Debunking the myth Gasol is injury prone

[Sothron]

In six years Gasol has played every game of the season or virtually every game of the year except for two seasons. He had a broken foot last year from playing in the world championships for his national team that cost him about thirty games or so this past season.

I do not know how it got started on here but people are incorrectly tabbing Gasol as some kind of injury prone big man. This is simply not true. He had one freak injury, a clean break, that was healed and he came back last year and played at his normal high level.

Look at the following link to verify:

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/pau_gasol/career_stats.html

[Vol4ever]

Well I get the Memphis games where I live and they want to run Gasol out of town, WHY???????? They want to get rid of Gasol to get Horford to take his place. There is a reason they want to get rid of him. Gasol can score, pass the ball, and is a decent rebounder, BUT he plays ZERO defense. He could not guard a tree, and that is the reason Memphis wants to send him packing.

[Sothron]

And that has what exactly with his not being injury prone?

In response to your post though I have seen Gasol play as well. He is a terrific scorer, very good rebounder, great passer as a big man and has great shotblocking instincts. No, he is not a great one on one defender but he's not as bad as you are trying to make him out to be.

[MemphisX]

Curiously, the Grizzlies had top 5 defenses 2 seasons in a row with a frontline of Gasol and Lorenzen Wright.

[Vol4ever]

I'm not questioning his injury prone status because he does play. My point is why give up so much to get a player that the other team is trying to rid themselves of when they have bigger problems up front than we do.

Yeah, we might make the playoffs with Gasol, but when we get there and the others teams eat his lunch, we will be one and done!

[exodus]

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Curiously, the Grizzlies had top 5 defenses 2 seasons in a row with a frontline of Gasol and Lorenzen Wright.

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if you play at a slow pace that makes your defense look better than it actually is.

[Sothron]

Considering how slow a pace we play then Gasol should be fine then.

[beav]

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In six years Gasol has played every game of the season or virtually every game of the year except for two seasons. He had a broken foot last year from playing in the world championships for his national team that cost him about thirty games or so this past season.

I do not know how it got started on here but people are incorrectly tabbing Gasol as some kind of injury prone big man. This is simply not true. He had one freak injury, a clean break, that was healed and he came back last year and played at his normal high level.

Look at the following link to verify:

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/pau_gasol/career_stats.html

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I made a post a few days ago to the effect that Gasol has averaged 65 games a year for the last 3 seasons. I didn't imply that was a reason to not trade for him, just that was my primary area of concern. I personally am considerably more concerned with an athlete's recent injury history as opposed to where they were say 6 years ago.

For the number 3 pick and childress I'd trade for him in a minute...however I would not give up more than that.

Jan 27, 2007: Missed 1 game (hamstring).

Jan 26, 2007: Hamstring, day-to-day.

Dec 15, 2006: Missed 22 games (left foot injury).

Oct 30, 2006: Left foot injury, inactive list.

Apr 23, 2006: Missed the last 2 games of the regular season (sore left foot).

Apr 18, 2006: Sore left foot, day-to-day.

Mar 20, 2005: Missed 23 games (left foot injury).

Jan 25, 2005: Left foot injury, injured list.

Nov 26, 2004: Missed 3 games (sprained right ankle).

Nov 20, 2004: Sprained right ankle, day-to-day.

Oct 1, 2004: Re-signed by the Memphis Grizzlies to a multi-year contract extension.

[TexasPete]

Fratello plays at the slowest pace in the league. Gasol's poor defense is really not even up for debate. It is what it is.

I'm not totally against Gasol but I am concerned about the price. Giving up both picks is not an option. I would look at the price for Amare and then compare it to the price of Gasol. I would be willing to part with Marvin and 3 for Amare.

I can't even imagine how great an Amare/Smoove forward combo would be.

[MemphisX]

Interesting...slow pace makes the other teams shoot a low percentage? Remarkable.

[exodus]

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Interesting...slow pace makes the other teams shoot a low percentage? Remarkable.

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Memphis gave up 48.6% shooting to it's opponents this past season which was the worst in the NBA.

[vdunkndunk]

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Interesting...slow pace makes the other teams shoot a low percentage? Remarkable.

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Memphis gave up 48.6% shooting to it's opponents this past season which was the worst in the NBA.

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Try looking at previous seasons when they weren't trying to lose every game to get a true read on what Gasol has done defensively over his career. Under Hubie Brown and Mike Fratello I believe they had very good defenses, but this season they didn't have Gasol for the first 30 games, then they fired Fratello and hired some guy who tried to run and score 110 ppg and allowed the opposition to score 120.

[exodus]

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Interesting...slow pace makes the other teams shoot a low percentage? Remarkable.

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Memphis gave up 48.6% shooting to it's opponents this past season which was the worst in the NBA.

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Try looking at previous seasons when they weren't trying to lose every game to get a true read on what Gasol has done defensively over his career. Under Hubie Brown and Mike Fratello I believe they had very good defenses, but this season they didn't have Gasol for the first 30 games, then they fired Fratello and hired some guy who tried to run and score 110 ppg and allowed the opposition to score 120.

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Not only was Memphis the worst in the league but their defense was actually 4 ppg better with Gasol on the bench. He allowed his opponents a PER of 18. Not impressed.

