Pau Gasol (tonsilitis) is feeling much better today after missing Thursday’s practice.
The Spaniard participated in Friday’s shootaround and will play against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Archive for the 'Pau Gasol' Category
Press Release Attached Below
Los Angeles Lakers’ All-Star Pau Gasol announced his partnership with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles at a private event on March 10th with Jack Pettker, chairman of the Board of Trustees at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and Robert Kay, MD, vice chair of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Childrens Hospital.
Gasol will initially be involved in community outreach initiatives on behalf of the hospital, and will participate in hospital radiothons, as well as interact with Orthopaedic patients. Some patients will have an opportunity to attend Lakers’ games as Gasol’s guest.
“It is extremely rewarding for me to help draw public awareness to the amazing work being done at the Orthopaedic Surgery Center at CHLA,” said Gasol. “The doctors and staff work tirelessly to give young kids the ability to lead normal active lives.”
“Pau has a vision for creating more opportunities for the children of Los Angeles and around the globe to realize their dreams of being able to walk, to run, and stand taller,” said Pettker. “We are thrilled to call him a partner.”
The Lakers were honored at the LA Sports Awards with the top sports moment of 2009 for the team’s defeat of the Orlando Magic, while Pau Gasol was named “Sportsman of the Year” for his terrific individual year including the Lakers title and his MVP performance in leading Spain to the European title.
Furthermore, Lakers owner Jerry Buss was recognized as “Sports Executive of the Year” as the franchise was thoroughly represented.
The Awards took place on Friday night at L.A. Live’s JW Marriott in a celebration of the city’s greatest athletic achievements of the year.
After his Western Conference team’s narrow 141-139 loss to the Eastern Conference in the 2010 All-Star Game in Dallas, Lakers forward Pau Gasol - who scored 13 points with six rebounds - joined respective media members for a Q&A session:
Q: On accomplishing his dual goals of having fun and staying healthy:
Gasol: We accomplished both goals. It was fun game, an unbelievable crowd, incredible stadium. Definitely a one-of-a-kind experience. I was tearing up. I couldn’t believe how many people came to the game and supported us and enjoyed the game. Really, really pleased that I had a chance to experience this. I look forward to continue to be apart of other All-Star weekends.
Q: On always playing to win:
Gasol: Sometimes I think about it, but it’s hard to get loose out there. You try not to make mistakes, even though it’s a game (where) you have to try and put on a good show. My goal is always to try and help the team win.
Q: On the crowd:
Gasol: It looked like a lot, a lot of people. It’s hard to get a feel for how many were there. We thought there were going to be 90,000-plus, but we didn’t know there were going to be over 100,000. It was great to feel the love.
Q: On playing 20 minutes and 18 seconds:
Gasol: You can always play more, you can always play less. I’m thankful that the coach put me out there for as long as he put me out there.
Q: On shooting in a different type of stadium:
Gasol: It’s a different feeling, but once you get over that … because the dimensions are so different and the crowd is so far away and the building is humongous, you get used to it and it’s still just basketball.
Q: On Kobe Bryant looking a bit antsy on the sideline:
Gasol: I’m sure he would have loved to have been apart of the game. He would have enjoyed it. I’m sorry that he missed it, especially in close games. I (thought), oh I hope it doesn’t get too close, because he loves those kinds of shots in those kinds of situations … You always miss one of the best players in the world.
Q: On the potential of playing the All-Star game in a European city one day:
Gasol: I’m sure there are a lot of (good venues). Obviously, personally I would love for it to be in Barcelona, so (the people) would get to enjoy this kind of environment and this party of basketball. Anywhere would be interesting, but it’s hard to do it in the middle of the season.
Q: On the whole weekend:
Gasol: There was a lot going on, a lot of media availability, a lot of commitments and appearances. They keep us pretty busy, but at the same time, it’s fun to be apart of it. I think it’s a great honor to be named an All-Star, and it’s a party of basketball. It’s a good break from the daily routine that we go through, and now it’s over and we have to get back to work.
Q: On L.A.’s momentum heading into the post-break stretch:
Gasol: The momentum is there. We finished with a nice three-game swing and we were playing really well. Now we want to continue to play well and build on it. We’re ready for those 28 regular season games that we have left, and then getting back a playoff mindset.
