Gasol is ready to beef up Lakers

WASHINGTON -- And you think you’ve had busy days?

Pau Gasol woke up in Memphis on Friday morning, flew to Los Angeles for a physical exam, then flew back to catch up with the Lakers, arriving at the team hotel here 15 minutes before midnight.

It was all worth it to him. The newest member of the Lakers was already being recognized in only a few short hours on the ground in L.A..

“I had a taste of people’s reaction today in L.A. at the few places that I’d been,” he said. “At LAX, [fans took] a lot of pictures. I signed the L.A. Times a few times. Then the driver went to In-N-Out Burger next to the airport and people were crazy. They were really excited and they were really pulling for me and for the team. The expectations obviously are really high, and that’s also exciting.”

Exciting, yes. Overwhelming? No.

Some fans and analysts have already penciled in the Lakers for a championship run, but Gasol favored the slow-and-steady approach.

“There’s still a lot of steps to take before getting to that championship-game possibility,” he said. “Positioning in the playoffs is going to be crucial . . . because I think it’s going to be pretty tight in the West. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to help the Lakers move up and become a better and stronger team.”

Gasol passed his physical but said he did not think he would play today against Washington. He has a sore back that kept him out of three of his last four Grizzlies games, and he is not overly familiar with the triangle offense, other than running against it a few times in practice when preparing to play the Lakers.

“It’s just getting to know everybody and getting adjusted,” he said, pointing to a more probable debut Tuesday in New Jersey.

In the end, he had finally arrived after a day that was long, travel-heavy and complete with a confidence-boost from Lakers fans.

It was a day that Gasol aptly said was “anything but quiet.”

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com