Yes folks, Andrew Bynum is always on the lookout for those low-flying rebounds.
I am not a Laker fan. Far from it. I’ll be completely honest, I’m a Laker-hater.
I hate the teams in every sport that have the most mainstream appeal. I hate the Lakers, I hate the Yankees, I hate the Dallas Cowboys and I hate Manchester United.
I also hate my teams’ rivals, as I should, but that’s a different kind of hate.
As a Laker-hater, I despise hearing about how great Andrew Bynum is and how great he is going to be.
The simple truth is, he’s shown some flashes of being a very good NBA player, but he’s also spent an inordinate amount of time on the injured list and doesn’t appear to have some of the instincts that come natural to great basketball players.
He mis-times his jumps often enough to make him look awkward and he doesn’t have a strong ability to read rebounds are going to come off the rim.
Maybe I’m being too harsh. Maybe I’m completely and utterly biased and full of shit.
I’ll spare you the headache and let you know that I am completely biased and full of shit.
I logged on to ESPN.com this afternoon and saw a featured story called the All-NBA Breakout Team. Who was the picture of for that featured story? Why, Andrew Bynum, of course. Every year seems to be his breakout season, but this one is definitely it.
Apparently.
I didn’t get a chance to read the article, mainly because I’m too stingy to pay for ESPN Insider. But it doesn’t matter. May favorite part has to be the picture of Bynum that ESPN chose.
It looks like Bynum is blocking out his man, Charlotte Bobcats center Nazr Mohammed. But if you take a close look at the image (I know, it’s kind of small… that’s what she said), you’ll see that Mohammed is looking up at the rebound presumably coming off the rim. In the background, Kobe Bryant is doing the same.
But Andrew Bynum is not.
Bynum is looking somewhere to the left. At God knows what.
Remember what I said about instincts? I think that photo captures it perfectly.
Enjoy the Andrew Bynum era everybody.
If I had to bet my life on him ever finishing in the top three for NBA MVP voting, I wouldn’t do it. But I’d definitely wager a few limbs and non-vital organs.
2 Comments
October 28, 2009 at 6:40 pm
I understand you are a Laker hater like a lot of people i know(including my own brother)and will probably reject pretty much everything i have to say here, even though most of my points are legitimate and valid. Never the less here are a couple of reasons why i think Bynum is dope, and is going to be dope for a long time.
1.) He just recieved his first NBA title ring! He already has that monkey off his back even though his performance in last years playoffs and finals left something to be desired. This will only fuel his determination to become one of the best players on the lakers this year, and in the future to come.
2.) He is being mentored by one of the greatest Center/players of all time, another Laker great Mr. Kareem Abdul Jabar;which was evident in the multiple jump/”sky” hooks he put up in the first game of the season yesterday and in the constant talks you see them having pre and mid game.
3.) Unlike other “phenom” centers and rookies (like Greg Oden for example) who are drowning in the preasure of fans and ownership to succeed, he is surrounded by all stars that not only take pressure off of him, but also offer on court support and advice. The players around him really seem like they want to see him to succeed if for nothing more than to strengthen our already bullet proof team, open up more chances of glory for themselves.
4.)He is only 22 years old and has years AT LEAST 10 more years in him.
5.)He is a member of the LOS ANGELES LAKERS! which after this year will become the most dominant B-Ball franchise of all time!
October 29, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Todd,
You’re definitely right in that he’s only 22 years old and he has a lot of talent around him to take the pressure off of him. That definitely allows him to take his time in developing.
But from what I’ve heard, Bynum won’t be working with Kareem very much anymore. Granted, I don’t know how much that all helps anyway, especially with a douche like Kareem.