ALL BALL NERVE CENTER – Poor Andrew Bynum. OK, sure, it’s hard to say “poor” anything when we’re referring to a guy who:
Has already made about $50 million over the course of his career, including the roughly $16 million he banked last season without playing a game
Has won two NBA titles
Is almost certainly due for a max contract this summer
Still, most things Bynum has touched recently have turned to stone, not gold. There were the injuries and technical fouls and ejections in Los Angeles. There was the trade to Philly, which was supposed to provide a fresh start, but instead mostly just jump-started the end of the Doug Collins era. There was the revelation that Bynum had re-injured his knee, ultimately polishing off his season, not while playing basketball but while bowling.
So we can understand the frustration Sixers fans must feel today when video surfaces of their erstwhile franchise center, dressed like The Fonz, nimbly dancing upon a stage at a cafe in Madrid:
Sure, this is not exactly “Dancing With The Stars”-type movement, but it’s more than we saw him doing on a court all season.
And that’s probably just enough to get everyone all worked up about it.
By the late morning, there will be all kinds of analysis and “best dunk(er) ever” debates over Blake Griffin’s evisceration of Pau Gasol. But there should also be room in that discourse over Gasol’s frontcourt mate Andrew Bynum’s reaction.
Good to see a teammate sticking up for a fallen comrade there.
Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you…The Bynum Face.
*Bonus – If TBF wasn’t enough, look no further than the stands. My man with his hands over his head and two ladies to the left of the basket with mouths agape is sufficient enough to let you know that, well, Griffin isn’t that bad of a dunker.
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An interesting day for the Lakers — after months of speculation about the futures of guys like Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, both of them stayed put, while seemingly Laker For Life Derek Fisher was somewhat unceremoniously shipped out in what was essentially a cost-cutting move.
After Dwight Howard, it’s possibly no other player was the subject of more speculation about his future than Gasol, famously prompting Kobe Bryant to call out Lakers management to poop or get off the pot, if you will.
The deadline passed today at 3 p.m. ET, and with Gasol still safely ensconced in Purple and Gold, he took to YouTube to address his situation, and you can feel the relief just pour out of him:
Classy guy. Like many, many players, I imagine he is very happy to have this day behind him.
Finally, the Lakers got some good news for their long-suffering fans, as Andrew Bynum returned to the court after missing the first 25 games of the season recovering from knee surgery.
L.A. struggled to an 18-7 record in Bynum’s absence, languishing all the way down in third(!) place in the Western conference without their young pivot.
With Bynum healthy, maybe the Lakers can finally start to play some decent basketball. There are only 57 games left in the season, but perhaps with a little elbow grease and the right attitude, there is still time to turn this thing around and finally give Lakers supporters something to cheer about.
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It’s Monday, which means it’s time to start the week off right with a little hoops arguing. Today’s episode of extend, trade, or cut is brought to you by the Prime Minister (familiar to anyone who reads the Hang Time Blog) who had a good suggestion for today’s discussion — a trio of the NBA’s best young pivotmen in the Hawks’ Al Horford, the Lakers’ Andrew Bynum, and Grizzlies big man Marc Gasol.
Just to refresh you on the rules, picture yourself as the GM of a mythical NBA franchise, and pretend that you have to choose between three players. One player you can extend with a new contract, one player you can trade for some mythical asset(s), and one player you must cut from your roster for eternity (it’s a harsh world). You may choose each option only once.
Let’s take a look at the candidates:
Al Horford: I’m not saying which way I will vote on Big Al, but I must admit upfront a healthy bias towards him from my days covering the Hawks. Here is a comment you often hear about the Hawks: “They’d be good if they had a legit center instead of having to play Horford there rather than his natural power forward position.” This statement is a crock o’ something. Here’s a little stat I just made up — Horford is better than 90 percent of the centers in the league. I’d actually have to do some research to decide exactly where he fits in, but just because he struggles to check Dwight Howard and Yao Ming doesn’t mean he’s out of his depth in the post. You know who else has trouble checking Dwight and Yao? Everyone.
Andrew Bynum: The Lakers big man is brimming with talent, and when he’s been healthy he’s established that he is capable of being a perennial All-Star. Alas, that health just hasn’t been a constant. In fact, being injured has been the constant, as he has only played 82 games once in his five-year career. Still, Bynum is only 22 (he turns 23 next week), and if the injuries get under control, he could be the best center in the league.
Marc Gasol: Is he as good as his brother Pau? Maybe not. But for as much grief as the Grizzlies get for trading Gasol the Elder to L.A. (and believe me, I’m with you), I don’t know if they get enough credit for getting Gasol the Younger in return. Marc is pretty much exactly what you want in an NBA center – he rebounds, he protects the rim, and he has the traditional Euro-style abilities to be a good passer and solid face-up shooter. If anything, I still wonder why Memphis (with Gasol in the fold) would draft Hasheem Thabeet instead of homegrown hero Tyreke Evans.
Them’s your choices. Now it’s your turn to weigh in – what’s your poison?
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by Micah Hart
Catch up on every single game-winning buzzer beater during the season and see how it rates on the Horry Scale.
