Coming into the 2011-12 NBA season, many teams had questions and concerns following the lockout-shortened pre-season, but none more than the Los Angeles Lakers. After being on the short end of the stick in a collapsed trade that would've sent All-Star point-guard Chris Paul to the Lakers, the team was forced to explore other options, one of which being Orlando Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard. Unfortunately for the Lakers, an unwillingness from the Magic front-office coupled with the shorter than normal pre-season would require the team to start the regular season without any drastic changes. And after an 0-2 start to begin the season, the Lakers looked like they were in desperate need of some help. After winning their next two games to even their record at 2-2, that help would come in the form of 7-foot center Andrew Bynum.After shining during the team's two pre-season games, L.A. would be without their star center for the first four games while serving a suspension issued for his thug-like antics during Game 4 of last year's Western Conference semi-finals. In his first game back against the Denver Nuggets, Bynum would make his presence felt by compiling 29 points to go along with 13 rebounds in a winning effort to put the Lakers over the .500 mark for the first time this season. His biggest night, however, would come two games later in last night's 108-99 win over the Houston Rockets. Though Kobe Bryant would finish with a game-high 37 points, it was Bynum who stole the show by racking up the first 20-20 game of his young career by putting up 21 points and hauling in 22 boards, helping the Lakers improve to 4-3 on the year.
Having seen a majority of his career cut short due to injury since making his debut in 2005, Bynum has been the subject of trade rumors and criticism with many including myself pondering if the 24 year old could be a long-term answer. Though I won't shy away from admitting I'm one of those who have criticized Bynum time and time again for his fragile frame and inconsistencies over the years, when he's healthy like he has been thus far Bynum has shown glimpses of what he's capable of when at 100% which is why I believe he'll be the key cog to the Lakers' season (other than Kobe Bryant of coarse) and will determine if they succeed in the Playoffs. To say Bynum was missed at the start of the season would be an understatement and if the big man can continue to put up big numbers like he has been then don't be surprised if Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak puts an end to those Dwight Howard trade rumors and tries strengthening the team at another position.Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest
As if the Los Angeles Lakers didn't already have enough question marks heading into the 2011-12 NBA season following the retirement of long time head coach Phil Jackson, the team will get set to hit the hardwood for a Christmas showdown tomorrow afternoon against the Chicago Bulls with more concerns than ever. Following a strike shortened pre-season which saw the Lakers get beat, bullied and downright out played against their L.A. rivals -- the Los Angeles Clippers, the 16-time World Champion Los Angeles Lakers will head into the season not being dubbed favorites to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals this year for more reasons than one. Though the most obvious remains just how well the team will do without the zen master for the first time since the 2004-05 season, replacing him with the newly hired Mike Brown at the helm, there could be bigger concerns outside of the head coaching position.One of the main reasons the Lakers have seen success the last few years, making three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals before falling short last year, is that they've caused numerous problems for the opposition due to their size. Having three 7-footers in Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, the Lakers have had one of the more formidable lineups in the entire league since 2008. That lineup was dealt a blow several weeks ago, however, when Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak traded Odom to the reigning World Champion Dallas Mavericks following a collapsed blockbuster trade that would've sent Chris Paul to the Lakers. Odom was dealt after being angered with the Lakers front-office about being included in the trade for Paul which eventually led to a trade request that Kupchak soon granted. Since Odom's departure, the Lakers have welcomed a new cast of players with the signings of Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts, Gerald Green and Malcolm Thomas, joining Jason Kapono, Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock as the teams newest members, but none of L.A.'s latest acquisitions are expected to impact the team quite like Odom did who was named Sixth Man of the Year for the first time in his career last season.
