Overall, the Los Angeles Lakers have done a strong job following the NBA COVID-19 protocols. They haven’t had to postpone any games yet and only a few players have had to miss time. Starting point guard Dennis Schroder had missed a few games, but never tested positive for the virus and wasn’t happy that was held out.
Starting center Marc Gasol is the latest player to be forced out due to the protocols. The Lakers haven’t divulged too much information but his situation could be more tricky than anybody realizes. He’s been out since before the All-Star break so he’s missed a good chunk of time. Schroder recently had a chance to address the Gasol situation and offered some concerning insight.
“At the end of the day, we’re pros,” Schroder said. “Even if you are healthy and in the health and safety protocols, you still try to get the work in. I mean, I think the situation with Marc is even worse than mine. But at the end of the day, we can’t control that. We just got to do our things that we can control but … it’s some B.S., for sure.”
How Gasol’s situation is “worse” than Schroder’s is a notable comment. Whatever he means by that, the hope is still that the big man can return soon. If Gasol came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, he should have to sit out for seven days if he tests negative. At this point, he’s far exceeded that many days.
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Frank Vogel Updates Gasol’s Status
At this point, it’s hard to know when Gasol might be back. The Lakers have given close to no details and probably won’t. The team is also missing Alex Caruso, who is dealing with a concussion. Head coach Frank Vogel recently made it clear that Caruso and Gasol won’t be playing in the next two games.
“They’re not with us, and the only thing I can say timeline-wise is they won’t be with us for these two games, other than that, they’re just in the health and safety protocols, that’s sort of all I can say,” Vogel said. “For this back-to-back they will not be with us.”
Those are two very key pieces for the Lakers on defense. Without those two, it’s going to be a tough stretch for the purple and gold.
Anthony Davis Missing More Time
Perhaps the worst news that the Lakers dropped was that Anthony Davis is going to miss more time. He’s going to at least two more weeks. They are 8-7 without the superstar forward so they’d definitely like him back soon. Vogel offered some insight into the process.
“It was more just strengthening and weights so far. I actually haven’t talked to the medical team about if he’s doing stuff on the court yet,” Vogel said. “There’s all these limitations right where when he came in earlier to lift, he can only do treatment and weights. You can’t do stuff on the court until all the PCR results are in. So he’s just going to — over the next few weeks — hopefully begin to build up to more activity.”
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Dennis Schroder Has Concerning Comments on Lakers Starting Big Man