Marc Gasol deserves the praise

VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's London Calling) - For those who know Marc Gasol and have seen him grow into one of the elite centers in both international basketball and the NBA, it’s no surprise the 27-year-old is getting recognition.

He deserves it.

Marc will make his first appearance in an NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, while this summer he’ll play at an Olympics for the second time.

He and his brother, Pau, will be at the London Games and help Spain challenge for the gold medal.

Sit back and appreciate what the 2.16m pivot has become.

Yes, Marc has plenty of size, but also plenty of determination.

He needed all of the latter during the 2005-05 and 2005-06 campaigns with Barcelona in Spain's ACB and the Euroleague.

Battling weight issues and injuries, his career was grounded.

While Pau’s NBA career was taking off, scouts were writing off Marc’s chances.

But Marc caught a major break when back problems forced Fran Vazquez to withdraw from the national team before the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.

He had played just enough minutes that season with Barcelona to merit consideration for a spot in the preliminary squad and Pepu Hernandez decided to take him with the team to the Far East.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Marc played a solid role off the bench, averaging 5.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in Japan.

With Spain needing a low-post presence to battle Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Greece’s other giants in the Final following a tournament-ending foot injury suffered by Pau in the Semi-Final triumph over Argentina, Marc Gasol played 17 valuable minutes.

He helped Spain capture their first major honor in international basketball, a gold medal in Saitama.

Then, taking the advice of his brother, he opted not to return to Barcelona but instead join Akasvayu Girona and play for Svetislav Pesic.

There, Pau had said, he would be assured of minutes.

Marc showed enough in that solid 2006-07 campaign, when the team won the FIBA EuroCup, for the Los Angeles Lakers to burn a second-round pick on him that summer.

He was taken 48th overall - not nearly high enough to cross the Atlantic and attempt to start his NBA career.

The center remained in Girona for another season and in February of 2008, the Lakers sent his draft rights to Memphis in a trade to acquire his brother.

Marc left no doubt about his NBA potential in the 2007-08 campaign, dominating game after game and leading the team into the Eurocup Final.

He was named ACB Player of the Year.

Marc then travelled to Beijing with Spain and made his Olympic bow, helping the national team finish runners-up to the United States.

"I've always said that I am a fan of Marc because of his seriousness, commitment, enthusiasm and talent," said Aito Garcia-Reneses, who coached Spain in Beijing.

Every year that has followed those Olympic Games, Marc has gotten better, and so have the teams that he has played for.

With Spain, he won EuroBasket gold medals in 2009 and '11.

Last season, Marc led the Grizzlies into the NBA playoffs where they upset San Antonio in the first round.

"I'm not surprised at all that he has become an All-Star," Aito said.

Today, Marc is the Memphis Grizzlies' all-time leader in career field goal percentage (53.7%).

He’s a great rebounder, and passer.

Marc blocks shots.

He is an All-Star that is getting better and better.

There have been plenty of cynics, including when Hernandez included him in Spain's World Championship squad nearly six years ago.

Even after the Lakers drafted him, Marc got the feeling that he had no future with the team.

"Nobody wanted me at first," Marc said after signing a lucrative contract extension with Memphis in December.

"The Lakers said you can show up for training camp (in 2007) and we'll give you a practice jersey.

"But they never told me to come here and be part of the team. They never offered me that."

For those who know Marc, the praise and recognition that is coming his way will not change who he is.

Jeff Taylor

FIBA

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