[jerrywest]

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Jan 27, 2007: Missed 1 game (hamstring).

Jan 26, 2007: Hamstring, day-to-day.

Dec 15, 2006: Missed 22 games (left foot injury).

Oct 30, 2006: Left foot injury, inactive list.

Apr 23, 2006: Missed the last 2 games of the regular season (sore left foot).

Apr 18, 2006: Sore left foot, day-to-day.

Mar 20, 2005: Missed 23 games (left foot injury).

Jan 25, 2005: Left foot injury, injured list.

Nov 26, 2004: Missed 3 games (sprained right ankle).

Nov 20, 2004: Sprained right ankle, day-to-day.

Oct 1, 2004: Re-signed by the Memphis Grizzlies to a multi-year contract extension.

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Thanks for that. Looks like he hasn't played 60 games in 2 out of the last 3 seasons - all caused by his left foot.

[Sothron]

A broken foot is a freak injury. There is nothing degenerative about his foot.

And exodus you can't realistically hold him accountable for his defense on a team that was flat out tanking the entire season once they fired Fratello.

[exodus]

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And exodus you can't realistically hold him accountable for his defense on a team that was flat out tanking the entire season once they fired Fratello.

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They weren't tanking, unless they started tanking from the beginning of the season.

I guess i can't blame Gasol for the fact that they have always given up more points when he plays, going back to the 03/04 season which was the first time they started keeping defensive/offensive +/-. Memphis gave up 8 more ppg with Gasol playing that year.

[beav]

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A broken foot is a freak injury. There is nothing degenerative about his foot.

And exodus you can't realistically hold him accountable for his defense on a team that was flat out tanking the entire season once they fired Fratello.

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While Memphis has less talent than it did last season, it might actually have a better team. Instead of dividing minutes and touches among ten guys, the Grizz figure to revolve around their star, Pau Gasol. The long rotation employed by Hubie Brown, and then Mike Fratello, has hampered the 25 year-old's development and helped create the misperception that he's soft and passive. Contrary to the stereotype of seven-foot Europeans, Gasol invites contact in the post. And it's not that he's proven an unable go-to guy; rather, he hasn't been asked to be one. Last year, he played only 32 minutes and took 12.4 shots a game. Expect both those numbers to rise this season.

Will Gasol excel in his new role? I'm not sure, but even if he doesn't, look for his statistical production to increase. Gasol has always been an efficient scorer. Last season, he scored 1.44 points per field goal attempt--besting franchise forwards like Tim Duncan (1.28), Kevin Garnett (1.33), and Dirk Nowitzki (1.41). Given 18 shots a game--a distinct possibility considering how many attempts Wells, Swift, and Williams have left on the table--Gasol could become a 25-point scorer and eclipse a 1.000 KF Average* for the first time in his career.

*****The biggest concern surrounding Gasol is the plantar fascitis that limited him to 56 games last season. Foot problems, like back problems, tend to linger. Still, Gasol is a late first-round pick with the potential to out-perform a number of players who will be drafted before him.*****

-Doug

9/4/2005

Grizzlies Preview, Kentucky Fried

Thanks to chronic foot problems, Gasol spent extended time on the injured list and saw his KFAvg decline from the previous season for the first time in his career. Despite being the Grizzlies primary offensive option and making 51% of his shots (not to mention 77% of his free throws), Gasol only had 12.4 field goal attempts a game. This led to a mediocre 17.8 points. Defensively, Gasol uses his long arms to his advantage; his 1.7 blocks per game were in line with his career average.

Most NBA Rookie of the Year award winners don't see their minutes decline in each of the next three seasons, but so the story goes for the Gasol. During his third year, then-coach Hubie Brown implemented a ten-man rotation, which new head coach Mike Fratello has kept in place so far. Gasol does not suffer from chronic foul trouble or fatigue; however, his limited minutes have likely helped boost his averages over the last couple of seasons. If Fratello starts leaving Gasol on the floor for more extended minutes he could post something closer to a .900 than a .950. Gasol is still an injury risk for next season and will likely slip into the second round of the Kentucky Fried draft.

2006 Best Case: 82 Games, 32.0 Minutes, .960 KFAvg

Worst Case: 39 Games, 27.3 Minutes, .890 KFAvg

Projected: 75 Games, 34.6 Minutes, .924 KFAvg

-Broham

7/04/2005

The Disasterous Draft Class of 2001

[Lascar78]

Yeah but that's basically saying that Memphis gives up more points when it's their starters vs. opponents' starters than they do when it's their bench vs. opponents' bench.

Gasol is no defensive anchor, but I think this "he plays no defense" is overblown. He is what he is, a tall, light guy. I don't see how you can reject Gasol based on playing no D and expect Yi to do any better.

[jerrywest]

Gasol's left foot is a recurring problem

[exodus]

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I don't see how you can reject Gasol based on playing no D and expect Yi to do any better.

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I don't but i do expect Yi to be faster, a better permimeter shooter and over $10 million cheaper. Not to mention we don't have to trade assets to get him.

I don't think it is out of the question that Yi will be able to defend the 3, but obviously only time will tell.