Long term reality with Bynum and injuries
by LakersFan2009 on Mar 20, 2010 4:06 PM PDT
24 comments
He spent the off-season in the weight room, getting stronger. For the most part, that worked. Losing him for six or so games at the end of the season with the achilles issue is better than him going down with a knee injury. We weren't going to catch Cleveland anyway. The Lakers should have enough to maintain the best record in the West.
Looking long term, if the team can have Bynum for an average of 70 or so games per year, that's probably as much as you can expect. Some people are more susceptible to injuries than others, and he's apparently one of them. If he can avoid any more knee problems or a bad high ankle sprain, then 70 games a year is probably realistic.
Mikan was a horse, Wilt was seemingly invulnerable, Kareem was pretty much the same, Shaq rested for half the season until the playoffs, and Bynum gets nicked up a lot. He's going to be here a long time, and we're going to have to get used to this.
For those who want the Lakers to trade him, I don't know what you'd get in return. Who would trade us a top center (there's only a few good ones) for Bynum, straight up? And if we swapped him to some team for a great point guard, then we'd really be changing the entire approach for the team.
He's still just a guppy, in terms of age. If he can stay upright and continue workout regimens to get stronger — as well as improve his game (and he does get better every year) — then we'll have a serious advantage inside for a long time.
Just my .02.
0 recs |
24 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
good fan post
even though bynum has got injured in the last 3 seasons,its possible he could be like zydrunas illgasukis have injury problems the first couple years then never have injury problems again.
its not that bynum is soft,or injury prone its that basketball is a game where injuries happen so i think your post pretty much sums it up and we should be grateful we have the monster known as Andrew Bynum
YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD YES!
www.reverbnation.com/czheckproductions
And on the last day god made Kobe unstoppable,is it possible to stop something unstoppable?
My biggest concern is how much it impacts him in the post season
It is his recovery in terms of how fast he can come back and become an effective part of the team mainly on defense. Last year he was a starter but LO doubled him in minutes because Bynum although physically able to play he could not get into the flow of the games because he took too much time off.
The best point I think that this post makes is in terms of risking a big change in the Lakers make-up in terms of having a size advantage. It is easier to replace an aging Fisher or a player like Farmar than it is to replace a player like Bynum.
"If you want to find the dumbest guy in the room just find the first guy to tell you how smart he is." - JG
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Mar 20, 2010 6:59 PM PDT reply actions
Let's talk point guard then...
I think most of us have come to the conclusion that the long term point guard replacement for Fisher isn’t on the roster. Farmar has his moments but is woefully inconsistent and can’t be relied upon in the clutch. That said, if Fish leaves after this season you could just turn it over to Farmar and see what happens. Sometimes, a player will fill the role if given the chance.
Brown is a better athlete and a lot stronger, but I’m not sure he’s the answer either.
Darren Collison could be looking for a home with Chris Paul healthy again, but what’s the chance NO will send him to us? Maybe zero, unless we want to send Odom away.
Kupchak could pull a great deal out of his hat, but who would want to send a super PG to the Lakers — especially w team in the West?
I’d settle for a guy who could work the triangle, give us 8-10 pts, 8-10 assists, and had the speed to stay with the elite PGs and cut down on the penetration problems. That would be huge.
by LakersFan2009 on Mar 20, 2010 7:45 PM PDT up reply actions
so lakers should try to sign steve blake or kirk heinrich for next season?
by bobc-lakersfan on Mar 20, 2010 9:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Gotta admit, I'm not up to speed on PGs
I don’t know who they should get, but a guy with youth, speed, ability to defend, can dish, and score 8-10 pts. is the formula.
Give us THAT GUY, and I think we turn the NBA into a “wait until 2015” league.
Most of our problems on defense start with the inability to choke off penetration. Yeah, we’re also bad on pick and roll (have been for years), but I’ll take that if we can avoid guys like Aaron Brooks and Jameer Nelson from shredding our D.
by LakersFan2009 on Mar 20, 2010 9:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Heinrich is the answer...
…we need at point. Fish is a great spot-up shooter, but he is just too slow now to keep up with the gaurds out there. I think NO would keep Collison and dump Paul but I don’t think we have the right pieces to trade to get Paul in LA. ( could make it work with Morrison and Farmar plus a boat load of money!) The only way I see us making a strong move is if we don’t win the Championship this year….
by kingofatlanta on Mar 20, 2010 10:04 PM PDT up reply actions
Trading Paul is franchise suicide for New Orleans
It will never happen. Literally.
Collison will be traded in the summer as bait for someone to take a bad contract off New Orleans’ hands so they can get under the tax.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
No one knows what the Lakers will do next year at the PG spot
one thing I will say is that Farmar is NOT the answer to any Phil coached team. The only way that Farmar works is if his speed is used to an advantage and Phil is not about to do that. During the time that Kobe was out and the Lakers won 4 games they used that very effectively. The other issue is that anyone the Lakers get they will pay double for because of their salary situation. We can all say and talk about who we want but we have to look at it from a business point of view also.
