OKLAHOMA CITY — The Lakers are debating whether to bring Pau Gasol off the bench when he returns from knee tendinitis, said a person familiar with the team's thinking.
Gasol has struggled mightily this season, averaging 12.6 points and shooting only 42 percent, both career lows.
The Lakers are trying to decide how a demotion to the bench would
affect Gasol. If they determined it would be adverse, they'd keep him in
the starting lineup.
It was unclear when Gasol would return, though it could be Sunday against Utah at Staples Center. The Lakers then take off for another road trip, to Cleveland, New York, Washington and Philadelphia.
Before Friday's game, Gasol worked out on an elliptical machine. He has not started running again.
Antawn Jamison, Gasol's replacement the last three games, has
averaged 13 points and six rebounds since joining the starting lineup.
Jamison's worst game of the three came Friday against Oklahoma City —
nine points and five rebounds in the Lakers' 114-108 loss.
Lakers Coach Mike D'Antoni
has benched Gasol twice since taking over the team. Gasol was held out
the entire fourth quarter in a loss to Memphis and the final 6:07 in a
loss to Orlando.
D'Antoni recently said he went with Jamison in those two games because "we just have to be a more dynamic team."
"We're slow right now," D'Antoni said this week. "Athletically, we're struggling against young teams that just run up and down."
-Mike Bresnehan