Q: On the stadium:
Gasol: Unbelievable, incredible. I’ve never been to a football stadium before, I’ve been to a couple of soccer stadiums. But never like this, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us.
The Spaniard, like his fellow All-Stars, was very excited about playing in front of the biggest crowd in the history of basketball.
“I’m really looking forward to getting the game started soon,” he said. “This place is really amazing.”
Gasol did concede that he won’t allow the buzz in the arena to change the way he plays his game, as he said his primary concern is staying healthy for another Lakers championship run.
While the Lakers didn’t have anyone participating in this year’s Rookie/Sophmore Challenge that didn’t stop three Lakers from attending for various reasons.
Guard Jordan Farmar, in town as the team’s players association representative, sat courtside next to the the Clippers’ Chris Kaman while watching fellow UCLA Bruins Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook.
At halftime the NBA held their first ever Dunk-In contest between DeMar DeRozan and Eric Gordon with the winner gaining entrance into Saturday night’s main event. Shannon Brown is quickly becoming the people’s favorite to take the Slam Dunk crown but that didn’t stop him from doing a little scouting Saturday.
For Pau Gasol it was a family affair as for the second year in a row his brother Marc was involved in the game.
While winning three straight games has made the road a bit less weary for the Lakers*, the team was nonetheless a bit on the tired side after a morning flight out of Philadelphia to Boston prior to the team’s first full practice since the current trip began on January 20.
*Eleven of 13 days and seven of eight cities: check.
We took some notes during pre-practice interviews with Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol to make sure you didn’t miss anything important:
PHIL JACKSON
- Jackson explained that the Lakers - Celtics rivalry is still alive, even if it’s different from how it was back in the 1960’s and 1980’s. “It’s a more civilized crowd,” he said, after referencing old fighting in the stands, beer throwing and the like.
- To Phil, Ron Artest can certainly continue to play as well as he did in Philadelphia. Jackson quipped that perhaps it was due to the presence of Artest’s father, though we learned last night that Artest is simply feeling healthy, finally.
- Jackson failed to attribute too much to Boston’s two-game losing streak through Orlando and Atlanta. “They’re still a team to be reckoned with in the playoffs,” he said.
- Kevin Garnett missed the first nine games in January with a knee injury and may not be back to 100 percent, but Jackson said that L.A. will still approach him as if he were. “He’s still a rover defensively, and he’s still a guy that’s going to hit those shots from 20 feet - you have to account for that.”
KOBE BRYANT
- Bryant said that he’s feeling OK after tweaking his knee and ankle in Friday evening’s win at Philly. He explained that it was his knee that hurt at first, but he simply walked it off until the pain was gone about five minutes later. His ankle began to get sore as the game wore on, but is not an issue for Bryant, who said he’s looking forward to trading blows with the Celtics.
- To Bryant, L.A. simply needs to match Boston’s intensity and energy on Sunday. It’s not so much about playing a specific style (i.e. a physical style), but bringing effort.
- The 2008 Finals loss isn’t something Bryant really thinks about; he focuses more on the fact that Boston simply plays very well at home.
- Bryant said that his finger is feeling about 80 percent better than it was at its worst point, and demonstrated to reporters that he has a bit better range of motion. Of course, it still looked pretty swollen, but to Bryant it had undergone “an improvement.”
PAU GASOL
- On the affect of losing in the Finals: “Last season we played the way we were supposed to. We played hard, and we carried the frustration from the year before. Hopefully we’ll do the same (on Sunday). It’s a game we look forward to, a game that’s going to be extremely hard.”
- Gasol said that while this is certainly a game L.A. would like to win, it’s not something that’s going to define a season one way or the other. Jackson and Bryant have echoed that sentiment as well.
- On attacking Kevin Garnett: “My understanding is that his leg is not completely healthy. I’ve seen him play, and I don’t know how much he’s struggling and hurting with it, because his injury was never clear to the public. But I’m just going to try and be aggressive with him no matter how his leg is doing. He’s playing, he’s a competitor and he wants to help out his team; I think he’s a good leader, and his team needs him.”
SHANNON BROWN
- Since Brown was traded just a few days after the team’s win in Boston last season, he’s yet to face the Celtics while wearing a Lakers jersey. Yet he already realizes that the stakes are different: “I never had the chance to play in this matchup, but I’m definitely excited to be apart of it. You still have to take the approach of respective them as a basketball team while just playing our own game. But maybe a little bit more focused.”
