Once tipoff approaches, Pau Gasol will arrive at Staples Center, go through starting lineup introductions and greet his opponent at halfcourt.

Had NBA Commissioner David Stern not interfered in a three-team trade, the Lakers-Rockets game Tuesday would have featured Gasol in different circumstances. He would play at center instead of power forward. He would wear a red uniform instead of a gold one. He would match up against his former teammate Andrew Bynum instead of forward Luis Scola. But Gasol maintains he won’t think about such scenarios once he actually steps foot on the Staples Center court.

“Maybe one or two [thoughts], but once I get into the game I’m too focused right now to try to help the team win,” Gasol said. 

The Lakers (3-3) have plenty of issues entering Tuesday’s game against the Rockets (2-2), what with a new coaching staff, Kobe Bryant’s torn ligament in his right wrist and the team’s inconsistency in closing out games. But that pales to what Houston faces with Yao Ming’s retirement, Chuck Hayes and Shane Battier leaving via free agency and a large void at the center spot.

That’s partly why Gasol remained relieved Stern rejected a trade that would have sent him to Houston, Chris Paul to the Lakers and Scola, Lamar Odom and Kevin Martin to the New Orleans Hornets. After winning two NBA championships and appearing in three consecutive Finals, the last thing Gasol wanted was to join a mid-tier team. 

“It was going to be kind of a rebuilding situation,” Gasol said. “You’d try to be competitive. It wasn’t so much about the franchise or the city. It was just about the situation and how different it would’ve been than from what I’m used to now. That would’ve been very hard for me to adjust to, but if it happened and had gone down, I still would’ve done my best to do what I do and be the player I am and continue to play my best.”

Instead, Gasol has vowed to do so with the Lakers. Even though he felt hurt over the Lakers’ attempt to ship him, that didn’t sour his enthusiasm the way it did for Odom. He remained professional. He arrived to training camp and avoided talking much about it with teammates. And he frequently talked with the media, aware that talks about his flimsy future would often arise. 

“I think he’s done well with it,” said Lakers center Andrew Bynum, who’s been connected in trade rumors involving Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony in past seasons. “He understands it’s a business and everybody is up for grabs at any time. It’s nothing personal … All you can do is play well and make sure your team needs you.”

Gasol has done just that. He has averaged 17.3 points on a 55.4% clip, 8.7 rebounds and two blocks through the Lakers’ first six games. That’s a far improvement from his tepid playoff showing last season, he had 13.1 points on 42% shooting, 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

“Pau’s playing great,” Coach Mike Brown said. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the way he’s playing. He’s still finding his way just like the rest of us are finding our way. He’s scored the ball well for us, he’s rebounded the ball fairly well for us and he’s done a nice job facilitating.”

RELATED:

Pau Gasol handles trade speculation differently than Lamar Odom

Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum have larger responsibilities

Pau Gasol says nothing to Chris Paul

– Mark Medina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Houston Rockets January 3 in the Staples Center after a much-needed day of rest. The Lakers split their series with the Denver Nuggets and now they will see a Houston team that is tough to figure out.

The Rockets have a 2-2 record and their games have ranged from a 20-point win over the aging San Antonio Spurs to a 20-point shellacking at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies. This early in the season it is difficult to measure any NBA teams as they play back-to-back games and struggle to learn new offenses and new faces.

The teams with the advantages are teams with little or no personnel changes and teams that have not switched coaches since last season. The Lakers are dealing with both situations and it shows on nights when they play back-to-back like they did with the Nuggets over the New Years holiday.

The Lakers age showed in their game with Denver and the altitude did not help the veteran team. A rested Andrew Bynum contributed in his first two games of the NBA season and he capped off the home and home with Denver by hauling down 16 rebounds and taking the pressure off Pau Gasol down low.

Gasol scored 20 points in the Lakers 99-90 loss to Denver but it shows that the Lakers have a tough time winning when Kobe Bryant gets marginalized by an aggressive defense. Bryant scored 16 points against Denver and this Lakers team must pitch in when Kobe has an off night.

Bryant will be tough to contain against the Rockets with a day of a rest under his belt. Bryant went 1-8 from three-point range and shot a miserable 6-28 overall from the field against the Nuggets in the altitude at Denver but that is already a memory and Bryant will be back in the comfort of Staples Center for his game against the Rockets.

