OFFICIAL LAKERS 2009/2010 (57-25) 2009-2010 CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

[fro b giant]

Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

CP: it's not about who has missed more time b/t Pau or Bynum. it's about this being the 3rd season in a row Bynum has been injured late in the season, right in time for postseason team tune-ups and focus.

And Kidd's doing terrible in Dallas, ain't he? Just... horrible the last 2.5 or 3 years, however long it's been. Dude is knocking down jumpers and distributing like he's back at Cal or something.

And we've had PG issues the last couple seasons, too.

- You can't tell me Dallas isn't a championship contender.
- You can't say that Kidd has failed to make/keep them that way.
- You can't tell me Bynum has contributed to the Lakers status as a title contender.

If u quote any of those and tell me 'This is false', I award u zero points, and may God have mercy on ur soul.

You shouldn't have added the last point in there. As much as you don't like Bynum, he does contribute to the Lakers status as title contender. So it's false.
Another thing, if you were the GM would you have added an aged Kidd to the lineup and let go of a player with a future? Kidd might have helped for a couple of years but he won't be playing at this level for long. Another thing, Kidd playing in Dallas' offense is far different than playing in the triangle. Tell me the last triangle team you saw with a true high caliber PG? Bulls? Lakers? None of those teams had a J.Kidd type PG, it just isn't the same.

Now if you want to change the Laker offense sure, run pick and rolls, sure he's the guy you want but that's not the Lakers.

 

[bob4rmmarketing]

Originally Posted by CP1708

It says that Andrew Bynum was 20 years old Bob. 

It says that Trevor Ariza was 21-22 Bob.

It says that Farmar and Sasha were even younger worthless players Bob.

No Shannon Brown Bob.

We had Kwame Brown Bob. 

So yeah, we weren't title contenders until PAU became the go to soft guy on the squad.  Good call Bob.  You're dead on. 

Ya know, cuz Pau was doin it in Memphis real big what with his 0-12 recond in the playoffs and all. 

Do you wish for me to continue Bob? 

Welcome to Lakerland. 

*applauds* You want a cookie? Along with those brilliant points you gave, they WERENT title contenders until PAU GASOL. And that 0-12 only proves that there are were no Kobe Bryants on that team. OBVIOUSLY he isnt the hardest thing on hardwood, (i.e Boston series) but he came up huge in the Orlando series. Hell, Showtime wasnt brutes on the floor if my memory serves me correct. There were flashy, they were finesse. You give this dude $57 million dollars to go out and guarantee you he's going to get hurt during a critical stretch of the season. Then you get the dude back in the playoffs and he isnt in shape, its taking him some time to get back in whatever basketball swagger he does have. You dont like Pau Gasol. Got it. Give me wimpy @&$ Pau anyday over injury guranteed Bynum any day. And I appreciate the Welcome but i've been here Pc. The most relevant thing about what your saying/not saying may very well be your avy.
  

 

[CP1708]

I don't like Pau Gasol? 

For real? 

How you know so much about me man?  Since you know me so well, you must also be aware what a huge Steve Nash fan I am.  Ron Artest too!!  And the Blazers are my second favorite team.  And since those 3 things are about as close  to the truth as me NOT liking Pau, Ima say you have some homework to do. 



The point is simple.  Bynum while soft and brittle, still provides us with an un matchable front court.  And being 22 and still growing, learning the job, he is one of the FEW Lakers that can still grow and add to his game.  I'm just tired of every single time a guy doesn't perform perfectly every second of every game people start throwing towels at him and internet boos.  @#$% gets old is all.  If he doesn't do his job during the 4th quarter of a playoff game this year, I'll be yellin at him full throat.  But then I will say after the game, better get it next game, it's that simple. 

I don't hate Pau.  Not even a little.  I don't hate anybody.  Dislike people?  Sure.  I dislike Ron Artest.  The rest?  Fine by me. 

 

[bob4rmmarketing]

Originally Posted by CP1708

I don't like Pau Gasol? 

