Andrew Bynum returns, Pau Gasol remains sidelined
There was good news and bad news from Lakers practice Tuesday in El Segundo. First the good: Andrew Bynum was on the floor, declared himself able to play through whatever residual pain is still there now that the swelling has gone down in his injured right elbow and his range of motion is back. He should be good to go Thursday night at Staples against the 7-1 Phoenix Suns. Better still, his teammates said Bynum looked good.
Pau Gasol, however, didn't practice. Instead, he got more treatment on his injured right hamstring. "I don't have any hopes for him on Thursday for sure," Phil Jackson said.
My POV here, not anything official, please keep that in mind: If Pau can't go Thursday, I can't imagine he'll play Friday in Denver, and I'd put Sunday's game against the Rockets in the "Who Knows?" category as well. Given that his leg hasn't responded well to activity, I think the Lakers will want to see him run hard in practice and recover successfully more than once before he's back on the floor. That means a few successful days of workouts. The frustrating thing about muscle injuries is the difficulty in assigning a timetable combined with the risk of recurrence. The combination gets fans yanking out hair, but there's not much that can be done about it.
In the meantime, everyone just has to wait.
In other news, like everyone else, Lakers players were surprised to hear about the disclosure of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's leukemia diagnosis.
BK
As the season rolls onward, we'll look back on Pau's time off as a blessing in disguise. It's allowing Mbenga to get good minutes on the court, which will come in handy down the stretch.
Don't get me wrong: I can't wait to see Pau back in a uniform and on the court where he belongs. But I'm also enjoying how the team seems to be coping with his absence. That's what championship teams do. They play through adversity and injuries.
Against the Suns: I don't care if Nash goes off for 25 points. But let's keep him under 10 assists, and the Lakers win.
Go Lake Show!
Posted by: The Outlaw | November 10, 2009 at 04:26 PM
Let Gasol rest. But I will remain cautiously anxious.
Posted by: Charles | November 10, 2009 at 04:29 PM
HE’S BACK !!!!!!!!
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From Lakers.com
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The good news for L.A. is that Andrew Bynum not only returned to practice, but also showed no sign of having injured his right elbow in the first place after he had missed two games due to a strain suffered against Houston on Nov. 4.
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“He looked great,” confirmed Kobe Bryant, “Like he was never injured.”
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Lamar Odom added that Bynum looked “sharp,” and Bynum himself expressed confidence that he’ll return immediately to the 20-point, 10-rebound form he showed in L.A.’s first five games.
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“It’s good,” he said. “A little bit of pain today but something I can play through, so I’m going to be able to be out there and playing. Practice went well for me today and I can’t wait to get out there tomorrow.“
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Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | November 10, 2009 at 04:33 PM
So Steven Jackson wants to be traded,but not out of spite....
Why in the world would any NBA team want this child on its team?....
This guy is an infection not a guy you would want on your team...
What a joke.
Posted by: Thirty2 | November 10, 2009 at 04:52 PM
Pau, the Lakers definitely need you back on the court, especially since the flow of the offense seems to deteriorate without your presence. Get better soon! On another note, I hope that our guards can start picking up the slack so Phil can implement his "<25 minute plan" for Fish.
Posted by: Justin | November 10, 2009 at 05:02 PM
Great news for Bynum, he needs to play as close to 82 games as possible. For his confidence, for our confidence, above all for his game. We need a solid 70 games to truly assess where Bynum is at as a player. Much less and it's all still hype and theory.
I also have to agree with BK in that it's better that Gasol responds well to treatment and activity before he pushes it. We have a deep team for a reason. It's not so that pundits can look in the camera and say, "The Lakers are a deep, long team." Although it makes them sound smart, it's to absorb the blows a physically and mentally draining season inflicts on each and every team. Mitch should be commended for his forsight in retaining Powell and Mbenga. Now they get a chance to attract future interest from possible suitors and have fun playing big minutes, which only means they'll be better down the road.
I really think DJ has come along much further than anyone expected he would from last years foul-a-minute machine. He's playing a much more controlled game and trusts his shots. Sure, he's only got three of them, but hey, he's playing within himself and that's more than can be said of either Vujacic or Farmar right now (both are really pressing in my mind and I'll wager if they both chilled out a couple of degrees they'd see a wee bit more success).