Metta World Peace has been hard to get a handle on early in the season. He went without a point in the first game against the Nuggets and then went 1-4 from three-point territory in the second game while scoring 10 points.

The Lakers three losses early in the season are a concern but there are still 60 games left on the schedule and the Lakers have a deeper team than last year. New free agent acquisitions like Troy Murphy and Josh McRoberts got the Lakers front office laughed at in the off-season but they are making their presence known in the early games.

McRoberts, nicknamed the “White Shadow” by Lakers head coach Mike Brown, is a nice addition off the bench and he has contributed as a change of pace component coming into the game at key times. The season is just beginning and the Lakers nation needs to relax and enjoy watching this team develop into a contender. Starting the season with 10 consecutive wins is nice but this year will be a fun year as the team builds for the post season.

*Todd Jacobs is a native Southern Californian and longtime Los Angeles Lakers fan since the early ’70s.

Sources:

ESPN Clubhouse: Los Angeles Lakers news and stats.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

By Keith Cordero Jr

– College Sports Writer

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Dec 24, 2011 – The Houston Rockets have been busy this off-season. Despite missing on acquiring Lakers forward Pau Gasol in the original Chris Paul to the Lakers trade, the Rockets remained patient and came to an agreement with nine-year NBA veteran C Samuel Dalembert. The Rockets have big plans for the upcoming season and some new faces in Houston with Rick Adelman, Chuck Hayes and Yao Ming no longer in town.

Dalembert, 30, a former first round draft pick in 2001 by the 76ers spent his first eight seasons in Philadelphia and last season with the Sacramento Kings. At 6’11″ Dalembert provides first year Rockets Head Coach Kevin McHale with a solid force in the middle of the paint and a veteran presence for the youth that is Jordan Hill and Marcus Morris.

Dalembert for his career is averaging 8.1 points per game to go along with 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game and has started 537 of 662 games in which he has played.

In a very deep Western Conference with talented big men (Gasol, Zach Randolph, Dirk Nowitzki, Andrew Bynum, LaMarcus Aldridge, Al Jefferson) the Dalembert add makes a ton of sense. Rockets fans should be happy with this move. Dalembert should start alongside projected starters Kyle Lowry, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Chase Budinger.

Read More: Al Jefferson (C – UTA), Samuel Dalembert (C – SAC), Kevin Martin (G – HOU), Chris Paul (G – LAC), Dirk Nowitzki (F – DAL), Kyle Lowry (G – HOU), Pau Gasol (F – LAL), Yao Ming (C – WEST), Chuck Hayes (C – SAC), LaMarcus Aldridge (F – POR), Andrew Bynum (C – LAL), Luis Scola (F – HOU), Jordan Hill (F – HOU), Chase Budinger (F – HOU), Rick Adelman (H – HOU), Marcus Morris (F – HOU), Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers

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Bill Simmons essentially called this Houston Chronicle report the story that won’t go away:

Calling NBA commissioner David Stern’s assertion that the Rockets’ vetoed trade for Pau Gasol was never considered a done deal “an outright lie,” a person with direct knowledge of the process said Stern was informed throughout the negotiations and the day of the trade before he refused to let it go through.

Here’s the problem – the season starts in six days. Once the compressed NBA schedule gets underway, and the Clippers look great, and the Lakers look awful, will the public outcry die down or simply just go away?

It’s appalling that Stern would completely screw the Lakers and Rockets like this, but short of a lawsuit, I’m just not sure what complaining is going to do. Unless, of course, ESPN wants to get involved and attempt to press Stern on the issue … yeah, that’s not happening. [Chronicle]

Did NBA commissioner David Stern lie about his involvement in the vetoed trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers? The Houston Rockets think so, and they are livid.

Stern said after the trade fell through that he was only “generally informed” about the details of the trade during the negotiations, and that the Hornets never thought the deal was done. But sources told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle that is “an outright lie,” noting that Stern knew the details and that he and the Hornets knew it was a done deal.

Anger over the failed deal is coming from the Rockets, who would have received Pau Gasol from the Lakers. Feigen says that Rockets owner Leslie Alexander was “livid” over Stern’s role. Alexander tried contacting the commissioner but did not get a call back until after the Lakers pulled out of the re-negotiations. At that point Alexander refused to speak with Stern and still won’t speak with the commissioner.

