Gasol 2.0 In Memphis?
By:
Nikola Olic
Last Updated: 6/2/08 9:25 AM ET
| 1233 times read
Some two decades ago, the Los Angeles Lakers got interested in Vlade Divac from nothing more than a VHS tape of his moves in a black and white Partizan Belgrade jersey. The video was so frugal, I was told, it might as well had been made with a black and white camera. Another European big man 15 years later, Nenad Krstic peaked the league's interest with a well-done video montage and a few phone calls with his agent.
The latest European big man to be knocking on NBA's doors upgraded to using DVDs, but those might not even be necessary: he was voted Número Uno basketball player in Spain, he was the best ranked big man in all of Europe's ULEB Cup, and he is Pau Gasol's younger brother. Say hello to Marc Gasol.
"Marc Gasol was a definite part of this trade that convinced us it was a good trade," says Memphis Grizzlies head coach Marc Iavaroni regarding trading the older Gasol to the Lakers and in return getting, among other things, the rights to his brother Marc.
"I've seen a lot of DVD's of Marc, and there are a lot of good qualities about him. He's a back-to-the-basket player, he's very unselfish, he can shoot well. He's got to work on learning the NBA defense, but he's proving to be if not the best player in Europe, certainly a candidate."
At least among the Spanish media, Marc Gasol IS the current Spanish Idol, being just the second native Spaniard to win their MVP award since the award's inception in 1992. Instead of putting the proverbial foot in the NBA's door, putting a Spanish MVP trophy on the mantle seems to do just fine. All Spanish MVPs since 2003 -- Wálter Herrmann, Andrés Nocioni, Luis Scola and Juan Carlos Navarro -- are now in the NBA.
"We are in a recruiting situation and I think Marc is ready to come over," explains Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace. "There is no doubt about that, and potentially he can carve a pretty nice career for himself. Between the draft picks and the salary cap room and the rights to Marc Gasol, this could easily be four to six players over the next few years for us, and there is some safety in those numbers."
And there is also safety in Marc's strength and size. Unlike the days of Vlade Divac, most teams now have dedicated international scouts, usually retired players that played extensive ball in Europe or South America. No matter the language, scouting reports on Marc Gasol usually focus on his great upper body strength, combined with a soft touch. This allows him to overpower his opponent and shoot the ball off the glass, a skill European big man usually start developing at a younger age than their North American counterparts.
"The league has become younger over the last 5-10 years and talent is the most important thing," explains Wallace. "You have to go get that talent, you cant make a blanket decision how you go about getting players. You have to evaluate them one by one."
Culture shock and perhaps international pressure that Marc Gasol would feel in eventually joining the NBA is somewhat offset by the experiences he already had playing high school ball in Memphis, at the Lausanne Collegiate School. The flip side is that the situation seemingly borrows from a modern-day basketball tale: older brother comes to the Grizzlies, is traded to the legendary Lakers, with the younger brother coming in to take his place. Wallace is quick to dismiss any Hollywood scenarios.
"My charge is to do anything possible to improve the Memphis Grizzlies, and that's it," explains Wallace. "We have to do whatever is best for this franchise and how those deals impact other players in the NBA is not our concern. Every team has their own reasoning and criteria for whatever direction they move in."
About the Author: NIKOLA OLIC
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Nikola Olic covers the NBA from a global perspective for HOOPSWORLD.COM and HOOPSWORLD The Magazine. He's been covering the NBA for seven seasons and is in his third with the HOOPSWORLD team.
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