During an interview with a Spanish radio station on Thursday, Gasol spoke about the Lakers selfish attitude on the court. (As Dwyer points out, the following quote was placed through an internet translator.)
“(There is) lack of concentration, overconfidence and a certain level of selfishness, in general. I’m not a person or a selfish player, but we have to move the ball more, and we have to look further the team game, because we have enough talent to use different players.”*
One of the big issues in Washington was the shot selection of Kobe Bryant, and the fact that he missed more shots (22) than big men Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined to take (19). This prompted Lakers head coach Mike Brown to question Bryant’s shot selection, and now has Pau Gasol seemingly unhappy as well.
If indeed the translation is correct, this is a troublesome sign for the Lakers. Even though Gasol doesn’t say any names directly, there’s only one possible player he could be referring to. There’s no doubt Bryant’s shot selection deserves to be scrutinized after a 9-31 shooting night.
The implications of Gasol’s comments could go far beyond a minor fissure in team chemistry. With the team already shopping Gasol around the league, this isn’t going to help convince the front office to keep him around.
Will Pau Gasol be traded at the Match 15 deadline??