One of the few bright spots for the Lakers during their two preseason games against Blake Griffin and the Clippers has been the stellar play by center Andrew Bynum who finished with a combined 41 points and 23 rebounds. And while the 24 year old is coming into the season looking better than ever, unfortunately for L.A. he won't be able to contribute on the court during the regular season until the team's fifth game because of a suspension issued out by the league following a flagrant foul on Dallas' J.J. Barea during game 4 of the Western Conference semi-finals. The Lakers' woes continue with the recent news of Kobe Bryant's torn ligament which was suffered in the first preseason game against the Clippers on Monday. While driving to the basket, Bryant was met by Clippers center DeAndre Jordan who blocked the shot, causing Kobe to lose his balance and land on his right wrist.Kobe finished the game, but sat out of Wednesday's preseason finale and was seen on the Lakers bench supporting the team wearing a cast. Though most injuries of this magnitude require several weeks to heal, Kobe has expressed that he intends to tough it out and play through the injury, something the former MVP has done a lot of throughout his career. For Kobe, the most frustrating part about the injury has to be that it was sustained after an off-season in which he was injury-free which has been rare for the 33 year old veteran who's got a lot of tread on his tires. If Bryant was to sit out and let his wrist heal, his absence would be detrimental to the team granted the lockout shortened season demands less days in between games. More games with less rest could also play a factor and could be a huge test to an aging squad like L.A.'s. And although I don't believe it has the slightest bit of significance regarding the way he'll perform on the court, Kobe's wife Vanessa recently filed for divorce, adding to the already lengthy list of distractions that comes with playing in Tinseltown.
Something else that deserves mention is whether or not the Lakers should continue to pursue another marquee player once the season begins. While Dwight Howard's name has been the most popular when discussing trade possibilities, another name that's been brought up is Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks. With all of these questions surrounding the Lakers, one question that will be answered several weeks into the year will be whether or not they can run up and down the court and compete with other young squads within the conference such as the Thunder, Grizzlies and Clippers with the talent they've got right now. One thing that's certain is that the first week of the NBA schedule won't be the walk in the park Lakers fans have grown accustomed to in years passed.Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest
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.
With the long lived Carmelo Anthony to New York talks that date back to summer of last year slowly coming to a halt, another team enters the room as a possible destination for the 4-time All-Star. After posting a disappointing 5-5 record in their last 10-games before winning on the road in Memphis on Monday, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak publicly expressed his feelings about potentially making a trade. Though nothing was said about any player in particular, all signs pointed towards a possible deal involving Ron Artest, who has struggled this year to say the least, putting up career-low number on offense. But with very few teams willing to take on the remainder of Artest's five-year, $33 Million contract, another name surfaces.Sources say if a deal involving both parties was to be made, 23 year old Laker Center Andrew Bynum would most likely be featured as the base of the trade. Although no one has ruled out the possibility of the two star players being traded straight up, a third party will likely be involved to help Denver shed even more of their salary. Since the addition of Pau Gasol in February of '08, size has been one of if not the biggest advantages for the Lakers, led by the two aforementioned 7-footers and Lamar Odom who mostly serves off the bench. When healthy, Bynum has shown a tremendous upside and has the potential to become one of the more dominant big men in the league, but his lack of consistency and fragile frame has been his weakness, resulting in numerous injuries.
Having struggled all season long against the top teams in the league, including recent losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics who each lead their respective conferences, there's no need for L.A. to push the panic button just yet. However, there is somewhat of a cause for concern given the Lakers have already lost more games at home this season than they did all of last year, and we're yet to reach the All-Star break. Despite currently being the third seed in the Western Conference behind San Antonio and their inner-state rivals the Dallas Mavericks, I still don't see either team beating the Lakers in a best-of Playoff series. But that doesn't mean I don't think a move needs to be made. After offseason additions of Matt Barnes, Steve Blake and Theo Ratliff to deepen the depth of the Lakers bench, it seemed as if the Lakers had the perfect formula to runaway in the standings. Instead they find themselves trailing.Personally, I wouldn't hesitate one bit to trade Bynum to Denver in exchange for Carmelo, but only if we were able to sign him long term, as I don't see any reason in acquiring a player of his magnitude if he's only gonna serve as a rent-a-player for less than a season. Not to mention Bynum has another year left on his contract. My biggest concern if the deal for Melo did go through wouldn't be the loss in size, but rather how it would effect the role of Odom who has been L.A.'s MVP so far this season. Also, would he fit into Phil Jackson's system or would he pose as a speed bump in the Lakers' chances of three-peating? What surprises me more than anything, is that the Nuggets would even consider trading their All-Star talent within the conference.
As for the players themselves, neither Melo nor Laker captain Kobe Bryant were aware of the trade rumors, and downplayed the possibilities of it happening. And even though it would be nice to see both players playing alongside one another like they did in the 2008 Summer Olympics, let's face it, it probably won't happen.
