CHICAGO – Pau Gasol is too savvy a veteran to start predicting a championship run for the Chicago Bulls, yet he does see some similarities between his team this season and those he played on in Los Angeles that were able to raise trophies.
“There’s some resemblances, but again a championship team is a championship team,” said Gasol, a two-time champion with the Lakers. “It proves it and it wins it. We had a run in 2008, we lost the Finals, and that was a tough hit. But it fueled us to win the next two.”
Gasol doesn’t have as much history with the Bulls, having joined the team via free agency this season. He likes what he sees, though, just over two months into the campaign as the 25-10 Bulls have a sizable lead in the Central Division and are the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the Atlanta Hawks (26-8).
“We’ll see what happens here,” Gasol said. “We still have a lot to come, a lot to do to go from here to the next one. It will be interesting to see and find out what we’re capable of doing and being.”
The reasons for optimism are clear. Derrick Rose hasn’t exactly been injury-free this season, but he has managed to stay on the court while his level of play improves, despite a recent shooting slump. Then there is the growth of Jimmy Butler into a likely All-Star.
But Gasol has also done his part, as the 34-year-old is in the midst of a career revival. He has averaged 18.3 points per game to go along with 11.3 rebounds, which are his best numbers in those categories in at least four seasons.
“I’m definitely energized, definitely rejuvenated, all in, and I have been since I got here, since I made my decision to come here,” Gasol said. “I’ve been energized, and mentally and physically engaged, so that’s a huge deal for me.”
Clearly, he is buying into coach Tom Thibodeau’s system, even if that means he isn’t on the court late in games. At the start of the season, Gasol said he wanted to be on the court with the game on the line, and if he wasn’t, it was a sign that there might be some questions about his abilities.
“It’s not about keeping guys happy,” Thibodeau said. “It’s about doing what’s best for the team and gives you the best chance of winning. We’ve asked everyone to sacrifice for what’s best for the team. And they’ve done a very good job with that. Some nights, it’s one guy. Another night, it’s somebody else. Somebody has to sacrifice.”
Gasol seems OK with that, which is the ultimate sign of respect for his coach. But he would still like to have his number called in crunch time.
“Nah, I still want to be on the floor when the game is on the line, period, no matter what,” Gasol said. “The times that I’m not, as long as we’re winning, I can be OK with it, but I still want to be there when we’re playing for the money. It’s just me, it’s just who I am, just who I’ve been, and who I want to continue to be.”
He has used that mentality to help the Lakers to two championships. Perhaps if everybody is accepting of their roles on this team, a deep playoff run can happen.
“We’re very dangerous as far as a team,” Rose said. “The sky’s the limit for us, for sure, if you think about it. Defensively, we really didn’t have that type of game where we shut teams down the entire game. We can always improve defensively. Offensively, we shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”
Thibodeau has his players believing in themselves, and sometimes that can be the hardest part.
“It says we have a good group of guys who are committed to winning,” Thibodeau said. “If you want to win, that’s what you do. You always have to put the team first. That’s expected. If you’re a professional, that’s what you should do.”
For now, Gasol’s biggest contribution is his production. Come April and May, all of his championship experience could serve the team well.
“We have a really good team, no question about it, but we still have a lot of work to do, a lot of path to walk, and a lot of work ahead of us,” Gasol said. “The potential is great, but we really haven’t accomplished anything yet. We’re a team that strives for greatness, but we really have to prove a lot to ourselves and to the rest of the league.”
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