Start Bynum or LO

by kennypjl on Feb 9, 2010 12:24 AM PST

Laker fans,

Should Phil start Bynum or LO?

(I remembered Lakers played much better when LO was in the starting 5 in 2008. Even though they fell short to Boston same year and everyone questioned about LO's toughness, he proved everyone wrong by showing up in last year's playoff. I think his skills set and his maturity will help the team if he starts again. On the other hand, Bynum is still learning how to play with Pau. He even complained about his touches when he is on the floor with Pau at the same time. I think he needs to get it together just like he did in the past. He is a great player and potential all-star, but with that attitude he won't be successful. Put him with second unit will give him the space to work in the paint and also makes him understand that "playing time is earned not given". Let me phrase it correctly. "A spot on the starting lineup or even a spot on the all-star team is earned, not given or guaranteed."

That's just my thought.

Your thoughts on that.

Tweet Comment 18 comments | 1 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

If Lamar shows up like he's done the past couple nights

I don’t think there’s any question. Bynum may be the future, but championship time is now. The problem is that I think starting Bynum might be better against certain teams like Cleveland and Boston, but you can’t toy around with your starting 5 too much.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

by Justin N. on Feb 9, 2010 2:12 AM PST reply actions

Bynum

The whole point of the regular season is to improve on-court chemistry and execution, and the only way Bynum is going to get better at playing with Gasol is simply by playing with him repeatably. Odom/Gasol is simply a more natural fit, which is why we see it so often at the end of games, but before he hit his knee against Charlotte, Bynum was playing surprisingly well within the offense and on the defensive end. Odom/Bynum is honestly our best defensive frontcourt, and I think Phil realizes that, hence the extended burn it got against Boston.

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

by Ben R on Feb 9, 2010 12:50 PM PST reply actions

I don't think bynum fits as well with the bench as does odom.

odom and gasol, as we’ve seen yesterday helps facilitate the offense a lot better, which will do much good for our jump shot trigger happy backup guards. bynum will be a lot more useful with kobe getting him the easy shots than acting as the post presence for the bench (mostly because he doesn’t pass out as well)

the closing lineup should be mostly odom/gasol, unless matchups indicate otherwise.

by Nostance on Feb 9, 2010 1:13 PM PST reply actions

i agree with the closing lineup of odom/gasol

Like Ben R says we need bynum to start so he can work on his chemistry. i have no problem with that, as long as we have our good chemistry unit at the end of the game whoever is playing together the best and most effective. But i dont want to just hand it to bynum if he isn’t fitting in the flow of the game. He needs to earn it.

" I'm a human, not a sandwich"

by true_lakerfan on Feb 9, 2010 3:35 PM PST up reply actions

I agree with Nostance ...

I’ve read other bloggers arguments that Bynum would play better with the second unit BECAUSE

by nilwnah on Feb 9, 2010 5:29 PM PST up reply actions

… he takes away jumpshots from Farmar and Shannon. But I agree with Nostance with the following:

1) Bynum’s poor passing would lead to a lot of stagnation on the offense (the second unit offense is already stagnant, with a lot of overdribbling by Brown and Farmar).

2) Bynum is very effective in a pick-and-roll with Kobe.

However, I think Phil should start playing Bynum in end game situations more often just so that he has more experience. We already know that Gasol/Odom is a proven frontline.

by nilwnah on Feb 9, 2010 5:33 PM PST up reply actions

Here’s how I see it

If Bynum and Gasol are clicking, they have the potential to be way better than Gasol-LO

The problem is, its gonna take a while for Bynum and Gasol to get on the same page. It may be frustrating to watch at times, but if the Lakers can get Bynum and Gasol to play on the same page they will be unstoppable.

In Kobe we trust!

by robi s on Feb 9, 2010 5:48 PM PST reply actions

hmmmm

not such a bad idea imo
bynum and gasol have yet to click and actually both play well on the floor
and i think when odom starts, he usually plays well and steps his game up and works well with pau…
when odoms on the bench, he is a lot more inconsistent….
if bynum and gasol continues to not yield what we want to see maybe phil should consider this scenario….

