would like to see him go up and score. Similarly if you’re open from three, don’t hesitate take the shot.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 10:18 pm    Post subject:

BandwagonLBJhopper wrote:
Want to see Gasol be more aggressive offensively

He is in the paint would like to see him go up and score. Similarly if you’re open from three, don’t hesitate take the shot.


He does need to pull the trigger faster when open for the 3. The Bucks are a bad team for Gasol to be putting up a lot of paint shots against, but a lot of games he should be able to just score it.
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Sina
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 2:44 am    Post subject:

Gasol isn’t the finisher we need near the rim. But he is a capable defender. He can also stretch the floor. We may utilise his passing ability later the season
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george w kush
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 8:33 pm    Post subject:

Time to bring this guy off the bench and start Harrell. Neither is a shot blocker so who cares? At least Harrel will get us some buckets and rebounds.
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hype
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 9:12 pm    Post subject:

george w kush wrote:
Time to bring this guy off the bench and start Harrell. Neither is a shot blocker so who cares? At least Harrel will get us some buckets and rebounds.


Nah, we need Trezz's energy off the bench for those lethargic starts. His and Caruso has helped lift the team after a sluggish start multiple times this season plus Trezz gets much more space to start in the paint and have some quality iso possessions coming off the bench which helps get him going.

He's a beast though for sure.
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 10:39 pm    Post subject:

george w kush wrote:
Time to bring this guy off the bench and start Harrell. Neither is a shot blocker so who cares? At least Harrel will get us some buckets and rebounds.


You honestly don't see a defensive advantage of Gasol over Trez?
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 10:50 pm    Post subject:

You need smart guys playing off ball alongside LBJ and AD. You maximize star power by letting them dominate the ball.
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windycitycane
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 12:11 am    Post subject:

What is Gasols role on this team? On offense he
seems to sit out at the three point line and watches everyone else. He gets the ball once in a while and shoots a 3. He can barely jump and rarely gives enough effort to get an offensive rebound.

Its like he is a decoy just to get the opposing center out of the paint. Does any other center in the league do this?

On defense he stands around in the paint and offers most times little resistance, let alone intimidation. Again, his rebounding ability with his 3 inch vertical jump is limited.

Its like he wasn’t even on the court tonight. AD just took over inside.

Not trying to be sarcastic, but what is his purpose on this team?
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 12:14 am    Post subject:

windycitycane wrote:
What is Gasols role on this team? On offense he
seems to sit out at the three point line and watches everyone else. He gets the ball once in a while and shoots a 3. He can barely jump and rarely gives enough effort to get an offensive rebound.

Its like he is a decoy just to get the opposing center out of the paint. Does any other center in the league do this?

On defense he stands around in the paint and offers most times little resistance, let alone intimidation. Again, his rebounding ability with his 3 inch vertical jump is limited.

Its like he wasn’t even on the court tonight. AD just took over inside.

Not trying to be sarcastic, but what is his purpose on this team?


Yeah you are right, That’s why I mentioned in the FA thread about going after a another big.
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delaluz
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 5:19 am    Post subject:

Gasol has a very slow catch-gather-release cycle. When he catches the ball exactly where he wants it with his feet planted where he wants them he still takes a lot of time to shoot.

If he's open and he gets the ball in less than perfect position he seems to take forever for him to shoot.
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troy
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 6:18 am    Post subject:

Inspector Gadget wrote:
windycitycane wrote:
What is Gasols role on this team? On offense he
seems to sit out at the three point line and watches everyone else. He gets the ball once in a while and shoots a 3. He can barely jump and rarely gives enough effort to get an offensive rebound.

Its like he is a decoy just to get the opposing center out of the paint. Does any other center in the league do this?

On defense he stands around in the paint and offers most times little resistance, let alone intimidation. Again, his rebounding ability with his 3 inch vertical jump is limited.

Its like he wasn’t even on the court tonight. AD just took over inside.

Not trying to be sarcastic, but what is his purpose on this team?


Yeah you are right, That’s why I mentioned in the FA thread about going after a another big.


Be careful. You'll offend people here if you do anything close to mentioning the truth about Mr. Gasol's lack of proficiency for the Lakers.
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troy
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 6:27 am    Post subject:

windycitycane wrote:
What is Gasols role on this team? On offense he
seems to sit out at the three point line and watches everyone else. He gets the ball once in a while and shoots a 3. He can barely jump and rarely gives enough effort to get an offensive rebound.

