Westerlund: Pau Gasol Continues To Amaze
By Cody Westerlund-
CHICAGO (CBS) – Taj Gibson sat in the chair in front of his locker Saturday night, enough room finally cleared to reach his belongings and unwind. When your locker resides next to the star of the night and the Bulls' season, sometimes there are logistical challenges created by the surrounding media horde.
Fresh off a career-best 46-point night that led Chicago to a 95-87 home win against Milwaukee, Pau Gasol had finished up his postgame interview. He'd been asked many hardwood-related questions.
What was this experience like? Did you feel the need to score more with Derrick Rose out? How'd you find that rhythm?
As Gasol talked, a thought kept coming back to Gibson.
"He's always inspiring," Gibson said.
For a Bulls team that's dealt with endless drama and more negativity than a winning organization should draw in the last three years, Gasol's fit goes beyond the hardwood in his first season in Chicago. He's an endless vat of positivity for a group that needed an infusion of it, an individual who always strikes the right chord with his new team.
Gasol's been described as a jokester who always knows when to be serious. He draws rave reviews for his diligence, studying film even on the team plane late at night while traveling for the second leg of a back-to-back, as others may sleep. His Twitter account is one of the happier realms of the Internet, his abundance of hashtags rivaling those of a teenager's sometimes.
Gasol's also a well-cultured individual who enjoys taking in the opera, which his teammates seem to both respect and find goofy.
"Man, I can't do that – I'll fall asleep," Gibson explained of why he hasn't accepted that invitation from Gasol.
At 34 and with two titles to his name, Gasol isn't one to sweat the small stuff. He keeps the big picture in mind – he signed with the Bulls because he thought he could be a difference-maker and win a championship – and it's reflected in his attitude.
"Always encouraging, you know what I saying?" Gibson said of Gasol. "He's such a good person, and people don't understand that. People see the politically (correct), the good words you say after you win a game. People don't really see how he comes in. He asks you, 'How you doing?' He always talks to you in practice. He helps you work on your game. Then he feeds off everybody else."
As Gasol's continued to shine for the Bulls, it no longer tells the true picture to explain that he's been "rejuvenated" in Chicago. That suggests he's simply found a way to be a solid player again after a subpar recent past. This campaign goes far beyond that.
Through 38 games, Gasol's submitting a season that nearly matches the best of his career. His average of 18.7 points per game is about two points shy of a career-high and more than his career average of 18.3. His 11.3 rebounds are matching a career-high. His 2.2 blocks represent a career-high.
Gasol's per-36-minute averages are even better than those he posted in winning titles in 2009 and 2010 with the Lakers.
For all that, Gasol's deservedly in line for his first career All-Star Game start, ranking second in the latest Eastern Conference frontcourt voting – and he's also drawing the highest of praise from the Bulls.
"Pau was not going to let us lose tonight," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said.
"He's been big time for us all year," guard Kirk Hinrich added. "You can't really say enough about what he's done for our team."
At one point in his postgame press conference, Thibodeau said of Gasol signing with Chicago in the offseason, "I think he made a good decision." It's likely the closest Thibodeau will ever get publicly to admitting how glad he is that the breaks of July 2014 went the Bulls' way. After swinging and missing in the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes, Chicago turned to Plan B in the form of Gasol and added depth.
Now 38 games in, it couldn't have worked out better for either party.
"It's humbling," Gasol said of his career night. "It's very satisfying. I'm happy I was able to play well and that I'm playing well at this point in my career."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.