For real? 

How you know so much about me man?  Since you know me so well, you must also be aware what a huge Steve Nash fan I am.  Ron Artest too!!  And the Blazers are my second favorite team.  And since those 3 things are about as close  to the truth as me NOT liking Pau, Ima say you have some homework to do. 



The point is simple.  Bynum while soft and brittle, still provides us with an un matchable front court.  And being 22 and still growing, learning the job, he is one of the FEW Lakers that can still grow and add to his game.  I'm just tired of every single time a guy doesn't perform perfectly every second of every game people start throwing towels at him and internet boos.  @#$% gets old is all.  If he doesn't do his job during the 4th quarter of a playoff game this year, I'll be yellin at him full throat.  But then I will say after the game, better get it next game, it's that simple. 

I don't hate Pau.  Not even a little.  I don't hate anybody.  Dislike people?  Sure.  I dislike Ron Artest.  The rest?  Fine by me. 

lol, well then that we can agree on.

  

 

[frenchblue23]

I'm just glad that ungrateful living cell, William Smush Parker is no longer on this team.

 

[CP1708]

^
I friggin forgot to mention that we got rid of Smush and brought back Fisher. 

 @ me.  I need to do better next time. 

 

[Los Angeles]

Originally Posted by FrenchBlue23

I'm just glad that ungrateful living cell, Vladamir Radmonvich is no longer on this team.

Agreed.

 

[scofosho]

[h1]here is a little article about Kobe.  It is bias, but still a good read.[/h1]
http://bleacherreport.com...bron-is-that-kobe-works#
[h1]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/h1][h1]The Difference Between Kobe and LeBron Is That Kobe Works[/h1]
by 
Chad Ridgeway

[h5]VOTE NOW! - AUTHOR POLL[/h5]
Has LeBron been handed his adulations?

• Yes, he's been coddled by the media since his arrival.
• No, he's earned it because he's cleary the best player in the NBA.
• Ohhh.... somewhere in between.

 vote to see results

There was a time when Kobe Bryant was a premier athlete in this league. But even in his prime he would never compare to the Paul Bunyan-esque physical attributes of LeBron James. However, physical features are not the biggest difference between Kobe and LeBron.

In fact, they're similar in many ways. They're both alpha dogs on their conference leading teams. They're the two most popular players in the league. And this marks the fourth year of "Kobe or LeBron" discussions, with LeBron taking the lion's share of the votes this season.

The "greatest player in the world" discussion is saved for a rare few, but Kobe and LeBron have owned it for years. So how did they get here?

Kobe earned it.

LeBron was handed it.

LeBron was last year's MVP and will continue that trend, not just this year, but for many years to come. His team once again leads the league in regular season wins. And if "the best player in the world" means putting up numbers and dunks right out of a video game, he's got that title locked up.

But if it means something more, then has there ever been a player so universally acclaimed that has done so little? That is LeBron's life. The NBA's golden boy before he ever stepped onto an NBA court. "The King" before attaining his first win.

It's old news that Kobe is the most polarizing figure in sports. Coming out of high school it was love him or hate him, but thirteen-years later those who hated Kobe now respect him. They respect his legendary work ethic. They respect his accomplishments.

Kobe has earned every shred of begrudged respect there is for him.

He had to rebuild himself time and time again. First overcoming selfishness and aloofness early in his career. Then the Colorado sexual-assault case. Then the messy divorce with Shaquille O'Neal that rocked Los Angeles. Then his own trade demand.

He moved past it all. He answered by winning. He started the 2007-08 season by getting boo'd in his own arena. He finished that season with 20,000 fans enthusiastically chanting three letters as he received the MVP award.

No one rises up again and again like Bryant.

He's rebuilt himself throughout his career. When he felt like he was getting pushed around on the court, he put on muscle. When he felt he could be more explosive and quicker, he shed excess weight.

He returns every season, honed and increasingly perfected.