However, I would rather see some sort of progress from Pau, but as noted by BK above, muscle injuries are tricky to assess. It's not worry time yet as everyone seems to feel it's a question of several days as opposed to several weeks or months. He'll need some practices at this point just to get his wind back so even when he's "ready" it'll probably be about a week before he hits the floor.
I mean, if you're really looking for a silver lining, this just adds a little weight to our way-to-early-to-even=think-about-starting-one Kobe 4 MVP Bandwagon. He'll be asked to do a bit more for little longer.
But mainly I'm glad to get 'Drew back out there. Maybe Phil will give DJ a 10-15 MPG slot to let Bynum ease his way back in and not put too much stress on the elbow as well as continue to keep Mbenga playing at a decent level. I'm sure it'll all be doled out according to what's working. Never try to out-smart Phil.
Posted by: Jamie Sweet | November 10, 2009 at 05:33 PM
Bynum's gonna TORCH Amare. I hope somebody tells Amare that because... IT'LL HAPPEN ANYWAY which will make it even worse when Bynum swats one of his shots up into the stands.
- I'm think'in, early ejection for Amare...
Posted by: Porky Pig | November 10, 2009 at 05:38 PM
I'll do with Pau what I do with any situation: expect the worst, hope for the best. I'll just assume he's out until Christmas and be pleasantly surprised if he's back sooner.
Posted by: puddle | November 10, 2009 at 05:46 PM
Jamie - I respectfully disagree - I think once Bynum comes back, Mbenga goes back to his role on the bench of hardly ever playing. It may be hard to out-smart Phil, but it's not too hard, given his history, to PREDICT him.
Posted by: Giant Green Bald Headed Lunatic | November 10, 2009 at 05:55 PM
We can beat good teams with Andrew and DJ down low but we can't beat THE teams without Pau.
Long as he's healthy by early January when we hit BOston, we're fine. If he stays out till then it'll make Christmas with Shaq and LeBron at least somewhat competitive. Better for ratings.
Posted by: VMan | November 10, 2009 at 06:29 PM
So Phil what's to cut Fishers minutes to preserve him for the playoffs, that's a laugh. P.J. knows Fish game is gone and over. Can't shoot with consistency around 30%, no "D", just can't stay in front of no one. The other guards need to step up, letting this old man get the bulk of playing time, THAT'S DOWN RIGHT DISGUSTING.
Posted by: 2 PHATT | November 10, 2009 at 06:41 PM
Hey everyone,
Great news on Andrew returning and hopefully Pau will completely heal so that we will have him at full strength.
I hope that we sic Artest on JRich Thursday night with Kobe on Hill, LO on Frye, Bynum/Amare and of course Fish guarding Nash. I just think that Artest will make life difficult for JRich when guarding him and if JRich decides to guard Kobe, Kobe will attack him all night long in the post. Bynum must play the pick and roll really well against Steve Nash and company.
Best wishes to the Cap, Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Go Lakers!!!
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | November 10, 2009 at 07:27 PM
Hey puddle! So - are you glass half empty or glass half full? I'm confused.... :)
I sure hope Pau makes it back before Xmas. I'm thinking late November... Still, the rest will do him good and the extra PT for J-Peazy and Congo Cash will only pay dividends in the long run.
I'm feeling glass more than half full myself!
Posted by: justanothermambafan | November 10, 2009 at 08:21 PM
Pau should take all the time he needs to heal. Especially with the return of AB17.
As for the guard play, Farmar has put together back-to-back decent performances. Let's remember that most of his time on the court is without the Lakers A-Team, making his job harder than it would be if he were a starter. On the other hand, Sunday night in the second half, UPS was on the floor with four of the starters for his long run, a much easier task.
PJ's public opining about Fisher's minutes is just a mind game to push Farmar and UPS to greater heights. Well played, coach!
Considering that we're just a few weeks into the new season and that injuries have stretched the bench (in a good way), fans should continue to feel good about our team. The Suns won't allow Thursday's game to be an easy one. There won't be a lot of D on either side, so the Lakers shooters will have to be sharp. Should be fun to watch. Go Lakers!
Posted by: Rick Friedman | November 10, 2009 at 08:24 PM
Just not quite cup runneth over.... YET ....
