duncan228
11-19-2009, 02:36 PM
Most Likely, Gasol Is Ready to Go (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-mostlikelygasolisrea&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
Get ready to get down! All signs point to Pau Gasol coming back tonight, which is rad for the Lakers on a number of levels. For one thing, there were reports that Gasol might be on the shelf till the holiday season.
What’s more, L.A. is fourth in the East, and while there have been promising signs—Bynum is upright and productive, Artest is settling in nicely—Gasol’s the second-best player on the team, and its his play that really ties the room together. He’s a big man now, has a variety of offensive tools, passes as well as anyone and burns with an inner Iberian flame.
From The Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers19-2009nov19,0,6625894.story):
"I think that I’ll be able to go tomorrow," Gasol said after practice Wednesday. "It felt great today and I don’t plan on any reason why it wouldn’t feel the same way tomorrow." Gasol has experienced a few close calls in returning to game action since he injured his hamstring in early October. So Gasol was pressed harder, with the media looking for a definitive answer about his playing tonight.
"Everything felt great," Gasol said, "and I don’t plan on any reason why I shouldn’t play. I want to play. I’ve been wanting to play since day one. It just wasn’t ready. The muscle wasn’t healed and now I think it is healed. It felt great practicing and I’ve got to go out there and play."
Kobe agrees with me, if you’re wondering: "[We’ve missed] his IQ. His passing ability and … the fact that he’s a player that teams have to deal with. So that gives the opposition one more thing that they have to think about."
Odom now returns to the bench, but for better or worse, he hasn’t been doing his "start me and I’m an All-Star" routine. He’s adapted fully to doing some of everything to whatever degree the Lakers ask of him, something he’ll be feeling out as this new incarnation of the team finds itself. And, it should be said, that’s something only Odom can do in this way.
This might have been a slow start for the Lakers, and perhaps put too much emphasis on whether or not Artest was the right move. But honestly, with Gasol out, this team’s been a shadow of its championship self. Which means it’s now either time for a whole new set of problems or for the Lakers to get dialed in and go after the top of the West—where pretty much everyone assumed they’d be this season.
I just want to see them take on Denver with all their soldiers, so we can really judge if we’ve got a rivalry on our hands.
SportingNews
Get ready to get down! All signs point to Pau Gasol coming back tonight, which is rad for the Lakers on a number of levels. For one thing, there were reports that Gasol might be on the shelf till the holiday season.
What’s more, L.A. is fourth in the East, and while there have been promising signs—Bynum is upright and productive, Artest is settling in nicely—Gasol’s the second-best player on the team, and its his play that really ties the room together. He’s a big man now, has a variety of offensive tools, passes as well as anyone and burns with an inner Iberian flame.
From The Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers19-2009nov19,0,6625894.story):
"I think that I’ll be able to go tomorrow," Gasol said after practice Wednesday. "It felt great today and I don’t plan on any reason why it wouldn’t feel the same way tomorrow." Gasol has experienced a few close calls in returning to game action since he injured his hamstring in early October. So Gasol was pressed harder, with the media looking for a definitive answer about his playing tonight.
"Everything felt great," Gasol said, "and I don’t plan on any reason why I shouldn’t play. I want to play. I’ve been wanting to play since day one. It just wasn’t ready. The muscle wasn’t healed and now I think it is healed. It felt great practicing and I’ve got to go out there and play."
Kobe agrees with me, if you’re wondering: "[We’ve missed] his IQ. His passing ability and … the fact that he’s a player that teams have to deal with. So that gives the opposition one more thing that they have to think about."
Odom now returns to the bench, but for better or worse, he hasn’t been doing his "start me and I’m an All-Star" routine. He’s adapted fully to doing some of everything to whatever degree the Lakers ask of him, something he’ll be feeling out as this new incarnation of the team finds itself. And, it should be said, that’s something only Odom can do in this way.
This might have been a slow start for the Lakers, and perhaps put too much emphasis on whether or not Artest was the right move. But honestly, with Gasol out, this team’s been a shadow of its championship self. Which means it’s now either time for a whole new set of problems or for the Lakers to get dialed in and go after the top of the West—where pretty much everyone assumed they’d be this season.
I just want to see them take on Denver with all their soldiers, so we can really judge if we’ve got a rivalry on our hands.