Coming off his third consecutive season averaging a double-double, there's never been much doubt that the 2012 All-Star snub would continue to play an integral role in the Los Angeles Lakers' next two title pushes, but it certainly doesn't hurt to hear it coming straight from head coach Mike Brown.
In fact, Brown went so far as to tell Steve Cofield and Dave Cokin of ESPN 1100 in Las Vegas that he considers Gasol part of the organization's long-term plans as well (via SportsRadioInterview.com's Chris Fedor):
I’m not involved in most of the trades and things like that. They’ll come and ask me my opinion a lot of times before it happens, but the biggest thing for me was knowing we were able to acquire Dwight without giving up Pau (Gasol). I think Pau is a special human being first of all and on top of that he is a great player so he’s a big cornerpiece for this organization hopefully for years to come.
Though the 32-year-old won't officially have to contemplate life after the Lakers until sometime closer to his 2014 free agency, the sentiments can't hurt—especially after he was included in the Chris Paul trade that never was.
The seven-footer didn't react quite as emotionally as former teammate Lamar Odom, but the vetoed deal still sparked continued speculation about Gasol's short-term future with the team.
It didn't help that the Lakers remained one of the few plausible suitors for Dwight Howard's services and that acquiring those services would almost certainly mean parting with both Andrew Bynum and Gasol.
So much for conventional wisdom.
General manager Mitch Kupchak pulled the deal off without exploding his roster, and Gasol appears to be in the clear for now. If he's willing to take a pay cut wh...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
