Because a regular rotation is not part of Mike D’Antoni’s plans for the Lakers this season, he is going big against the Blazers Tuesday.
Pau Gasol will return to action after a battle with vertigo that left him dizzy and bedridden for days, according to multiple reports.
That Gasol is back and starting shouldn’t be a shock, while his defense had declined this year he remains the Lakers best big man by leaps and bounds. What is interesting is that D’Antoni has decided to go big against the Blazers, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/bynuman01_practice.html
There’s obvious logic to a Gasol/Chris Kaman, Portland starts LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez up front so the Lakers want to match their size.
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There was a time when D’Antoni was unapologetic about going small and quick and just trying to run teams into the ground. Problem is he never really had a roster in Los Angeles where he could play his style, then you throw the over-the-top Lakers’ injury situation at the roster and he is stuck giving MarShon Brooks and Kent Bazemore big minutes.
We’ll see how Gasol responds to being back in the lineup. I have a feeling he will be playing for another team next season and looking a lot better doing it than he has in the D’Antoni system.