Pau Gasol News

"The questions came fast and furious at Kyle Korver and his Utah Jazz teammates in their locker room Wednesday night after the team fell to the Lakers, 120-110, at Staples Center. Really, it was the same question, asked by various media members in various ways. To boil it down to two words: What happened?... Korver pointed to another factor beyond the score sheet, the man who has catapulted the Lakers in just three months from playoff hopeful to championship favorite, Pau Gasol."

" A scraggly beard is a good start, but it can only take a reputation so far. Banging with the Utah Jazz and forcing its bruising All-Star forward Carlos Boozer into an off night? That's the kind of thing that earns a NBA player tough-guy cred. During the Lakers' first-round sweep of the Denver Nuggets, Pau Gasol proved two things: He can win a playoff game, after going 0-12 during his 6 seasons in Memphis. He runs the triangle offense exceedingly well. But the Nuggets aren't exactly known for tough defense or physical play, so Gasol wasn't able to do much to prove his ruggedness. "

"The moment he heard that the Los Angeles Lakers had acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis, Kobe Bryant sent his new teammate a text message, in Spanish, that read: "Welcome to the team. Happy to have you as part of the family. Let's go get this ring.""

"He is standing in the Staples Center tunnel, waiting to step inside the interview room, a giant wet mop with this dorky, delightful smile, and you just have to ask him. "It's the monkey, isn't it?" you say. Click here to find out more! "What?" says Pau Gasol. "You got the monkey off your back, didn't you?" you say."

"The Denver Nuggets arrived at the postseason Sunday flashing their celebrated body ink and nastiest Kenyon Martin glare, their jerseys and dispositions equally untucked. How did the Lakers respond? Pau, right in the kisser."

"If anyone wondered how Pau Gasol, their midseason gift, would perform under the squeeze of playoff basketball -- after losing all 12 of his previous postseason games for the straggling Memphis Grizzlies -- the early returns are in."

"It feels blasphemous to even think it, much less say it aloud, but these Lakers - Kobe's and Pau's Lakers, that is - just might end up being better than Kobe and Shaq's dysfunctional, but brilliant bunches of the early 2000s."

"He blew into town like a perfect ocean breeze - softly, lightly and just when they needed him most. For two weeks before Pau Gasol's arrival in Los Angeles, the Lakers had been down. "

"They're 21-5 with Pau Gasol in the lineup, an .808 winning percentage which, projected over a season, would be better than Boston's NBA-best .800. With Gasol, they go from erratic fits and starts (see: the last three seasons) to sleek efficiency."

"Tim Duncan didn't even bother to look at the stat sheet waiting for him at his locker after Sunday's 106-85 loss to the Lakers. He didn't need to see it. He knew it was bad. "

"A day later, Pau Gasol felt fine. Good enough to practice, anyway. Gasol went through a full workout with the Lakers the morning after collecting 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds in a 104-91 victory Wednesday night against Portland."

"Center Pau Gasol, out of the Lakers' lineup for nine games after spraining his left ankle, said he wanted to play enough in his return Wednesday to get back into a routine. That he did, playing the first six minutes, 37 seconds against the Portland Trail Blazers and nearly 32 minutes overall."

"The Lakers received their most upbeat medical report in weeks after practice on Tuesday: Pau Gasol is expected to play tonight when the Lakers play host to the Portland Trail Blazers, after missing nine games because of a sprained left ankle."

"Pau Gasol will play tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers unless "something crazy happens overnight." He practiced "fully, fully, fully" with his teammates Tuesday and reported some tenderness in his sprained left ankle. "

"In the really good news for Jackson, this isn't last season -- not with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum due back . . . any day now. Not that the Lakers are hanging on by their fingernails, but when Jackson was asked which Lakers he wasn't happy with, he started with his trainer."

"Pau Gasol practiced with his teammates for the first time since spraining his left ankle March 14, but he couldn't say for certain whether he would play in tonight's home game against the Washington Wizards."

"NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is of the belief that former Grizzly Pau Gasol didn't come exactly as advertised. Abdul-Jabbar said Gasol is better than he expected."

"Pau Gasol walked into Staples Center a few minutes before 6 p.m. Wednesday. There was hardly a trace of a limp as he ambled toward the Lakers' locker room. He said his sprained left ankle continues to trouble him, however. In fact, he said it could be another week before he's ready to play. "We're thinking maybe twomore games," he said. "Then we'll have two days right after the Sunday game. We have Monday and Tuesday that we don't play, so it looks like Wednesday (against Portland) could be a reasonable date. "

"Another day and it might be another game for Pau Gasol. Tuesday, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson ruled Gasol and his moderately sprained left ankle out at least until Sunday's game against the Washington Wizards. "

"The biggest news was a notable lack of center Pau Gasol, who will not play tonight against Charlotte and is doubtful for Friday's game against Memphis, Coach Phil Jackson said."

"Please get well soon, Pau. Need a massage to help your sore ankle heal? Most of the 18,997 fans who witnessed the Lakers' appalling, 14-turnover first-half performance would be happy to make a house call and apply healing hands if it means getting you back sooner."

"Pau Gasol might be ready to practice later this week. Chris Mihm hopes to join him. Andrew Bynum's return might take another two to three weeks, but the Lakers could have two of their three 7-foot centers sound enough to practice by the end of the week. And that's a significant improvement over recent days and nights. "

"The previous time Pau Gasol sprained his left ankle, he was out two weeks. Gasol, who sprained the ankle again Friday, is not sure how long he'll be down. But he notices a lot of similarities with that sprain he had while playing for Memphis."

