OFFICIAL LAKERS 2009/2010 (57-25) 2009-2010 CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

[notorious 858]

[h1]Pau Gasol probably won't play Friday[/h1]

Reporting from Houston - Day by day, Pau Gasol has made improvements from a hamstring injury to the point where he has been cleared to resume basketball-related activities.

But his return for a basketball game with the Lakers remains uncertain.

Gasol took an MRI exam Monday that revealed he had a strained right hamstring and not a slight tear that showed up on the sonogram he also took. The MRI is a more sophisticated examination.

The Lakers also sent the MRI results to Gasol's personal physician in Spain.

"The results of the MRI were promising and positive," Gasol said Wednesday night. "So that gives me a little bit of hope that I'll be back soon. I just hope that I can increase the level of work that I'm doing right now until I feel good about it and my hamstring responds well."

Gasol said he hopes to practice today.

But as far as playing Friday night when the Lakers host the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center, Gasol shot that down.

"I'm far from playing on Friday," he said.

The Lakers play again Sunday night, but Gasol wasn't "sure about that either."

Gasol, out for a little over three weeks, said he did "a little bit of work on the floor" during Wednesday night's game between the Lakers and Rockets and that it turned out "pretty good."

The 7-footer sat out only one game last season.

Ariza downplays game

His demeanor didn't suggest otherwise, but Trevor Ariza was asked the question nonetheless.

Was Ariza out to prove the Lakers made a mistake in not keeping him after he helped the team win the NBA championship last season?

"I guess you can say if I was a person that looked to get revenge on people, it would be like that," Ariza said. "But I'm not that type of person. It's a basketball game that I want to win, definitely. But right now I don't feel any extra pressure or extra emotions to go out and show them that they made a mistake. . . . I thank them for the opportunity."

The Lakers chose to sign Ron Artest to a five-year, $33.7-million contract instead.

Ariza signed a five-year, $33.9-million deal with the Rockets after the Lakers decided to go in another direction.

Ariza faced the Lakers on Wednesday night for the first time.

Ariza, who will get his championship ring Nov. 15 when the Lakers face Houston at Staples Center, had a chance to beat his old team. But Derek Fisher stripped the ball away from Ariza just before time expired in the Lakers' overtime win.

"It means we lost, so it didn't mean nothing," said Ariza, who came in averaging 21 points and finished with 15 points on five-for-21 shooting. "If we would have won, it would have meant something."

Link:

http://www.latimes.com/sp...009nov05,0,6105174.story

 

[CP1708]

Ska, there's an ESPN insider article from Hollinger on the Lakers bench, can you post that in here?

 

[darthska]

Notice how everyone else making requests posts the link to the article?

 

[CP1708]

Oops, hang on a sec..........

 

[CP1708]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-091105

 

[notorious 858]

[h2]With Gasol out, Lakers' bench struggling[/h2]

By John Hollinger
ESPN.com

HOUSTON -- "Welcome to my world, Phil."

That's what 14 other Western Conference coaches are thinking after watching how the Lakers have had to scratch and claw their way to an uneven 4-1 start in the absence of Pau Gasol, who has been out with a hamstring injury.

While mentioning L.A.'s one-sided trade for Gasol two years ago remains the most expedient way to enrage a member of any other Western Conference coaching staff, L.A.'s ability to keep its head above water is reminiscent of a less-discussed aspect of that deal: The Lakers already were chasing the West's best record at the time of the trade.

That said, the Lakers' rockier-than-the-record-shows start (they've won two OT games and scored only five points more than the opposition thus far) also reflects another reality that's a huge departure from two seasons ago. Back then, the Lakers bench was monstrously productive, providing a 10-deep framework around Kobe Bryant that didn't demand he put up monstrous numbers -- or minutes -- for L.A. to win.

This season? Not so much. Shannon Brown, a key spark for the second unit in last year's postseason, has struggled to a 10.67 PER in the first five games … and most of the other Lakers reserves look upon his numbers with jealousy. Sasharapova Vujacic can't get out of his own way, with only four points on the season, and is in danger of falling out of the rotation entirely. Ditto for Luke Walton, who is still looking for his first free throw attempt and seemed tentative in his limited run last night. Jordan Farmar? Not even close. Despite his talents, he's shooting 29.4 percent from the floor with as many turnovers as assists.

