No, nooblet, he doesn't. If you watched both of them at this age, and I have, they aren't even on the same planet. Gasol was drafted number 3, and it was obvious to everyone that he was going to go in one of the top slots. We're talking seriously about Bitadze at 19 or lower. There's a reason for that difference. EVERYONE (except for you) could see that Gasol was exceptional, just like they can see that Bitadze is good but not great.



Gasol had tremendous agility. He could come out and hedge screens. Bitadze would get killed trying that, because he plods like a mule. He could score with his back to the basket or facing a defender, and he was a better than average roll man. That kind of agility and versatility is even more important in the NBA today, and that's not who Bitadze is. It would be good to have another big body to throw at teams like Denver, and I've said so. But comparing Bitadze to even a rookie Pau isn't going to fly.



BTW - I didn't move any ing goal post. Winning ROY is just one sign that Pau came into the league as a rookie ready to kick ass, and you're saying that Bitadze is comparable. He isn't. Tell you what... if Bitadze is even in the discussion for ROY, you can come back and say "I told you so."



Pau was obvious - Bitadze isn't. That should tell you everything you need to know, but I'm sure it won't.