Nov 15, 2010; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) attempts to score as Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) defends during the third quarter at Amway Center. Orlando defeated Memphis 89-72. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

I was talking with Ian Victorine, a life long Celtics fan who lives in the Northeast, but a basketball genius in general.  That is what makes me take his opinions seriously.  I gave weight to this last one, despite my general disagreement with the statement.

He claims Marc Gasol is a better player offensively than Dwight Howard.

Make no mistake, I dislike Howard as much as the next guy now after the way he jerked the Orlando organization around, but I try not to let my feelings about a guy’s personality affect the way I view his game.  I was not buying into the argument of Gasol being a better offensive player than Howard.

Was he impressive with Spain in the Olympics?  Sure, absolutely.

Was he better than Howard would have been against International competition?  I doubt it.

I cited the fact Howard averages more points, Victorine says Gasol’s usage rate is too low to average that much.  He’s right.  But there’s a reason for that:  The Grizzlies don’t go to him as much because he just isn’t as good as Howard.

I asked Yahoo! Sports Matt Buser for his thoughts on the matter.  He agreed that Gasol had more offensive skills and was ostensibly more talented with the ball in his hands, a better passer, less turnovers, and the whole nine yards.  But he also agreed that Howard’s superior athleticism made him a much tougher player to contain.

And really, I’m just looking at the bottom line.  I asked Buser, “Could you build an offense around Marc Gasol?”

Buser’s response was that “Gasol could fit in the Orlando build and be just fine.  He’s a better passer out of the post.”

Like Victorine, Buser hinted at the fact that Gasol certainly is a better passer, and it’s evidenced by his better assist to turnover ratio.  Consistently, Howard has been at the top of the league in turnovers.  It was something we saw with Shaquille O’Neal early in his career, but he pulled out of it in time.  I’m not sure Howard will.

I said there is also the added element of free throw shooting.  Gasol hits his.  Howard doesn’t.  Plain and simple.

It really all comes down to skill sets, but I also think Howard’s couple of go-to moves make him a more difficult player to guard one on one.  His sweeping running hook through the paint is very difficult to guard, and on the left block he has a nice lefty hook over his shoulder.  Both are great moves.  Gasol has no such recourses if his other shots aren’t falling; he simply passes.

So, I don’t think this is a clear cut argument either way.  In Gasol, you have a superior skill set; in Howard, a superior athlete.  Sometimes, you really are comparing apples to apples, and I think both are great centers, of course.  It’s just hard to say which is truly the better offensive players with different strengths and weaknesses.

Tony Parker may be the best point guard in the Olympics this go around.

France (4-1) vs. Spain (3-2)

Here’s what I wrote about each squad prior to the games beginning in my previews with Maddux Sports:

Spain (5/1) is the favorite for the silver. With the Gasol brothers, Marc and Pau, and a talented host of perimeter players that includes point guards Jose Calderon and Rudy Fernandez, Spain should be able to play a versatile inside outside game that will give all the squads, the US included, a lot of troubles defensively. They have the shot blocking with the Gasol brothers and league leading shot blocker Serge Ibaka, so the US’s perimeter players will be thinking twice before taking it right to the hole.

France (25/1) must also be taken seriously, due to the fact that they have some real weapons that NBA fans will recognize. Tony Parker of the Spurs leads the way, and is joined by the versatile forward Nicolas Batum. They also have a few role players from NBA teams to round out the squad in Ronny Turiaf, Boris Diaw, and Kevin Seraphin. France could be a danger to any team if they get hot from behind the arc, but they lack the size necessary to match up with the U.S. and many other teams, accounting for their long-shot odds status.

Spain tanked their final game on purpose to draw France instead of the US in medal play. It was sneaky, but unsurprising. Getting hammered by France would be a good payback for playing a game half-assed in an event that deserves only one’s best effort.

Still, it is hard to blame the Spaniards for it, and their 3-2 record should be easily viewed as 3-1. They did lose by 6 to Brazil to close out pool play today, and again, it’s hard to know whether they really should have. Their other loss came to the strong Russian team.

In the loss to Russia, Pau Gasol had a big game with 20 points on 8 of 13 shooting, but no other Russians made huge contributions, with only Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernandez reaching double figures with 10 a piece. Jose Calderon and Juan Carlos Navarro have both been pretty solid throughout the tournament, but the Spaniards clearly could use rookie standout Ricky Rubio, who is still rehabbing in the hopes of returning to the NBA soon.

Spain has yet to face the US, of course, and they obviously don’t want to. Their three wins all came against teams they should beat. They dispatched of Australia by 12, England by 1, and China by 16 in their opener. None of those games are particularly impressive victories, and the one point victory over Luol Deng and the Brits should be downright troubling. Not only did Spain give up 26 points to Deng, but they also allowed 6’10″ former NBA draft pick Joel Freeland to score 25 in his own right. Spain has some obvious weaknesses to rectify before they can be taken seriously as medal contenders.

