Gasol back this week ... probably

Pau Gasol is not with the team for tonight's game in Oakland. There's a chance he could play Wednesday against the Bobcats, but I really get the impression that the Lakers want to be cautious and not rush him back.

If he doesn't play Wednesday, the Lakers next game is against another lowly team, Memphis, and you have to wonder if the Lakers would just as soon try to get through both those games without him if Gasol doesn't feel like he's 100 percent yet.

Here's what Phil Jackson said on the matter Sunday.

"We're hoping he'll be back on the floor this week, Tuesday maybe or Thursday, hopefully," Jackson said. "I'm not going to say one game or the other right now. It's just a matter of ... how much he can endure."