Nash To Enter Season As Oldest Player; Gasol Excited To Play Center, Again
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) - Steve Nash will begin his second year with the Lakers and will hope to have better health than in his first year with the purple and gold.
At 39, Nash will enter the season as the oldest player in the NBA, so the Lakers will try to limit Nash's minutes and even give him some nights off.
"We have the depth and success. I think it's important to play a full season to be out there with your team," said Nash at Lakers Media Day. It's surreal in a way. I'm thrilled to still be playing and I don't feel as old."
Kobe Bryant isn't the only Laker coming back from surgery. Pau Gasol underwent a stem cell operation on both his worn-out knees in order to alleviate tendinitis there.
He wont be ready for the start of camp, but says he close but wont push it too much.
"I am getting there," Gasol said. "Training camp will be important, how we manage practices and the work. I am excited to start off."
With Dwight Howard out of Los Angeles, Gasol will see more playing time at the center this year, a position he is very comfortable with.
"It makes me feel more confident [playing at center] Gasol told Jim Hill. "And I'm confident that I will be effective and will deliver."
said Saturday he will not be available for the start of training camp as he continues to recover from offseason procedures in both knees. However, the Los Angeles Lakers' big man believes he will be back in time for the regular season.
So with all the new added depth, the Lakers believe they could make it a competitive 2014 season.
