Back in July, Pau Gasol made the bold decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency in favor of the Chicago Bulls. Although Gasol appeared to be on the fence about his decision due to the love for the city of Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant and the franchise, the Spaniard chose to leave regardless.
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Before taking on the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night, Gasol talked to the media in Los Angeles for the first time since leaving the Lakers. The two-time NBA champion said the following about his former team, via Beto Duran of ESPN:
Pau on Lakers "always going to be some level of attachment, what I experienced here…going to be meaningful forever to me"
— Beto Duran (@DuranSports) November 17, 2014
Pau "hurts me to see former team struggle"
— Beto Duran (@DuranSports) November 17, 2014
In 10 games in a Bulls uniform this season, Gasol is averaging 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Chicago is currently sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference and atop the Central Division with a 7-3 record.
At this point in time, Gasol’s decision to leave Los Angeles for a better opportunity to compete for another title seems to be working in his favor. The Lakers are coming off a fourth straight loss while having won only one game thus far this season.
It could be argued that the Lakers would be a much improved squad with Gasol in the starting lineup this season. Unfortunately, it would be safe to say Los Angeles wouldn’t be where Chicago is in the standing had Gasol chose to make a different decision last summer.
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