Posted by: justanothermambafan | November 10, 2009 at 08:26 PM
This is off topic but.....
Growing up i played a high level of tennis..
I also loved Andre Agassi.....
I am devastated about his latest admission that he tanked the Aussie open against Chang to avoid playing Bekker....
what in the hell is going on with these guys?...
I have been to the Aussie open a few times to see him play and im gutted...
I feel sick..
Posted by: Thirty2 | November 10, 2009 at 08:46 PM
justa- are you sure you're not just making a glassful out of yourself? I could do with a few glasses myself too. This font is really hard to read. And I would really enjoy getting drunk off of my glass tonight. Oh well.
I would like it if Captain Jack became a Laker. I think that he would be able to adjust to the system and I don't think he is capable of breaking up the chemistry of this team, which is a pretty damn stable chemistry. I know that it is possible that if Dr Buss thinks that we don't have the talent to win it all this year, he might be willing to take the extra cost of Jackson's contract. But I have no idea what we could give to Golden state that would get them to agree to the trade. Walton? Maybe they would rather have a pass first guy who doesn't make waves. Ammo- it's an expiring contract. Farmar? Yeah, cause Ellis and Curry just aren't as dependable as Mrs Farmars favorite Bruin.
I don't see that happening.
question- is the green bald whatever lunatic turning into another Butler? First he comes on to pick fights and trash talk. Then he starts saying nice things about the Lakers, saying how sorry it is how much we suck, and what he would do to make the team better. And then his suggestions start becoming serious, and he starts to almost seem to be wanting to be a laker fan instead of just a pain in the glass. Then he gets called out, and *poof* like keyser soze, he's gone. You'll never see him again. Is that you Great Green Bowl of Greasy grimy Bald Headed Lunatics? Walk with care, neighbor, walk with care.
Posted by: phred | November 10, 2009 at 09:06 PM
In regards to the Suns, see what happens when you get rid of the Big Team Wrecker? When will people start to realize that the Big Has Been, our man Shaq, is a liability, not an asset. Seriously, I appreciate what the guy meant to the Lakers, but The Big Blamer should retire before he trashes his reputation any more.
Kareem played into relative old age. Kobe will be able to. But that takes a serious mindset and dedication that the Big Bafoon never had and never will have.
PS Butler, I look forward to your trash talking and eating crow on Thursday!
GOOooooOOOO LAKERS !!!!!
Posted by: JohnnyP | November 10, 2009 at 09:10 PM
Having a history of sprained ankles, hands, and knees, I have tried all treatments. I have found a good liniment to do wonders, even allowing me to walk when otherwise saddled with crutches. I know it sounds kind of obvious, but has Gasol tried liniment?
Posted by: Steve | November 10, 2009 at 09:18 PM
thirty2 - All the Agassi stuff is blowing my mind too. I understand the need for some people to unburden in a public way but I never would have expected all these admissions from him. This is one of those cases where I wish he'd just kept it shut.
Posted by: dave m | November 10, 2009 at 09:26 PM
has this blog gone completely mad??
first theres talk about AI in a lakers uniform and now SJAX??
lakertom, pls tell me you're joking? makes absolutely no sense for either team... why would nellie want a slow stiff like luke? he would be a horrible fit in that uptempo system. nellie only likes athletes.. look at his roster every year and they're loaded with nothin but speed and purebred stallions.. as for the lakers we got enough scorers so why would we add another ballhog.. sjax is a ballhog extraordinaire who needs the ball in his hands all the time... last thing lakers need is another scorer.. theres not enough shots to go around esp when you have luke averaging 20min and jackin up 8shots a game. so lets think chemistry here and not try to build an all-star team of malcontent divas.. and another thing luke has absolutely ZERO TRADING VALUE.. the only reason he is still in this league is two reasons only: TRIANGLE OFFENSE AND PHIL JACKSON. luke has absolutely hit the JACKPOT with the lakers. chances had to be like one in a million he'd walk into this.. any other team any other era any other coach any other system and he'd be out of a job.
as for all this talk about AI.. that is just I-N-S-A-N-E-I-N-T-H-E-M-E-B-R-A-N-E ... he is absolutely cancerous and hazardous to every coaches health. a high maintenance player who will always think hes bigger than his team. this was probably his last chance to turn his career around.. all he had to do was be a little patient, ride out the year (but he couldnt last more than a week on the bench), shut his piehole, PRACTICE, and some other contender would've taken a chance on him... some things never change and once a ballhog always a ballhog and he'd be just about the worst fit in the triangle... not to mention we already have 3 PT GUARDS.. NEXT PLEASE.
