Re: Gasols return doesn't help the griz over Hawks <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>When the moment arrived, the Grizzlies' public address announcer leaned forward and increased the bass in his already booming voice. Rick Trotter finally got to bellow Pau Gasol's name, and with the FedExForum crowd roaring, the Grizzlies' franchise player appeared in the starting lineup for the first time since surgery to repair the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. Gasol's regular-season debut provided the Griz with one their few rousing moments in 23 games. That's where a feel-good Friday began and ended. Gasol was rusty. The Griz were ragged throughout a 97-88 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. "The fairytale didn't come out like most would have liked; he comes back and you win the game," Griz coach Mike Fratello said. "It's going to take some time for him to get back to where he should be." Gasol converted just 1-of-5 shots, committed four fouls and grabbed three rebounds. His return happened roughly 14 weeks following surgery. But Gasol's timing was off and he appeared tentative. His shot attempts fell short and he turned the ball over three times. "I don't have a preseason to get myself ready, so it's going to take some time," Gasol said. "There's nothing like being in a game. "You can't compare it to practice or anything else." Gasol played four-minute stretches, and logged a total of 17 minutes. He said he'll likely follow the same routine tonight when the Griz play at Miami. "We talked about it, and that's what we settled on," Gasol said. "I don't know how long I'll do that. It's a good way to start." The Griz still are searching for good ways to start. They're having trouble finishing and taking care of the basketball, too. In losing their fifth game in a row and third straight at home, the Griz turned the ball over 20 times and that led to 23 points for the Hawks. "We've got to make the regular pass," Eddie Jones said. "Sometimes we maybe penetrate too far. We've got to see the play before it happens." Atlanta used its youthful exuberance and athleticism to routinely race to the rim. The Hawks enjoyed deft shooting from their backcourt when they weren't attacking the rim. Speedy Claxton had no trouble losing defenders and burying open jump shots en route to 19 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Hawks center Zaza Pachulia worked over the Griz in the paint and added 22 points for the Hawks, who shot 53.5 percent despite playing without their leading scorer, Joe Johnson. The Hawks had lost four straight without Johnson, who sat out with a right calf strain. "We've struggled since Joe has been out," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "You don't know in this league which guys will step up that are in uniform when someone else is not. And we played defense like we did at the beginning of the season when we were 4-1." The Griz suffered through dreadful shooting most of the night. They began the game with a picture-perfect play: Gasol passing out of a double team with his teammates passing the ball around the perimeter until Mike Miller sank a wide-open 3-pointer. It was downhill from there. The Griz missed their next 10 shots and went 4-for-17 in the opening quarter. They never reclaimed a lead after that 3-pointer in the game's opening moments. The Hawks' largest lead was 18 points. They pulled away from a five-point game with a 17-4 run midway through the fourth period. "We need to stop putting pressure on our defense by not doing anything offensively," Griz guard Damon Stoudamire said. "We put too much pressure on our defense when we don't score." It would have helped if the Grizzlies' perimeter players found the basket. Stoudamire, Miller and Dahntay Jones started and combined to shoot 5-for-21 for 20 points. The Hawks' Claxton, Royal Ivey and Josh Smith countered with 18-of-28 shooting and finished with 43 points. Chucky Atkins led the Griz with 18 points off the bench. Hakim Warrick added 16 and Alexander Johnson scored 15 off the bench. "I don't know how to explain it," Fratello said.</div>Well, its clear hes rusty and he seems very big compared to last season, probably pumping iron like crazt lately since he hasnt been able to play in a real game. Just cant wait till hes at full health.