The result is something that's come as a shock to veteran Lakers watchers: Jackson has been going to the whip hard and heavy in the season's first nine days. L.A. has three starters averaging more than 40 minutes a game -- something no player in the league did a year ago. While that's been exacerbated by the two overtime games, Kobe Bryant would be at 39.6 just with his regulation minutes.

The other trend that's less visible on the stat sheet but palpable to anyone in the gym is the absence of Gasol's length. With a healthy Gasol alongside Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom, L.A. towers over most opponents in the paint.

Wednesday night, once again, the Lakers were killed on the defensive boards -- at times it seemed the Rockets' best play was having Trevor Ariza pass the ball off the rim to Carl Landry. In fact, allow me to present the year's most shocking stat thus far: L.A. is dead last in Defensive Rebound Rate at a paltry 67.3 percent.

Presumably, that will change once Gasol returns in the next few days. While it's unlikely he'll be available for the Scratchy Bearded Spanish Center world championships on Friday against brother Marc in Memphis, the Lakers seem optimistic that he could return early next week after an MRI confirmed his hamstring injury was only a strain.

But even with that good, there's some bad. Gasol's return would remove from the rotation the only L.A. reserve who has played anything resembling decent basketball. Josh Powell is off to a splendid start and earned praise from Jackson last night for a strong stint in the second quarter. Worse yet, Gasol may be coming just as his bookend 7-footer is going. Center Andrew Bynum hurt his elbow toward the end of last night's win in Houston and will be evaluated Thursday.

If both players can come back and Lamar Odom can return to his sixth man role, perhaps the worries over L.A.'s bench are all much ado about nothing. That's particularly true if L.A. can still swing a trade for some more backcourt help, with Adam Morrison's expiring $5.3 million deal providing the most obvious trading chip.

But the worry is that Jackson's riding of the starters so heavily so early will have damaging consequences as we get into the spring. Bryant is in exquisite shape, but he's 31 with more miles on his legs than any other 31-year-old in league history; perhaps it's hubris to take his indestructibility for granted. Veterans like Odom and Ron Artest are no spring chickens either, while Bynum's injury history makes him a risk with this much use.

Coming off an overtime game the previous night, Jackson said before the Houston game that he would need his bench and was reluctant to criticize it afterward. He's always saved his biggest daggers for pregame and shootarounds, so perhaps we'll hear something before they meet the Grizzlies on Friday.

But really, he doesn't have to say anything. What spoke volumes was his calling timeout to get Bryant back into the game after a mere 1:46 rest at the start of the fourth quarter because the Rockets were quickly pulling away. That can work as a one-off strategy in selected spots, and perhaps Jackson saw last night as such a case with Gasol's return imminent and 14 of the next 16 games at home.

If it's a nightly event, however, it will have huge implications down the road. Bryant can keep the Lakers afloat with his superman routine on any given night, but for L.A. to remain a top contender in June, the second unit is going to have to start pulling its weight.



Link:

http://insider.espn.go.co...&page=PERDiem-091105

 

[CP1708]

God damn it bench.

Ah well, I'm going to wait another week or two before I totally figure out what I like and don't like. I remember last year we were all gripping everysingle bucket we allowed and all that, and at the end we were all fine and dandy.

So I'm not too worried just yet, so we'll see how some things turn out and go from there.


Thanks Kidskillz

 

[CP1708]

Any word yet on Bynum's stupid elbow?

 

[westcoastsfinest]

yehh i think once pau gets back...the bench will be better with odom...omg dont tell me bynum got hurt over that hard foul last night?

 

[darthska]

Bynum? Hurt?

Surely you jest.

 

[aplx2]

GOOD NEWS!

Bynums MRI says it is a strain. He is day to day, and is probable for Friday.

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

Bynum? Hurt?

Surely you jest.

1 or 12 more injuries to that dude and Ima be right there with you Ska.

But for now, I can't afford to take my focus off of Artest for fear that he might go sideways. I got him scared right now.

 

[knightngale]

Bynum is made of glass

 

[frenchblue23]

To be fair, he did get roughed up by 2-3 players, on that foul.

 

[i nasmatic i]

Chuck Hayes wacked him pretty hard.

 

[aplx2]

Originally Posted by knightngale

Bynum is made of glass

Are u serious? Did you watch the play? Dude got clobbered on that one. And Kobe fell on his knee the last knee injury. I wonder how your knee would hold up to200 pounds folding it backwards. Get your facts straight or #*!$.

 

[percy.]

If all our bench players aren't doing well, why don't we just include Adam Morrison to the rotation to see what he's made of instead of just himnot playing at all.

