HoopsHype.com Rumors

Marc J Spears: Another guy I think it's Pau Gasol. Toronto really wants a low-post scorer. They were interested in Carl Landry. They want a veteran guy that could score in the post, that could get them in the playoffs with Rudy Gay next year. Yahoo! Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Pau Gasol 

Gasol has been involved in trade rumors because of the Lakers' massive luxury tax bill, which could rise dramatically next year. "Who knows what's going to happen after the season is over and what kind of moves there's going to be, if any?" continued the Lakers forward. "I'm always going to stay positive, be the player that I am, be the person that I am. I'd love to continue to be a Laker and fight for championships here, but that's not totally up to me." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Trade, Pau Gasol 

Gasol hopes to stay with the Lakers, but would like to feel like he's part of the team's future and not on the way out. "I'm getting closer to the last few years of my career and I want to have an enjoyable time and situation where I'm wanted, used properly and I can maximize my qualities and talents," said Gasol. Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Trade, Pau Gasol 

The Lakers need the Utah Jazz to lose at least one game to have a chance of catching up in the standings; otherwise, the season could end on April 17. Pau Gasol admitted it's been a difficult year — both for him personally and for the Lakers. "The past [few] years have been difficult," said Gasol to Mark Willard and Mychal Thompson on 710 ESPN. "The lack sometimes of security and certainty do play a role but again. There's nothing I can do about it. I understand the situation of the team, of the personnel and why that happens." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Trade, Pau Gasol 

Arash Markazi: Kobe on Pau: "That's my dude. I know what he brings to the table. He's 2010 Pau now. For sure." Twitter @ArashMarkazi

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol 

Ramona Shelburne: Pau: "Kobe's telling me to just go down to the post and stay there and screw everything else" Twitter @ramonashelburne

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol 

With Gasol setting the screen, Bryant can create a shot for himself or look to pass, including getting the ball back to Gasol, who can do the same. "It's a huge, huge threat," said Bryant. "Then you have Dwight [Howard] ducking in on the inside and you put Jody Meeks in the corner and you just hope we miss." Naturally that changes with players like Nash and World Peace in the lineup. Nash is the team's best three-point shooter. Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol 

Ware sustained a compound fracture of his right tibia in Louisville's 85-63 victory over Duke. He had surgery Sunday night. Howard called him earlier this week. "Steve [Nash] and Pau [Gasol] and the rest of the guys said hello to him also," Howard said. "I’m happy that he’s out of surgery. He’s looking forward to getting back on the court. His spirits are pretty good." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Injuries, Kevin Ware 

Pau Gasol: 19 years ago, Kurt Cobain left us. "Come as you are" is one of my favorite songs that I still listen to often. youtube.com/watch?v=vabnZ9… Twitter @paugasol

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, Nirvana, Kurt Cobain 

Pau Gasol is back to form. His first two games back, Gasol averaged just 5.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.5 minutes per game on 27.7 percent shooting. The Lakers went 0-2. But his last four have looked like shades of the guy who was a four-time All-Star. In those four games Gasol is averaging 13.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 34 minutes per game on 54.2 percent shooting. L.A. went 3-1. "After six games being back, my timing, my legs, my conditioning is getting back and getting better," Gasol said Thursday. "So, hopefully it will continue to be that way. Everything is flowing nicely, so let's see if we keep it up." Sulia

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol 

"This is a team that has the puzzle parts, but they might not all come from the same puzzle," said one respected NBA scout. "It shows that putting together a team is not always just a matter of getting the 'best' or the 'most best' players together. On one hand, you might have been able to get better results faster if you put Nash together with Howard and let them pick-and-roll everybody to death. When you're mixing in Kobe and Pau, guys who have played a different style in a different system, you're forcing things." NBA.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, Dwight Howard 

Howard remains a big target, literally and otherwise. "Dwight is not the same as he was before that back injury," a West team's personnel man said. "He just doesn't get off the floor as quick as he used to. You see him play against guys he's dominated in the past and they are outworking him on the glass and beating him up and down the floor. There was a time when no big man in the league could match Dwight in those areas. That back injury has really put a cramp in his game. ... That's why you have to find a way to get him and Gasol playing off of each other. This idea that you bring Gasol off the bench as his backup is crazy. There's no way you play to your strengths by doing that." NBA.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard 

One former NBA player, now an analyst for a rival team, talked of a mismatch between D'Antoni's preferred style of play. "Systems have to fit your personnel," he said. "It's fools gold to think that Kobe, Steve, at this stage in his career, can run the D'Antoni system." The coach, in other words, need to adapt to his players, not vice versa. "Dwight Howard is a low-post player, you've got to find a way to get him the ball inside," this critic said. "Pau, same thing with him. ... I don't know what they need to run, but Steve Nash is a pick-and-roll guy, half court, and you can't be discombobulated at this stage in the year as to what you're going to be running offensively. The game is instinct and when you go out on the floor and you're wondering what to do, you don't have a chance." NBA.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, Mike D'Antoni, Dwight Howard 

Pau Gasol has told to some people he will rest this summer and won't play the European Championship with the Spanish national team. Encestando

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, FIBA, Spain, Eurobasket 

Kobe had a very Black Swan response to Pau's critics: "That’s because everybody is a bunch of idiots ..." "That’s because everybody is a bunch of idiots," Bryant said when asked why people question Pau Gasol's value to the team. "I don’t understand that. I just don’t. You don’t see a big with his skill set. You’d be hard pressed to find a big with his skill set in the history of the game. We put him at the elbow for about five straight minutes and he just tore them up. Tore ‘em up. And with the touch from the outside and posting up and passing the ball. You don’t see that skill set." Gasol had 12 points and 10 assists to complement Bryant's 19 points and 14 assists, making them the first Laker duo to go for 10-plus assists in the same game together since Bryant (10 assists) and Luke Walton (11) did it in a 147-141 overtime loss to the Washington Wizards on Dec. 17, 2006. Sulia

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol 

Kevin Ding: Pau acknowledged ball-stopping offense, saying the ball needs to switch sides of the floor: "Sometimes we have to go away from Kobe." Twitter @KevinDing

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol 

Dave McMenamin: Despite speculation to the contrary, D'Antoni confirmed that Pau will indeed start Wednesday vs. Minnesota Twitter @mcten

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol 

Ric Bucher: Source: Don't be surprised if Pau Gasol is coming off the bench at Minnesota on Wednesday after the Lakers went 0-2 upon his return. Twitter @RicBucher

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol 

Pau Gasol has played two games since returning from a 20-game absence because of a tear inside the bottom of his right foot. His stats, as expected, weren't great. "He's still out there with Bambi legs a little bit, having missed so much time and [not] being able to get up and down the floor," Bryant said. "So he's just got to get his legs back." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol 

Mike Trudell: Kobe said Gasol just has to "get his legs back." Spaniard missed 6 weeks, 20 games after just getting into a rhythm in late January. Twitter @LakersReporter

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol