Sept. 30--Pau Gasol is breathing easier these days. The veteran center underwent sinus surgery in June, he revealed Wednesday.
"It worked out really well; I'm breathing better," Gasol said. "I just had chronic sinusitis. The last two years I ... had different infections and it really was limiting me at times. I missed a game at Minnesota because of it last year. Now it's all better, it's all clearer in there. Hopefully, that will make a difference."
That extra intake of oxygen should help Gasol as he puts his 35-year-old body through the rigors of a 15th NBA season. After powering Spain to the EuroBasket championship this summer, the plan is to ease Gasol back into action.
"The level of me playing with contact through the training camp is going to be limited because I like to stay fresh and not accumulate more fatigue," Gasol said. "(It's) just monitoring closely how I feel and how things are going and try to be smart about it but also ready to go by the beginning of the season."
After averaging 34.4 minutes per game last season, Gasol expects to spend less time on the court in 2015-16.
"We'll see how the season goes," he said. "Ideally, I'll play less than I did last year. That's kind of the plan I guess."
It was pointed out that Gasol appears to be aging like a fine wine.
"I'm from Spain so there's a lot of great wine," Gasol said with a smile. "It's my mindset in the way I approach what I do. ... I'm really being meticulous (and) being ambitious, wanting to extend my career at the highest level. That's kind of my goal. I enjoy playing the game, but I enjoy playing the game well and being one of the best. It's hard when you're used to being one of the top players and kind of fade a little bit. I just try to do whatever I can to prolong my career at the highest level because that's when I have the most fun."