Its like he is a decoy just to get the opposing center out of the paint. Does any other center in the league do this?

On defense he stands around in the paint and offers most times little resistance, let alone intimidation. Again, his rebounding ability with his 3 inch vertical jump is limited.

Its like he wasn’t even on the court tonight. AD just took over inside.

Not trying to be sarcastic, but what is his purpose on this team?


By the way, you are absolutely right. Gasol cannot jump anymore. I specifically watch his play mannerism. The man literally cannot jump higher than a few inches off the ground. His rebounding occurs only when the ball comes directly to him. His side to side movement is non-existent; in fact, any sort of movement from him seems slower than the average NBA player. He has zero intimidation inside, so opposing players constantly drive right into him, only hesitating if they know AD is lurking nearby to bail Gasol out. Offensively, he has no effective post moves, and his 3 point shooting is erratic. Other than passing the ball an setting screens, and drawing the occasional charge, he doesn't contribute much else to the Lakers.

Javelle McGee is available. At least with Javelle, you had an athletic center who could rim protect, participate in lob dunks, and intimidate opponents. If you were to do a direct comparison between McGee and Gasol, you'd have to be extremely biased not to see that McGee is the superior player of the two.

I think the only reason why Rob doesn't bring McGee back is his (Rob's) pride. Rob messed up royally by letting McGee and D Howard leave, and he knows that, and he thinks that Gasol reduces his culpability. And although Gasol will have his few fans here and around who want to pull out deceptive stats to support him, it's all but obvious to most fans that he is the Lakers weak-link.
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wolfpaclaker
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 6:29 am    Post subject:

Gasol is playing 18 minutes a game.
While he doesn’t do everything you want at the 5, there are things he’s doing that you are benefiting from that don’t show up on his stat sheet.

Just in this era to have a 3 point shooting legit C who can defend his position, is a major asset to have.

Now I’m sure in the playoffs Vogel will adjust his minutes according. Just like he did Dwight and McGee.

But we were all lamenting Magic for allowing Lopez to leave to Milwaukee. Now we got a guy who does similar things .... yet we are upset.

Brook Lopez is shooting 35 percent from 3
Marc is shooting 35 percent as well

Brook is averaging 2.2 blocks per 36 min
Marc is averaging 2.2 per 36

I mean ... one guy is making 10-12 M. The other we got for 2.5M. This was a move that we are making too much about. He’s like Kieff, Wesley Matthews. He’s a vet min/Low cap signing, with a niche role.

We used to need Kieff when our 5 couldn’t hit outside shots. Now we have Gasol as an option. Only unlike Kieff, you don’t lose so much D.
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ThePageDude
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 8:01 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:

<snip>
He’s a vet min/Low cap signing, with a niche role.

We used to need Kieff when our 5 couldn’t hit outside shots. Now we have Gasol as an option. Only unlike Kieff, you don’t lose so much D.


Yeah I don't understand what people expect; he was signed as the best available *after* Howard left and he's playing roughly the same as he played last year - so why the disappointment?
Is the logic that we should've retained McGee and *not* signed Gasol (for cheaper)? What evidence is there that Gasol is doing worse than McGee?
* Their block numbers are within 5% per possession BUT Gasol is taking more charges (as expected)
* McGee got 1 more ORB per game but Gasol is taking 1 more 3-pointer (so yielding 1 more point) thus providing better spacing.
* McGee scored 2.5 more pts/game BUT Gasol is creating 1.4 more assists/game
* And I don't see Gasol lagging in the defensive advanced stats either, but they likely don't mean that much 17 games in.

Is the argument that he's a lesser fit than McGee? I don't see the evidence of it so far.
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LakerDYnasty72
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 8:31 am    Post subject:

ThePageDude wrote:
wolfpaclaker wrote:

<snip>
He’s a vet min/Low cap signing, with a niche role.

We used to need Kieff when our 5 couldn’t hit outside shots. Now we have Gasol as an option. Only unlike Kieff, you don’t lose so much D.


Yeah I don't understand what people expect; he was signed as the best available *after* Howard left and he's playing roughly the same as he played last year - so why the disappointment?
Is the logic that we should've retained McGee and *not* signed Gasol (for cheaper)? What evidence is there that Gasol is doing worse than McGee?
* Their block numbers are within 5% per possession BUT Gasol is taking more charges (as expected)
* McGee got 1 more ORB per game but Gasol is taking 1 more 3-pointer (so yielding 1 more point) thus providing better spacing.
* McGee scored 2.5 more pts/game BUT Gasol is creating 1.4 more assists/game
* And I don't see Gasol lagging in the defensive advanced stats either, but they likely don't mean that much 17 games in.

