Daily Knicks
Fansided

Knicks: Veteran Free Agents Who’d Help The Locker Room

By Maxwell Ogden

Mar 1, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) shoots over Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) shoots over Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
Mar 21, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) reacts after scoring against the Sacramento Kings during the second half at United Center. Bulls won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) reacts after scoring against the Sacramento Kings during the second half at United Center. Bulls won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

Pau Gasol, Unrestricted Free Agent

Position: Center
Age: 35 (7/6/1980)
Slash Line: .469/.348/.792
Season Averages: 31.8 MPG, 16.5 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.2 ORPG, 4.1 APG, 2.0 BPG

Great basketball teams aren’t built by merely throwing talent at a wall and hoping it’ll create a Jackson Pollock. Veteran leadership is as important as raw talent, and an absence of it can lead to the downfall of a promising team.

Thus, while Pau Gasol may not be a perfect fit for Jeff Hornacek’s offense, he’d be an outstanding signing for the New York Knicks.

Gasol is the perfect mentor for New York’s next franchise player: Kristaps Porzingis. Like Porzingis, Gasol made the transition to the NBA from Spain’s vaunted Liga ACB, was tasked with saving a lowly organization, and eventually played for Phil Jackson.

Gasol has since become a two-time NBA champion with four All-NBA selections and six All-Star Game appearances.

On the court, the notion that Gasol wouldn’t fit well in New York has been greatly exaggerated. Hornacek’s Knicks will not be identical to his Phoenix squad, but instead a more balanced unit that values elements of both his Suns system and the Triangle Offense.

If that isn’t enough to convince you of the merits of signing Gasol, try this: Gasol has two more championship rings than the rest of New York’s roster combined.

Next: Commanding Respect

Home/Knicks News