The Jump Ball: Blake Griffin vs Pau Gasol
Do you have the NBA Lockout blues? We feel your pain and have a cure for you. The Hoops Manifesto has gathered together Bloguin's best basketball writers for a new feature called: The Jump Ball. We toss two current NBA players into the air and ask the simple (yet complex) question: which of the two players would you choose to play for your fictional team next season. You only have this player for one season and one season only. So, who ya got: Blake Griffin or Pau Gasol?
Voting Panel: Voting panel: Jeff Fox from The Hoops Manifesto, College Wolf & BonK from the TWolves Blog, Don & brumbygg from With Malice and Ezra from the Purple and Gold Blog.
Consensus: Toss Up
"Blake is younger, stronger, faster, and more explosive. He hasn't won anything yet, but he was only a rookie so give him time. I can't pass up his rising talent in comparison to the aging and soon to be over-the-hill Pau Gasol." - College Wolf
"I'm not as sold on Blake Griffin as some - I view his overall game as somewhat undeveloped and inconsistent. With that being said, Blake is an athletic BEAST, as in world class Beastmode. I would take him on my team over Pau Gasoft any day. Gasolina has had all of the opportunities in the world to be an exceptional second banana on great teams, but he often comes up "Meh". Yes, he has the feathery touch and is an efficient player, but Blake is a game changer. Blake's next season should be even better than his last, and I can't say the same for Gasol. PS - KG owns Gasol." - BonK
"Ummm...Pau Gasol."Ezra
"Anyone who picks Griffin here is simply drinking the hyperade, and buying into Pau's admittedly poor postseason. But at the first quarter mark of last season, there was talk of Pau being the MVP to that point. Gasol can play at the 4 or 5, and is counted as one of the league's best at either slot. Griffin's exciting, and going to be one helluva player, but he's not quite that yet. This is for a solitary season. If it were for longer - or even a year or too later - then of course Griffin'd be my selection. But now? I'll take Gasol-ine Pau-er!" - Don
"I like what Pau has done in the past few years since being stolen by the Lakers. He has learned to play a more physical game, was not so easily intimidated and still has awfully good hands for a big guy. However, his postseason was very, very poor and had a lot to do with the Lakers being swept by the Mavs. Then there's Blake Griffin, quite simply one of the most exciting players in the NBA right now. Gasol can go missing when the heat is on. Griffin is too young to know how. This one isn't even close - give me Griffin any day!" - brumbygg
Previous Jump Balls: Kobe vs Wade, Amar'e vs Carmelo, CP3 vs DRose, Z-Bo vs Love
