Pau Gasol limped into the Los Angeles Lakers' practice facility Monday, leaning on a pair of giant crutches. Gasol rejoined his team after the Lakers finished a seven-game road trip.
The Lakers forward-center confirmed that he will not have surgery on the torn plantar fascia in his right foot. The team expects Gasol to be out a minimum of six to eight weeks because of the injury.
"He's fine," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He's on crutches and he'll probably be there for a while, but we'll get him back as soon as we can."
Gasol tweeted a picture showing his leg in a giant boot.
"Getting treatment," Gasol wrote. "This boot helps me get rid of the swelling caused by the fascia's tear. #recovery"
Kobe Bryant said he was frustrated by Gasol's unfortunate injury.
"Every time we're playing well, we find a rhythm of how we want to go about things, it seems like we get hit with another injury," Bryant said. "Now we need to find another way to go about it. It's a moving target right now."
While Gasol struggled to fit in alongside Dwight Howard and, resentfully, accepted a role off the bench, Bryant said the Lakers will miss Gasol.
"I know the significance of Pau being out," Bryant said. "A lot of people don't really understand, but I understand the significance of it.
— Eric Pincus
