He is an HoF now thanks to the Lakers, Phil Jackson is honest about Gasol's arrival on the team

The future of the Lakers franchise was altered thanks to the trade in the mid-season of the 2007-08 campaign when the Spanish big Pau Gasol arrived in Los Angeles.

Head Coach Phil Jackson had a Hall of Fame one-two punch in Kobe Bryant and Gasol with elite role players around them, helping the team to win two back-to-back championship titles in the NBA.

The core of players would proceed to make the next three NBA Finals and win two championships in 2009 and 2010, cementing the legacies of both Bryant and Gasol in the process. That legacy led to Saturday when Gasol will be formally inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

But things could go completely differently as former Head Coach Phil Jackson has now revealed he was hesitant about the signing of Pau Gasol. “We had discussed the trade for Pau a season before. My reluctance was that he wasn’t a defensive center and protecting the lane was a priority. However, Andrew Bynum was an important member of the team and allowed Pau to play both positions when the Lakers won back-to-back titles. Pau’s ability to play both positions made the Lakers a potent offensive team.”

Jackson hesitated because of Pau Gasol's role with the Memphis Grizzlies

“He was gifted but hadn’t been on a team that had won a playoff game in his first 5/6 years as an NBA player. He enjoyed winning and loved playing with competitive players.” Said Jackson. Gasol is now one of the newest members to be part of the Basketball Hall of Fame as he was inducted this past Saturday.