The Twin Towers – Coming League Domination?
The absense of young Andrew Bynum was sorely felt in the Finals. His presense in the middle would have made a huge difference, and we can only guess what the twin tower tandem of Bynum and Gasol would have been like. Gasol, like most Euros, is not much of a man-on-man defender, but I can easily imagine scenarios where he is blocking a man from behind while Drew cuts him off from the front. I think we'll see a lot of this in the coming season.
You can argue, of course, that had Bynum not gone down to what turned out to be a season-ending knee injury the Gasol trade might never have happened. So, in the end, I believe the Lakers will be far better off for it. This season, we'll get a chance to see what these two giants with giant talent can do together. It should be very exciting.
The Laker's "arch rivals," the San Antonio Spurs, used to have the benefit of the "twin towers effect" when they had David Robinson at center and Tim Duncan at power forward. Not to take anything from this pair – they were awesome in the prime of their collaboration – but I believe the Laker version could be even more effective. Both Drew and Pau are better pure athletes than David Robinson ever was (not to take anything from the three-time World Champion, a great guy and fine athlete in his own right), and the Lakers big men are faster afoot too.
My hope is that not only will Andrew continue to work with Kareem Abdul Jabbar, but so will Gasol. If there's anybody who can teach Gasol how to be play better D, it's The Captain. After all, Pau is tall and spindly just like Kareem. Let's hope he learns to pay attention. Also, from somewhere in the sky, I think I hear the ghost of Chick Hearn saying "I'd like to see Pau develop a sky hook." Me too, Chick, and if there's a pair of big men in the league with better hands than Drew and Pau, I'd like you to show me.
Imagine these two huge talents working together. Passing. Blocking. Skyhooking. OMG. Be still my over-excited, fast-beating heart...