Andrew Bynum Could Be Trade Bait

Perhaps Jim Buss isn’t as tied to Andrew Bynum as previously thought. In years prior Buss seemed more likely to give away his trust fund than move Bynum. But that might not be the case any longer.

CBSSports.com reports that Buss is open to dealing Bynum if the right offer comes along.

Cough, Dwight, cough, Howard, cough, cough…

Maybe Jim Buss has seen the light. Or maybe he just now saw how Bynum went out like a punk last season. Whatever the case, Buss must fully understand that trying to build the future franchise around Bynum is like constructing the Death Star after giving the blueprints to the Rebel Alliance. Some things are doomed to fail.

Now since this is not your typical offseason the trade rumors are flying faster than Kardashian rumors. Everyday there is a new blockbuster deal that crawls across the lower third of ESPN’s broadcast. Until the lockout if officially lifted we can’t put too much stock in these rumors.

Still, this says a lot about Jim Buss and his transition to power. While I appreciate Bynum’s talents his maturation is still lagging. After watching him cheap shot J.J. Barea last season I thought it would be a crime to allow him to still wear purple and gold. Drew’s game has yet to reach the level in which his paychecks are justified. Bynum’s value is only inherent in relative terms due to the dearth of true centers in today’s game.

Now Howard, on the other hand, has seen his game blossom into full fledged NBA dominance. To me, Howard should have been the MVP last season. The main concern with DH in L.A. relates to how focused he’ll be and how he’ll handle the pressure of being a Laker.