Chicago Bulls: Will Pau Gasol Play A Valuable Role?

A number of teams chased the free agent power forward / center, but only one team was able to secure the Spaniard’s signature. Of course we are talking about the Chicago Bulls signing Pau Gasol during the off-season.

The 13-year NBA veteran left the Los Angeles Lakers and while there were a number of suitors tabling big time offers, the four time NBA All Star decided the Windy City gave him the best opportunity to play a role and to win another NBA title. It might turn out to be the best decision he has made.

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Since the

Michael Jordan

era, the Chicago Bulls have struggled. That was meant to ease when

Derrick Rose

came into the league and it did – for a while. A healthy Derrick Rose was crowned the NBA’s Most Valuable Player and things looked to be trending upward for the storied franchise.

More recently however, the Bulls have found themselves struggling with injuries to key personnel – namely Rose – and while they have battled admirably, true success has eluded them. Now, it appears that Derrick Rose is healthy, the young core has developed into a formidable force, and they have just added an intriguingly talented piece to the puzzle.

Pau Gasol isn’t the same player he was just a few seasons ago. Time and injury have taken their toll, but Gasol is still a very special and versatile player. One of the best passing big men in the league, he will now add an extra element to a Chicago Bulls team that was already going places.

Jimmy Butler is starting to realize his potential, Taj Gibson should really have been named the Sixth Man of the Year last season for his 2013-14 campaign and Joakim Noah could actually be the best center in the game. Slot in a healthy Derrick Rose, draftee Doug “McBuckets McDermott, young guns Tony Snell and Nikola Mirotic and an NBA championship is the limit.

Fans who have been passing the off-season by watching the FIBA championship of basketball in Spain would have to agree. Pau Gasol appears to be back to his best and Derrick Rose already looks formidable. Seeing these two play at such a level has to be heartwarming for the Bulls faithful and worrying to opposing fan bases. After all, the Bulls were a playoff team in the Eastern Conference last season and that was without their point guard or their new addition.

Here is where we get stuck into the strategic element of the Pau Gasol signing. It’s one thing to suggest the Chicago Bulls have added a talented piece, it is another to determine it’s worth and impact.

Without Derrick Rose, the Bulls struggled to score points. This was masked by some solid offensive outputs over the course of the season, but it was largely irrelevant due to the defensive nature of the team. The Bulls were one team that didn’t need to score points to win, rather just limit the opposition’s scoring and grind it out for 48 minutes to get the W. It served them well and will continue to do so as long as Tom Thibodeau is in control.

Pau Gasol changes that. Derrick Rose clearly changes that too, but Gasol brings even more to the table. His ability to score in a variety of ways makes him a tough cover for opponents. Low block, mid range, off the pick and roll – Gasol can get buckets. It is how he can get other people baskets that is going to really prove his value as a free agent signing.

Having the luxury of being able to move the ball through crisp and smart passing is going to improve the Chicago Bulls a LOT on the offensive end. Pau’s passing and basketball IQ is going to allow easier drives to the hoop for Rose, open jump shots for Butler, Snell and Dougie McBuckets and it will make life easier on the block for Joakim Noah.

With Noah and Taj Gibson being able to cover the defensive shortcomings of Gasol, this looms as the best free agency signing of the off-season – even if it isn’t the “biggest news”. When the Chicago Bulls face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, we might just see which free agent’s decision was the smartest.