| Grizz Fans, Your Franchise Player Is . . . |
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| Written by Lee Eric Smith |
| Thursday, 19 November 2009 09:10 |
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 I admit it: When it comes to basketball, I, too, am a sucker for flash. I like to see a guy break ankles on a crossover on his way to the hoop and throw up some sort of weird dipsy do heave that somehow magically goes in. I like to see a guy go for 40 or 50 points. I like to see a guy dunk on somebody. Often, the player who does these things tends to be called your franchise player: See LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade. But highlight reels do not a franchise player make. What you want in a franchise player is leadership, mental toughness, basketball smarts. You want a guy who can will his team to victory even if he's having a bad shooting night. You want a player who plays hard every night, hates to lose, is coachable and both demands and inspires his teammates to perform at a high level as a unit. You want a player who makes his teammates better. And of course, you want someone you can throw the basketball to when you need a bucket -- someone who will either score or make the right play. And because of all THOSE things, the fans LOVE him. I wasn't sure who that guy was among our beloved Blue Bears -- not until last night. So Grizz fans I proudly present your TRUE franchise player . . .  
MARC GASOL. I know, right? It's crazy, for so many different reasons. But there it is. Never thought you'd see the words "franchise player" and "Gasol" in the same sentence again, did you? To make the leap to the next level, the Grizzlies will certainly need more than one franchise player. I fully expect Rudy and/or OJ to grow into this role. But until further notice, Marc Gasol is our guy. So much so that I predict it's a matter of time before his teammates are referring to him as "The Big Fella" much the same as Shaq and Dwight. He's been proving it all season, whether we win or lose. But it was so obvious last night with the way he was picking apart the L.A. Clippers that I knew I'd be writing this post today. He's been playing well and getting better. He makes an already good Zach Randolph even better. He's a great passer. He can make a jumper. He even rolled through the lane for a couple of those pretty sweet lefty skyhooks. I'm pissed off to the highest levels of pisstivity that Allen Iverson is on our All-Star ballot, and Marc Gasol isn't. And you know what? Marc Gasol doesn't care. He just wants to win. Then again, what else would you expect from your franchise player?  |
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