San Antonio Spurs center Pau Gasol understands his brother Marc's frustrations with the Memphis Grizzlies, as the organization has seemed to wave the white flag and lay down all their pieces — losers of 13 straight after a 107-100 loss to the Orlando Magic.
“Of course, he’s upset. He should be upset,” Pau told Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal on the eve of their game Monday night at the AT&T Center. “Any player who competes and cares would be upset. That’s a good sign from a player who cares and is a leader. He’s putting his body on the line and not quitting.”
Things don't get better for the Grizzlies, as they will face the Spurs tonight, who are clawing to stay in the Western Conference playoff picture after falling to sixth place with two straight losses.
Yet Pau can see the frustration as Marc looks into his 18-win team, likely vying for a lottery spot in a vicious battle for the worst record in the league.
“What I told him is, ‘Do your best. Keep competing.’ That’s the only thing you can control,” Pau said. “You can’t control that one of your best players, Mike Conley, is out for the year. You can’t control that (Chandler) Parsons, one of your biggest signings, has an (injury) issue and so forth. All you can control is your effort, your work ethic, your mindset going into games.”
Both Gasol brothers have been used to winning and competing for the playoffs throughout their careers, making this so much harder for Marc, who has struggled from the field this year, as has his team.
“It’s hard,” Pau said. “It’s tough for a guy that competes, a guy that brings it, a guy that cares, a guy that’s been there for 10 years and has given everything to the team.”
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