lanzar canastas verbales
I am translating an article from El Mundo but I can't really get the sense of the following sentence.
Varado a orillas del Mississippi, crecido ante la adversidad por encima de sus 2,15m, Pau Gasol lanza canastas verbales al fisioterapeuta Joaquín Juan Sardá que ha vendido hasta Memphis para tocarle (literalmente) el pie.
Stranded on the banks of Mississipi, grown up before his adversaries over his 2,15m, Pau Gasol............................................................. to the physiotherapist JJS, who has come to Memphis to (literally) touch his feet.
how can I translate lanza canastas verbales . I have absolutely no idea.....and I couldn't find it as an idiomatic expression anywhere.
Please help 
Thanks
3 Answers
Pau Gasol lanza canastas verbales
it means that he´s shooting to the hoop only in a verbal fashion because of his injured foot. He cannot do what he is usually doing (training, playing) so he is constrained to only speak of basketball.
it´s not a fixed expression. it´s just the outcome of the journalist´s creativity.
And It has nothing to do with cursing.
Gasol, as you may know, plays professional basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers, post I believe... well, it appears that he is launching, throwing, or shooting in the basketball vernacular, verbal "baskets" or shots, much like he would were he on a real basketball court...possibly taking 'shots' or 'jabs' at the other fellow, whether in a friendly manner or otherwise... that's the best sense I get of that excerpt.... 
Incidentally, I found a "canasta" to mean an actual "basket" hence the literal hoop and by extension, the points that result from a successful attempt: (del Baloncesto) basket; ~ canasta triple => three-point shot
Canastas verbales seems to be to throw verbal insults at somebody. I hope this helps.
Lanzar una canasta literally means to shoot a throw in basketball.
