Will Lakers big man Pau Gasol return to the team after his contract expires this summer? Lakers legend Kobe Bryant believes so.
According to LakersNation.com, during the Lakers' game against the crosstown rivals Clippers, Ric Bucher announced on the TNT broadcast that he talked with Bryant before the game and asked him who he felt would be on next year's roster. Bucher said Bryant mentioned Gasol's name among those he felt would be back on a Lakers jersey. The broadcaster then asked Bryant how confident he is about his prediction, and Bryant said 'eight' on a scale of one to 10.
Bryant's response is quite surprising given that Gasol has publicly expressed frustration with the way he has been used by head coach Mike D' Antoni in the Lakers' offense. Gasol's name has also been mentioned as a trade bait in the past three years, although he has remained with the team despite those rumors.
However, Bryant is also one of Gasol's staunchest supporter. After all, Gasol's arrival in the team in the 2007-2008 season signaled a resurgence in Lakers basketball highlighted by back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010 that gave Bryant two more rings to his collection.
Gasol, 33, is the leading scorer for the moribund Lakers this season with a 17.5 ppg clip. He has battled injuries throughout the season, managing to play in 52 out of the 62 games of the Lakers. Still, the Lakers are one of the worst teams in the league with a 21-41 record after suffering the worst loss in franchise history with a 142-94 setback against the Clippers on Thursday night.
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