It seemed as though this story died when Chris Paul was finally dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers. Rather, this story may just be starting to find its legs. And it seems like this could get uglier before it gets better.

– ESPN Los Angeles’ Dave McMenamin reports Chuck Person had planned to interview for a position on Kevin McHale’s coaching staff with the Houston Rockets on Monday but that he’s keeping all options open.

– Fox 26 Sports Houston’s Mark Berman also details Person’s meeting with the Rockets. 

– The Orange County Register’s Kevin Ding believes it’s likely Person will stay with the Lakers.

– ESPN Los Angeles’ Andy Kamenetzky talks with Os Davis, from the Ball in Europe site, about what Ettore Messina would bring to the Lakers’ coaching staff.

– Hoopsworld’s Eric Pincus looks at various ways to fix the Lakers. 

– Lakers.com’s Mike Trudell updates the team’s roster and talks to Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak about what he’s looking for in the upcoming NBA Draft.

– Silver Screen and Roll’s C.A. Clark analyzes Sasha Vujacic’s stint last season with the Lakers.

– Forum Blue and Gold’s Darius Soriano looks at how Messina’s presence would affect the Lakers’ offense.

– Lakers Nation’s Steven Almazan argues that Dwight Howard is not the Lakers’ missing piece. 

Kobe Bryant plays NBA 2K12 in the video below and reveals this hilarious nugget on the realistic game play: “We were actually running the triangle offense better than we ran the triangle offense last year.”

Tweet of the Day: “GSW has also discussed idea of hiring Mike Malone as Mark Jax’s top aide. But Malone said to favor joining Lakers if he’s still an assistant … Malone was scheduled to meet today w/Lakers and is highly coveted by Mike Brown, who wants both Malone and the freshly fired John Kuester … Those in the know say Warriors have discussed offering Mike Malone title of associate head coach, but pull of Lakers hard to overcome. 

Hearing Warriors are keeping hard press on Mike Malone and optimistic that they CAN get him as Mark Jackson’s top aide and keep him from LAL … W/Lakers looking to keep coaching salaries down, Dubs can easily win a Mike Malone bidding war to ensure Jack has best bench possible … NBA coaching sources say Warriors have made “generous” offer to Mike Malone to convince him to join Mark Jackson’s staff (over Mike Brown’s)” — Stein_LINE_HQ (ESPN.com’s Marc Stein)

Rick Friedman Reader Comment of the Day: “All this team really needs are players who are hungry for a title. It’s all about the “Hunger.” –    

– Mark Medina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

Photo: Lakers assistant coaches Brian Shaw, left, and Chuck Person are interviewing for the head coaching job with the Golden State Warriors this week. Credit: Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times

The Houston Rockets are in the final stages of deciding on a head coach, with all three candidates having received two interviews for the job of replacing Rick Adelman.

“The next step is to make a decision,” a person with knowledge of the process told CBSSports.com Thursday.

Former Timberwolves coach and general manager Kevin McHale met with owner Leslie Alexander Wednesday in Miami, where McHale was broadcasting the Eastern Conference finals for TNT. Former Nets coach Lawrence Frank and Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey also have been interviewed twice.

Sources familiar with the process have been told that Frank has been losing ground in the three-man race, but that no clear favorite has emerged. The Rockets have not extended an offer or engaged in contract negotiations with any of the candidates, sources said.

While McHale’s candidacy has been bolstered by a strong recommendation from former Celtics teammate and current Boston president Danny Ainge, sources said Casey is on firm ground by virtue of the fact that he is the only candidate still coaching in the playoffs. Another person with direct knowledge of the interview process said all three candidates have presented compelling visions for the team, but not all aspects of the candidates’ strategies are on the same page with Houston management.

Meanwhile, Warriors management – bolstered by the addition of Hall of Fame consultant Jerry West – remains focused on a list of five remaining candidates the team has spoken with about its head coaching vacancy: Lakers assistants Brian Shaw and Chuck Person; Hornets assistant Michael Malone; ABC/ESPN broadcaster Mark Jackson; and Frank. The team also had spoken with former Cavs coach Mike Brown, who was hired Wednesday to replace Phil Jackson as coach of the Lakers.

A person familiar with the Golden State search said “one or two” other candidates could emerge for the Golden State job as a result of “musical chairs” with other jobs. One example of that could be Shaw, who may not want to remain with the Lakers after being passed over for the head coaching vacancy he had long hoped to fill once Jackson finally retired.

