Pau Gasol to Sit Out Indefinitely Due to Knee Tendinitis

The knee tendinitis issues that have plagued Pau Gasol so far this season have been well-documented: his jumping and running abilities have been severely hampered, leading to fan anger and public criticism from teammates. Tonight in Houston, and perhaps the next few games, Gasol will be in street attire. Per the Lakers’ website: “Pau Gasol, who’s been hampered by tendinitis in both knees this season, will miss the team’s Tuesday night contest at Houston. The Lakers play on Wednesday night at New Orleans and Friday at Oklahoma City on the current 3-game road trip; Gasol is listed as ‘day-to-day,’ so his status for those games has yet to be determined. […] His knees began to bother him in training camp, when he sat out only one game for rest, and have gotten to the point where the Lakers thought it best to give him some rest. Gasol did not play in the final moments of L.A.’s Sunday loss to Orlando primarily because he was not moving well. […] ‘Pau is struggling a little bit physically,’ said coach Mike D’Antoni after the game. ‘His knees are bothering him and I just didn’t see him moving real good. Again, a lot of our offense is spreading the floor and I like Antawn (Jamison) where he is. But I’m not going to go away from Pau. He’ll get better physically, and as soon as he gets over this and that, he’ll be better.’ […] Antawn Jamison is expected to start in Gasol’s place, with Jordan Hill likely coming off the bench. Earl Clark could also see some reserve minutes, depending on the flow of the game. Meanwhile, Chris Duhon will replace Darius Morris in the starting line up at the point guard slot, potentially taking away some of the ballhandling demands that have been put on Kobe Bryant in the absence of Steve Nash and Steve Blake.”