Pau Gasol vs. Marc Gasol (Photo : Jonathan Daniel | Getty Images Sport)
Pau Gasol chose the Chicago Bulls over teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder for a chance to win another ring.
It was reasonable to think that he would have an easier path in the East, but he probably never imagined he would not make the playoffs.
This is how disappointing the Bulls have been in new coach Fred Hoiberg's first year. The season started with hesitations on how Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah could play together in "Hoiball" which is patterned after the fast paced offense he implemented in his college team.
The Bull wavered on Pau Gasol, swinging from hesitating on re-signing him to declaring him a vital piece moving forward. Now, that they have stated their intention to re-sign him, the Spanish center-forward may be ready to move on.
Gasol confided to ESPN that he is disappointed with the team and that will affect his decision moving forward.
"Nothing is set right now," Gasol said. "Definitely, I will evaluate what I need to when the time comes. But the way the team has responded to adversity and the way we finished up the season has not been so far great, and it's been disappointing. So at the end of the day, when the time comes, I will evaluate things. It's hard to finish the season like this. It's not finished, but we're in a very, as we know, extremely difficult position, so everything will be thought of and considered."
For all intents and purposes, the Bulls are out of the playoffs. Even with season-long absences from Derrick Rose, Chicago still made the postseason. Now that Rose has had his best season since his MVP and with the development of Jimmy Butler, not even injuries should be an excuse.
"No matter how talented you are, you don't win based on talent," Gasol said. "You win based on desire, togetherness, effort, determination, things that are important."
Most free agents who mention such words are almost certainly gone, and there are actual clues on where Pau Gasol will play next.
During the All-Star Break, there were reports on how Pau wanted to join his brother Marc in Memphis, as detailed in Hoops Rumors.
They quoted a tweet from J.Michael of CSN Mid Atlantic. "Was told this about Pau Gasol earlier today: "He wants to play with his brother" .. Meaning Memphis (again). Ideally #Bulls #NBA"
Marc has already stated that he would recruit Pau if the opportunity presents itself. Pau would be much more receptive after the Bulls failure.
