As Bynum Goes, So Go the Lakers
To say the Lakers have been struggling so far this season is somewhat of an understatement. The immense lack of passion exhibited on opening night was generally attributed to the ring ceremony hangover. “It’s always tough to play games after those kind of ceremonies,” Phil Jackson noted in the infinite wisdom garnered from experiencing this particular scenario ten times. Unfortunately, it looks like this hangover is a little more persistent than the average. In fact, it seems like the Lakers have been on a Raoul Duke-esque bender for the entire summer. Can somebody please get them some Pedialyte?!?
Sure, Gasol has been out of the lineup with a hamstring injury, but throwing him back into the mix isn’t a guaranteed fix for the team’s chemistry problems and he certainly isn’t going to bolster the team defense much. No, the problem runs deeper than a sidelined Pau Gasol. So far this year, Laker games have gone a little something like this: great start out of the gate, big early lead… followed by a complete offensive meltdown in which the less talented team gets right back in the game.
The acquisition of Ron Artest was a big step for their defense this year. But what about the offensive side of the ball? With the exception of Kobe’s improved post game, it looks like the Lakers offensive development was pretty stagnant this offseason. Apparently Lamar Odom was too busy wooing socialites to get in the gym and shoot a couple free throws (an airball? Seriously?).
In the NBA, complacency gets you nowhere. All of the championship-caliber teams added offensive firepower during the offseason: Boston (Rasheed Wallace), San Antonio (Richard Jefferson), Cleveland (Shaq), and Orlando (Vince Carter). If the Lakers are forced to rely on Kobe to score 40 points every night, it’s going to be a long year in LA.
So what’s the answer? It’s very simple: get Andrew Bynum more involved on offense. Each time the Lakers have gotten out to a big lead this year, it’s been behind Bynum. At the start of every game and the start of every second half, they’ve gone into Bynum and let him throw that unstoppable jump hook across the middle of the lane. Talk about a great way to set the tone. Unfortunately, the Lakers have been establishing Bynum inside early, and then avoiding him for the rest of the half like he’s got N1H1. If the Lakers want any shot at a repeat championship this year, they have to get him the ball on a more consistent basis. It will make everyone’s life a whole lot easier. Everyone knows the best way to open up the perimeter for your outside shooters is to first establish post game. You suck ‘em in, then take it back outside. Not exactly rocket science.
Tuesday against OKC, Bynum looked the best he has all year. I was honestly thinking about writing an entire column dedicated to his apparent inability to dunk a lob until he finally started throwing a couple down on the Thunder. I mean, he is seven feet tall, right? But it just goes to show, he’s getting more comfortable and surer of himself with every game and every touch he gets. Now the rest of the squad needs to start exuding a little confidence in their young center.
If he continues to improve and his teammates start getting him the ball with some regularity–not just at the start of the game and the half, after Phil has pounded it into their thick skulls for ten minutes–the Lakers could be scary this year. But Kobe can’t do it all by himself. Not anymore. He needs Bynum. They all need Bynum. He’s the only shot they’ve got this year. And the sooner they figure it out, the better.
As it is, they look like an imbalanced team with an over-worked star, squeaking out overtime victories against less talented teams. With Bynum as an integral part of the team’s offense, the ridiculous win-loss numbers being thrown around by analysts and announcers may actually be possible. Without Bynum in a large offensive role, a 50-win season seems like a long shot.
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