Lakers' fans rejoice over having another star

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LOS ANGELES -- They showed pre-game highlights of the Lakers' new championship-caliber catalyst, Pau Gasol, to the Staples Center crowd, and people all the way up to the skyscraper seats roared. At Gasol's first LA introduction Tuesday night, giddy fans stood and exploded again, giving him a Kobe Bryant-style reception. Hungry or something, folks? It's been four years since a Staples crowd has had a chance to cheer two certified stars, the NBA's magic number if you want to call yourself a contender. Then the Lakers went out and produced a blowout of 1999-2002 proportions over Atlanta, 122-93. The only things missing were balloons, confetti and a brass band rendition of "Happy Days Are Here Again." It's too late to tell people not to get ahead of themselves. Phil Jackson already had his calculator out. Over All-Star Weekend, the Lakers coach figured if his team could nail down 25 wins in its last 30 games, it'd have a good shot at the best record in the Western Conference. One down, 24 to go. Who are these guys? Just last summer they were an imploding franchise. Then angry Kobe calmed himself and stayed. Andrew Bynum got good. And when young Andrew got injured, GM Mitch Kupchak finally made the move that Lakers die-hards have been waiting for since Shaquille O'Neal left 3-1/2 years ago. Funny how these things work in the NBA. You can trade away Shaq and get almost nothing. Then you can trade away almost nothing and get Gasol. Well, better late than never in Lakers Land. Since Gasol showed up early in that once-dreaded nine-game road trip two weeks ago, the Lakers are 6-1, and mostly winning easily. Tuesday night they embarrassed the Hawks, playing a pressing defense the entire first half, running up a 69-28 lead (their largest margin of the season) and settling for a 73-37 halftime advantage. There were dunks, behind-the-back passes, spinning layups and posing -- the only question being whether the Hawks would eventually take it personally and take a shot at Bryant's wounded pinkie finger. They didn't. There will be a fun -- and meaningful -- test Wednesday night when the Lakers travel to Phoenix to take on the team they are gunning for in the West, which happens to be O'Neal's debut as a Sun, as well. But until tip-off, at least, it's just another great day to wear your Lakers jersey, and bask in the Gasol Glow. The Lakers often cite the intricacies of Jackson's triangle offense as an impediment to working rookies and new players into the system. But Gasol's assimilation into the scheme has been remarkably smooth, even surprising him. "A little bit," he said before the game. "I'm still working on the options and details and different wrinkles. But my teammates have helped me out a lot, moving me around. "Once I jump out on the floor, though, it just flows. I just play basketball and do what I know." Let's just say that learning the intricacies of the triangle is an overrated problem, if you've got the kind of skills that the 7-foot Spaniard possesses. He's a deft post player, who scores inside, passes well and can occasionally step out to shoot a 15-foot jump shot. If you're thinking "European" -- a front-line player who wishes he were Reggie Miller -- forget it. He hasn't taken a three-point shot as a Laker, yet, and he launched only 15 before that with Memphis. He also plays defense with a little more passion than your average Petra or Vlad. He's averaging 8.7 rebounds and 1.42 blocks, meaning the Lakers will have two 7-foot shot-changers when Bynum returns. If Bynum was just starting to grasp that he can be a scary post player, Gasol -- in his seventh year -- has been there for awhile. "He brings a target to the post," Jackson said. "He's a guy we can feed the ball to and get easy penetration. And he's a good passer from that spot." Think Kwame Brown -- not. Those balls that used to ricochet off Brown's mitts are now collected with ease. The balls that were slapped away from Brown now get flicked to open perimeter shooters. Tuesday, Gasol scored 11 points in his first quarter on his new home floor. He finished with 23, matching Bryant for team high in just 30 minutes. Gasol was an All-Star in Memphis, but playing with a humdrum Grizzlies team numbed his sensibilities. Joining the Lakers has revived him. "It's a big difference," he said. "It's great to be involved (in playoff contention). We're expected to win every night. It's something wonderful." Around here, it's something old that's new again.(Contact Gregg Patton at gpatton@PE.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)