Another could be McHale, who is not known to have spoken with Warriors officials but whose candidacy is expected to be strengthened by owner Joe Lacob’s connection to the Celtics. As a former member of the Celtics’ ownership group, Lacob is open to advice from Ainge and Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, who are solidly backing McHale for a head coaching position. Sources in the coaching industry expect McHale to emerge as a candidate in Golden State depending on how his bid for the Houston job turns out.

In other NBA front office news, the Raptors are assembling a list of candidates to work alongside assistant general manager Marc Eversley under team president Bryan Colangelo. Toronto is believed to be seeking someone with international scouting experience to replace Maurizio Gherardini, whose contract expires June 30.

The Los Angeles Lakers have narrowed their coaching search to former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown and former Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman, according to sources, with current Lakers assistant Brian Shaw, the preferred choice of most of the team’s current players, still in the mix. But the Lakers’ insistence on holding firm to a lower salary for their next head coach has kept the search open.

The Lakers want to significantly reduce the salary they pay their next head coach after paying Phil Jackson $10 million in his final season and $12.5 million the previous season. The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that the Lakers were not willing to go above $5 million in salary next season. While Brown is not expecting to make $7 million a year as Doc Rivers will be getting from Boston starting next season (Rivers signed a five-year, $35 million deal last week), the next tier of coaches, led by New York’s Mike D’Antoni (four years, $24 million), don’t have Jackson or Rivers’ pedigree, while Brown has a 2007 Finals appearance and two Eastern Conference finals appearances to his credit.

But the Lakers are adamant about maintaining their salary ceiling, and seem to be looking for the candidate that will accept those terms as opposed to picking a candidate and negotiating a deal with him.

Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday evening that the Lakers were in serious negotiations with Brown, who has spent this year working in television with ESPN after being fired as coach of the Cavaliers after Cleveland’s second-round loss to Boston in the 2010 playoffs.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss had said earlier in the day in a radio interview on XM Sirius Radio that the team was “very close” to hiring a new coach, and seemed to dismiss the notion that the team would hire Shaw because several players, including Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, had endorsed his candidacy.

“Obviously, we have to select somebody who has a reputation that players would be happy with,” Buss said in the interview, on Playboy Radio, with local broadcaster Michael Eaves and Lakers executive Bonnie-Jill Laflin. “But to ask a direct player to select a particular coach, that’s general manager territory.”

Brown, 41, was 272-138 in five seasons in Cleveland, reaching the second round of the playoffs each season. But after the Cavaliers’ six-game loss to Boston in which the Cavs played poorly in the last two games, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert decided to fire Brown. That decision helped lead to former team president Danny Ferry’s departure from the club as well, and James, famously, followed both out the door in July.

Adelman, 64, moved into eighth place on the NBA’s all-time coaching victories list this season, finishing the year with 945 wins, one better than Bill Fitch and seven ahead of Red Auerbach. In 20 seasons as a head coach, Adelman is 945-616 (.605), with only four losing seasons. His teams have made the postseason 16 times, and he’s reached the Finals twice, both times with Portland (1990 and 1992). This season may have been one of his best coaching jobs; Houston had hoped to have Yao Ming back this season after he’d missed all of the 2009-10 season with a stress fracture in his left ankle, but Yao only played five games before suffering another stress fracture in the left ankle that shelved him the rest of the year.

But Adelman remade the Rockets on the fly, turning them from a team that was planning to pound the ball inside to one that got its scoring from the perimeter with guards Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry. Houston didn’t make the playoffs, but was one of the hottest teams in the league down the stretch, going 17-8 after the All-Star break. Nonetheless, the Rockets made next to no attempt to re-sign him and the club announced after the season it and Adelman had mutually agreed to part ways.

Shaw has been a Lakers assistant for five years, gaining the respect of players as someone who can speak candidly to players and challenge them. He played with the team from 1999 to 2003, helping the team win three straight NBA titles. He has said that he would maintain the triangle offense that Jackson used both in Los Angeles and Chicago, though he would tweak it some. Buss said that he expected the team to play some triangle next season but also expected some changes in the offense.

The Lakers have moved away from veteran coaches Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Dunleavy, the ex-Clippers coach and general manager who led the Lakers to the 1991 Finals.