When Kobe was developing his jumper he'd spend his offseason making 2,000 shots a day. Not taking. Making.

With one ball and one rebounder, Kobe can make 500 shots in about 60 minutes. Then he scored 81 points in one game. Or at least 50 in four consecutive games. Or seven game-winning shots this season. The fruit of hundreds of thousands of made jump shots in an empty gym when he's off the clock.

His work ethic and training habits have allowed him to outlast his contemporaries—Vince Carter, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady. Talented players who would have achieved so much more if they had pushed themselves. But no one pushes themselves harder than Kobe.

The Trailblazers came and went. The Kings came and went. The Spurs aren't great. The Celtics were great for one year. Kobe is still great. He's outlasted every rival.

Phil Jackson called him the most skilled player he's ever seen. Even a begrudged Shaquille O'Neal admitted that he never had a teammate that worked as hard as Kobe, who he described as "borderline possessed" about working out each day. It's no wonder that tandem didn't work out. Kobe could never empathize with Shaq's half-hearted efforts. Their relationship had an expiration date from the moment they shook hands.

Kobe never wanted to be a global icon. Just the best ball player. And he became so great that even the coldest skeptics had to love him.

Scoop Jackson summed it up:

"Kobe could give a damn what you think about him. As long as there’s a hardwood court, a rock, and 48 minutes, he’ll go out there and do whatever necessary to win, on both sides of the ball. But LeBron wants to know what you think about him. He needs it, to validate his growing perception of his status among the best players. He feeds off the crowd, and plays to your expectations."

LeBron is an entertainer. Time will tell if he'll have a career like Shaq's, which was good enough to win four championships on talent alone, but never reaching his ceiling. The liquid nitrogen that runs through Kobe's veins is born in the chilling depths of adversity. LeBron mimics it, but that steely determination cannot be taught.

It was Kobe's presence on Team USA that upped the ante. While LeBron "led through his words and actions at practice and on the team bus," Chris Sheridan reported, "Bryant led through his work ethic." Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron got a firsthand view of Kobe's workout. The impression was lasting.

All three of those players have elevated their games. The rest of the league is feeling the ripple effect of that summer together.

And although he had only generated bronze medals, LeBron proclaimed himself the leader of that team. Yet it was Kobe who set the tone and focus that summer. And when it came to crunch time, the rest of the squad looked to the most accomplished player on the court.

Sheridan continues, "So James and Bryant remain rivals in many ways. People close to James say it bothered him that Bryant was the one getting the lion's share of the rock star treatment in China, and it had to come as a surprise to James that the Madison Square Garden crowd did not rally behind him in anything even remotely resembling the way it had showered Bryant with affection [during his 61-point performance]."

Kobe had earned the respect of the Madison Square Garden crowd. He earned the respect of Team USA. He has earned your and my respect.

So let's nix the LeBron talk until he accomplishes something great. He has a fantastic chance of doing it this June. Most likely against Kobe himself. And when he does finally beat the best player in the world, he'll have earned the title for himself.

 

[noreasonabledoubt]

Better not post that article anywhere or else you'll be called out for not knowing basketball, and born in the 2000's, and what about Jordan...haha. Yes, biased, but whatever, I had a big smile on my face when I was reading it. Peep the sig, I like to tell the truth and there is only one King in the NBA right now and he has 4 rings.

 

[darthska]

Wait, so both you bammas (CP and bob) don't like Artest?

And CP, like I've told you before, there is NO reason to believe Bynum is a franchise guy, a guy that you hang the 'But he's got so much potential!' tag onto. He has the height (something you can't teach), but I see no reason to believe he has the desire to wear that tag. So... don't make him.

And yes, I absolutely felt like this when the Kidd trade rumors surfaced. So no, I wouldn't hve been trading Kidd for a young center with a lot of potential; I would have been trading Kidd for Bynum. My perspective wasn't (and isn't) that he has a lot of potential, it's that he has a lot of potential that will be wasted because he's Mr. Glass and apparently has very little work ethic. I'm the numbers will show that he has made improvements throughout the years, but the bottom line is that the same Bynum I see out there today is the same Bynum that dunked on Shaq on Christmas a few years ago. Very little on-court improvement. Face it, being a Laker and working with KAREEM this whole time, dude absolutely should be an All Star at this point if he had the desire.

