The past couple weeks have been quite tumultuous in Los Angeles as well. Losing does not go over well for most fan bases, but especially not for Lakers fans. Whether it sounds entitled or not, winning is a way of life in purple and gold county. Spurred by losses to the Heat, the Celtics and a number of top tiered teams (as well as some lesser opponents), trade rumors have become more prevalent of late.
It seems like there is at least one whisper every season of Andrew Bynum being offered in a deal for Player X. He is young and big and has amazing potential to be a dominant force down low, which are attractive qualities to add to a contender.
Just this morning, it came out on ESPN that there have been preliminary talks between the Lakers and the Nuggets for a straight up Andrew Bynum-Carmelo Anthony trade. It seems more feasible and credible than attempts in the past and I will admit that I am torn about the situation as a Lakers fan. I have always been a bit ambivalent about Andrew myself: I appreciate what he is able to achieve for the Lakers but he has never been a player that I have felt strongly about in any regard.
Bynum has been a controversial player in LA for his entire six years in the league, but not for any nefarious reason. Like I said, he has a lot of upside and potential. He is able to give the Lakers incredible presence in the paint on both ends of the court.
Andrew Bynum also makes up one of the largest trios of big men in the league with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. He is able to stretch the roster and allow Odom to anchor the second unit, while taking some of the low post burden off of Gasol.
It is widely believed that he was the difference maker in the 2010 Finals against the Boston Celtics and might have been able to give the Lakers the edge in 2008 had he been healthy. And therein lays the heart of the issue: his health. The questions of Bynum’s durability first came to light during the 2007-08 season.
Andrew injured his left knee in a regular season January game against the Memphis Grizzlies and missed the rest of the year. He came back strong to start the next season and in a sick twist of fate injured his right knee against the same team at the same time of year. I will admit to being terrified since those incidents whenever the Lakers play the Grizzlies, especially during the middle of the season.
Because Andrew was able to come back in time for the playoffs and played a role in the Lakers’ 2009 championship win over Orlando, it helped build the case that the Lakers need him to compete with the bigger and more physical teams in the postseason. I will be the first to say that I’m not sure if L.A. would have beaten Boston last June if Bynum wasn’t there; his presence is enough of a deterrent and we all saw that defense and rebounding -as opposed to offense- won Game 7.
When he is healthy Andrew Bynum is one of the best big men in the NBA, but unfortunately his durability has been tested time and time again the past few years. This is the issue for Lakers fans: do the positives of his youth, dominance and talent in the post outweigh the negatives of not being able to fully count on his health? I’m undecided.
Bynum proved to me last year that he can be a warrior like his teammates and play through injuries and pain. He was practically one legged in the Finals for goodness sake and had knee surgery in the offseason. However, I feel like he takes his sweet time with rehab and does not always make the best choices. It is understandable given his penchant for knee injuries that he would not want to rush anything, but at the same time I have yet to see him on the court on his first projected day back. It invariable gets recalculated a few more times.
In the end, I think Andrew may have run his course with the Lakers. While he could still be a building block for the future and the next in line in a series of great Lakers centers, it is frustrating to watch him miss large chunks of the season repeatedly. I have my reservations about Carmelo Anthony as well, but the upside could be fantastic. Carmelo is a beast of a small forward and is one of the opponents Los Angeles had in mind for Ron Artest to shut down when they signed him a year and a half ago. Having Melo and Ron on the same team would definitely be an advantage. They are both extremely strong, physical players.
I am a bit worried about Melo’s ability to play second or even third banana to Kobe and Pau Gasol, but the fact that he and Kobe are very close friends and worked well together for Team USA bodes well for the possibility of them becoming teammates on a more regular basis. The main downside I see to a Bynum-Anthony trade would be the lack of size in the front court. It is one of the things that make the Lakers so unique and so difficult to match up with; their length is one of their biggest strengths.
In the end, we will have to wait and see what transpires, but the curious case of Andrew Bynum continues. I like Andrew and he has shown great talent, heart and courage in his tenure with the Lakers. Truly dominant big men are rarer than one might think so to talk of trading a potential All Star and future franchise player is unusual. On the flip side, I don’t think I would be able to take one more injury of his no matter how minor. I’m not sure many Lakers fans would be that upset to get a current All Star in his prime as compensation to be perfectly honest.