 

[23mcpizzle23]

Originally Posted by knightngale

Bynum is made of glass

its true

 

[darthska]

APLX2:

---

knightngale:

---

Bynum is made of glass

Are u serious? Did you watch the play? Dude got clobbered on that one. And Kobe fell on his knee the last knee injury. I wonder how your knee would hold up to 200 pounds folding it backwards. Get your facts straight or #*!$.
Tell 'em why you mad, son!















No but seriously, calm down, guy.

Bynum is either clumsy as hell for always being injured, or made of glass.

 

[lalakerfan213]

I wouldn't say clumsy for always being injured...he doesnt have the best of luck when it comes to health.
I say he should sit out against the Griz

 

[kingjaffejo]

If I was Phil I would rather take the L than have Bynum play against the Griz

 

[ryda421]

 

[notorious 858]

[h1]Lakers' Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol are expected to miss Friday's game[/h1]

It was a day of medical terms and injury evaluations, a time for the Lakers to take a breath after two overtime road victories and, of greater importance, take stock of their ailing big men.

Andrew Bynum was their latest 7-footer to undergo an MRI exam, the results showing a strained right elbow that left him listed as doubtful for tonight's game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Pau Gasol did some work on the practice court Thursday but declared himself out for tonight's game, unless his strained right hamstring suddenly felt much, much better today.

In other words, DJ Mbenga might start at center. Or if the Lakers go with a small lineup, Lamar Odom might get the call in the middle, with Josh Powell moving into the starting lineup at forward. "Whatever it takes," Odom said.

Bynum was injured in overtime Wednesday against Houston when center Chuck Hayes fouled him hard across the arm.

Bynum's condition was bad enough after the game that he could use only one arm to get dressed, but he was able to lift his right arm a day later, albeit with pain.

"It's nothing too serious," Bynum said while his arm was hooked up to an electro-stimulation machine. "I don't think I could be myself out there [tonight]. I can raise my hand and all that stuff. It's just the pain that's associated with doing it."

It might not be the worst thing for Bynum to miss a game against Memphis. He has suffered knee injuries each of the last two seasons against the Grizzlies. "I'm kind of excited about not having to play in that one, I guess," Bynum said, smiling.

Bynum seemed to target Sunday's game against New Orleans as his return date."He's having a good run of it and he's having a lot of fun getting all those minutes out there, so I'm sure he wants to get back as quickly as possible," Coach Phil Jackson said.

Bynum is averaging 20 points and 10.6 rebounds this season.

Gasol went through some walk-throughs on offense but did not take part in a half-court scrimmage during the second half of practice, instead doing solo shooting and working on his post moves.

"I definitely won't be able to be out there [tonight], but we're not ruling Sunday out," Gasol said. "We'll see if Sunday is the day."

The Lakers are 4-1, though three of their victories have been tightly contested going into the fourth quarter.

They want their All-Star back.

"We're missing a key element to our team, offensively and defensively," Kobe Bryant said. "It kind of alters our dynamic."

The other guy

Kwame Brown is still bouncing around the NBA netherworld, averaging 2.8 points for Detroit, but another player the Lakers dealt in the Gasol trade in February 2008 is making steady progress.

Memphis center Marc Gasol, Pau's younger brother, is averaging 17.6 points and 12.6 rebounds in only his second NBA season.

The younger Gasol is a stronger version of his brother, weighing 30 pounds more, while also being listed at 7 feet.

"He beat the heck out of his [older] brother last year, so I can see why he's anxious to come in here and play again against us," Jackson said.

In the trade that shook the NBA world 21 months ago, the Lakers sent Marc Gasol, Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and first-round draft picks in 2008 and 2010 to the Grizzlies for Pau Gasol. McKie never played for Memphis and Crittenton has had an unremarkable career and is now with Washington.

Remarkably, the Lakers have not lost three consecutive games since acquiring the elder Gasol.


Link:

http://www.latimes.com/sp...009nov06,0,6891608.story

 

[MVP]

SMH....Kobe's gonna have to go for 60. It may be good Drew is sitting out though.

 

[darthska]

I hope Kobe isn't think the same as you.

If Mbenga starts at center with Kobe and Fish at guard, Artest and Lamar at forward, that's a solid lineup against the freaking Grizzlies.

If P-Jax goes with Lamar in the middle, we get him with Fish and Kobe at guard, Artest and Powell at forward.

Either way, we're good.

No need for Kobe to go into takeover mode.