Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers Pau Gasol is injured again. According to the LA Daily News, Gasol has received a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, which causes inflammation of the tissues on the sole of the foot.
Plantar fasciitis is said to be painful although, the LA Daily Newsreports that, “Gasol didn’t report any signs of pain following the Lakers’ 126-114 loss on Wednesday to the Denver Nuggets.”
Gasol has had issues with knee tendinitis this season, missing eight games. In addition, Gasol has struggled to find his place in Mike D’Antoni‘s new coaching methods. He recently asked D’Antoni to increase his responsibilities on the team again.
Gasol is expected to play through the injury. He is listed as probable for Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Brailzers despite the issue with his foot.
This injury rounds off yet another difficult week for the Lakers, in addition to ending their five game winning streak against the Nuggets, just when it looked like things were starting to come to together, the Lakers center Dwight Howard was fined $35 thousand dollars for the flagrant foul that he committed upon the Nuggets’ Kenneth Faried on Wednesday night.
Howard was ejected from the game. Despite, the fact that he explained to the NBA that he never intended to harm Faried, “I was surprised it was a flagrant 2,” he said. “My intention was never to hurt Faried. I like the young fellow and my intention was just to foul. I come down the lane, somebody is going to foul me hard, put me on the free-throw line and make me shoot free throws. It was the same kind of thing.”
The alteration revealed a deeper issue within the Lakers roster.
When Kobe Bryant was questioned about the event, he didn’t have Howard’s back. Instead, he sided with the NBA’s decision, “I think it is the right call,” Bryant said. “I don’t think it was extensive enough to warrant a one-game suspension. I believe it was a flagrant two.”
D’Antoni has slotted Metta World Peace and Jordan Hill as the primary backup power forwards to Gasol if his injury requires him to miss games.
As D’Antoni has largely forgotten about Hill, World Peace will probably get the starting nod.