For example, sticking with the Dallas theme, Brendan Haywood has improved his game since coming into the league. Hell, Marc Gasol has made improvements. Luis Scola. Bynum is what he is, which is exactly what he was 2, 3, 4 years ago. And he's injury prone late in the season. It's happened enough to call it a trend, in my book.

And the difference between people knocking Fish and then praising him when he shows up big is this: he's been doing his thing... just not all the time. He'll have a steal on the Sixers followed by dunking on Iverson... then go back to being average... then hit a shot with .4 left on the clock... then go back to being average. Bynum? Where's the plays that pop in the playoffs, like the dunk on Iverson, the .4 shot? Shaq was mentioned earlier by you, as someone that was injured often in the season then showed up for the playoffs. Again, the big difference is that he SHOWED UP in the playoffs. Finals MVPs, damn near had a quadruple-double, etc.

Bynum's been a Laker long enough for there to have been some memorable playoff performances that people can bring to his defense, like bringing up Fisher's dunk on Iverson and .4 and the back-to-back 3s against the Magic whenever someone tries to knock him, or like bringing up Shaq's Finals MVPs or his near-quadruple-double whenever people try to knock Shaq. Sooo... with all the potential he was said to have had years ago, even before the rumored Kidd trade, what am I supposed to be recalling right now, years later, that validate those claims of yesteryear?

I'm not saying you should throw in the towel on dude, like 'Oh fine, I guess I'll give up on him with you guys.' I'm saying, don't act like we're out of line for looking back, seeing very little to get excited about, and failing to get excited or wanting him traded.

 

[darth dnzy]

--Good read up there. It has nothing to do with pre-2000's bball.
--All its saying is recognize game. And appreciate while its still here.

 

[fro b giant]

Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

Wait, so both you bammas (CP and bob) don't like Artest?

And CP, like I've told you before, there is NO reason to believe Bynum is a franchise guy, a guy that you hang the 'But he's got so much potential!' tag onto. He has the height something you can't teach, but I see no reason to believe he has the desire to wear that tag. So... don't make him.

And yes, I absolutely felt like this when the Kidd trade rumors surfaced. So no, I wouldn't hve been trading Kidd for a young center with a lot of potential; I would have been trading Kidd for Bynum. My perspective wasn't (and isn't) that he has a lot of potential, it's that he has a lot of potential that will be wasted because he's Mr. Glass and apparently has very little work ethic. I'm the numbers will show that he has made improvements throughout the years, but the bottom line is that the same Bynum I see out there today is the same Bynum that dunked on Shaq on Christmas a few years ago. Very little on-court improvement. Face it, being a Laker and working with KAREEM this whole time, dude absolutely should be an All Star at this point if he had the desire.

For example, sticking with the Dallas theme, Brendan Haywood has improved his game since coming into the league. Hell, Marc Gasol has made improvements. Luis Scola. Bynum is what he is, which is exactly what he was 2, 3, 4 years ago. And he's injury prone late in the season. It's happened enough to call it a trend, in my book.

And the difference between people knocking Fish and then praising him when he shows up big is this: he's been doing his thing... just not all the time. He'll have a steal on the Sixers followed by dunking on Iverson... then go back to being average... then hit a shot with .4 left on the clock... then go back to being average. Bynum? Where's the plays that pop in the playoffs, like the dunk on Iverson, the .4 shot? Shaq was mentioned earlier by you, as someone that was injured often in the season then showed up for the playoffs. Again, the big difference is that he SHOWED UP in the playoffs. Finals MVPs, damn near had a quadruple-double, etc.

