As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare to take on the Miami Heat Thursday night, questions surrounding forward Pau Gasol's availability began to circulate.

Gasol, whose been sidelined with a concussion, said that he was "optimistic" about his return during the team's practice Wednesday. His optimism, however, relies on his discussion with Dr. Vern Williams that's expected to take place Thursday morning.

"I think with the day that I had and now I'm going to see how my body, my brain reacts the next couple of hours." Gasol said.

Gasol later explained that he is open to easing into things, and potentially coming off the bench.

"We're talking about it with the head coach and head trainer...have a lot of say so in this...I would always like to start, and play 40 minutes, but that is probably not the best thing right now."

However, as far as his role with the team when he does make a return, the two-time NBA champion was a little less uncertain, citing his inactivity over the past week and half as being his main concerns.

"I don't know. I guess I have to ease my way back into it. This is the first day that I actually got some good work done on the court...after a week and a half of inactivity you're body needs a certain time to get back out there and perform at your best. We'll take it one day at a time."

Watch below Gasol's discussion on his concussion symptoms, likelihood of playing, and possibility of coming off the bench below.

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