By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
LeBron James jokingly assessing his new Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Marc Gasol, as the wrongful owner of the 2013 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award was met by a response including several solid points. The Spaniard big told Dave McMenamin of ESPN that his then Memphis Grizzlies teammate Tony Allen actually deserved the trophy.
“We can talk over it with some wine if he wants to. If it’s anybody’s trophy, I believe that trophy is for the Grizzlies,” he pointed out recalling the strong defensive side of the 2012-13 Grizzlies, “The team that deserved to have that trophy was the Grizzlies. For some reason they picked me. If anybody could claim that trophy, it’s Tony Allen.”
Adding another perspective on the friendly debate, Gasol argued that as the Defensive Player of the Year he should have been included in the All-Defensive First Team. He was instead named in the Second Team, which in the past has been one of the points made by LeBron, himself a member of the 2013 First Team, to validate his claim to the trophy.
“At the same time, not that I want to or care about, but I could say I’ve been stolen from All-NBA First Team defensively,” mentioned Gasol, “I believe I should be there, but I don’t care. We can have a good laugh about it if he wants to. If not, I’m sure he can go get it this year too if he wants to.”
Back in 2013, James finished second to Gasol in the voting. That was as close as it gets to the award he has fallen short of capturing throughout his successful NBA career.
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