Rumor: Is Andrew Bynum unhappy? by HoopsVibe News Feb 16th, 2011 He complained about his lack of playing time, his lack of touches and the Lakers' lack of effort. I was out there playing hard, man," Bynum said. "In the second half, I didn't really get in the game." Bynum played only 23 minutes 8 seconds. He scored nine points, shooting only six times, making three. In the second half, Bynum played 8:07, and not at all in the fourth quarter. He scored one point after halftime, and got only one shot. Link HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: For the Los Angeles Lakers, he’s the difference between mediocrity and greatness. When Andrew Bynum is injured, struggling, or frustrated, the Lakers are vulnerable against bigger, athletic teams. Like, say, the Charlotte Bobcats. On Monday, Team Jordan had their way with the purple-and-gold, dominating the paint in a blow out victory over the Lakers. While Bynum’s complaints about minutes and touches aren’t reason to panic, Coach Phil Jackson must keep Bynum happy. His well-being, both physical and mental, must be monitored. After all, Bynum was involved in some viral gossip last week –the Lakers and Denver Nuggets reportedly discussed swapping the seven-footer for Carmelo Anthony. When Bynum is relatively healthy and focused, the Lakers are a tough match-up because of his size. Few teams can handle a frontcourt of Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Bynum. For instance, Bynum, even with a wonky knee, was too much for the Boston Celtics to handle in game seven of the NBA Finals. His frame, length, and wingspan were key to the Lakers winning the championship. To have any chance at a thee-peat, the Lakers need a healthy and happy Bynum. --Oly Sandor. http://www.hoopsvibe.com/nba-news-and-rumors/articles/126483-rumor-is-andrew-bynum-unhappy What would it take to get Bynum with his injury history and being unhappy Could the rockets buy low on him? Do the rockets have anything LA would want?
This should probably go in the Dish. I wouldn't trust Bynum on the Rockets because they are cursed when it comes to injury prone big men.
no no no NO NO NOOO!! absolutely no more injure-prone big men, and especially not the most over rated, under achieving center in the west.
It's no rumor. Wouldn't we all be unhappy if we were often injured and not getting enough touches or spotlight to further our basketball career? I previously thought he'd be worth a gamble, but every time i see him there's just something wrong with the way he moves. His legs are like twizzlers. I want to say he's got a core problem, primarily with his hips, that's screwing up his leg biomechanics and twisting his knee, but i'd like to think a pro team would have noticed that by now.
This. All he's shown in his career is that he's a poor bet to play 70 games and he lacks work ethic and desire.
He is very talented but doesn't have a ton of heart. I don't think that the rockets are going to make a move for him and I hope they dont
I stoped reading after this. He is not the difference between Mediocrity and Greatness for the lakers. He is one of the most overrated players in the NBA.
I'd have no patience with this guy. Between the injuries and the inconsistent play how the hell does he have the right to question the team's effort.
Did you not read Simmons' latest column? See below, and forget about Bynum. 38. Andrew Bynum A list of the most memorable centers and power forwards of the past 35 years organized by their first six regular seasons for "games played," "games missed" and "number of seasons in which they played 90 percent of the games." Dwight Howard: 489 --- 3 --- 6 Karl Malone: 489 --- 3 --- 6 Tim Duncan: 451 --- 9 --- 5 David Robinson: 475 --- 17 --- 5 Kevin McHale: 475 --- 17 --- 5 Charles Barkley: 472 --- 20 --- 6 Dikembe Mutombo: 471 --21 -- 5 Robert Parish: 469 --- 23 --- 5 Hakeem Olajuwon: 468 --- 24 --- 5 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 467 --- 25 --- 5 Dirk Nowitzki: 444 --- 48 --- 5 Kevin Garnett: 442 --- 50 --- 5 Patrick Ewing: 438 --- 54 --- 4 Moses Malone: 428 --- 66 --- 4 Alonzo Mourning: 409 --- 83 --- 2 Shaquille O'Neal: 408 --- 84 --- 2 Yao Ming: 404 -- 88 --- 3 Ralph Sampson: 395 --- 97 --- 3 Chris Webber: 329 --- 131 --- 1 Andrew Bynum: 309 --- 169 --- 1 Bill Walton: 223 --- 269 --- 0 Sam Bowie: 207 --- 285 --- 1 Greg Oden: 82 --- 266 --- 0 What jumps out? First, the durable guys remained durable throughout their careers, with just one exception: McHale, who ruined the second half of his career by bravely (and some would say foolishly) playing on a broken foot in the 1987 playoffs. Second, anyone who missed more than 80 games and couldn't play in 90 percent of the games in at least four of their first six seasons went on to have injury-plagued careers. (That includes Shaq, who played more than 68 games in a season just six times and missed an average of 18 games per season.) And third, if you can't stay on the court at your youngest/healthiest/freshest/most energetic, it's a pretty safe bet that things won't change as you get older. It's straight DNA: Some dudes are structurally built for 82-game NBA seasons, others aren't. So if you make the argument "If Bynum can stay healthy, he's a franchise center," just make sure you also mention that we have 35 years of evidence that there's a tipping point when "If he can stay healthy …" becomes "… he's not going to stay healthy." We're there with Andrew Bynum. He's not going to stay healthy. If I were the Lakers, I would trade him right now. (Actually, what am I saying? They should definitely keep him! The guy is built like solid oak!)
L.A. woudn't give up Bynum for Melo. We can have nothing the Lakers would want, but that's probably a good thing considering Bynum is likely to only play a few games more than Yao.
If I was the Lakers, I would give up Bynum for Melo. It would set them up in the long-term like no other move they could make. For this season, move Odom back into the starting lineup at PF, where he rebounds very well. It would immediately change what kind of team they were, but the reduced size would be more than compensated by much greater athleticism, speed and explosiveness. Having Pau in the middle, a versatile Odom at PF with Kobe and Melo at the wing positions would mean they could play Derek Fisher in a wheelchair and contend for a championship. Melo and Kobe can play together. Would be nothing like Melo and AI.
