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More Global Leaders of the Game 孟菲 斯灰熊队对加索尔寄于厚望 Gasol nimmt die hohen Erwartungen in Memphis mit Begeisterung an Gasol responde a las grandes expectativas en Memphis Gasol est plein d’ambition avec Memphis 蓋索 (Gasol) 對曼斐斯 (Memphis) 寄予厚望 Gasol abraça grandes expectativas em Memphis ガソルにかかるメンフィスの熱い期待

On an international stage, Pau Gasol stood alone. The scene: the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The soft spoken 7-0 power forward used the tournament to prove what many basketball observers had known for years: The Barcelona native is one of the fastest rising young stars in the game and similar to what he has accomplished in his first three NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, his play continues to draw rave reviews.

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Gasol guided Spain to a 6-1 Olympic record, leading all players with a 22.4 points per game average while shooting a sizzling 61.4 percent from the field to go along with 7.3 rebounds per game. Some of the highlights included a 37-point performance versus Yao Ming and China in Spain’s 25-point romp and against the U.S., Gasol scored 29. Quite simply, Gasol was arguably the best player in the tournament. No small feat considering the U.S. was well represented with two-time NBA MVP Tim Duncan along with fellow All-Star Allen Iverson and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year LeBron James, not to mention the likes of Manu Ginobili of Argentina, Carlos Arroyo of Puerto Rico and Yao.

Gasol’s sensational summer confirmed the obvious for the Grizzlies. It’s probably not a wise move to let your franchise cornerstone and leading scorer test the free-agent market next summer. A player Jerry West, Memphis’ President of Basketball Operations, deemed as untouchable, the Grizzlies secured their long-term future by signing the 2002 got milk? NBA Rookie of the Year to the maximum contract extension, full well knowing that the best is yet to come.

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“He’s a legitimate seven-footer who is a leaper, has a great wingspan and is mobile,” said former Grizzlies head coach and 2004 NBA Coach of the Year, Hubie Brown. “In the open floor, he can handle the ball. He’s an excellent passer who can overcome traps. He can finish with either hand and can shoot out to 18 feet and even three-point range.

“His critics say he is not physically strong, but he’s just 24 years old, and he’s still filling out. There is a major upside to him, and he’s going to get bigger in his upper body, thanks to weight training. We have no idea what the finished product is going to look like. He’s an incredibly cerebral player who knows all five positions and is fun to be around.”

For Gasol, the contract brings heightened expectations, something he welcomes. “I'm happy I'll be here for a long time,” said Gasol. “I just want to go out there and be aggressive and prove to everybody that I don't get paid for nothing. I have a job to do, and I have a responsibility. I want to carry that responsibility on my shoulders.”

The next challenge for Gasol is to lead the Grizzlies to playoffs success, something uncommon for this nine-year-old franchise. The Grizzlies made their first ever trip to the postseason last spring but quickly realized that regular-season success doesn’t necessarily translate into playoffs success as Memphis was swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.

“We learned a lot of things from them,” said Gasol, who averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks against the Spurs. “You have to play really tough and hard in the playoffs, as tough as you can. We weren’t going to get any credit or extra calls during the series, so we had to fight through that. If we want to win a playoff series, our main guys have to play well. We can’t have one or two guys not playing well.”