Just like last year, Lakers forward Pau Gasol will be joining teammate Kobe Bryant on the Western Conference All-Star team.
The Spaniard was among seven players voted in by coaches around the league out West, alongside Dirk Nowitzki, Zach Randolph, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Brandon Roy and Deron Williams.
When Gasol missed a combined 17 games due to respective right and left hamstring strains this season, the Lakers won 11 times (nine of those games were at home) and lost six (64.7 percent), but with him on the floor, they’ve won 24 and lost just five (82.8 percent).
To reiterate, the Lakers have won 82.8 percent of games in which Gasol has played, and the team has not once lost three straight games since acquiring Gasol in February of 2008. His crucial role in the 2009 NBA playoffs and Finals didn’t hurt either.
Bryant, who led all Western Conference players in votes and will make his 12th All-Star appearance, has been constantly effusive about Gasol’s play, even saying in December that Pau was to him “absolutely” the best all-around post player in the league.
While sacrificing some of his scoring (17.6 this season compared to 18.9 last season on one fewer field goal attempt) to account for Andrew Bynum’s presence, Gasol has picked up his glass work (9.6 in 2008-09 to 11.0 this season), to rank seventh in the NBA. He’s also leading the Lakers with 1.7 blocks per game (12th in the league) and handing out 3.3 assists per night for good measure.
But what makes Gasol even more valuable is that he rarely, if ever, takes away from the team’s effort thanks to his elite efficiency on offense (54 percent field goals, 83 percent free throws), limited turnovers (1.9 per game) and ability to guard both forwards and centers without fouling (2.1 personal fouls per game).
For every point Lakers big man Pau Gasol scores tonight against the New York Knicks he will donate $1,000 to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.
The two former presidents established the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (CBHF) to respond to unmet needs in the country, foster economic opportunity, improve the quality of life over the long term for those affected, and assist the people of Haiti as they rebuild their lives and “build back better,” according to their website, clintonbushhaitifund.org
President Clinton will be on hand at Madison Square Garden for tonight’s game and will be interviewed by ESPN at halftime along with Gasol and the Knicks’ Danilo Gallinari.
Other Wasserman Media Group players like Antawn Jamison, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Tyreke Evans and many other will join in donating monies per point in tonight’s game.
Lakers guard Jordan Farmar, also represented by Wasserman, headlines a group of players making generous contributions to the relief effort.
Earlier this week the Lakers organization and their fans mobilized on several fronts to raise nearly $40,000 for American Red Cross - Haiti Relief and Recovery. Read more about that here.
From the NBA:
NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2010 – The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant has retained
the top spot on the NBA’s Most Popular Jerseys list, the ranking he has
held since the start of the 2008-09 season. The rankings are based on sales
at the NBA Store in New York City and NBAStore.com since the start of the
2009-10 NBA season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James maintains the No. 2 spot, while the
Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard and the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose appear in
the Top 5 for the first time. Howard makes a dramatic jump, moving from No.
10 to No. 3 on this year’s list. Rose’s popularity continues to grow and
moves into the No.4 spot from No.11 last season. The Miami Heat’s Dwyane
Wade rounds out the Top 5.
Shaquille O’Neal makes his way back into the Top 10 for the first time
since June 2008 at the No. 9 spot, while Kevin Durant re-emerges on the
list for the first time since January 2008. Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony
also moved up the list from No. 15 to No. 11.
The Los Angeles Lakers once again top the list of Most Popular NBA Team
Merchandise. The Boston Celtics hold on to the No.2 spot for the second
year in a row while, the Cleveland Cavaliers move up from No. 4 last season
to No. 3.
TOP 15 PLAYERS
1. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers
2. LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Dwight Howard- Orlando Magic
4. Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls
5. Dwyane Wade – Miami Heat
6. Kevin Garnett – Boston Celtics
7. Chris Paul – New Orleans Hornets
8. Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics
9. Shaquille O’Neal – Cleveland Cavaliers
10. Pau Gasol – Los Angeles Lakers
11. Carmelo Anthony – Denver Nuggets
12. Steve Nash – Phoenix Suns
13. David Lee – New York Knicks
14. Allen Iverson – Philadelphia 76ers
15. Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City
