First he was dealing with plantar fasciitis in his foot, which seemed to clear up. In the meantime, he was out several games, and the games he played in, his performance was lackluster. Fans and sports writers alike were calling "Trade! Trade! Trade!" Now Gasol will be out six to eight weeks because he partially tore his plantar fascia.
Gasol heard a pop in his foot Tuesday evening in the game against Brooklyn when he attempted to contest a shot at the rim by the Nets' Brook Lopez. He stayed down on the court for several seconds and remained in the game after a 20 second timeout but started to limp after trying to run. He headed to the locker room with 3:52 left in the game and left Barclay Center on crutches.
After the game he said, "I'm worried about it. I never felt anything like I did tonight. It kind of felt OK a little bit putting my weight on it without walking or running. But once I started running, I was limping, I was really sore and even if I tried, I just couldn't go."
Kobe Bryant, a longtime friend and proponent of Gasol's said he was "very, very concerned it to say the least... We can't afford to lose Pau for a long stretch. We need to get him back. I don't think his spirits are going to sag. He and I talk quite a bit. He's determined. He's going to figure this thing out, what's wrong with his foot, with his fascia, and he's going to see what he can do. He's not going to be deterred."
Gasol, 32, reinjured the injury January 30th at Phoenix, where he worked with trainers for a long period after a 92-86 loss. He tweaked the injury again Tuesday night during the first half and the muscles finally gave out during the fourth quarter.
Gasol has several options: one is to rehab the injury, which would cause him to be out six to eight weeks, or have surgery to repair the tear, and be out 10-12 weeks. He had an MRI on his right foot Wednesday and flew back to Los Angeles yesterday for further examination by Lakers team doctor Steve Lombardo and foot specialist Dr. Kenneth Jung.
The injury is a blow to an already injury-stricken Lakers team, which will go from a small team to an invisible team. Dwight Howard has been dealing with a shoulder injury and Jordan Hill had season ending hip surgery last month.
Gasol has averaged 14.3 points and eight rebounds per game this season, coming off the bench six games. His strong play recently has helped the Lakers to their longest steak of the season, winning six of seven games. He has missed several games this season- eight because of tendinitis in his knees and five because of a concussion.
He tweeted Wednesday night, "I'm hoping to recover ASAP so I can be back with the team and keep fighting until the end of the season."
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Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
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