Is the argument that he's a lesser fit than McGee? I don't see the evidence of it so far.


Here's why "what people expect" will never materialize: it's not about number comparisons, it's about preference. There are many on the board who still simply prefer DH & McGee to Gasol, and to a lesser extent, Trez.

No matter what Gasol does, the critics' main focus is what he doesn't do. Watch when the criticisms start. Inevitably they'll start with what he doesn't do. Not what he does do: his passing, opening the lanes, him being strong as an ox, which will come into play more against the Embiids & Howards, Drummonds, Yokic's, etc.,

The critics focus on the fact that he doesn't move like DH, doesn't intimidate or block shots like McGee (number show differently), etc., That will be the repeated theme until the season is over.

Summary:the critics argument will be that's where Rob messed up if we have no championship at the end of the year. The critics will be shut down if we win the trophy again.We'll see.
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Four Decade Bandwagon
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 8:52 am    Post subject:

Gasol has a role. He is damn good at it. He is a different player then Howard and McGee. As is Harrell. Simply can’t compare apples to oranges.

The point that it is about preference is a solid one. All four players have strengths and weaknesses to integrate into the team. How the team uses them is key.

IMO Gasol has been better then expected with his strengths. Positional defense, passing, bball IQ. I expect that to be even better by the playoffs. His weaknesses are frustrating. Lack of athleticism, slow in full court transitions and only playing a limited 20 mpg being the main issues for me. So far, the Lakers have been lucky with minimal lost games due to injury or health protocols.

Gasol is exactly who he was billed to be. He has a valuable role. But I would still love to see a athletic center added to play another niche role on certain nights and certain matchups. Hopefully that fine tuning of the roster occurs by mid season.
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ThePageDude
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 9:06 am    Post subject:

LakerDYnasty72 wrote:

<snip>
Summary:the critics argument will be that's where Rob messed up if we have no championship at the end of the year. The critics will be shut down if we win the trophy again.We'll see.


I get that it's a matter of preference, to each her/his own.
But if (god forbid) we come up short and Gasol is blamed then that will be 100% disingenuous because McGee barely played last playoffs:
13 mpg vs POR, 6 mpg vs HOU, 8 mpg vs DEN, 0 mpg FINALS
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 9:33 am    Post subject:

This is a post made a year ago in the McGee thread by a respectable poster here.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 6:00 pm Post subject:
Javale has his good moments, but in the years of following the Lakers I cannot think of a player who has higher frequency of bone headed plays (just for fun, could you think of any player who was worse?) and is more annoying to watch.

I think the problem is his attention span; notice the stupid plays come in bunches and are more often the longer he stays on the floor. (I think coach is on to this though.)

Javale is liable to do something idiotic that eliminates us in a game 7. Please NEVER let him close out games.

Just food of thought.
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troy
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:09 am    Post subject:

I felt I made a legit argument of what McGee offered vs. what Gasol offers. Forget about the state sheet, for a moment. Lets go by what we, as fans, can see:

McGee vs Gasol
_________________________________
Defense-

Rim protection: McGee wins easily. Gasol simply cannot jump anymore

Positional defense (eg movement to anticipatory and help positions): McGee wins. McGee is quicker with his footwork. Although Gasol has the better IQ in this regard, he doesn't have the physical ability to do what his mind has already figured out.

Wingspan: McGee wins. Just physically more gifted than Gasol.

Intimidation factor: McGee wins. Nobody is hesitant to drive into Gasol, and there has been ample evidence of that this season.

Defensive IQ - Gasol wins. That said, without the corresponding physical ability to manifest a good defensive mindset, this category is mute.

WINNER FOR THIS CATEGORY - Javelle McGee. He is more athletic, more active, quicker, and more intimidating than Gasol.
________________________________________

Offense-

BacktoBasket moves - McGee wins. Not by much, however. Neither McGee nor Gasol are asked to do much offensively, but McGee does have better moves in the key than Gasol.

Short/medium range: Gasol wins. Gasol has a hook shot and a fairly good set shot from mid-range. Unfortunately, Gasol doesn't shoot very much for this to be a viable category for him.

alley-oop/lob dunks: McGee wins. McGee can use his vertical ability here, whereas Gasol probably can't jump more than 5 inches off the ground. Alley-oops and lob duns are plays that are morale boosters and easy points, and as such, are very effective.

putbacks: McGee wins. McGee is much more active at and above the rim, whereas Gasol seems slow afoot and cannot outjump his opponents.

