The Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the 2011 NBA Playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks, and Pau Gasol was lambasted by the public for his sub-par performance. In the ten playoffs games Gasol played in 2011, he averaged only 13.1 points on 42 percent shooting. Gasol understands why he was criticized for his play, but he his determined to prove the doubters wrong and is ready to move on.
ESPN Los Angeles: “Thanks for the trust. Thanks for the trust. That’s as much as I can say. I can’t pay attention to any negativity. That’s just not me, that’s not who I am, that’s not what I’ve been in my career, that’s not the person that I am. If you know me at all, then– Let’s just wait and see.”
Gasol had a spectacular 2011 European Championship run with Spain, and he hopes to carry that successful over to the Lakers once the season starts. Pau Gasol knows the Lakers need to work harder if they want to bring home the title next season, but he believes the team still has an identity.
“It’s not that we have to change who we are. We are who we are, and I think we’re perfectly fine with that. We just have to make sure we work as hard as anybody in the league, or the hardest. (We have to) want it as bad as anybody, or the (most), and that’s it,” he said. “Those three things are the basics of success, as being champions and becoming champions.”
It seems as though Pau Gasol is ready to play, but unfortunately the lockout is still hovering over the NBA.