"Pau Gasol is out indefinitely because of a moderate ankle sprain, perhaps putting the Lakers' drive to stay atop the Western Conference on hold as well. With the margin of error in the West already slimmer than slim, the Lakers will be without a true post presence today against Houston and probably the rest of their trip against other top Western teams."

"It seemed fitting, since the Lakers weren't exactly at full size themselves, with Pau Gasol undergoing an MRI on his left ankle at a nearby hospital and fellow 7-footers Andrew Bynum and Chris Mihm back at home in L.A. rehabilitating injuries."

"Pau Gasol is out for at least the next three games because of a sprained left ankle, joining Andrew Bynum (knee) and Chris Mihm (ankle) on an ever-growing injury report."

"Now it gets tougher. First, the Lakers lost center Pau Gasol to a sprained left ankle in the opening minutes Friday night. Then, they lost their game to the New Orleans Hornets, 108-98, in front of a sellout crowd of 18,199 at the New Orleans Arena."

"There's little question that the Lakers won't be the same team while 7-foot center Pau Gasol is sidelined by a sprained left ankle. But Lamar Odom might be hurt the most by Gasol's absence."

"Ask Yao about Pau Gasol, neither of whom has won an NBA playoff series, and Yao will tell you there's a fundamental difference between them: Gasol is a champion. Spain won the 2006 FIBA World Championship, even though Yao was the tournament's leading scorer."

"Kings center Brad Miller, who got physical with Pau Gasol in Tuesday's game at Sacramento, didn't intimidate him Sunday. Gasol had 25 points and seven rebounds to Miller's two points and four fouls, and the Lakers center's layup with 15 seconds left gave LA a brief lead."

"There will come a time when Pau Gasol will move from the center spot to the power forward position. It'll happen when Andrew Bynum returns from the injury to his left kneecap, probably sometime in mid-March. "

"Now Pau Gasol can lead the break, too? It just keeps getting better for the Lakers, who saw Gasol twice showcase some high-dribbling, high-stepping skills in transition Saturday night in a 113-95 rout of the Clippers at Staples Center."

"Three weeks ago, the Lakers left town with a gaping hole in their lineup and gnawing doubts about their short-term future. Nine games and one astonishing trade later, they returned to Staples Center on Tuesday with a 7-foot souvenir named Pau Gasol and an air of invincibility."

"They showed pregame 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. "

"After 15 days on the road, the Lakers are happy to be home. All but Pau Gasol, that is. He has nothing to dream about."

"Garnett and Gasol spent two seasons on awful teams before being moved. Doing whatever it took to acquire one of the two wouldn't automatically make the Bulls instant title contenders."

"Not that we tread in some sort of fable with Pau Gasol's life story here, but you really should see the hospital where he joined the world on July 6, 1980, just seven weeks after Magic scored 42 at Philadelphia."

"Pau Gasol envied Dwight Howard. Gasol was frustrated playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, where victories were rare and his 19-point scoring average was irrelevant. Meanwhile, Howard was racking up double-doubles and victories in Orlando."

"The Lakers' newest acquisition looked as skilled and sharp as advertised, Pau Gasol collecting 24 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in a 105-90 victory Tuesday over the New Jersey Nets at the Izod Center."

"The Lakers were only minutes away from taking a 105-90 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday night when point guard Derek Fisher passed the ball to center Pau Gasol and then sprinted toward the basket."

"Well, maybe in the long-ago past, when Shaquille O'Neal was Bryant's teammate. Amid reports that O'Neal was on the verge of going to Lakers rival Phoenix for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, the Lakers won their first game with their trade coup, Pau Gasol — pulling away from the New Jersey Nets, 105-90, on Tuesday night."

" The injury affected Bryant's shooting but not his passing and his ability to find Pau Gasol, who made his Lakers debut a successful one in LA's 105-90 victory over the New Jersey Nets before 19,990 fans at Izod Center."

"Before the Lakers beat the Nets at Izod Center, 105-90, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said he had offered to shave off his gray beard if Gasol would shave his. Jackson still had his beard, so apparently his proposal did not get far."

"Gasol, the 7-footer who was acquired from Memphis in exchange for Kwame Brown and Javaris Crittenton on Friday, made his debut last night and immediately paid dividends, scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 105-90 victory over the Nets at the Meadowlands."

"The Pau Gasol Show, take one. Wherever the newest Laker went Tuesday at the Izod Center, reporters, cameras, microphones, light stands and such were sure to follow. A bilingual media circus was present and accounted for, along with a notable buzz in the air, long before tipoff between the Lakers and New Jersey Nets."

"Pau Gasol was in Washington, D. C., on Sunday, and the media descended upon him. Gasol was in New York for practice Monday, and the media enveloped him. Gasol was in New Jersey for Tuesday night's game, and the media was all over him."

"Gasol will get his first start for the Lakers at center tonight against New Jersey unless there is an unexpected flare-up with his sore back. He had missed three of his last four games with the Memphis Grizzlies because of his back problems, but said he was feeling better."

"Pau Gasol took a crash course on the triangle offense Monday afternoon. Coach Phil Jackson walked Gasol through the complex offense while trying to avoid overwhelming the newest Laker in his first practice with the team."

"Jackson never has had a player of Gasol's magnitude jump into the triangle at midseason, so this integration offers a significant challenge. Still, Jackson believes that by a week after the Feb. 15-17 All-Star break, Gasol will be capable."

"Although a little tired from flying from Washington on Sunday afternoon to Memphis and then to New York on Monday morning, Pau Gasol practiced that afternoon and is hopeful he can play tonight against the New Jersey Nets."