Get Your Big-Boy Pants On !

Another cat and mouse affair has transpired in the season of LA Lakers. Beside losing and coaching change, the controversial theme for this week falls on Pau Gasol.

Gasol struggled mightily for second straight game and was benched the final minutes of the game against Orlando, which they lost 113-103. Afterwards, Kobe Bryant calls out Gasol, adding fuel to the fire on what has been a beleaguered season for the Lakers.

Via CBS Sports:

"Pau has to make some adjustments, obviously, to his game. He might not be posting up as much as he likes, but he just has to adjust. 

"The reality is, I've adjusted. I've never run this many screen-and-rolls in my entire life. But I've worked on it. I've worked on handling the ball; worked on coming off screens and making plays. I'm used to being in the post much, much more. You have to adjust; you have to master what it is we're trying to do here. Pau's talented enough and good enough to be able to do that." [...] 

"Put your big-boy pants on," Kobe said with a trace of disgust in his voice. "C'mon ... just adjust. You can't whine about it or complain about it. Heck, I'm 34 years old, and I'm running screen-and-rolls out there because Steve is out, and my ass is running up and down the court more than I ever have in my entire career. But you have to adjust to it."

Put your big-boy pants on” Another ranting from the franchise player. A combative call-out directly intended for Gasol to wake up a sleeping giant.

It’s evident that Gasol have struggled adjusting to D’Antoni’s system. His run-and-gun, up-tempo offense doesn’t suit the style the Lakers are currently running. Gasol is a smart player. He plays finesse basketball and has been proven efficient on his post moves. With the run and gun style of D’Antoni plus limited post touches in the post simply puts a dent on the struggling season of Gasol.

Kobe delivered this message for one reason: Play basketball. Adjust what is given to. Gasol is way too good of a basketball player not to adjust. He thrived in Memphis. He even excelled under Phil Jackson and there’s no reason why he can’t adjust to D’Antoni. Despite the age and health, Gasol remains one of the best power forwards ever played the game and there are optimisms among fans that he will revive to his old dominant self.

Lakers always find a way to lose. From shooting horrendous from the foul line (thanks Dwight), to allowing opponents to score 40 points in the fourth quarter and to benching one of their key cogs, Lakers should stop finding excuses and work harder. Chemistry is the name of the game and clearly, they don’t have it.

For the Lakers to succeed, they should bend-over-backwards. Do whatever it takes to win, even sacrificing their game for the sake of the team. Come hell or high water, Lakers should stick together, find their flaws and stop calling out people.

Or better yet, start shooting better from the foul line. The mellow drama of Lakers just continues to roll.