Bynum's been a Laker long enough for there to have been some memorable playoff performances that people can bring to his defense, like bringing up Fisher's dunk on Iverson and .4 and the back-to-back 3s against the Magic whenever someone tries to knock him, or like bringing up Shaq's Finals MVPs or his near-quadruple-double whenever people try to knock Shaq. Sooo... with all the potential he was said to have had years ago, even before the rumored Kidd trade, what am I supposed to be recalling right now, years later, that validate those claims of yesteryear?

I'm not saying you should throw in the towel on dude, like 'Oh fine, I guess I'll give up on him with you guys.' I'm saying, don't act like we're out of line for looking back, seeing very little to get excited about, and failing to get excited or wanting him traded.

Let's just start this off by saying that I agree that Bynum isn't what you and I would have hoped to see by now. I would have hoped to see a super-star. Hope is a funny thing because I hope a lot of things but rarely see those things come to fruition. Bynum is who the Lakers will allow him to be and frankly it could be worse, it hasn't been that long ago that we had worse on our team. At the time we had Kwame we all would have "hope" for the production of an Andrew Bynum in place of him. Now we are complaining that our number 3 scorer on the team isn't doing enough because he only averages 15 PPG and 8 RPG that's so much worse than Dwight Howards numbers!!!
Bynum shares post touches with Pau, Dwight shares post touches with nobody!

I laugh at the Mr. Glass comments, do we remember how he got hurt last year? Kobe rolled up onto his knee, that has nothing to do with his durability, wrong place wrong time. 

Work Ethic??? Do you remember what he looked like when he cam in the league? Do you remember how raw he was coming out of high school? Do you remember his footwork his first year in the league? Do you remember how hard he worked to come back from injury with his rehab?

Please give credit where it's due, sure you want a super-star but does that mean anything less than your expectations is not enough?

 

[darthska]

Since you mentioned Dwight, I guess the reason he has never missed significant tme is because he's never been in a 'wrong place, wrong time' situation? Just... pure luck, right? All the bumping and beating given to him, but he's never missed significant time... because of luck? And Andrew has because of bad luck?

Yeah, I can't ride with that.

 

[acbboyz84]

at the end of the day. Gasol get the job done more effectively than Andrew "lazy" Bynum. Lakers overpaid Andrew Bynum

 

[CP1708]

Ska, I completely see your point on go to Playoff moments, um, but, I mean, Bynum has had ONE playoff run. 

Unless you want to count the first round series vs the Suns when he was 19 and 20 years old. 

Now yes, we could find fault with that in that he missed the 08 postseason, maybe even costing us something more.  We could pin everything on him that year, or say he simply wasn't ready (injured) unlucky, etc etc.  I dunno, however you want to argue is neither right or wrong imo. 

But all we have so far is last year.  When he was 21.  That's sort of my entire point with Drew, he is the only Laker we have right now that I am sure will be around and solid for years to come.  (health and a little luck willing) 

If he misses this postseason, and he misses next postseason, and he's getting close to 25, then yeah, I can see the evidence of a bigger issue, but at this point to simply "be done" with him, and chalk him up as a playoff failure.........I mean, come on.  Dude has more rings then LeBron does. 

It is possible for him to come into this postseason a little more solid and completely show out.  And then all these negative people clownin Bynum will be up in here singing his praises.  I'm not down with that.  Judge and critque his game is one thing ( I do something similar with Artest) but I'm watching Artest in hopes of seeing something he provides to improve our beloved Lakers.  I could have written off Artest after many games this season (Memphis final shot, losing games against elite SF's) but I haven't.  I simply wait and watch looking for improvements or adjustments until we reach a crucial stage in our season.  But I'm not screaming to trade him already, claiming to be done with the guy, crying for Ariza, none of that is worth a lick.  It's more of commenting on what he needs to do to push us next level.  And if he succeeds this postseason, I'll comment on that just the same, good or bad.  But I won't swing from trade him, trade him, to chanting his name.  ( a whole lot like I saw last year with people who bagged on Fish all year) 

And to say Bynum hasn't improved his game now, from 3 years ago, and then mention someone like Scola (who's been playing pro ball for what, a decade?) and Marc Gasol (who's played two years here, and however long overseas) is sort of, um, ridiculous don't you think? 