"If you want to find the dumbest guy in the room just find the first guy to tell you how smart he is." - JG
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Mar 20, 2010 10:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Draft or cheap free agent
That’s it. We’re not adding payroll with Buss’ recent spending tendencies. Collison isn’t coming here because we won’t be willing to take Peterson’s, Posey’s or Stojakovic’s contract in the process. If Farmar is coming back, he’s doing so for the QO.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
As for Bynum...
he just needs to sit on the opposite side of the bench from Odom because he is PURE CANDY. Softer the a marshmallow fresh out the microwave!
Cut bait
How much longer until he loses trade value? I don’t know what everyone sees in him. He shows flashes of his potential every now and then, but that’s the problem. Is he the player we’ve seen in those bright flashes, or is he the player who’s oft-injured, sulks, and is frustratingly inconsistent? He’s a kid who wants to play a larger role offensively on a team that doesn’t need him to play that role, which unfortunately inhibits his efficiency in the vital defensive role the team absolutely needs him to play.
Yeah, nothing to see past the fact
He’s a beast on offense (57.0 FG%, 60.8 TS%) and our best interior defender by a mile. Or that he’s basically better than any non-Howard/Bogut/Yao center in the league at this point.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
But what do you get for him?
Let’s look from multiple angles…
1. He got a huge contract. Do we just take a lesser player in return, or another project? Who would we get to play the middle? Marc Gasol, maybe? (just kidding). Think Denver would swap us Hilario? Unless you’re just dumping Bynum and taking in anybody, it’s a bad business move and Buss would never do it.
2. Let’s say we go for an old vet who offers a lot less offense but can play D and grab some boards. What else do we get? Maybe a second-level PG? We have two of those already. Maybe a PF who can hit an occasional three? Got that, too.
3. If we ship him off in a two or three-team exchange and get a dominant PG, as earlier described — I’m talking ELITE — then we change the team. I’m not saying that it couldn’t be better, but would it be better right away or take a year to gel?
Frankly, a Chris Paul or Jameer Nelson-type who can penetrate and dish to Bryant-Gasol-Odom might be awesome.
But would we get an elite guy in exchange for Bynum?
My opinion is that the only way Bynum leaves L.A. anytime soon is if he becomes a disciplinary problem, or suffers a career-changing injury. Otherwise, he’s here for a while.
I would have loved to see him develop into a defensive force like Dwight Howard. He seems to have better footwork than Howard, but he doesn’t use his body as well. Maybe he needs to get with different trainers and try to transform his physique from Wuss to Wilt.
:)
Lots of misconceptions here
1) All not realistic. Marc Gasol is on a cheap contract. Memphis has been one of the cheapest teams in the league and has to pay for Rudy Gay this summer. Why do they want Bynum’s huge contract? Denver is a key conference rival; they’re not doing anything with us, and Nene is just as, if not more injury prone.
2) Not even close to how much the Lakers value him.
3) If we get an elite player (read: All-Star level player), then yes. That said, we’re not getting any of those players. Trading Paul is franchise suicide for New Orleans. Deron Williams is never leaving Utah. San Antonio has no incentive to deal with us whatsoever for Parker, who isn’t a good fit in the first place. Everyone else isn’t good enough or would require the team to give up too many good pieces for Bynum.
Also, we don’t need a drive-and-kick guard. That’s what Kobe does. A triangle point needs to stand in his spot in the offense, hit threes, not turn the ball over, and defend. Paul would definitely improve this team for instance, but we’re negating a ton of his strengths in the process.
In regards to Bynum as a defensive force, he’s the only reason our putrid defense against dribble penetration hasn’t killed us this season. Period. Fisher gets burned at will, Kobe plays free safety until the fourth quarter, and Artest frequently gambles on the perimeter. Bynum accounts for a ton of those mistakes that Gasol simply can’t deal with. Howard and Bogut are basically the only centers I’d take over Bynum defensively at this juncture. Also, Bynum’s physique is one of the most imposing in the league. I’m not sure where you’re getting this really off perception.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
We're not trading him unless we're getting an elite player in return
Hence why the Bosh-Bynum rumors had an ounce of validity to them. For a team to have any chance whatsoever of getting him, they would have to offer 1) an adequate replacement in the frontcourt 2) an elite player 3) multiple picks. Past that, you can toss all your scenarios out the window. So essentially, unless it’s Rose, Noah, and a first from Chicago, you can stop dreaming up scenarios.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
You're missing the point
Ben, you misread the intent of my post, which was in answer to the sentiment that we should just trade Bynum, get whatever we can and move on.
He’s not a great defender, but he is valuable. I agree.
I’m not enamored of his physical qualities. If he spent a few years with a world class body coach, he would be a serious force. That frame could support 20-30 lbs. more of rock. It doesn’t come all at the same time. He could put that on in 3-4 years and just be impossible to deal with.
