Instead of simply relying on training camp scrimmages to develop chemistry with Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol believes he and his new frontcourt mate need to build rapport away from the court.
Gasol pledged to make every effort to get to know Bynum better before the season opener, even if that means attending car shows, playing shoot-'em-up video games or expanding his musical horizons.
"I don't see him going to the kind of concerts I like going to, but he mentioned he might go to the Jay-Z concert,"
Gasol said Thursday. "I might go to that. Stuff like that I think is important. If we're able to develop a relationship off the basketball court, I think it will help us on the basketball court."
Whether Bynum and Gasol can mesh quickly is one of the biggest questions facing the Lakers as they prepare for the start of the exhibition season. The Lakers acquired Gasol last season after Bynum suffered his season-ending knee injury, so the 7-footers never played together or even spent quality time together until now.
Coach Phil Jackson is optimistic Bynum and Gasol will jell quickly because both possess very different skill sets. Whereas Bynum is most comfortable setting up on the low block, Gasol is more of a finesse big man capable of hitting jumpers or facilitating the offense farther from the basket.
Gasol last played heavy minutes at forward in his first two seasons with Memphis, but he has embraced the challenge of reacquainting himself with the position.
"Andrew obviously is a big load on the post,"
Gasol said. "He's got a lot of potential and can do a lot of damage there, so probably I'll be further away from that spot and learning the small forward and power forward positions."
Odom at the Point?
At 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds, Lamar Odom hardly resembles a typical point guard, but the Lakers appear to be grooming the versatile forward bring the ball up the floor at times this season.
Jackson has used Odom to initiate the offense so far in camp, an early experiment designed to capitalize on his pass-first instincts and ball handling skills extremely unique for a player of his size.
"It will be a long-term thing to take the pressure off the point guards,"
Gasol said. "He can do it. He's going to have a small forward guarding him. He's not going to have a little guy guarding him, which should make it a little easier for him."
Jackson said the experiment has gone "OK"
so far, but that was about as complimentary as he got about Odom. He matter-of-factly criticized his conditioning, saying, "He's not in shape. Lamar's not ready to play."
Odom has told reporters he let himself "chill out a bit"
this offseason, preferring to relax at the beach and rest his tendinitis-riddled knees rather than endure a strenuous summer workout program. Asked whether that was a wise decision, Jackson said it remains to be seen.
"He has to find that out for himself,"
Jackson said. "In our exit meetings (in June) with Lamar, we talked about the fact that he hasn't had the opportunity to work on his body in the offseason for the past three or four years (because of offseason surgeries). So this was really an opportunity to strengthen his shoulder and do some things that were going to help him in a pivotal year -- not only for him, but for us."
Sasha Update
Sasha Vujacic didn't practice Thursday because of his sprained left ankle, but he was able to participate in some shooting drills on the side. "I'm not limping anymore,"
he said. "Hopefully it will just be a couple days."
