Archive for the 'Pau Gasol' Category

Pau Gasol Injury Update

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 23, 2009
in Injury News and Pau Gasol
. Closed

Prior to the second half in L.A.’s preseason finale against Denver in San Diego, Lakers forward Pau Gasol addressed the team’s beat writers outside the Lakers locker room to update his condition.

Here are the Spaniard’s more significant comments:

Q: On whether he’ll play in the opener:
Gasol: It’s not out of the question … I’ve just got to let it heal. Hamstring injuries are tough. If you don’t heal it right, it can become a long-term issue, and that’s something we don’t want to do at this time of year.

Q: On how it responded to Wednesday’s practice:
Gasol: It got a little worse, it got a little aggravated so we took a step backward. Now we’re just trying to let it heal so I can go back out there.

Pregame Injury Update: Gasol, Bynum & Walton

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 22, 2009
in Andrew Bynum, Injury News, Luke Walton, Pau Gasol and Pre-Game
. Closed

D067369021.JPGLakers forward Pau Gasol and center Andrew Bynum will miss Thursday evening’s preseason game in Anaheim against Denver, though forward Luke Walton will dress and be a coaches’ decision to play.

Gasol, who strained his right hamstring earlier in training camp, will also miss Friday night’s game in San Diego and await re-evaluation early next week.

Jackson explained that his All-Star forward had some questions about how (the hamstring) felt after Wednesday’s practice, during which Gasol ran and went through some drills. The head coach said it might be more of a fatigue issue, but to “alleviate” Gasol’s response, the team felt it was best to keep him out of the final two preseason games as there was nothing to gain by playing him.

“I’m not worried,” said Phil Jackson. “Whether he makes it (for the season opener on Tuesday) or not I’m not worried.”

Bynum, who strained his rotator cuff and suffered a contusion of the left knee this week, will not play Thursday evening but will be re-evaluated on Friday morning. He’s listed as day-to-day.

Walton (back), meanwhile, practiced for the first time in over a week on Wednesday and will dress against the Nuggets, though his participation will be up to Phil Jackson.

Bynum Rotator Cuff

Published
by
Ty Nowell
on October 22, 2009
in Andrew Bynum, Injury News, Luke Walton and Pau Gasol
. Closed

Lakers center Andrew Bynum suffered a minor rotator cuff strain in Tuesday night’s 113-107 win over the Golden State Warriors. Bynum did not practice Wednesday due to the injury but is being listed as probable for Thursday’s game against the Denver Nuggets in Anaheim.

“My training staff hasn’t anticipated anything that would prohibit him from playing, but we’ll see what it’s like (Thursday),” said head coach Phil Jackson.

—

Injured forwards Pau Gasol and Luke Walton both participated in Wednesday’s practice after missing the past couple games.

“I put them through practice today. We’ll see how they react to that tomorrow. They looked okay,” Jackson said.

—

The Lakers carry a 5-1 record into the first of back-to-back games against the Denver Nuggets. Tonight’s game is schedule for a 7pm tip from the Honda Center in Anaheim on KCAL/9 and TNT. Tickets available here.

Monday Injury Update

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 19, 2009
in Injury News, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson and Video
. Closed

58679772After Monday’s practice at L.A.’s facility in El Segundo, Phil Jackson provided an injury update for his three players on the MASH list:

Lamar Odom: The small forward, who suffered a bruised shin against Sacramento on Thursday in Las Vegas, participated almost fully in practice and is probable for Tuesday night’s game in Ontario, CA, against Golden State. Odom confirmed that he was feeling better after a few days of ice and stim.

Pau Gasol: Gasol, who tweaked a hamstring and first missed practice on Tuesday, Oct. 13, was a limited participant in practice but is listed as doubtful to face the Warriors.

Luke Walton: Like Gasol, Walton first missed practice last Tuesday, and is also doubtful for the Ontario game.

The next chance for Gasol and Walton to play will be on Thursday in Anaheim when the Lakers take on the Denver Nuggets, though Jackson has said that team’s priority is getting each Lakers’ player ready for the Oct. 27 season opener.

Walton, Gasol Miss Another Practice

Published
by
Ty Nowell
on October 14, 2009
in Injury News, Luke Walton, Pau Gasol and Practice News
. Closed

Lakers Forwards Pau Gasol and Luke Walton sat out practice for the second day in a row Wednesday due to a slight hamstring strain and minor back pain respectively.

“There’s nothing defining for either one of them right now,” said Head Coach Phil Jackson. “Pau felt a little twinge when he was doing warmup exercises and what not.”

Both will travel with the team to Las Vegas for Thursday night’s matchup with the Sacramento Kings, but Jackson expressed doubt when asked about their ability to play.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF PHIL JACKSON AFTER TODAY’S PRACTICE

Gasol, Walton Sit Out Tuesday’s Practice

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 13, 2009
in Luke Walton, Pau Gasol and Practice News
. Closed

Walton GasolAll-Star Pau Gasol and reserve Luke Walton sat out Tuesday’s practice witih respective minor injuries.

Lakers spokesman John Black said that Walton was experiencing minor back pain, while Gasol had a slight hamstring strain.

Both players are listed as day-to-day.

Gasol Wins EuroBasket Title, MVP Honors

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on September 20, 2009
in Off-Season and Pau Gasol
. Closed

Pau Gasol and SpainIf winning his first NBA Championship weren’t enough for one summer, Lakers forward/center Pau Gasol added a EuroBasket title for his native Spain, earning MVP honors in the process.

Prior to EuroBasket - a Euro tournament that not only declares the continent’s best team but also qualifies its top performers for the World Championships - Gasol injured a finger, forcing him to sit out through much of August. Yet he quickly proved the finger not to be an issue by leading all players with 18.7 points and 2.2 blocks per game in the tournament, while finishing second with 8.2 rebounds and a 64.4 percent mark from the field.

MVP, indeed.

Gasol’s performance in the final game, an 85-63 drubbing of Serbia, was consistent with his production throughout as he led Spain with 18 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. He even out-rebounded Serbia 8-7 by himself in the first half, helping the Spaniards win their first European championship after six second-place finishes.

“It was a great game, and obviously we won the final that we lost twice before this year, so I’m extremely happy and it’s an unforgettable day for us,” Gasol said as reported by the associated press. “We just worked so hard to win this championship and I’m just super proud of my teammates.”

The decisive victory over Serbia was particularly sweet since Spain had opened the tournament with a 66-57 loss to the Serbs. The Spaniards also dropped an early game to Turkey, but much like the Lakers, Spain played their best when they had to, winning their final five games by an average of 21.2 points.

Spain’s run to the championship included an easy 18-point victory over Greece in the semifinals, a 86-66 quarterfinal win over Tony Parker’s French side, a big victory over Poland and a besting of Lithuania.

Next on Gasol’s list: defense of the NBA title. After all, Lakers training camp is just a couple weeks away.

Pau, Spain Smash France, Advance to Semis

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on September 17, 2009
in Off-Season and Pau Gasol
. Closed

gasol_spain_fistSo much for an injured finger.

For the second straight night in EuroBasket 2009, Pau Gasol looked to be in midseason NBA form, leading the Spaniards with 28 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in an impressive 86-66 victory over previously undefeated France.

With the win, Spain not only advances to face the winner of Turkey and Greece on Saturday in the EuroBasket semifinals, but it earns an automatic berth in the 2010 World Championships after guaranteeing themselves a Top 6 EuroBasket finish.

Throughout the game, a France squad featuring NBA players Tony Parker, Ronny Turiaf, Boris Diaw and Nicolas Batum had no answer for Gasol, who routinely had his way around the rim with an array of touch shots, layups and dunks. Gasol also showed some of his 2008-09 playoffs defensive form behind three blocks of Turiaf, causing consistent problems in the paint for France.

Teammate Rudy Fernandez, whose alley-oop pass to Gasol late in the fourth was the game’s final dagger, added 16 points for the Spaniards, while No. 5 overall draft pick Ricky Rubio contributed eight points, four assists and four rebounds. Pau’s brother Marc chipped in six points and five boards in the victory, while Juan Carlos Navarro added 11 points and four dimes.

Parker managed just six points, three assists and a rebound in limited minutes for the French, who were led by 12 points and four boards from Turiaf and nine points with six boards from Diaw.

Spain’s victory came a night after their 90-68 victory over Poland, in which Gasol scored 20 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

Spain Beats Poland, Advances to EuroBasket Final 8

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on September 16, 2009
in Off-Season and Pau Gasol
. Closed

Needing a win to advance to the Final 8 in EuroBasket 2009, Spain easily handled host Poland with a 90-68 victory that sends Pau Gasol and his squad into the quarterfinals against undefeated France (5-0).

As reported on EuroBasket.org, L.A.’s power forward had another outstanding all-around game in scoring 20 points, grabbing five rebounds, tossing three assists and swatting three shots. Gasol and teammate Juan Carlos Navarro, formerly of the Memphis Grizzlies, combined for 19 of Spain’s 23 first quarter points, including the first seven from Gasol.

EuroBasket.org recorded Gasol’s postgame comments:

“We had a good performance today,” Gasol said afterwards. “We are growing as a team and we are very much alive in the tournament. It will be a tough game against France but we have to go through them to get anything done here. We very much look forward to it.”

The game against France will take place on Thursday evening.

Gasol, Spain Defeat Lithuania 84-70

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on September 14, 2009
in Off-Season and Pau Gasol
. Closed

Pau GasolThroughout L.A.’s 2008-09 campaign, Lakers fans grew accustomed to the elite offensive efficiency of Pau Gasol, who routinely went 9-for-11 (like in Game 3 of the Finals), 8-for-12 (like Game 6 of the Western Finals) or even 12-for-13 (like against Dallas in March).

On Monday evening in Poland, Gasol was at it again, though this time for his National Team, leading Spain to an 84-70 victory with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting alongside eight rebounds and three blocks.

For full details of Spain’s win, which puts the team in good position to advance to the Final 8 of EuroBasket 2009 (a win against Poland on Wednesday would ensure as much), you can head to Eurobasket.org:

Spain recovered from a slow start to cruise past Lithuania 84-70 in Group F of the EuroBasket 2009 Qualifying Round. The win saw the world champions improve to 3-2 and boosted their chances of reaching the last eight of the competition. Meanwhile, Lithuania dropped to 0-4 and are assured of missing out on the Quarter-Final stages for the first time since 2001. Afterwards, Spain head coach Sergio Scariola was very happy with his team’s performance.

Scariola praised star player Pau Gasol for his performance: “Pau was very important defensively for us. He made one big step forward in terms of intensity and aggressiveness. The team took advantage of this.”

The win came at a key time, as Spain had lost to Hedo Turkoglu’s Turkish squad 63-60 on Saturday. Their tilt against Poland is set to tip off at 6:15 in Lodz, Poland.