Pau Thread: Surgery a success; now rehab & rest for 12 weeks

They'll re-evaluate in 2 weeks .. If its not healing properly they'll opt for surgery

Oops, Celtics 116 - Lakers 95.

"You Don't Know What You've Got (Until You Lose It)" (Gasol)


Wait and see .......... (Howard is going to dominate, sure) With the free throws also.

The Atlanta Hawks met with Josh Smith's representatives this week and indicated that they are not willing to give the forward a max contract after this season, according to a league source.

The Hawks, in turn, are entertaining trade offers for Smith around the NBA but haven't decided whether they will deal him.

Smith, averaging almost 17 points and nine rebounds this season, is prepared to move on from the Hawks.

Via David Aldridge/NBA.com

Have Pau back for the playoffs/next season or lose Smith for nothing in the offseason?

lakersin4 wrote:

The Atlanta Hawks met with Josh Smith's representatives this week and indicated that they are not willing to give the forward a max contract after this season, according to a league source.

The Hawks, in turn, are entertaining trade offers for Smith around the NBA but haven't decided whether they will deal him.

Smith, averaging almost 17 points and nine rebounds this season, is prepared to move on from the Hawks.

Via David Aldridge/NBA.com

Have Pau back for the playoffs/next season or lose Smith for nothing in the offseason?

sure why not but I wouldn't want to give Smith max either even if it meant being able to keep Howard.

Josh Smith on a max contract.....




Whichever team gives him that, well, umm, good luck?

^^ Agree. Dude is a talent for sure, but you got to have consistency and reliability to be a max contract guy.

We could always flip Smith for Zbo.. Memphis might even give up a 1st too. Either he replaces Rudy & revives their season or they let him walk & save money. I think they'd be happy either way. With some solid throw in's from Atl like Korver & Zaza, that's a good deal for us.

The Rock wrote:Would you trade Ron for Zaza + Stevenson?

I'll trade Ron for a player to be named later. MUCH LATER. Anything to get rid of him. The day the Lakers trade him and Gasol is the day I'm one happy camper.

3rd quarter at Charlotte down by 19, are you still thinking the problem was ONLY GASOL?

Without Pau, the Lakers' offense suck immediately. They are playing without rhythm. Pau is really good playing at center. He leads Lakers to 3 consecutive Finals appearances and 2 titles with a blue collar center playing for about 20 minutes . However, the Lakers insist to develop Bynum and let Pau play out of his post. Then Pau was called soft again and Lakers were lost to Mavs and to OKC in the next year. Then the Lakers decided to trade Bynum for....Howard, another great center and insist to play Pau at PF. The result....

I believe in Pau. He is still capable to lead us to more titles, with Kobe and more talent teammates. I just don't know why Lakers keep playing him out of his strength. If Howard was replaced (no disrespect to Howard) by a same talent level SF or PG and we still kept Odom....

sina wrote:Without Pau, the Lakers' offense suck immediately. They are playing without rhythm. Pau is really good playing at center. He leads Lakers to 3 consecutive Finals appearances and 2 titles with a blue collar center playing for about 20 minutes . However, the Lakers insist to develop Bynum and let Pau play out of his post. Then Pau was called soft again and Lakers were lost to Mavs and to OKC in the next year. Then the Lakers decided to trade Bynum for....Howard, another great center and insist to play Pau at PF. The result....

I believe in Pau. He is still capable to lead us to more titles, with Kobe and more talent teammates. I just don't know why Lakers keep playing him out of his strength. If Howard was replaced (no disrespect to Howard) by a same talent level SF or PG and we still kept Odom....

Totally agree, Odom was perfect for this team, what a loss.

Pau gives assits, pick & rolls with kobe and let Clark and Jamison free to play better than latest games.

Dw12 takes more rebounds, but Pau is a need

Since the Bobcats are rumored to be talking with Brooklyn about a Humphries/Gordon swap, I wonder if we could send Pau there and get some players to make a final push to the playoffs.

Bobcats would get nothing out of Humph as an expiring, but Pau getting surgery and sitting out the rest of the season, could be a nice Center for them + their impending lottery pick upcoming.

Something like.....

Pau/Duhon/Ebanks for Gordon/Henderson/Warrick/Haywood

It gives us everything we've been lacking this season and I think it's a fair trade given Pau is worlds better than Humph, even on the decline, so Henderson is a nice piece in there. Warrick and Haywood are throw ins.

Nash / Gordon / Blake
Kobe / Meeks
Henderson / MWP
Clark / Jamison / Warrick
D12 / Haywood

I don't know that the separate that much for a guy who won't contribute to their team for the rest of the season.

I'm not sure I trade Gasol anymore, but if I did it'd certainly be to one of the teams like Charlotte who have loads of young talent. I'd actually ask for a fairly simple trade in which they get Gasol and we get Henderson, Warrick, and Diop.

They get an all-star caliber Center, we get a large expiring, a talented young SG/SF type guy, and Warrick. It'd give us depth and next season we roll with Howard/Clark/Artest/Bryant/Nash and have Hill/Henderson/Meeks off the bench for scoring and hard work. Sounds like a blast to me.

Or heck, move Artest to the bench and start Henderson for the floor balance.

phoenixrisingla wrote:^^ Agree. Dude is a talent for sure, but you got to have consistency and reliability to be a max contract guy.

This statement could be perfectly directed to Howard, couldn't it? Yet few argue that he's a max contract guy.

Spaniard come back! YOU CAN BLAME IT ALL ON ME!

So, is Gasol having surgery or did he opt for rehab?

^ I dont think surgery is needed. Otherwise we would know by now. They're just gonna let him heal for 6 weeks. Hopefully he recovers fast.

^Thanks.

6 weeks probably means about 2 months. Hopefully we'll see him in the playoffs. Pau coming off the bench in the playoffs will be huge.

scissors wrote:6 weeks probably means about 2 months. Hopefully we'll see him in the playoffs. Pau coming off the bench in the playoffs will be huge.

Was there ever a Lakers player (Kobe aside) that came back right on schedule (after a timetable set by our medical staff)? I don't think so

kenzo wrote:

scissors wrote:6 weeks probably means about 2 months. Hopefully we'll see him in the playoffs. Pau coming off the bench in the playoffs will be huge.

Was there ever a Lakers player (Kobe aside) that came back right on schedule (after a timetable set by our medical staff)? I don't think so

Dwight Howard and Steve Blake both came back early from injuries. Dwight his back, Steve a punctured foot.

That's just this year.

^ still I think our players are back more often later than sooner.

Well I think that's because the Lakers release statements on the basis of "at least ____ weeks".

If I said I'll send you 100 dollars in at least 3 weeks, by the third week you'd be expecting 100 dollars. But I might get you that money in 12 weeks. After all, I said "at least".

They should cut that phrasing from their reports and say things like "He'll be out 3 weeks, if he comes back sooner we'll be lucky". That way we expect the worse and are happy when they return on time.

his passing to dwight will be missed. others have to step up and feed dwight. it sucks but that causes dwight to be a monster on d. without the touches he doesnt care and just walks through the motions.

Right now or at least in that MIA game his rebounding efforts with that 2nd unit is where he was most missed.