France, meanwhile, was the favorite for the bronze leading into ths event. They’ve shown why, but have also failed to show that they could be anything more than a bronze or silver medal winner. The US team punished France and made it clear to the Frenchmen that Tony Parker will be their only advantage at any position, and a very slight one at that. The French have 5 NBA players, but other than Parker, and possibly Batum (according to your opinion), are NBA standouts.

Batum has the defensive skills to slow either Kevin Durant or LeBron James, but he can’t cover both at once, and Batum’s defense is going to be needed against Spain to slow down Rudy Fernandez and maybe even Serge Ibaka. It certainly doesn’t help that two of Spain’s top three players play center. That just means a more vicious headache for Ronny Turiaf.

As good as France is, I feel Spain was favored for a reason, and they still should be favorites despite a 3-2 record vs a 4-1 record. I also realize France only lost to the US, but they’ll face a real test playing a team with as many weapons as Spain has. I’m not predicting a total blowout, but Spain should win this by 7 to 10 points.

Here we go:

1. Nene, C, Nuggets 

Nene is the prize of the 2011 free agent class. Nene is a plus defender that can score. This past season in 75 games played, Nene averaged 14.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Nene is often labeled as an injury risk, but the veteran big man has only missed 12 games over the last three seasons. Playoff experience and the combination of offense and defense outweigh the downside of being 29 and on the verge of signing him to a long-term contract. Since capable centers are rare, expect many teams to be making a run at him.

2. Tyson Chandler, C, Mavericks

Chandler is coming off of a championship season and established himself as an elite defender by really taking his game to the next level during the post season. The Mavericks have to resign him if they hope to make another legit run at the title. The Mavs have made resigning him their number one priority, but all indications point to Chandler leaving town. The veteran defender is not getting any younger and has had his fair share of injuries over the years. However, he has proven that he can be what it takes to be that missing piece to the championship puzzle. In 74 games played this past season, Chandler averaged 10.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

3. David West, PF, Hornets 

The veteran former all star surely did benefit from the lockout and got a few extra months to allow his surgically repaired knee to heal. West is not short on scoring and his above average mid-range jumper helps GM’s feel better about signing him to a deal given his age. In 70 games played this season, West averaged 18.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

4. Marc Gasol, C, Grizzlies (restricted)

Gasol helped the Grizzlies reach Game 7 of the conference semifinals and would be the number one overall free agent if he weren’t restricted. Besides all that, he is now the number one Gasol in the league. The Grizzlies will have to shell out a lot of money and intend on matching offers to keep Gasol in Memphis for the long haul. At only 26 years old, Gasol has plenty of upside and is on the verge of becoming a superstar in his own right. In 81 games played this past season, Gasol averaged 11.7 points and 7 rebounds per game. Those numbers jumped up to 15 and 11.2 during the post season.

5. Jeff Green, F, Celtics (r)

Green has a tremendous amount of talent, but at what position? The ultimate tweener has plenty of scoring capabilities, but needs to work on his all around game in order to make a legitimate contribution on a nightly basis. All indications have Green returning to the Celtics and this seems to the perfect place for him to shine. In Boston, Green will not be counted on to start and can put up plenty of minutes either at guard or forward for the aging Green Team. In 75 games played this past season, Green averaged 13.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

6. DeAndre Jordan, C, Clippers (r)

Jordan is another player that would be rated much higher had he not have been restricted. He can block shots, rebound and play decent defense. While he is limited offensively, he could be extremely valuable to teams like Boston, New York, Miami or Dallas where he would not be counted on to score and can contribute in the areas where he excels. The Clippers are committed to matching offers, but just how high they plan to match is not known. In 80 games played this past season, Jordan averaged 7.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.

7. Kris Humphries, F, Nets 

(Insert joke about marriage here) All kidding aside, Humphries is a legitimate double double guy and a player worth taking a flier on in free agency. Bigs that can score and rebound don’t come around too often. Some say the numbers are inflated due to playing extended minutes on a bad team, but the kid can rebound and that is something teams will pay a lot of money for in any off season. In 74 games played this past season, Humphries averaged 10 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

8. Thaddeus Young, F, 76ers (r)

Young can play a multitude of positions and his flexibility helped the rise of the 76ers this past season. Seen as more of a sixth man, the 76ers would be foolish to let him hit the open market. Still, at only 23, Young can score and rebound with the best of them and would be a valuable addition to just about any team looking to make run at the championship. In 82 games played this past season, Young averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game averaging only 26 minutes played.

9. Grant Hill, F, Suns

Over the past three seasons, Hill has averaged at least 80 games played, 12.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. With the Suns looking to rebuild, Hill could be on the move. Hill may not be the dominating player he once was, but his experience and leadership qualities make him a valuable pickup for team looking to put together a complete all around club.

10. Glen Davis, PF, Celtics

Big Baby shined in Boston and the Celtics were able to get the most out of his ability. Davis is best suited to be the first man off the bench. Davis is capable of scoring; rebounding and providing the all around spark a team needs at times. Being that Davis is not seen as a starter in the league may hurt his chances in free agency, but a return to a team like the Celtics could be mutually beneficial. In 78 games played this past season, Davis averaged 11.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.