I'd almost say with Gasol, you have to look past the numbers, and just watch his impact on the floor, but that's not even the whole case. You just have to look at the numbers from a different perspective (not just on PPG/RPG). A lot of guys in the league play for the 20/10, whereas Marc's numbers show that he does everything on the floor. 4 apg with 85% FT is ridiculous for a seven footer that's one of the favorites for defensive player of the year, and his 49% FG is one of the best if you consider that he actually scores more than half of his buckets away from the rim. Not to mention, he's been in-and-out of the top 10 for FT% and blocks all year. How many players have been able to say that? I mean, Dwight's 49% FT is the reason that the Lakers have lost a lot of games this year, whereas Gasol's 85% is the reason the Grizz have won a lot. On nights when he needs to lead the team in scoring, he'll do it, but he doesn't try to force the matter in a way that disrupts the flow of the game like a lot of players do (like Rudy Gay, who has a much higher ppg, but was essentially addition by subtraction on this squad).
As for his defense, I think one of the 5-on-5 writers summed it up best with this quote -
"Gasol. The true quarterback of one of the league's stoutest units, Gasol gets my vote because he so thoroughly commands every aspect of defense. He's great as a post defender, his rotations are immaculate and he understands how to control space with his size."
I've never really been a homer for Grizz players, but from all of the players I've seen go through this program since they came here in '01, I think that Marc's by far and away been the most important player to ever play for the franchise, especially in this season. If you take Gasol off of this team, they're a lower seed playoff team in the West. Personally, I'd have him 2nd team All-NBA, 1st team All-Defense, and an honorable mention for D-POY (because it'd be a shame if Allen didn't finally win the award he's deserved for three straight years).
