Nov 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) dribbles the ball against Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the first period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
When the Chicago Bulls signed 13-year veteran Pau Gasol this offseason, many fans were disappointed. The 2014 offseason was supposed to be the one where the Bulls signed another superstar player to dominate alongside the fully recovered Derrick Rose, not the offseason to sign another old veteran to replace Carlos Boozer. Fortunately for the Bulls, Gasol has been an absolute beast: grabbing several rebounds, being a go-to scorer, but most importantly, making it that much easier for Derrick Rose to return to his former self.
Gasol has played a key role in all of the Bulls’ five wins this season. He is distributing the ball extremely well, dominating the paint and is playing well on the defensive end. Gasol has also been playing very aggressive. The 34-year-old is playing as well as the All-Star Pau Gasol did just four years ago. Averaging 18.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 assists per game, Gasol is proving to the Bulls that his value and skill level is still sky-high.
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Gasol’s 35.5 minutes per game signify that he is an important starter who the Bulls will rely on each game. On the other hand, Rose’s minutes (26 in the three games he has played) demonstrate that he is slowly easing himself back into his role.
As Rose continues to recover from his ankle injury and shake off the rust from only playing 10 games in the past two seasons, Gasol is leading the Bulls to victory. Obviously when Rose returns to 100 percent, he will become the leader and number one option for the team, but getting back to that status will prove to be a challenge for him. Although he has shown promise in the few games he has played, he still has a long way to go before being able to play at his former MVP level. Luckily for Rose, Gasol is making his return easier than one would have expected.
One of the tough challenges for Rose is becoming “the guy” again, and being able to lead the team when the Bulls need it most. Rose had too much pressure on him when he started off last season, and because the Bulls relied on him so much early in his recovery, he struggled. In fact, one could even say that Roses’ performances in those 10 games were ugly. But this is where Gasol comes in–because the big man has been playing so well, it takes an important layer of pressure off Rose–if he is struggling, it won’t matter as much since players like Gasol will be leading the others to victory.
“Pau has just been a leader… our guys on the bench learn a lot from him, and it’s showing in how well we’ve been playing.”
Gasol has also been a great leader and teacher to the younger players on the court. He appears to get along very well with others, and is a respected member of the Bulls. “Pau has just been a leader…our guys on the bench learn a lot from him, and it’s showing in how well we’ve been playing,” said teammate Taj Gibson on how Gasol has been helping the Bulls. One player in particular who Gasol should be able to help considerably is rookie Nikola Mirotic. Both of them have international background, and Gasol can relate to Mirotic’s first year in the NBA. Because of this, he will be able to make Mirotic fit well and feel welcome in Chicago.
Sometimes keeping a team’s depth over one or two players pays off for a team. This definitely seems to be the case for Bulls, as Gasol, despite being regarded as a mid-level acquisition in the summer, has been a perfect fit for Chicago. If he can continue to play at a high level and be a strong leader on and off the court, then Derrick Rose and the Bulls are looking at a bright future ahead of them.