Derrick Rose on Pau Gasol: ‘We needed him’
When it comes to vocal support, Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose hasn’t shied away from it in regards to off-season acquisition Pau Gasol. In a recent interview with Sam Smith on NBA.com, Rose reiterated his support for the Spaniard , stating that the Chicago Bulls ‘need him’.
"We needed him. Pau is another dimension to our team that we didn’t have and I think I never had since I’ve been in the NBA. I think Taj did a great job last year having a low post presence. But with him being seven feet and you got Joakim with Taj on the other side cleaning up everything else, I think that we just need shooting and just one other playmaker. But I think we have that."
With Tom Thibodeau at the helm and the roster as-is, defense won’t be an issue, as it hasn’t been in the last few years. But offense? That’s where Pau Gasol’s impact will be seen immediately.
Throughout Thibodeau’s tenure, the Chicago Bulls have struggled on offense–with or without Derrick Rose. With the former MVP, the offense lacked movement and the roster lacked players who could consistently create offense without being spoonfed. Without Rose, the offense suffered from the same, but this time, lacked a 20 point per game scorer to carry things when the offense got stagnant.
Now, with Pau, the offense will be expected to make a jump due to his ability to move the ball and isolate in the post unlike any other artist on the roster. His presence will allow Rose to roam freely off the ball as well as space the floor for Rose to operate and for shooters to get open. He’s the perfect big man for this system and a definite step up from Carlos Boozer.
So basically, as Rose said, Pau is important and could be the difference between this team making a NBA Finals run or facing an early playoff exit.