Andrew Bynum Lucky to Be a Laker
Andrew Bynum is lucky.
He’s lucky to be seven feet tall and tip the scales at 280 pounds. Few people on this planet are capable of pushing him around. Safe to say that there’s no way he’d ever get J.J. Barea’d when his team is up by 30.
Bynum is lucky he doesn’t play football. In a sport as brutal as football his knee would be a bulls eye after some of the cheap shots he’s handed out.
He’s lucky to have been drafted by the Lakers. Had Bynum gone the Kwame Brown route and been selected by a franchise that expected immediate contributions chances are he wouldn’t have a $15-million payday coming his way.
He’s lucky to be only 23 with plenty of years ahead to do enough good in order overshadow the bad associated with his career. Guys like Kermit Washington never had that chance and will forever be remembered for one moment of madness.
Despite all of that fortune, Bynum may have finally run out of luck.
Given the nature of the franchise he represents and all that comes with being a Laker, Bynum will be lucky to still be wearing Purple and Gold next season.
He might be the best young center in the game not named Dwight Howard. His ceiling could be as high as the walls in Yao Ming’s crib. But all that means little if he doesn’t mature between now and after the NBA lockout ends.
For a team looking to turn the page and begin a new dynasty, Bynum is the biggest chip on the table.
His laxed approach appears to finally have been washed away as Bynum beasted his way through the second half of the season and into the playoffs. He’s got the killer instinct Pau Gasol doesn’t and he’s got a future that could be brighter than a super nova. Problem is his dirty tactics make him a black hole.
Simply put, his antics aren’t worth the continued gamble of banking on a big with a bum knee.
Unless Andrew is ready to embrace all that comes with playing for one of the class franchises in all of sports then he’s worth next to nothing no matter how productive.
What we saw Sunday was not an isolated incident. Bynum has had past indiscretions that should have been dealt with in a more stern fashion. Before Barea there was Beasley and before Beasley there was Gerald Wallace’s collapsed lung.
The warnings were there and there was little done to discipline him in a manner alarming enough to get through those millions of dollars that have blinded his young vision.
Bynum has the goods but his approach is not good enough to be a Laker.
Being a Laker is not all about titles in Tinseltown. There is much more. No matter where else a career might take an individual they’ll always be seen as a Laker first if they’re a part of a successful team. In Laker Land success is measured by banners and not accolades.
Bynum has been a part of teams that have hung two banners but in actuality he only contributed to one of those. His legacy in the Laker big man lineage is beneath that of Mychal Thompson and just above Travis Knight.
Drew has not done nearly enough to be kept in the fold in hopes of future returns and though he is a commodity on the court his presence brings down a proud franchise.
Some things are bigger than the bottom line and this is one Laker fan that would rather lose with class than win without it. Dr. Buss could feel the same way for all I know. Bynum had better hope that isn’t the case. As fast as you can say Superman Returns to L.A., D-Howard could be at LAX with a car service waiting to take him to a press conference in nearby El Segundo.
Andrew Bynum will be lucky if he’s given another chance to suit up in white on Sundays. He’ll be lucky to keep getting those invites to the Playboy mansion. As far as I know Hugh Heffner doesn’t have a grotto in Orlando.