Jon Horst had himself a Friday. He extended Eric Bledsoe and added Pau Gasol to his roster. Let’s start with the latter. San Antonio Spurs announced early in the afternoon that Pau Gasol would not be returning to the team, rather, he would be bought out to sign with another team. Bucks fans started to murmur around Twitter showing interest in the 38-year-old. And sure enough, he ended up being a member of the Bucks an hour later. Bucks make a rock solid move bringing in the longtime veteran who does three great things for Milwaukee that makes him stand out over other buyout candidates.

Gasol knows this system. Mike Budenholzer and Gasol never worked together, yet, this is a Popovich offense on steroids. It’s not going to take Gasol a long time to understand this offense. He fits in the extreme space and the ability to play away from the post. The Spaniard can be at his best threading the needle at the elbow dropping dimes to cutters. He also can finish around the rim, solid free throw shooter and can pull down rebounds. All of these make him a solid addition to the Bucks.

People can act like championship experience is overrated, and that might be the case in some sports. It doesn’t hurt when you can get some. Players will key into lessons from Gasol when it comes to playing in big moments. Gasol and George Hill are the only Bucks players who’ve played in the NBA Finals. Those guys are going to be vital to the team when things start getting tight in late May. This is a pure intangible play, but it is something most teams seem as a reason to bring a player in.

Finally, Gasol can work as an insurance policy. If Brook Lopez were to go down, they have no one there to replace him. Sure, there are big men, but none compare to Lopez. Gasol would be fit right in there minus the barrage of three-point shooting. Lopez stayed healthy throughout the year, but he has been known to catch an injury or two in his career.

It’s very exciting to have a player openly choose the Milwaukee Bucks to continue his season to win a championship.

Charlie.