Pau Gasol was waiting for the perfect time.
His eventual signing with the San Antonio Spurs was apparently always going to happen.
Two years ago actually, when Gasol became a free agent and ultimately decided to sign with the Chicago Bulls, he had a chance to go to San Antonio as well. He declined the opportunity because he didn't feel like the timing was right just yet.
Two years ago I declined the option of going to the Spurs. Now it was the right time to go to San Antonio”, explained the Spaniard: “(Gregg) Popovich has he told me that I will contribute a lot and along with LaMarcus Aldridge, without Tim Duncan any more, I will be one of the leaders of the team in the front line”.
This was before the Spurs landed Aldridge so maybe if Gasol was already there, the franchise wouldn't have been able to get LA too. The timing may indeed be just right now.
A pairing of Gasol and Aldridge is about as good as you could hope for in the season when you're finally trying to replace Duncan after 20 years. Gasol is just a natural fit in San Antonio too with all of its international flavor.
Speaking of that, Gasol also addressed the potential of him ever returning to play for Barcelona professionally in Spain.
“While still playing in the NBA, my chances of returning to FC Barcelona are reduced. It’s a nice idea, but becoming less and less possible. My hope of playing for the national team remains the same, evaluating it year by year and analysing how my body adapts to the workload.”
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