Title fever grips Gasol

From: www.denverpost.com
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By Marc J. Spears

With a gold medal hanging from his neck and hoisting an MVP trophy, Pau Gasol smiled brightly after his native Spain won the 2006 world championships in Japan. Gasol would love to enjoy a similar moment in a Memphis Grizzlies uniform. But considering the current state of the Grizzlies, the 2006 all-star's next shot at a championship won't be until the 2008 Olympics.

"That feeling I had during the world championships, when we won that championship, it was great," Gasol said. "That is why I enjoy so much playing for the national team, because we have a real chance to win every game and every championship. That's a feeling I want to have in the NBA."

The Barcelona native, who averaged 21 points and nine rebounds at the world championships, missed Spain's final triumph over Greece because he broke a bone in his left foot during the semifinals. Gasol has yet to play this season for the struggling Grizzlies, but expects to return soon. He was cleared to begin full-contact drills Friday, and the Grizzlies' medical staff is expected to update the timetable for his return this week.

"It should be somewhere in December," Gasol said. "It's what I'm hoping for. I'm getting close. It's looking pretty good right now. I'm just taking the steps I need to take before I step back on the floor."

Without Gasol, the Grizzlies are the Western Conference's worst team and possibly the worst in the NBA, with just five wins. To make matters more complicated, the Grizzlies' ownership is up in the air.

The NBA released a statement last week stating it had yet to receive "sufficient information to conduct our review" from a group led by former Duke stars Christian Laettner and Brian Davis attempting to purchase the franchise from Michael Heisley.

Heisley also denied recent rumors Memphis is considering trading Gasol, who believes the rumors aren't true. But to get close to a title anytime soon, the 7-foot-1, 260-pounder will need a trade.

"As far as I know, my team isn't thinking about moving me," Gasol said. "But right now we're in a tough situation with a change in ownership. You just got to wait and see what happens. ... It will affect us some way. If they want to do it, if it ends up happening, I don't really know."

The Grizzlies and Gasol have been to the playoffs three times, but have yet to win a game. While the third overall pick in the 2001 draft is good enough to get Memphis 20 to 25 wins when he returns, it won't be enough to get the franchise into the playoffs.

What Memphis has going for it is impressive young talent. The Grizzlies have a talented rookie in shooting guard Rudy Gay and an up-and-coming athletic forward in Hakim Warrick. Memphis' poor season will land it a top pick in the 2007 draft, considered the best since the heralded 2003 class. But even with the possible addition of Greg Oden, Kevin Durant or Joakim Noah, it will take several seasons for Memphis to become a West title contender. Also, legendary Grizzlies executive Jerry West has the tough task of attracting a free agent to one of the NBA's least attractive cities.

"Yeah, I've been happy every year here," Gasol said. "I've been trying to fight with all my teammates to get us in the playoffs. We (haven't competed) at that level with (top) teams in the league. It's been frustrating. Like I said before the preseason, I want to be in a position to win. I don't want to be in a position to be a contender.

"I'm 26, I'm still pretty young. But I want to take advantage of the good years I still have to fight for a real chance to win a championship."

The progression of the Grizzlies never seemed to be an issue for the Spaniard until after the world championships. When it's all said and done, Spain winning a championship could be the worst thing that ever happened to the Grizzlies.