"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."

by shaqfor3 on Feb 9, 2010 9:46 PM PST reply actions

If Kobe and the rest of the gang get healthy heading into the playoffs,

what about going with this line up at the end of the games:
PG – Kobe
SG – Artest
SF – Lamar
PF – Gasol
C – Bynum
It all kinda depends on who we are playing though. If they have a quick pg (brooks, nash, parker, paul, rondo) I dont really want KB chasing around their pg. But I do think Kobe could handle himslef against Billups, Williams, Kidd, Nelson, Rose, etc. And if we are playign someone with a good SF, I would rather have Artest guard him than LO. It all kinda depends on who we are matched up with in the playoffs. We would definently be a force to be recogned with on offense.

"I work my ass off every day in practice. How many other guys can say the same thing? Not many. I'm fighting against becoming soft. That's the worse thing you can say to a basketball player." - Dennis Rodman

by LakersFoEva on Feb 10, 2010 6:08 AM PST reply actions

I don't think we want Kobe chasing around PGs in general

Maybe a few years ago, but definitely not now. Odom also does a poor job at checking threes nowadays, as he has problems chasing them around the court through screens. Honestly, our best defensive lineup is probably something along the lines of Farmar/Brown (depending heavily on the matchup), Kobe, Artest, Odom, Bynum. Odom and Bynum complement each other much better on defense because Odom can guard fours on the perimeter and checks the pick-and-roll very well, so it gives Bynum a much easier time containing penetration (also due to the fact that whoever is playing PG isn’t getting destroyed on a screen, off the dribble, or similar) and either focusing on straight-up post defense (at which he’s far better than Gasol) or simply protecting the rim.

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

by Ben R on Feb 10, 2010 11:15 AM PST up reply actions

the floor would not be spaced with that lineup

no way

by matthewmafa on Feb 11, 2010 8:06 AM PST up reply actions

In Phil we trust

I’m for whatever Phil Jackson thinks is best. If he chooses to keep Bynum in the starting five though Odom might be playing better, I trust that he has a good reason for it.

Magic made me a Laker fan.

by thestuff01 on Feb 11, 2010 8:06 AM PST reply actions

phil says the assistant coaches are telling him to start LO over drew. i don’t know. it’s a tough one.

by chaucer on Feb 11, 2010 5:13 PM PST reply actions

As I posted inh another thread yesterday

this shouldn’t be a problem with my proposal – make a variable starting line up with eight Bynum or Odom, depending on the opposing team. Against a team that needs a physical, tall frontline like Denver or Cavs, start Drew. Against speedy/agile teams like the Suns or Portland, start Lamar. Hell, we could be so unpredictable with this setup opposing teams won’t be able to prepare properly, at least in the regular season. We could just exchange depending on coach PJ’s decision, as long as one thing is stable: the team plays through the triangle, and Kobe buys into it.

"E-Coaches are heavy in here tonight! Take E-Sasha and put him on the E-bench on your fantasy league, that’ll show him!" - Jevon O

by altree on Feb 11, 2010 6:43 PM PST up reply actions

*either Bynum or Odom

exchange players* depending. My fingers and my brain is having a disconnect right now, please try again later (sheesh).

"E-Coaches are heavy in here tonight! Take E-Sasha and put him on the E-bench on your fantasy league, that’ll show him!" - Jevon O

by altree on Feb 11, 2010 7:20 PM PST up reply actions

that may mess up the chemistry.

by chaucer on Feb 11, 2010 9:06 PM PST up reply actions

in terms of finding chemistry and establishing a good flow

by chaucer on Feb 11, 2010 9:07 PM PST up reply actions

not really

at least I don’t think so, since in majority of the games LO will start, and these guys are already playing with each a other long enough (with the exception of Artest) so chemistry is really not an issue. In the games where Bynum will start, well, its the same thing going since the season began, so again, I don’t think it would be any different. What I can actually see is that it gives Drew time to heel his current injuries, and see (and learn) how Pau does the triangle at the low and high post.
Also, it gets the team back to last season kind of playing time at this juncture, so there is a familiarity to it. Best of all, it gives them unpredictability in offensive capability, making it harder for the other teams to game plan against. So why not try it, at least until the postseason?

"E-Coaches are heavy in here tonight! Take E-Sasha and put him on the E-bench on your fantasy league, that’ll show him!" - Jevon O

by altree on Feb 15, 2010 1:13 AM PST up reply actions