Emotional Gasol praises ailing ex-teammate Odom
After Wednesday's preseason loss to Detroit, Bulls center Pau Gasol delivered a touching tribute to his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Lamar Odom, who is in a Nevada hospital in serious condition.
"It's really sad. Really, really sad for all of us that know him and care about him," Gasol said. "It's been a difficult day for me emotionally."
Gasol and Odom teamed up to help the Lakers win NBA championships in 2009 and 2010.
"Very good teammate. Full of joy. The kind of guy you want to have in your locker room," Gasol said. "He's very unselfish, just an incredible guy. I had a lot of memorable moments with him. That's why it's so hard, this situation, to see him fighting for his life.
"We had a very special bond. We played off each other a lot. We finished most games together. (He was) versatile and unselfish. It was really fun to play. We had an incredible connection and it was fun to play together. It's just difficult."
Odom could have landed with the Bulls. The 6-foot-9 forward was chosen with the No. 4 selection of the 1999 draft, three picks after the Bulls took Elton Brand with the No. 1 pick. Odom, Brand and Ron Artest played on the Riverside Church AAU team in New York City.
Gasol said it has been tough to keep in touch with Odom the last couple of years and hadn't spoken to him in a while.
"I got some updates today and they weren't good. So it was an emotional day for me. I'm just trying to keep it together right now, and hopefully he'll come back and he'll recover well.
"It's just really sad that a person with that kind of a heart and talent has gone through so much. I'm sure he's gone through a lot of things these last few years. It breaks my heart."
Rose won't backtrack:
Derrick Rose was asked Thursday about his comments from media day on Sept. 28, when he claimed he worked hard in the summer because he'll be a free agent in 2017. That line rubbed some teammates and most Bulls fans the wrong way.
"Everybody knows why I'm here," he said. "That's why I picked this profession, just to win games no matter how we win. It's all about winning. The No. 1 goal is to win the championship. This is my eighth year in the league. I was hoping I would win one before my eighth year, but it's all in God's plans, so just got to follow along with it and keep my goals pretty strict."
Desperate for defense:
The Bulls surrendered 114 points overall and 38 in the fourth quarter in Wednesday's preseason loss to Detroit. On Monday, New Orleans piled up 123 points. Needless to say, defense is a concern.
After Wednesday's contest, coach Fred Hoiberg blamed the on-ball defense.
"We're giving too many blow-bys," Hoiberg said. "There's absolutely nothing you can do about it on that backside. By the time you get over, it's going to open up a shot on the backside. So we've got to guard the ball better."
Added Taj Gibson, "Our defense is lackadaisical right now. We have to do a lot better as a team. The young guys have to do a lot better. We've got to challenge ourselves in practice. The offense is great. This thing is going to take time. We've got a couple games, a couple practices left (before the season begins)."