Pau Gasol was part of the nixed Chris Paul trade just before the season started. Since then, he's handled his very difficult situation like a trooper, showing up at training camp, and playing like it was just another day (although there have been some moments when you could sense his head just wasn't in the game). But as of this moment, he still plays for our beloved Lakers. On the other hand, Kobe Bryant says the trade rumors that have been swirling around Pau are playing havoc with his emotions, perhaps explaining why we see an aggressive Pau one night and a passive Pau the next. It can't be easy for him, and I for one, give him a lot of credit. Kudos, Pau.
"Obviously I'm not too glad I was missing some looks and not capitalizing on some opportunities that I had," he said. "When you're going through it, you're going through it. There's not much you can do about it. Just continue to play and make plays."
The Lakers will go for their fourth straight win tonight against the Phoenix Suns, the team they just spanked on Friday night at Staples Center, ruining Marcin Gortat's birthday. Keep in mind, however, that this is a road game, where the Lakers are 5-10. Yuck, right? Wish they could play at home the rest of the season? Yeah, me too. However, Phoenix is a sizzling 5-8 at home this season, so the Lakers should be able to pull off a win, and ruin Gortat's entire birthday weekend in the process.
In other news, Greg Oden just makes me sad, Stephen Jackson and Scott Skiles are kaput, and there are conflicting and confusing reports of LeBron James talking to Cavaliers owner (and Whiner Extraordinaire) Dan Gilbert. Whom to believe? Better question: should we really care? Point taken.
Finally, Kobe is a machine.
"I’m fine," Bryant said. "I’ve noticed a lot of people going down with injuries and I’m very proud to say that they’re a lot younger than I am.
"Here I am, I haven’t pulled a hamstring or pulled muscles or anything like that. Over the summer, I worked extremely hard trying to stay in shape and trying to get ready for this compression."
↓ More after the jump ↓
L.A. Times
- Lakers play at Phoenix on Sunday
- Lakers: Pau Gasol in Lakers-Suns game
- Kobe Bryant adds Phoenix to his bucket list in Lakers' 111-99 win
- Lakers still feeling pressure on the road
- Lakers' Derek Fisher battling decreasing playing time
- Lakers face tougher challenges on the road - latimes.com
Lakers/NBA.com
- LAL vs PHO: Coaches Quote Corner " Lakers Blog
- Kobe’s Game Winners " Lakers Blog
- Palmer now sees significance from her debut as a referee | NBA.com
ESPN/ESPNLA
- Lakers at Suns: What to watch - Los Angeles Lakers Blog - ESPNLA
- Inside information: Breaking down the Suns' scouting report on the Lakers - ESPNLA
- The Forum: The Big Three's minutes - Los Angeles Lakers Blog - ESPNLA
- The Los Angeles Lakers are fast becoming believers in themselves - ESPNLA
- Weekend Dime -- NBA's First-Half Awards - ESPN
- What stats say about Metta World Peace - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN
ProBasketballTalk
- Kobe thinks the trade talks are playing games with Pau’s heart… with Pau’s heart
- Report: Warriors aren’t giving up on the Dwight dream
- LeBron James says he has not reached out to Dan Gilbert
- Report: Stephen Jackson, Scott Skiles are pretty much done with each other
- Today in miserable, miserable Greg Oden news: Greg Oden is not healthy enough to have surgery yet
Yahoo! Sports
- Exclusive: LeBron James’ sly campaign to return to Cleveland followed a message to Dan Gilbert
- Blazers beat Hawks 97-77 to end home losing streak
Orange County Register
FOX Sports
- Kobe still taking his anger out on Suns
- 'Money' moves to help the Lakers in 2012
- Chinese VP Xi Jinping attends Lakers game
Lakers Nation
- Rivalry Rewind: Top Meetings Between the Lakers and Suns
- Playing Time Continues to Decrease for Derek Fisher
- Mike Brown Continues to Dismiss Metta World Peace Comments
- Kobe Bryant Proud of Injury Durability
- Pau Gasol Unsure of Future With Lakers
Other Links