3 point shot: Gasol wins. Easy winner here for Gasol, but although his percentage seems high, it's because he doesn't shoot very many 3 pointers vs what he has made.

WINNER FOR THIS CATEGORY - McGee. McGee is more capable of scoring points off lobs and putbacks, which are more common opportunities for both centers, than set plays are for them. Although Gasol is the better 3point threat, he doesn't shoot enough of them for it to make a difference in games.

_____________________

Rebounding-

Offensive - McGee wins. He plays closer to the rim, and he has the physical ability to get to the rebounded ball. Gasol is more of a stretch 5, so he's not always in position to get offensive rebounds. In addition, his lack of mobility versus McGee hurts him regarding actually getting to rebound that don't come directly to him.

Defensive - McGee wins. McGee is a go-to-the-ball, above the rim rebounder which means he's able to go to where the ball is and physically get to it quicker and more often than his opponents. Gasol simply cannot jump high enough or move fast enough to get to the ball, so all his rebounds are those that come to him.

WINNER FOR THIS CATEGORY - McGee. Gasol simply doesn't have the physical capabilities to do the things McGee can.
___________________________________

Passing-

Gasol wins, easily. Gasol is an excellent passer. His knowledge of player movement affords him the ability to make passes in tight spots and anticipate where his teammates will be. McGee never seemed like he had the IQ to make quality passes.

WINNER FOR THIS CATEGORY - Marc Gasol. Gasol is a much better passer, which theoretically should lead to more assists. However, because of the presence of ball handlers DS, and especially AD and Lebron, Gasol isn't put into positions to take advantage of his passing ability.
__________________________________

Intangibles- McGee is better on the fast break, he fits better with the Laker's defensive scheme, and his ability to protect the rim intimidates offensive players from driving into the teeth of the Laker defense. Gasol is the smarter player. He is a good 3 point shooter and his passing ability sets up scores, when he's made a part of that stage of the offensive flow.

SUMMARY -

Most of the better NBA teams have proficient scorers on their teams. But what makes champions stand apart from the rest is the ability to deploy a defensive plan in the playoffs/finals that can at least slow down some of the offensive charge from the opponents. Missed shots forced by good defense by the Lakers must be rebounded, and we don't want to wear down or get AD into foul trouble doing the work that a competent center should do. While 3 point shooting and assists are good things, the Lakers have that covered by other players at other positions. Rim protection and quality defense, along with competent rebounding, tends to be center-specific attributes. This is where McGee, and not Gasol, is more valuable.

Where I could see the direct contributions to the Lakers success when McGee was playing, I don't see what Gasol contributes, at least at significant scale.

Conclusion- Although Gasol has something to offer, it's clear that he's on the Lakers are a last option, and not the preferred option. Rob Pelinka did an incredible job getting DS and Montrez here, but he failed miserable by letting both McGee and Dwight go. Gasol is a placeholder center; the booby price, a concession. He is here because we simply couldn't keep our better players, and there was no one else out there (after we lost out on Ibaka). In a direct comparison, McGee is the better option. But he's not here, so we have to rely on what few minutes we can use Gasol in there, before we can use Harrel. Come playoffs, opposing teams will exploit Gasol as our weak link; lets hope we have enough to compensate for this.
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LakerDYnasty72
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:27 am    Post subject:

troy wrote:
I felt I made a legit argument of what McGee offered vs. what Gasol offers. Forget about the state sheet, for a moment. Lets go by what we, as fans, can see:

McGee vs Gasol
_________________________________
Defense-

Rim protection: McGee wins easily. Gasol simply cannot jump anymore

Positional defense (eg movement to anticipatory and help positions): McGee wins. McGee is quicker with his footwork. Although Gasol has the better IQ in this regard, he doesn't have the physical ability to do what his mind has already figured out.

Wingspan: McGee wins. Just physically more gifted than Gasol.

Intimidation factor: McGee wins. Nobody is hesitant to drive into Gasol, and there has been ample evidence of that this season.

Defensive IQ - Gasol wins. That said, without the corresponding physical ability to manifest a good defensive mindset, this category is mute.

WINNER FOR THIS CATEGORY - Javelle McGee. He is more athletic, more active, quicker, and more intimidating than Gasol.
________________________________________

Offense-

BacktoBasket moves - McGee wins. Not by much, however. Neither McGee nor Gasol are asked to do much offensively, but McGee does have better moves in the key than Gasol.