Posted by: yellofever | November 10, 2009 at 09:35 PM
mamba
u da bomb! thanks for adding me on the kareem bandwagon.. we will be forever indebted to the big cap for all the great and unforgettable memories.
Posted by: yellofever | November 10, 2009 at 09:40 PM
it only takes 2 games by luke and already hes the second coming of christ... please keep in mind luke had 2 decent games against back to back creampuff opponents (cp3 seriously needs a scorer like shaq needs a divorce lawyer)... lakers won both games in BLOWOUT fashion and had huge 20 pt leads during the whole course of both games... but make no mistake luke was completely in his ELEMENT again excelling during primetime garbage time... so in other words there was no defense!!! i think they just stopped playing D cause they were IN COMPLETE AWE just watching kobe do his dream shakes.
and what all this i hear about the great phillip saying he's gonna cut down dfishs minutes... WOW there is a god! somebody pinch me and tell me i aint dreamin!! but zenmaster could again be trying to mess with our heads so i'll believe it when i see it.
Posted by: yellofever | November 10, 2009 at 09:57 PM
AI, Stephen Jackson.....man, you guys are squirming in your seats.
The smart thing to do is to see how teams are doing by the trade deadline in early Feb. With all the free agents available next summer, everyone trying to clear cap space, the down state of the economy, the CBA renegotiation, and the end of the Mayan calendar, there is going to be too much possible action out there to make a move now. Especially on a team that is already predicted to get to the Finals.
We all know Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak aren't stupid enough to play their hand this early in the game. AI and Stephen Jackson are stupid, stupid moves, not because they aren't good, but because they aren't going to be the only options out there come February.
Posted by: #4 | November 10, 2009 at 10:08 PM
LakerTom, saw your post on being a fellow highlander. Had a great time there, like you said, they had some great IM leagues. I went to Cal State San Berdoo as well to play, and the competition was always good.
I spent an inordinate amount of time at the Commons. Was the Barn still a great place for music when you were there?
Posted by: #4 | November 10, 2009 at 10:14 PM
Dave m....I dont know what to say...The Davadenko saga did not shock me because the way he lost matches was so easy to tell...You cant take lap tops to games anymore...Maybe you could still make bets from your phone but the guards are all over it...
The Agassi stuff is a little harder to swallow because of the way he competed..
If you watch the way he played its non stop..Between points and even walking to his seat,it was only one way and that was flat out..He always looked like he was going 100 miles an hour..
When he came back in the 90's and played Hewitt in my home town and lost in the final.(i was at that match)...Things seemed a little out of the ordinary...Just the way he made it to the final then with all the experience he had he still got beaten by Hewitt who was still a teenager at the time..
Now the event was a lead up to the Aussie open but by no means a tournament he would have said i want to win this final before i retire..
Im gutted man...
Posted by: Thirty2 | November 10, 2009 at 10:23 PM
yellowfever,
"has this blog gone completely mad??
first theres talk about AI in a lakers uniform and now SJAX??"
Dude, I know.
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!!!
Posted by: Jon K. | November 11, 2009 at 12:19 AM
Can someone for God's sake get Pau Gasol a bottle of Dit Da Jow? Please?
What do we play for? RINGS!!!!
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!!!!!
