Lakers to get some Pau back in their punch
The Lakers will take the floor Thursday with a noticeable change in their starting five.
Pau Gasol will play his first game of the season after missing the team’s first 11 games with a hamstring injury, an injury that has not allowed Gasol to play since the October 9th preseason game versus the Warriors.
With Gasol out, the Lakers have looked anything but the defending champions to start the season. They have had two embarrassing losses to the Mavericks and the Nuggets, plus one inexcusable loss to the depleted Houston Rockets.
With Gasol back, the Lakers expect some positive effects on the team. One is obviously the Lakers getting their second best player behind Kobe Bryant, but the biggest effect may be Lamar Odom moving back to a bench that has struggled up to this point. It couldn’t come at a better time either as Luke Walton suffered a pinched nerve and is expected to be out six weeks.
Although Gasol returning is a positive, one still has to wonder what effect will Gasol’s return have on Andrew Bynum who has played outstanding to begin the season? He has flourished as the only big man on the floor, getting a majority of the touches, and now that Gasol is back, it would be safe to bet that those touches will be split between the two.
How about Kobe Bryant’s post-game? We’ve seen Kobe destroy defenders on the block with an array of post-moves, fade-aways, and amazing footwork . With two seven-footers on the floor at the same time, does Kobe go back to shooting mid-range jumpers and more three-pointers? One has to hope that Phil Jackson allows Kobe to keep doing work down low for two reasons. One, defenders have failed to stop him, and two, it’s a thing of beauty to watch.
The bottom line is the Lakers will be happy to get Gasol back in the line-up. He makes the game so much easier for the players around him and in return, his teammates make the game easier for him. There is a reason why the Lakers have not lost three straight games since January of 2008. They get that reason back Thursday night when the Lakers (8-3) will square off against Derick Rose and the Chicago Bulls (6-4).
Tip-off is Thursday at 7:30 p.m (PT) from Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.
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