Ricky Rubio came to the defense of fellow Spanish star Pau Gasol amid his benching by Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni.
According to ESPN.com, Rubio spoke up about the situation and said that it was unfair for the Lakers to bring Gasol off the bench after what he has accomplished in his career. Rubio and Gasol are friends from playing together for Spain and frequently talk during the season.
"He proved to the league he is one of the best," Rubio said. "He can pass. He can shoot. He can rebound. He can do a lot of things. I think if you use him in the right way he is a top player in this league. If they don't want him, we are more than welcome to get him."
Gasol has been going through his toughest season professionally as the Lakers are struggling with new acquisition Dwight Howard. Gasol played for Spain in the Olympics this summer and has missed time after dealing with a concussion and injuries to his knees. D'Antoni has been starting journeyman Earl Clark in Gasol's place recently.
Gasol's name has come up in trade talks over the past few seasons, which has irked star Kobe Bryant, who feels that Gasol is essential to the success of the team and is one of the best post players in the NBA.
"It's been the last two years that it seems like they don't want him, but actually they need him," Rubio said. "He's a great player. He can do a lot of things and he had some issues with the knees, too. It's been a lot of years without resting for him. But he's a veteran. He knows how to play."
The Timberwolves, the team Rubio plays for, has been mentioned in tye trade talks, with coach Rick Adelman wondering about the possibilities of a Gasol-Kevin Love pairing in the frontcourt. The Timberwolves have struggled even more than the Lakers this season after getting off to a solid start, going 17-25, leaving them in 12th place in the conference.
The 32-year-old Gasol may be hard to trade since he is making $19 million both this season and next, but another team could come out of the woodwork for him depending on how the rest of the season goes.
"It's hard, when you are hearing things with the rumors that you are going to be traded, to be focused," Rubio said. "Like he says, he's a professional and he's been playing for a long time and he's going to keep doing what he doing."
Gasol's numbers have taken a big hit with D'Antoni this year and he is averaging a career-worst 12.8 points per game and is shooting a career-low 44.8 percent. Gasol usually keeps a low profile with the press, but he has been more vocal about his role since things with the Lakers have not gone as planned this season.
The biggest controversy for Gasol came in Tuesday's game against the Hornets, when he was benched for the fourth quarter.
"Well, you know, 'all for one' didn't last (very) long, did it?" D'Antoni quipped to reporters before the loss to Phoenix. "Forty-eight-hour shelf life. That's not bad. We'll take what we can get."
The Lakers are playing better of late, but the team is just 20-26 and will need to play much more consistently down the stretch to rise from the 10th spot in the conference. Dwight Howard aggravated his shoulder on Thursday, which could bring Gasol some more action.
