Is Pau the softest big man in the league
The man may be 6'6"... but he is a GREAT defender...
He uses his lack of size as an advantage, by playing low. Which in turn causes the larger offensive player to not to get position, and shoot a bad shot...
Also Pau may not be a dominant big man, in terms of the size aspect of his game. But he still is one of the top bigs in the league. His shooting ability, length and speed all are among the top of all big men... You must remember he has a very European style to his game, and if he wasn't a solid big man, the Lakers would not be where they are now... No player can lead a team to the Playoffs alone and expect to compete... LeBron needed Mo Williams, and Kobe won all his championships with Shaq, and even Wade needed a supporting player in Shaq to win... Now with no solid secondary contributor to the Heat they got bumped in the 1st round...
Pau was the missing piece that Kobe has been looking for... a big who he can play well with... lets see if they make it all the way!
If he weren't so soft, we would be easily the best big man in the league. Even being so soft as he is, he's still dominant -sometimes-. Offensively he has everything, the length, the jumper, the hooks, the IQ, the vision, passing ability, range...
He just lacks desire and a physical approach to the game, it seems he hasn't learned yet how to deal with some positioning issues and his toughness has usually been non-existant because when he entered the league he was SO thin it was even funny.
He has put on some weight, but for me no one taught him how to use it, and he gets the worst part with guys like Scola, Boozer or Hayes when he is, basketball wise, far better player than them, but they get him out of the match.
Lamar Odom should have another mention, and with Bynun in such slump, the Lakers could still be using Turiaf (lol)
Seriously I really think he is the softest ball player in the league. He backs down from challenges, gets shut down by guys who are 6'6. Doesnt produce in the big games. What do you guys think