  I mean, damn.  The kid is a lot better now.  He still has a ton of footwork to work on, he still doesn't have the drive that we all want him to have, he needs to refine his game of course, but no improvement?  lol, come on. 

 

[westcoastsfinest]

damn are we still arguing about drew?

good article up there

 

[darthska]

You've had less than one season to straddle the fence with Artest.

I've had longer with Bynum. SO what he's only had one playoff run? How many have the LAKERS had since he joined? If every day I'm late to work with a good excuse, will it matter 2 months into the job when they fire me? Nope. "Whatever the reason... a plane hit your house before you wok up yesterday, all 4 of your cars tires simultaneously went flat on the way to work this morning, your eyeballs falling out of your head tomorrow morning... whatever the reason, you're late every day. We need someone who doesn't have freak accidents that make the late every day, like... well, like everyone else who works here. G'bye."

I'm not saying he's a bust (Kwame, Olawakandi, Darko), but I'm saying, early in their careers, there were PLENTY of times when the teams employing them could have exercised a little foresight and cut ties before, in hindsight, seeing how much money they wasted on their unfulfilled potential.

 

[three6mafia2007]

The things that we need from Bynum the most are consistent tenacity on defense, rebounding, and easy buckets from lobs near the basket and such. The only think we consistently get is the easy buckets. We don't really need him to carry the scoring load or get his own offense. We already have enough offense. I would gladly take consistent tenacity on defense and rebounding from Drew over him fumbling around with the ball in the post trying to get off his own shot. That's my only problem

But if a trade opportunity arose that allowed us to get a young, good pg such as devin harris and a servicable defensive minded big man for Drew, I wouldnt be completely opposed to the idea

 

[CP1708]

Portland cut ties on a kid too early, he went on to have a solid 5-6 year run, before injuries caught up to him. 

And JO had not even shown even a glimpse of what Bynum has at the same stage of their career.  Not even close. 

Trade Bynum to Indy tomorrow (well, when he's healthy lol) and Bynum explodes out there.  Not sayin they'd win a ton of games or anything, but just numbers wise, Bynum would go off. 

 

[darthska]

See, I completely disagree. Trade Bynum to someone tomorrow, and he fades into Bolivian. He's a household name right now because he's a Laker, in my opinion. Trade him off of the elite team he's on and he goes the route of Kwame, Smush, Brian Cook, Rush, Samaki, Travis Knight, Mihm; dude would never be heard from again.

And I, for one, have never been impressed with Jermaine O'Neal. I think that Pacers team he was on was perfect for him, as it was VERY unselfish and very 'basketball smart.' You give a halfway decent center to any 4 guys at any park across the country who are 'basketball smart' and unselfish, and that center will look like a beast as a result.

 

[darth dnzy]

--Its all panicky up in here right now...
--Bynum's out...Pau aint gettin enough touches...We have a tough 5 game road trip comin..blah blah
--2 months from now, we will be on the brink of another Finals appearance.

--Bank on it.

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

See, I completely disagree. Trade Bynum to someone tomorrow, and he fades into Bolivian. He's a household name right now because he's a Laker, in my opinion. Trade him off of the elite team he's on and he goes the route of Kwame, Smush, Brian Cook, Rush, Samaki, Travis Knight, Mihm; dude would never be heard from again.

And I, for one, have never been impressed with Jermaine O'Neal. I think that Pacers team he was on was perfect for him, as it was VERY unselfish and very 'basketball smart.' You give a halfway decent center to any 4 guys at any park across the country who are 'basketball smart' and unselfish, and that center will look like a beast as a result.

