Kobe expects injury will force Lakers to appreciate Pau

[Rios15]

[background=rgb(244, 243, 238)]
The Los Angeles Lakers were without Pau Gasol for the first of many games on Thursday night against the Celtics.[/background][background=rgb(244, 243, 238)]
Gasol is expected to miss six-to-eight games after tearing the plantar fascia in his right foot against the Nets on Tuesday. Without Gasol, Los Angeles suffered a 116-95 defeat to the Celtics.

Gasol was nearly traded by the Lakers prior to the 2011-12 season in a deal that would have yielded Chris Paul and his name has been a fixture in rumors. Kobe Bryant, never an easy teammate to impress, has long been a supporter of Gasol and believes that maybe it has taken the big man’s most recent injury for the Lakers to appreciate him.

“Well, I think’s L.A.’s kind of seen how much we miss Pau and what he brings to the table and his skill set,” Bryant said. “Maybe now they’ll start appreciating him a little more.”

Following Thursday night’s loss, the Lakers are 5-9 without Gasol this season. The Lakers are 18-18 with Gasol in the lineup.

“Just try to figure it out systematically the way we’re going to attack things,” Bryant said of how the Lakers will play without Gasol. “We’re probably gonna, probably put [Earl] Clark in a lot of those positions that Pau did in terms of being a four, with his ability to stretch the floor and known down shots and handle the ball and make plays.”[/background]

[background=rgb(244, 243, 238)]Via [/background]Andrew Perna/RealGM

At least Earl Clark will get opportunities to prove him self some more, he's been stepping up real nice for the Lakers with his rebounding ability.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I'm impressed by how long Kobe's assist phase lasted lol

 

[Mexi]

they appreciate him so much they'll set him free via the amnesty...

 

[Elite]

they appreciate him so much they'll set him free via the amnesty...

We both know that's strictly a money thing

 

[BwareDWare94]

Pau keeps struggling but for a game here and there. At some point, we have to quit pretending that it's scheme and not his decline.

 

[BwareDWare94]

Hopefully he can have some time to reflect during this injury and decide whether or not he wants to ball, because I personally think that in the last two years we've found out how soft Pau is psychologically.