And, no, we’re not going to get an elite PG for him, for some of the reasons you suggested. The guy I had in mind was mentioned earlier — 8-10 pts. a game, run the triangle, have some speed to break down the defense when possible, hit threes, and cut off penetration from guys like Brooks, Paul, Parker, Nelson, etc.
All in all, Bynum isn’t going anywhere.
by LakersFan2009 on Mar 21, 2010 6:51 AM PDT up reply actions
Ben, you misread the intent of my post, which was in answer to the sentiment that we should just trade Bynum, get whatever we can and move on.
Then that’s just silly, as we’re tossing away one of our premier players for essentially extremely low value. That’s not a constructive move in the short term or the long term.
He’s not a great defender, but he is valuable. I agree.
Err, he is a good defender. Splice comparisons of him and Gasol in similar situations and it’s obvious. There’s a reason our defense goes up a notch when Odom-Bynum is our frontcourt.
I’m not enamored of his physical qualities. If he spent a few years with a world class body coach, he would be a serious force. That frame could support 20-30 lbs. more of rock. It doesn’t come all at the same time. He could put that on in 3-4 years and just be impossible to deal with.
That’s the complete opposite of what he should do. In a league gravitating towards a smaller, faster style of play, being overly slow and large doesn’t work any more, especially with the current defensive rules. Artest is a good example of this — he struggled earlier in the year when he tried to get closer to 270-280 simply because he couldn’t stay with wings and now that he’s shed weight, he’s doing far better. Bynum is already more than big enough to overpower opposing players on the post and yet still retain enough mobility to play the pick-and-roll and contain dribble penetration, which are far more important factors in today’s NBA than basic post defense (which he’s still better at than anyone on the team in any case).
Besides, adding weight onto his frame just aggravates the possibility of acquiring injuries. Very counter-productive.
And, no, we’re not going to get an elite PG for him, for some of the reasons you suggested. The guy I had in mind was mentioned earlier — 8-10 pts. a game, run the triangle, have some speed to break down the defense when possible, hit threes, and cut off penetration from guys like Brooks, Paul, Parker, Nelson, etc.
Downgrade overall and not worth it because the player you described is Kirk Hinrich, and unless he was paired with Noah in a trade, it definitely would not make us better in the short term.
All in all, Bynum isn’t going anywhere.
At least we agree on something.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
Okay, except for one thing...
Adding extra weight to one’s frame does not necessarily make one slower. It’s how the weight is added. Some body coaches are stuck in the “Arnold years,” where bulking up was the goal. That would not serve Bynum, and would indeed slow him down and dull his reflexes. Yeah, Artest.
Today it is possible to add 30 lbs. to a guy like Bynum — over 3-4 years — where virtually all of his speed and quickness would be retained, while he would just be a lot stronger and able to muscle everybody, including Dwight Howard.
They can also probably strengthen his legs so he is less susceptible to injury.
With the right nutrition program he would get closer to what Wilt had going, rather than Shaq.
And, if anybody could ever get to that three-lb. muscle that’s between his ears, he might develop the mentality of a true post beast.
Kareem surely helped Bynum. Had he lived, someone like Chamberlain would have been a great second guru. The mentality would have been completely different and I think Andrew’s defense (I concede your point that he is our best) would be far better had Wilt been able to work with him. With Wilt’s instruction I believe Bynum would be much more of an intimidating force, and would give up fewer fouls.
by LakersFan2009 on Mar 21, 2010 3:24 PM PDT up reply actions
I disagree
Wilt was 7’0 275 Bynum is 7’0 280-285 of muscle…so the whole getting big like wilt is a non issue because he is Bigger than Wilt and probably just as strong if not stronger…20-30 pounds would put him up over 300 he’s not Shaq, And as far as Howard goes it looked to me like he handled him rather well in Orlando. Howard didnt overpower Drew.. He hasnt had any serious injuries this year because he did the work on his legs to get stronger. I could be wrong but i dont know of any workouts to strengthen your achilles tendon so we hafta take it for what it is, A freak injury much like his previous injuries..You cant guard against someone rolling into your leg from behind…just like you cant guard against a sprained ankle, It happens…we shouldnt entertain any ideas of trading Bynum because he is the only Powerful post player we have right now
Kobe isnt good....He's just better than your favorite player
Wilt was bigger than that.
I interviewed Wilt in his post-basketball days, when he was playing beach volleyball. He told me that he got up to 300 at one point in his NBA career and still was dominant.
Bynum could go to 300 and not sacrifice anything. He’d just be tougher.
I just wish he had Chamberlain’s post attitude. People didn’t challenge Wilt much. He just controlled the game in a quiet way. No screaming, no Shaq-like silliness, no banging your butt into everybody. He just dominated.
He’d have eaten Shaq alive.
from Wikipedia...
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Featured Stories
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
