When it rains it truly pours, even in Southern California. As if it weren’t bad enough that Andrew Bynum is dealing with his first injury issue of the season, now comes word that the Lakers have privately fined him for some unprofessional antics.
ESPN cites unnamed sources from within the Lakers organization claiming Baby Bynum has committed “numerous infractions” that ultimately led to the fine. Bynum himself denied knowing anything about the issue. Then again, did anyone expect him to be accountable for anything he does?
According to the report Bynum’s greatest sin of all was blowing off a meeting with Mitch Kupchak. That would be the same Mitch Kupchak that just traded away Derek Fisher like he was Vlad Radmanovic.
Bynum might need more of a wakeup call than getting hit in the wallet. The NBA has fined him and that hasn’t altered his ways on the court at all. Why would he change off of it for the sake of saving a few bucks?
The continuing saga of Andrew’s maturity is getting very tiresome. The ESPN article notes that many of his issues started after the All-Star break. Does that in any way coincide with Bynum’s inflated sense of self coming off of his first All-Star game? Maybe I’m going too far.
Anybody that’s been following Bynum can’t be at all surprised that he’s as big a diva off the court as on it. His selfish nature has certainly shown itself more often lately and his dismissive nature is sure to carry over into the locker room, parking lot and pretty much anywhere else the seven-footer travels.
The real problem relates to the big picture. At this point there is no way any G.M. would feel secure building around a talented yet unaccountable child like Bynum. Kobe Bryant is going to have to pass that torch one day. Kobe too was immature once upon a time. So this is a process. Just gotta wonder how like it might take for maturity to set in with Baby Bynum.