Pau Gasol
(BBR: #85)
You may not think that Pau Gasol deserves to be ranked among the all-time greats, or especially in the top 40, but there was a time that many would have said that about Scottie Pippen as well. The truth is that Pau Gasol brought about a huge change in Los Angeles after he was traded and helped the team regain its winning ways.
When Pau arrived in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant was already an established superstar, but the Lakers weren't winning with him as their only star. Here are their playoff results in the three years Pre-Pau and Post-Trade:
Pre-Pau - missed playoffs once, lost in first round twice
Post-Trade - Lost in Finals once, won two championships
The difference between the pre- and post-trade results in each season was exactly three playoff series. The only real difference between these teams was the addition of Pau Gasol. Can you really say that he's not a great player? It's obvious to me that Gasol was the catalyst the team needed to advance.
Gasol has been a star player since the day he arrived in America. He has averaged at least 17.6 points in all 10 seasons he's been a pro, and has steadily become a better rebounder, averaging over 10 per game for the past two seasons. In each of the Lakers' title seasons he was one of the six best players in the league, although many overlooked him because he was only the second-best on his team.
English was slightly better than Pau in his prime, but it took him a few years to get going, while Gasol was a star from day one. English's playoff success was nearly nonexistent, while Gasol has been to the promised land three times and brought back two trophies as proof. Their peaks are now nearly the same length, so Gasol's playoff success is enough to push him past English and squeak him into the top 40.
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