Go Hard In Da Paint

Bynum Suspended - With only 12 games remaining on the regular season schedule for the Los Angles Lakers, the importance of every game is critical if the defending champions plan to secure home court advantage throughout the playoffs. And as if L.A's chances of catching the number one seeded San Antonio Spurs who own a 7-game cushion in the Western Conference standings weren't slim already, the absence of one of the Lakers' most key components will make it that much harder. During the 4th quarter of L.A.'s 106-98 victory over the visiting Timberwolves, Minnesota power forward Michael Beasley drove to the basket and was greeted by Lakers center Andrew Bynum who did his best impersonation of the people's elbow made famous by WWE's Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Bynum was tagged with a flagrant 2 foul which resulted in an immediate ejection and later led to a 2-game suspension.

Whether or not the foul was intentional, Bynum experienced a similar incident in 2009 when he committed a flagrant foul on Gerald Wallace of the Charlotte Bobcats who left the floor with a fractured rib and a collapse lung. With the next two games at home against the Portland Trailblazers and the Phoenix Suns, the 23 year old big man will be back just in time for the fourth and final installment of the Lakers-Clippers season series, which the Lakers lead 2 games to 1. Perhaps the footage of Bynum's most recent flagrant foul will keep Clippers standout Blake Griffin from attacking the paint and prevent him from adding another name to his list of posterized victims. Speaking of victims, no Blazers player had to be happier to receive the news of Bynum's suspension than the aforementioned Gerald Wallace who was traded to Portland just before the trade deadline.

Since the All-Star break, the Lakers have been red hot, winning 12 of 13 games thanks in large part to Bynum who alongside Pao Gasol have been a nightmare for teams to match up with. Though it may only be two games, the suspension for Bynum won't be all that bad and can somewhat benefit the 7-footer given his fragile frame. With size being one of L.A.'s biggest advantages, the fresher and healthier the Bynum is, the better.