Pau Gasol

[Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

That mock draft site Josh O. mentioned is listing a guy named Pau Gasol
as the 16th selection ahead of the likes of Brendan Haywood, Richard
Jefferson and Oussmane Cisse.

Out of curiosity I did a google search on the 7-1, 215 pound Barcelona
stringbean who has been compared to Toni Kukoc and is 21-years-old. I'm
pasting what I found below from various sites:

Strengths: Pau is the hope of all the people who like basketball in
Spain. Pau is the star of the league. He also said rencently he wants to
go to the NBA, but he wants to wait at least until 2002 (in this year he
finish his contract with Barcelona), Gasol can play of SG, SF, PF or C,
but his natural position is SF. In the paint he lacks strengh and
struggles against stronger players. When playing at his true SF position
he has no comparison in Europe. He can shoot 2 pointers, can slam (he
loves it), can run in the fastbreak, and can play in low and high post.
He is a complete player. Has a bright future in the NBA.

Weaknesses: Lack of intensity, dosn't have great speed for a small
forward (conditioning can possibly improve this), lack of strength (this
can be improved, for sure), Shot selection and shooting are question
marks.

Product of F.C. Barcelona juniors team, made his debut in the 1998-99
season and he's still playing there.

Won the Korac Cup and the ACB Spanish Title in 1998-99. Member of the
Spanish Junior National Team, he won the 1998 Albert Schweitzer
Tournament, the 1998 European Junior Championship and the 1999 World
Junior Championship. Played the 2000-01 ACB League All-Star Game. Named
All-Euroleague 2nd Team member in 2000-01. Won the 2000-01 Spanish
National Cup (Copa del Rey), being named as the competition's MVP.

Interest
Local, NBA, NCAA, Foreign

Size and Athletic Abilities
He has great size, and a still "unripe" body frame. Thin, light, will
strengthen up as he grows. Very tall, he has long legs and arms, is well
coordinated and runs and jumps well.

Offense
He got talent, can face the basket and play outside the three-point arc
with confidence. Excellent ball handler and passer, he has soft hands.
Can put the ball on the floor, overbalance his man with fakes,
penetrate, finish or dish. Runs the court and can finish the break as a
trailer or on the lane. He has a good three-point shot on kick off.

Defense
On defense, he's mainly a shot-blocker. Does not play with great
intensity and aggressiveness and doesn’t like so much contacts, even if
shows good attitude. Can overplay the low post and deflect the passes
but can also guard player on the perimeter.

Notes
Remember Toni Kukoc? Well, this guy has something of the Croatian star:
size (he's 215 cm), body frame (thin, but he's still "green"), soft
hands (passes the ball like a guard), court vision (if there's an open
man, he finds him), smooth moves (can penetrate, and is coordinated in
the drive), outside shooting (has three-point range, and a nice pull-up
"J"). He's actually projected at small forward. With that size and that
timing, he can't but block some shots and catch some boards, especially
on offense. But Gasol has still a lot to improve, too: he must put up
weight, become a better defender, and develop an inside game. No
question he got the potential to do it. Very intelligent, wants to study
medicine.

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