April 15--Pau Gasol admitted early this season he has closely monitored personal and team statistics throughout his career.
He wasn't exaggerating.
He recently disclosed he knew he will be, at 34, the oldest player to lead the NBA in double-doubles since Patrick Ewing in 1996-97. Perhaps more impressively, he placed Derrick Rose's three-steal effort against the 76ers in the proper context, noting the Bulls rank 28th in that department.
Gasol has had a lot to memorize.
In a nod to his record-breaking renaissance, his statistical soiree, here's a list of what Gasol has accomplished in the first season of his budget-friendly, three-year free-agent deal that features a player option for the final season:
--His 11.8 rebounds per game ranks fourth in the league, represents a career high and marks the first time he has grabbed 900 rebounds in his 14 seasons.
--His 18.5 points per game is the seventh-highest average of his career and highest since 2010-11 with the Lakers. Monday night in New York, Gasol became the 66th player in NBA/ABA history to score 18,000 points.
--His 53 double-doubles are a career high and tied with Charles Oakley (1986-87) for the franchise single-season mark. He has 29 games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, the most by a Bull since Michael Jordan posted 31 in 1988-89.
--And he has led the Bulls in scoring and rebounding 17 times, the most since Elton Brand did so 28 times for the 2000-01 team that went 15-67.
"This season has been extremely positive individually," Gasol said. "I'm just happy that I'm playing at this level and accomplishing things I haven't done in the past, which is pretty remarkable at this stage of my career. I just want to continue to work and stay focused and extend my level of play as long as I can."
He set career highs for points when he scored 46 against the Bucks on Jan. 10, for blocks when he swatted nine shots versus the Nuggets on Jan. 1 and for 3-pointers in a season with 12. And he's shooting 46.2 percent from 3-point range.
"Pau has been phenomenal," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He has given us an entirely different dimension."
Statistics tell only part of the story. Thibodeau has praised Gasol's practice habits, leadership and championship pedigree all season. He has been the team's healthiest starter, missing just three games because of a minor left calf strain and one because of illness.
"Health is always a key factor," Gasol said. "Without it, you're limited. I've been a lot healthier this year, which allows me to regain that level of play that I'm capable of reaching. My teammates, the system, everything helps. Now the critical time of year comes. You have to step it up and get better."
Layups: Kirk Hinrich will miss Wednesday's regular-season finale with a hyperextended left knee. Joakim Noah is doubtful with what the team called left hamstring tendinitis, though Derrick Rose and Thibodeau referred to Noah's surgically repaired left knee. Both Hinrich and Noah expressed confidence they would open the playoffs. ... Aaron Brooks and Nikola Mirotic are on track to be the only Bulls to play all 82 games. Brooks has done so once previously, when he won Most Improved Player with the Rockets in 2009-10. ... Jimmy Butler is averaging exactly 20 points and needs 20 versus the Hawks to do so for the first time in his career. ... If he plays Wednesday, Nazr Mohammed will be the 115th player in NBA history (123rd counting ABA) with 1,000 games. ... The NBA announced Rose's jersey is the fifth-most-popular (behind LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant) and the Bulls are the most popular team merchandise seller for the first time since 2011-12.
kcjohnson@tribpub.com
