The Marc Gasol experience has been up and down for the Los Angeles Lakers. The team traded away JaVale McGee in the offseason in order to have room for Gasol but they soured on the big man rather quickly. He was underwhelming for much of the season, which led to the Lakers going after Andre Drummond.
Ever since the Drummond signing happened, Gasol has stepped up his game. Despite being 36-years-old, the veteran big man has made himself valuable as a distributor and a 3-point shooter. He showed off how important he can be in the Game 4 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. He scored 12 points and made three of five 3-point attempts. However, Gasol may not want to stick with the team next season.
He clearly wasn’t happy when the team signed Drummond and is still looking to get playing time. His best option me end up being overseas. Obviously, Gasol is from Spain and his brother Pau currently plays for FC Barcelona in the EuroLeague. It appears that the team would really like to pair the Gasol brothers together. FC Barcelona GM Juan Carlos Navarro is eying Gasol for next season and plans to “try everything” to sign the big man, according to Carrusel Deportivo’s Antoni Daimiel.
Gasol clearly still has value as an NBA player but could thrive with his brother back in his home country. If an NBA team wants him, it’s hard to imagine he’ll willingly go back overseas. Gasol is under contract with the Lakers next season but they could cut him to open up some cap space. That could open the door for a possible return to Europe.
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Gasol Talks Losing Anthony Davis
Gasol’s role over recent weeks has been inconsistent. That could change very quickly. Anthony Davis is hurt and could miss time. Andre Drummond will likely remain the starting center but head coach Frank Vogel could get creative with how he uses his big man. Gasol knows that losing Davis could cause issues but believes the Lakers need to be their best foot forward.
“Obviously you miss a guy like AD, you center a lot of the offense around him, but I’m sorry, to me that’s not enough,” Gasol said after Sunday’s loss, via Silver Screen & Roll. “To me we have to have a ‘next man up mentality.’ I know that sounds cliche, but that’s the truth. We’ve still got to execute whatever we’re doing on the floor defensively, offensively, take more control of the game, dominate physically, communicate. All the little things that go by, possession by possession, that you need to do to win playoff games.”
Gasol Believes Lakers Can Still Win
If Davis misses multiple games, many will count out the Lakers in the playoffs. However, the team still has plenty of talent. Gasol knows Los Angeles has more than enough to still win even without Davis.
“There’s plenty of confidence that we can win without AD, that’s not even a question for anybody in the locker room,” Gasol said. “Obviously you lose him in the game, that can kind of get your mind off track a little bit for some people. It shouldn’t though. I don’t know if that was the case to be honest… But we’ve just got to keep playing. It’s as simple as that.”
The Lakers can’t throw in the towel yet. They have LeBron James, who is still the best player in the world. He just needs the talent around him to play better. Gasol is a guy who has been in this spot many times throughout his long career. If he continues to play well, that will make things a lot easier for the purple and gold.
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Non-NBA Team Will ‘Try Everything’ to Poach Lakers Big Man: Report