Pau Magnifico

The Lakers held off the New Jersey Nets last night to win their fifth straight. On a night where Kobe fought what he called a "jammed" ankle and another sub 40% shooting night (his fifth in six games by the way), the man who stepped up was the seven-foot Spaniard, Pau Gasol. I have a strong belief that Pau is not truly appreciated by the media and often fans as well. His per game numbers aren't jaw-dropping (18.9 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.6 apg), yet he is consistently good and oftentimes great. He is as efficient as they come in the NBA as his 57.2 FG% can attest to, and never seems to tire despite leading the Lakers in minutes and playing all but one game this year. He is a remarkable player who at seven-feet can run the floor, handle the ball, both make and catch tough passes, finish with both hands, and play with his back to the basket or in the high post. Add it all up and I think you can make a strong case that Pau is the MVP of this 2008-2009 Lakers team. I know it's blasphemous to say in LA but I think that it might actually be the case this year. At any rate, us Lakers fans are plenty lucky that we stole this man for Kwame Brown's expiring contract etc..