Los Angeles Lakers power forward Pau Gasol talks to reporters during an NBA basketball news conference in El Segundo, Calif., Tuesday, April 30, 2013. The Lakers lost their first-round playoff series to the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol will get ultrasonic treatment on both knees in an attempt to regenerate his tendon, the team said on Wednesday.
The team says Gasol will undergo a procedure Thursday that's intended to improve the health of his patellar tendons by removing scar tissue with ultrasonic energy. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Steven Yoon of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Group.
After the Lakers' season ended last month, the 7-foot Spaniard said both of his knees had developed tendinosis — a degeneration of tissue.
Gasol missed 33 games due to injury last season, struggling with a concussion, plantar fasciitis and additional ailments, including his chronically sore knees.
Gasol turns 33 in July. He has one year left on his deal with the Lakers.
Even after every disappointment in the Los Angeles Lakers' lost season, Kobe Bryant still wants to keep their roster together.
Pau Gasol agrees, although he knows he might be out.
And Dwight Howard is in no hurry to decide whether he'll rejoin this talent-loaded group that didn't meet its expectations.
Howard's impending free agency was prominent in the Lakers' minds as they headed into the offseason after their first round playoffs exit at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. General manager Mitch Kupchak said he's "hopeful" and "optimistic" Howard will re-sign with Los Angeles after his first season ended in a first-round sweep.
But Howard, the seven-time All-Star center, wrapped up his first season in Los Angeles by vowing to make his decision in his own best interests, giving no indication he favored the Lakers over any other team.
The Lakers improved significantly late in the season during their 28-12 run to the playoffs, with Gasol and Howard finding remarkable chemistry at times.
Gasol's fate is unsettled because of his $19 million-plus salary for next season and the Lakers' luxury-tax situation. Bryant's recovery from his torn Achilles tendon also weighs heavily on what's sure to be a busy offseason after the franchise's championship dreams ended in the first round.
Yet another offseason of uncertainty "can be a little draining" for Gasol, he said last week.
"It's not ideal, but I accept the circumstances," he added. "The future is uncertain, there's no doubt about it. There's a possibility I could be gone, a possibility I could stay. I don't know the percentages. ... It will be difficult if that was my last game, just because of the way I feel about the team, the city and my time here."
Bryant isn't ready to end his five-year partnership with the Spanish 7-footer, and he still believes the Lakers' star-studded roster can be a title contender with a year of good health and togetherness. Bryant doesn't see why Los Angeles wouldn't try to keep every bit of the talent it assembled last year, now that the players have spent a year of trial and error learning to play together.
"I was pretty clear: I want Pau here," Bryant said last week. "It's not even a question. It's not even a discussion. I think he gives us the best chance to win a title. You bring Dwight back, and we're off and running, but you also have to look at how well they started playing together. That puzzle finally got solved. We were all just clicking and rolling. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond our control put a wet blanket on it."
Based on reporting by the The Associated Press.
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