Bynum Can't Be Future

                                                  

News recently broke saying that the Lakers were in talks with Andrew Bynum’s agent in regards to a contract extension. Having spent a good portion of the summer discussing trading Bynum in a deal for Dwight Howard, this could signal the end of that trade. Mitch Kupchak has said that the Lakers haven’t given up on pursuing Howard, but seeking an extension suggests that Bynum will become the next centerpiece of the Lakers franchise.

Although he had a productive season last year, Bynum has been a disappointment in Los Angeles due to his constant injuries. Despite being 24 years old, Drew’s knees have at least 5 extra years on them as he has not held up well in an 82 game season in his career. Any worry about Howard’s back if he were a Laker would be microscopic compared to the current worry about Bynum’s knees. In addition Bynum has shown that he has serious immaturity issues that might point to his inability to be a team leader. During huddles with Mike Brown, Bynum often stands away from the group, a sign that he is disinterested. After taking a terrible 3 resulting in Brown showing Drew the pine, Bynum clearly didn’t learn his lesson and told reporters that he would do it again. Perhaps even more disheartening is the lack of effort that he consistently shows if he feels the game isn’t going his way. This season showed that Bynum is a more talented player than Pau Gasol, but to Gasol’s credit, he always gives 100%, the same definitely can’t be said about Bynum. Any assurances that maturity will come with age are humorous since Bynum plays with one of the game’s greatest competitors and professionals in Kobe Bryant. If Bynum ever were to transform into a mature player who gave every minute his all then it would have happened by now. Simply put, Bynum isn’t a safe bet for the franchise to make its star of the future due to his injury history and mental instability.

The game of basketball is changing and so are the requirements to winning NBA championships. It is much more common to see bigger guys that can serve multiple roles and have athleticism like guards despite having a massive frame. LeBron James and Kevin Durant are both players that combine speed and strength with their large size. LBJ and KD both led their teams to the NBA Finals, a place that Bynum would not be able to lead the Lakers. Dwight Howard is a better center than Bynum and went to one Finals where his team got shellacked. Having a one-dimensional player like Bynum makes it very difficult to win a championship. Ignoring the talent that he will have around him; my point is when your best player is a 5, that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Centers are the only position that hasn’t adapted to the newest form of the NBA. Comparing the greatest pure PG of all-time, John Stockton, to a Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, or Chris Paul shows how much the position has changed. Centers have to be able to do more than just score and rebound, now they have to be able to control the paint more. PGs can attack the paint and will score a lot more points than in the past. It is impossible to see predict what the Lakers’ roster will be in 5 years, but it would have to be a team similar to what Orlando had (a dominant inside presence with lethal shooters that can play an inside out game). The problem is that Bynum is the defensive player Dwight is, and maybe he will change, but based on his effort on that end of the floor, it seems unlikely.

Center is a position where you pay for potential, but at some point teams have to accept that a player doesn’t have the ceiling that they thought he did. Bynum is at his ceiling and has shown that with injuries and a terrible attitude, he isn’t that player that the Lakers can build a team around. Hopefully the Lakers don’t extend Bynum quite yet and try to deal Bynum for Howard as soon as possible. I’m not sure that Howard can be the centerpiece of a championship team either; he will need a sidekick like Shaq needed Kobe. Building a franchise around a traditional 5 like Bynum is a mistake and is not the way that the Lakers will win championships in the future. The way the NBA has changed in the past 15 years, Bynum can only be a piece on a championship team, not the centerpiece.