Short/medium range: Gasol wins. Gasol has a hook shot and a fairly good set shot from mid-range. Unfortunately, Gasol doesn't shoot very much for this to be a viable category for him.

alley-oop/lob dunks: McGee wins. McGee can use his vertical ability here, whereas Gasol probably can't jump more than 5 inches off the ground. Alley-oops and lob duns are plays that are morale boosters and easy points, and as such, are very effective.

putbacks: McGee wins. McGee is much more active at and above the rim, whereas Gasol seems slow afoot and cannot outjump his opponents.

3 point shot: Gasol wins. Easy winner here for Gasol, but although his percentage seems high, it's because he doesn't shoot very many 3 pointers vs what he has made.

WINNER FOR THIS CATEGORY - McGee. McGee is more capable of scoring points off lobs and putbacks, which are more common opportunities for both centers, than set plays are for them. Although Gasol is the better 3point threat, he doesn't shoot enough of them for it to make a difference in games.

_____________________

Rebounding-

Offensive - McGee wins. He plays closer to the rim, and he has the physical ability to get to the rebounded ball. Gasol is more of a stretch 5, so he's not always in position to get offensive rebounds. In addition, his lack of mobility versus McGee hurts him regarding actually getting to rebound that don't come directly to him.

Defensive - McGee wins. McGee is a go-to-the-ball, above the rim rebounder which means he's able to go to where the ball is and physically get to it quicker and more often than his opponents. Gasol simply cannot jump high enough or move fast enough to get to the ball, so all his rebounds are those that come to him.

WINNER FOR THIS CATEGORY - McGee. Gasol simply doesn't have the physical capabilities to do the things McGee can.
___________________________________

Passing-

Gasol wins, easily. Gasol is an excellent passer. His knowledge of player movement affords him the ability to make passes in tight spots and anticipate where his teammates will be. McGee never seemed like he had the IQ to make quality passes.

WINNER FOR THIS CATEGORY - Marc Gasol. Gasol is a much better passer, which theoretically should lead to more assists. However, because of the presence of ball handlers DS, and especially AD and Lebron, Gasol isn't put into positions to take advantage of his passing ability.
__________________________________

Intangibles- McGee is better on the fast break, he fits better with the Laker's defensive scheme, and his ability to protect the rim intimidates offensive players from driving into the teeth of the Laker defense. Gasol is the smarter player. He is a good 3 point shooter and his passing ability sets up scores, when he's made a part of that stage of the offensive flow.

SUMMARY -

Most of the better NBA teams have proficient scorers on their teams. But what makes champions stand apart from the rest is the ability to deploy a defensive plan in the playoffs/finals that can at least slow down some of the offensive charge from the opponents. Missed shots forced by good defense by the Lakers must be rebounded, and we don't want to wear down or get AD into foul trouble doing the work that a competent center should do. While 3 point shooting and assists are good things, the Lakers have that covered by other players at other positions. Rim protection and quality defense, along with competent rebounding, tends to be center-specific attributes. This is where McGee, and not Gasol, is more valuable.

Where I could see the direct contributions to the Lakers success when McGee was playing, I don't see what Gasol contributes, at least at significant scale.

Conclusion- Although Gasol has something to offer, it's clear that he's on the Lakers are a last option, and not the preferred option. Rob Pelinka did an incredible job getting DS and Montrez here, but he failed miserable by letting both McGee and Dwight go. Gasol is a placeholder center; the booby price, a concession. He is here because we simply couldn't keep our better players, and there was no one else out there (after we lost out on Ibaka). In a direct comparison, McGee is the better option. But he's not here, so we have to rely on what few minutes we can use Gasol in there, before we can use Harrel. Come playoffs, opposing teams will exploit Gasol as our weak link; lets hope we have enough to compensate for this.


Valid points. For the record, I will always have a preference for the athletic, shot blocking, get up and down the court style. Even with his defects McGee playing along side intelligent guys LeBron, and Rondo at the time, helped minimize his less than genius play.

Here's a classic statement I remember a writer made about that makeup. Something to the effect: "most teams play a big team, or a fast team. The Lakers are both, and it's scary". We were winning then, and we're winning now, but I do love the adjective "scary" to go along with the victories.

The reality is that there will always be reason for concern until the outcome of the season.
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lakerican
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:30 am    Post subject:

What is this? Your chapter 3 of your JMcGee thesis?
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