Pau Gasol all set to make a comeback against Miami Heat – NBA Update
Pau Gasol is all set to make a comeback from concussion injury on Thursday, the night which will see the Los Angeles Lakers go head to head with the defending champions Miami Heat. The Spanish power forward has missed the last
five games because of the injury but took part in practice on Wednesday. After the practice, Gasol seemed confident that he will be cleared by the doctors on Thursday morning;
"I feel better and tomorrow I'll be a go," Gasol said. "I guess I have to ease my way back into it because this is the first day I've actually got some good work done on the court. After a week and a half of inactivity, your body
needs a certain amount of time to get back out there and perform at your best."
The forward has been the subject of lot of criticism this season. His points per game and shooting from the floor has gown down to its worst, and he has also been struggling to maintain the athletic levels. Under new head coach
Mike D’Antoni, he has been benched at crucial juncture several times this season, and it was believed that the coach would prefer using Gasol off the bench after he return from injury.
On Tuesday night though, D’Antoni rejected that notion and didn’t seem convinced that it was the right path to take at this point in time. Gasol, when asked about the possibility, said that he has been in touch with the coach;
"We're talking about it," Gasol said of the possibility of coming off the bench. "We're talking about it with the head coach and the head trainer. I would always like to start and play 40 minutes, but that's probably not the best
thing right now."
With Earl Clark doing a fine job at 4 and Gasol needing some time to get back to full fitness, Mike D might be inclined to use Gasol as a substitute. That can actually be very helpful as Lakers would be able to have one of Gasol
or Dwight Howard at all times on the floor.
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