None of these dudes produced even half what Bynum has done.  Rush had like one good game.  Mihm had an average month or so.  Knight had a hot few weeks.  Rest of them dudes did zip.  Bynum on another team simply gets the ball more then being a 3rd option, thus producing at a higher rate.  Maybe his FG% suffers and what not, but 15 and 8 3rd option, could get him 20 and 10 with ease first option.  I dunno, time will tell.  Certainly there are players that go the other way in roles like that.  But in today's game, there aren't many other centers in this game more talented then him.  And not many better either.  To give up on an asset like that is beyond my comprehension, limited as it may be. 

  

 

[fro b giant]

Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

Since you mentioned Dwight, I guess the reason he has never missed significant tme is because he's never been in a 'wrong place, wrong time' situation? Just... pure luck, right? All the bumping and beating given to him, but he's never missed significant time... because of luck? And Andrew has because of bad luck?

Yeah, I can't ride with that.

I have not seen a teammate roll up on Dwight Howard's knee like Kobe did Bynum. The year before that he landed on someone's foot, he should totally be able to avoid that one huh...
Being a 7 foot athlete, you are going to have injuries in your joints especially if you have a couple hundred pounds roll up on you and if you come down unexpectedly on someones foot.

I am not excusing all of his injuries either, I am just saying you can lump it all into one pot and say the reason is his work ethic. I guess the other points I made are not valid?

 

[darthska]

Nah, I wasn't trying to disregard your other points. My bad. Just responded to the 'wrong place, wrong time' logic, because I hate hearing that when Dwight is both taller and heavier, and has never missed time. Like I said, I guess it's because of luck.

The reason I'm sarcastically throwing luck out there is because the real reason behind being taller and heavier yet never missing time is because of his own studying (which would go back to work ethic). First off, right off the bat, without looking at any youtube clips of Bynum/Howard or anything, just off the top of my head, Howard is far more active in the paint, constantly moving and positioning/re-positioning. Bynum is like a tree. That's cool, cause he's a 7-footer, so having a 7-footer stand there definitely discourages any penetration from opponents... but it also leaves you more vulnerable to freak injuries.

That's just one thing. Bottom line: Dwight is taller, heavier, and has never missed significant time, while Bynum has, 3 times. That cannot be attributed to dumb luck, bad luck, or any kind of luck.

 

[fro b giant]

Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

See, I completely disagree. Trade Bynum to someone tomorrow, and he fades into Bolivian. He's a household name right now because he's a Laker, in my opinion. Trade him off of the elite team he's on and he goes the route of Kwame, Smush, Brian Cook, Rush, Samaki, Travis Knight, Mihm; dude would never be heard from again.

And I, for one, have never been impressed with Jermaine O'Neal. I think that Pacers team he was on was perfect for him, as it was VERY unselfish and very 'basketball smart.' You give a halfway decent center to any 4 guys at any park across the country who are 'basketball smart' and unselfish, and that center will look like a beast as a result.

Disagree 100% about Bynum. none of those guys was even half as good ON the Lakers as Bynum is. To say he hasn't progressed over the past 5 years is crazy too!
Let's just chalk this up to you don't like him, for whatever reasons you don't. Nobody, not me, not the numbers will be able to tell you otherwise because you just don't like him. you don't think he works hard, you want him to score more, rebound more, assist more, average a triple double more, whatever it is you just don't like him. And that's your opinion, you are entitled to it. you refuse to see the light 

and that's ok because when he doesn't put up numbers so do many others. His impact on this team is much more than that, point is he fits this team, he is what we need at that position. He doesn't complain to the media about touches (we have enough of that on the team). I like him for what he does for the Lakers, others like yourself don't.

To trade Bynum (Not very many 7 footers in the league who are even serviceable) for Kidd, who has a few good years left in him is ridiculous for an owner or GM to do PERIOD! Easy for Laker fan to complain and say well we need this and we need that. Our PG's suck we need need need. We have the best starting 5 in the league PERIOD! Yes we might have holes on the bench, but in the playoffs the bench is way overrated, it's like a 7-8 man rotation.