Bulls' Gasol is thoughtful on Bryant's retirement

Pau Gasol didn't get advance warning of former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant's retirement announcement on Sunday, but he wasn't surprised by it, either. Bryant will make this his final season.

"First, I appreciated the way he did it, the way he put it together," Gasol said before Monday's game. "I thought it was very well done, very classy. I think now it kind of allows him to enjoy the rest of the season, each and every game, knowing that it's going to be his last."

Bryant, 37, made his announcement via The Players' Tribune website, while fans attending Sunday's Lakers game at the Staples Center were handed a letter with the news. Bryant is in his 20th NBA season and it hasn't gone well so far. He's shooting just 30.5 percent from the field.

"I had a feeling that this would probably be his last season by the way things were going," Gasol said. "I was just hoping he would have a healthy season, so he could just enjoy himself in a situation where team-wise, the franchise is rebuilding and they're probably not going to win a lot of games."

Gasol and Bryant won championships together in 2009 and '10. Asked what he'll remember most about his former teammate, Gasol said, "How competitive he is. He'll continue to be no matter what he does. That's just his spirit. He's just a hardworking guy. He wants to be the best. He doesn't settle for anything less."

As to why he was able to be friends with Bryant, while other teammates didn't, Gasol gave a thoughtful response.

"He's got that Alpha personality character," he said. "You've just got to understand where he's coming from and work with it the best you can. Don't try to bump heads with him. That's not going to work out very well. I understood and my personality fit in perfectly with his and the team at the time."

Bryant will finish his career as the NBA's third all-time scorer, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone, and just ahead of fourth-place Michael Jordan.

Dunleavy to slow down:

Injured forward Mike Dunleavy visited the doctor Monday and the decision was made for him to back off basketball activity for two weeks. Dunleavy had back surgery just before the start of training camp on Sept. 25.

Dunleavy ramped up his activity a few weeks ago, but experienced soreness in his back.

"He was really sore when we went out on the West Coast and he had upped his activity level quite a bit," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "It quieted down a lot, which I think is a good sign, these last couple days when he had inactivity. Now it's a matter of getting those muscles strengthened in the back and in the core."

Hoiberg said Dunleavy might visit a couple of back specialists this week. At this point, Hoiberg doesn't think this will be a long-term setback.

Kirk Hinrich (hip pointer) and Aaron Brooks (hamstring) both missed Monday's game, but they are expected to be healthy soon.

Pop praises Boylen:

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had nice things to say about Bulls lead assistant Jim Boylen, who spent the past two seasons in San Antonio.

"I think first is his experience. He really knows the game," Popovich said before the game. "He loves the game and he's a great source of knowledge. No. 2, he's an unbelievable worker and a loyal friend. He bleeds the game and he bleeds the staff that he's on. He's just a really genuinely great guy."

Asked if leaving San Antonio was a tough choice for Boylen, Popovich joked, "It was tough for him, but it was like 'The Godfather' - he got an offer he couldn't refuse."