Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge, next Spurs twin towers? (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The NBA Free agency rumors are rising and even new title favorite San Antonio Spurs are involved.
Pau Gasol is unlikely to return with the Bulls if we base on his statements last February as quoted in Chicago Sun Times (h/t Hoops Rumors) "How these games play out will give me information of how I want to ... or how my decision will be influenced for sure,'' Gasol said. "How we handle this situation and if we're able to overcome it, get more together and united and stronger or we give up or are content with it. Because that tells a lot, it tells you a lot about the character of a team and the people you are around."
As we all know, the team did not handle the situation well. The Bulls front office publicly went back and forth on whether they will sign Pau and various locker room issues unraveled when the season ended.
Perhaps this is the reason why his own brother Marc Gasol recommended him to go to join the Spurs. Pau has had his share of organizational turmoil even when he was with the Lakers. To LA's credit, Pau did win two rings with them. He chose the Bulls over the Spurs in 2014, as the team was still considered a contender in the East and were coached by Tom Thibodeau. Neither of those hold true now.
So now that San Antonio is beckoning as an option again, Pau probably won't make the same mistake twice. At the very least, he finds the Spurs an interesting destination, as he shared with Spanish newspaper Marca, translated by HoopsHype.
"There's talk about passing of the torch with San Antonio and a hypothetical passing of the torch with Duncan," Gasol wrote. "For starters, nobody knows if Tim is retiring and he's somebody whom I have maximum respect for. In closing, I have to admit the Spurs would be an interesting option for me. I recognize I'm a fan of the way the franchise has done things over the years and the way they play basketball on the court."
It should be noted that the Spurs started the successful Tim Duncan era with a twin tower set-up as David Robinson, a former MVP, was their center. It would be no problem for Coach Gregg Popovich to have Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge on the same team, especially as Gasol seems comfortable playing center.
Also, as brother Marc pointed out, Popovich is the master at managing aging players and extending their career (check out 40 year old Timmy). Pau would definitely benefit from that.
