



Pau Gasol’s been playing beneath his own—and Lakers fans’—standards as of late, and many have been searching for an explanation. Here’s one: He’s been slowed by tendinitis in both of his knees, as the OC Register reports: “Pau Gasol said after the Lakers’ victory Saturday night that he has tendinitis in both knees that has been ‘pretty bothersome.’ Gasol has been wearing bands over both knees during games for a while in an attempt to control the swelling and pain. He said: ‘It’s something that has been lingering. So far, I’m dealing with it.’ Knee pain certainly is an issue for Gasol in meeting the lofty demands of Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni to run the floor and bring energy, although Gasol managed to do exactly those things in the victory in Dallas. Gasol is coming off minimal offseason rest as the anchor of the Spanish national team that won the silver medal in the London Olympics. He said the knees didn’t bother him then, but they are now. Kobe Bryant noted after the loss in Sacramento on Wednesday that Gasol looked slow, and he had another poor game Friday in Memphis.”

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