1. Players union, owners could face lengthy court case. After the union disbanded, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and a handful of other players filed two antitrust lawsuits in Oakland and Minneapolis, accusing the NBA of conspiring to "boycott players" in attempting to get them to accept a poor labor deal. The Times' Mike Bresnahan talked to legal experts who believed that, regardless of the outcome, the court case will prove to be a drawn-out process. With the NBA already canceling games through Dec. 15, it's likely more cancellations will come.

2. Move could give players some leverage. One agent told me the union's disbandment and ensuing lawsuits, in effect, called David Stern's bluff and will intimidate owners into becoming more reasonable over a deal. There's mixed history on whether such a best-case scenario will occur. Similar moves by the NFL players' union largely contributed to both sides reaching a deal in time for the season. But the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a ruling that the lockout should be lifted, saying the antitrust lawsuit brought by the players was a labor issue and not an antitrust case. When the NBA players union threatened decertification in 1995, they soon voted against the move since owners withdrew certain restrictions against free agency.

3. The players will soon seek damages. The next step involves filing a motion for summary judgment, asking for three times the amount of salary players lose during the lockout. CBSSports.com's Ken Berger estimates that reaches $2 billion in two months. That's because the lawsuit alleges the owners hatched their bargaining strategy in June 2007 when they demanded the players union reduce their basketball-related income percentage from 57% to 50%. 

Pau Gasol's performances in the Lakers past four losses, including the team's 109-99 loss Wednesday to the Houston Rockets, show he's drained. His trip to the locker room to get his hamstring looked at reveals the heavy playing time is leaving himself vulnerable. And his admission afterward that he's tired shows that he might not have it in him anymore to keep pushing through.

"What's my concern? My concern is that it doesn't get better, or that it gets worse and it becomes a problem," Gasol told reporters, including The Times' Broderick Turner. "Then we'll really have a problem."

That's the first red flag Gasol has shown since logging a team-leading 39.4 minutes per game this season, partly because Andrew Bynum is rehabbing his surgically repaired right knee. In other cases, Gasol has spoken diplomatically about his role and offered zero complaints about his increased responsibility.

I don't take Gasol's latest comments as him lamenting his role as much as him worrying about his long-term health. This isn't a matter of Gasol just having to fight through it. Since logging a statistically perfect stat line of 28 points on 10 of 10 shooting and eight of eight from the free-throw line, Gasol has shot 24 of 60 (40%) in the past five games, shot above 50% in only one of those contests, and has scored below 20 points in four of the five.

These performances can't solely correlate with the opposition's double teams and the heavier focus on Gasol in the lane. This strongly points to the law of diminishing returns; Gasol's willingness to push through hasn't yielded the same production he had provided earlier this season. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson has voiced these concerns quite vocally since last week, but the game plan has still remained the same. Among the variables in all this are the Lakers' unwillingness to acquire a backup center, the team's desire for Bynum to return completely healthy, and Derrick Caracter's inexperience. I had gone through in detail the scenarios that would enable more rest for Gasol, but that was more rooted in the fact that the Lakers would also want to win the game.

But it's gotten to the point where Jackson and the Lakers can't simply hope Gasol ran ride it out until Bynum returns. The Lakers may not want to pay at least $70,000 in player salary and luxury taxes to acquire a backup center until Bynum returns, but that might be the price they need to pay to ensure Gasol's long-term health. Jackson may be reluctant to play Caracter more minutes or go toward a more perimeter-oriented lineup because it gives the Lakers less of a chance to end their four-game losing streak. But the latest approach hasn't been working. And with Jackson always measuring  how the Lakers look in April and May more than in November and December, resting Gasol might be necessary to ensure that long-term success.

-- Mark Medina

Twitter.com/latmedina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

Photo: Lakers center Pau Gasol, left, is fouled by Memphis center Hasheem Thabeet as he tries to put up a shot during the second half of the Lakers' 98-96 loss Tuesday. Credit: Nikki Boertman / Reuters

The first half of the year is in the books and that means only one thing!  Report cards!  And remember, the grades also reflect impact as well as performance.  In no particular order other than alphabetical...

Trevor Ariza: B+
Gangbusters at the start, we've seen some steady slippage from Trevor as the season's wore down. (You have to wonder if he's still feeling the effects of a wicked concussion.)   And while I like TA growing more comfortable hucking from outside, I'm not wild about how often he's parked in a corner to spot up.  It's not that he's an "awful" shooter.  I just think Ariza's considerably more effective as a slasher and (especially) moving without the ball, the latter skill often resulting in a terrific ability to be in the right place at the right time for an offensive board.  Having said that, he's enjoying a very good season on both sides of the ball, a campaign that not only convinced Kupchak and Co. of the free agent's "keeper" status, but to move Vlad Radmanovic in large part to free up money so that objective becomes easier.