Posted by: Jon K. | November 11, 2009 at 12:22 AM
Hey Yellofever yeah I'm calling you out. Since when is somone who average 7.5 assist a game a ballhog? I won't disagree completely with SJAx but he did scale back for the spurs(and had like 14-17 assists last game lol i don't know where he finished but he had 14 last time i checked). Iverson is not a ballhog. He's generally been the only scorer on his teams. All this Iverson hate is gonna make me start pulling up his teams and the players on them. Eric Snow?Aron Mckie? Theo Ratliff? Raja Bell? Glenn i was washed up at the time and never played d Robinson? eith I don't even play in the leauge anymore Van Horn??? and thats off the top of my head. Lets do some history lessons guys. I'm 23 ad my memory is in fine orderr so again tel me why Iverson should shut up and be disrespected?? oh the same way rosa parks should have shut up and went to the back of the bus huh? Your telling me Phil could turn Smush Parker into a decent starter but Iverson is too much of a head case?? You forget who we are we are the LAKERS no one dissrespects the uni and stays long. Iverson would know he's on the ride for a championship and you don't seem to understand he thirsts for one like a man in a desert with no water. So again he's 34 on a team without a chance to even ake the playoffs hence he can't secure his legacy that wouldn't hurt you?? Step in that mans shoes for a min and THINK i know it hurts your brain BUT THINK ABOUT IT
Posted by: Mamba0824 | November 11, 2009 at 04:45 AM
re: the negative comments about D-Fish.
Y'all need to stop.
1st. He was never the quickest.
2nd. points aren't everything. they're just stats.
3rd. I won't lie and tell you that he was as good as D-Will or cp3.
Those things being said, this is what D-Fish brings to the table:
high bb IQ.
sometimes reasonable defense
sometimes crazy outside shooting.
a voice of reason in the glitzy world of LA.
4, count them FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!
Fisher is not getting minutes because he's an all star. He's getting minutes
because he plays the game the way Phil needs him to. This method has led
to FOUR championships.
Phil is cutting his minutes down for 2 reasons.
1. save him for the playoffs, when the experience is CRITICAL.
2. giving time to the bench guards to mature/grow.
If any of you have a NBA championship ring, please speak up. Otherwise,
can we stop trying to second guess the best coach in the history of the NBA!
[ note: I don't always agree with the man, but I'm still giddy over last year. ]
re: picking on Luke.
Luke is not the greatest of athletic specimens, I'll grant you. However, Luke
is a great *team* player. Can you think of any other player who would have
gone to the coach and said, "I think you should start someone in front of me".
Does Iverson come to mind? S-Jax? Anybody in the NBA?
Secondly, I saw Luke make a lot of nice plays when he was in. He did
everything right. Not glitzy numbers, but solid up & down the line.
I saw timely assitsts/passes, defense, outside shooting, rebounds, mid-range
shooting, going to the rim.
he'll never be an all-star and that's just fine. As long as he keeps making the
right play at the right time and we win, keep him in LA and let him keep
selling ribs on the side.
Speaking of which, how are they?
Posted by: hobbitmage | November 11, 2009 at 06:01 AM
I don't want to see Pau push it. What the Lakers need is a fully healed Pau for the middle and stretch run and playoffs.
Glad Drew is back, he needs the minutes. I've been very pleased with Drew so far this year. But he needs minutes in the NBA to grow. Drew needs to work on things that only come with PT. Especially he needs to work on passing quicker out of the post when he is doubled. And he needs more intensity on D. Watching DJ play D and move his feet so quickly, it would be great to see more of that from Drew. On both ends, sometimes his reactions look slow. But I think those things will come with some PT.
Tom D.
Posted by: Tom Daniels | November 11, 2009 at 06:32 AM
hey, I've got an idea. Since Pau is damaged goods (he's gonna be hobbled by this injury for the rest of his career), let's trade him for about 5 good point guards so you all who say we need point guards will shut the **** up. (JK!!!) Pau should remain a Laker until he retires- he's too good. GOOOOooooooOOOO LAKERS!!!
Posted by: camdog | November 11, 2009 at 07:18 AM
Am I the only one who seems to think that Andrew Bynum seems to whine when he publicly discusses his injuries? "It hurts when I move to the left, I can't bend it all the way, it hurts..." Now he can play...but I have "residual pain" (his quote?)
Would he PLEASE just man up and say"I'll be ok, I will play the next game?
I'm not worried about Gasol, he just needs to take his time. Mbenga can use the time. And DJ exerts on defense better than Bynum.
Posted by: lewis | November 11, 2009 at 09:10 AM
Pau, take your time, at first I just thought they were resting you from the European championship series, but damn you are hurt. I hope it is just a pull, not something more serious.
I agree with the others this only makes the bench more stronger, especailly Mbenga.
Posted by: mike | November 11, 2009 at 11:44 AM