As helpful as Gasol's return may be, it still doesn't put L.A. at full strength.
Gasol was originally expected to miss six-to-eight weeks after suffering the injury on Feb. 5. That prognosis would put him in the range of returning anywhere between next week and next month.
An encouraging sign is that Gasol has already begun on-court drills.
On Tuesday, the veteran forward/center ran through his first on-court basketball drills. As long as he doesn't face any setbacks Wednesday, he'll continue to ramp up his activity.
...there isn't a concrete date yet [for Gasol to return].
The final statement is the one of utmost importance.
There is no set date for Gasol to return, but instead a speculative date in which he could come back. This has been the story of the Lakers' season, as they've never once been at full strength.
Even when every star was in the starting lineup, they were never healthy.
One Man In, Another Man Out
Since the beginning of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers have seen one star enter their lineup and another one leave. As a result of these ailments, they've been unable to develop a semblance of chemistry.
That trend is continuing with Pau Gasol's return.
To begin the season, Dwight Howard was less than seven months removed from offseason back surgery. Even Howard's former Orlando Magic coach, Stan Van Gundy, publicly acknowledged the impact D-12's bum back was having.
During the second game of the season, Steve Nash went down with a small fracture in his left leg. Nash missed 24 games due to the injury.
Following Nash was sixth man Jordan Hil...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
